A Review of Doom!

[RICHIE B]

Right, seeing as I did a pretty massive review of Eviternity II, I'll do a quicker one of original Doom.

 

E1M1: Yep, just fine. Doesn't look much like a Hangar but it will do.

E1M2: Ditto. Being a completionist, it's always a slog going thru the maze completing everything.

E1M3: Couldn't figure out the secret level for years.

E1M9: Never liked this one. Boring as hell for a secret level and no soulsphere or megaarmor to take with you.

E1M4l Never hugely keen. I hate those one time lifts. Music is half good half jarring imo.

E1M5: Now we're talking. My fave this episode. Like how Doom is also suspensful and serious after the Rip and Tear stuff before.

E1M6: Initially surprised to find this had the same music as Mt Erebus, as I'd played that thru Windows 95 Launcher. Choosing a level from that launcher ruined much of the Doom experience unkowingly in many ways. One example is the horrific reveal of the Barons in E1M8 which must have been truly shocking back in the day was lost on me, as I'd already encountered them on levels I'd chosen from the launcher. The final fight could still kill me after I had become an 'expert'. The locking door into the final room is bullshit imo. I play continuously and like to go back and gather everything I left. I hate it when you can't. I managed to run out quick but in my most recent playthrough I found that door was now locking after I'd gone back out when it hadn't before. I still haven't figured it out.

E1M7: Most underrated music in Doom imo, nothing says Doom 1 like Demons On The Prey.

E1M8: As mentioned, the impact on this was lost on me because of the darn Win95 Launcher.

 

 

E2M1: An upside down cross gives the clue something is horribly wrong. Missed the dark plasma secret for years. I always switch the music off for this one as when I first played Doom music wasn't working so all levels were quiet and atmospheric. I still hanker for it this way. First time I ever saw the lost soul and was shocked.

E2M2: Always enjoyed it but was hugely annoyed by the marble areas. I didn't understand at the time there was supposed to be a progressive narrative of the moon base being subverted and changed. A story was being told in the narrative, but this wasn't clear. I thought it was just laziness and texturing being used randomly spoiling the levels.

E2M3: Ugh, have to switch the music off for this one - it's too jarring. One to get through.

E2M4: Can be really tough for the standards of the day. I like how from the music and those horrible moving faces near the end something is very wrong and is being shown here. First time I remember being crushed by a rising FLOOR.

E2M5: I enjoy it but again didn't understand the significance of doors being wooden at the time.

E2M9: I was always surprised at the hate, I LOVE this level. Suddenly somewhere very different, revealing how wrong everything has gone. I also like Cacos and Barons.

E2M6: Can be a slog, but the atmosphere is second to none. Dreadful and fearful. The barons scared me back in the day, and still can creep you out.

E2M7: A story; as a kid the barons were scary so out in the blue key area, I rushed into the control tower, to the back, then down that secret circuity area with the blursphere and hid at the back full of fear, waiting for it to come into view any moment with my plasma gun trigger ready. I didn't understand how the AI following worked at the time and thought it was going to directly chase me. After 5 minutes, I finally plucked the courage to creep out of the secret circuitry area. The baron wasn't there, so gingerly on to the main control tower area, then gaining more confidence back out into the open blue key area. All was quiet, there was no baron. It was gone, no sign of it. Safe at last I finally relaxed in relief, and took in the quiet atmosphere. Then I turned around, and suddenly it was there right in my face, fist raised and angry! I screamed out loud and blasted it with my plasma gun "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH! until it was dead. Biggest Doom jumpscare I ever had, never forgot it.

E2M8: At first I didn't realise those we're barons torn apart on the wall. This wasn't spoiled by the Doom launcher, I played this organically as intended. Like everyone else this was when I first met the cyberdemon, the horrific frightening beast you will never forget and have had nightmares about. Tried to get a good look at it's remains before the level quickly ends.

 

 

E3M1: Always always loved this. The whole scenario of being in this place was shocking. For the whole episode I (mostly) didn't mind much if the gameplay was lacking. Just the whole idea of being here with everything being so different, eye switches etc, was a huge experience.

E3M2: Always loved this too. I switch the music off again because this is always how I remember it, so atmospheric. Took me ages to figure out how to beat. This was my first shocking experience of the Pinky. I didn't understand how the game mechanics worked. I will always remember firing a shot, then a few seconds later seeing this horrible snarling beast running towards me furiously. Pinkies are a joke now and only are a threat by blocking you and rockets etc. But back then it was truly horrifying. I had a shotgun but the pistol was armed. In panic I fired the pistol, trigger held down and was horrified it was seemingly having no effect, it was still charging unabated. I backed up to the beginning steps in horror that they could not be climbed to escape. I knew I should switch to shotgun but I was too scared of the time it would take so kept pistoling it as it started eating me. Eventually I had no choice but to change weapon but it mauled me to death and killed me. I was so shocked by that experience. That was my first experience of a pinky and it killed me.

E3M3: In all these years I've never heard anyone mention the music sounds like a remix of E1M1. Weird. I hate being trapped in the water in that side area.

E3M4: Super enjoying the hellish location and atmosphere. I think the location design is really done justice, and for once places look like what they're supposed to be. Always got stuck on switches so couldn't complete.

E3M5: Really enjoy it but like everyone else, never understood and hate those teleporters. Never knew how to complete the level and still hate the mandatory lava room if you want to get back around.

E3M6: All right! Like many this is my favourite but never had any idea how to complete it, much less find the secret level. A mandatory candle secret in the green candle room that I would never have found is bullshit. And being expected to rocket jump is bullshit. Only found out recently Civvie said you can just straferun. Even more bullshit as this was the reveal of the intentionally programmed radiation suit leak. Bullshit!

E3M9: Like everyone else, this was confusion city, as I truly and honestly thought the wrong level had loaded by mistake. Great reveal though.

E3M7: I actually really like this one. There's enough radsuits which don't seem to leak on blood. For years I couldn't figure it out though.

E3M8: Oh boy. I remember reading about how the "thrilling" final chapter ends in the heart of the capital city of hell - Dis. I anticipated this for a long time, picturing some sort of huge level with 300 monsters (massive by the standards of the day). I imagined a level with all sorts of technoHell aesthetic where you go down further and further and further to the huge finale, and braced myself for survival and the fight of my life.

But what do we get? Just run out, shove a BFG in the Spiderdemon's face and kill it straightaway, in a boring empty arena, with awful jarring music that I later learned to love - thanks to Plutonia map 12. The final boss of Doom folks. They weren't kidding - Dis is for Disappointment. I can't tell you how much of a letdown this was, except you all know already.

 

 

E4M1: Always liked how Doom isn't just all jarring heavy metal Doom Comic style Rip and Tear, but there is also a serious side of survival and despair, set to perfectly reused music. For years I couldn't understand or beat it.

E4M2: It always seems like this will be easier than E4M1 but is often harder. I never used the cells I had, always forgetting there are huge cell packs everywhere at the exit. Found the secret exit completely by accident!

E4M9: Blah! This is so boring! Why even include it? Not as bad as Military Base imo.

E4M3: All right, I like this one. I just use the invincibility straight away.

E4M5: I like it because of the music. Didn't know about the rocket launcher secret for nearly 2 decades.

E4M6: Oh boy. How about some Sigil everyone. Another one I couldn't figure out for years. I save the invincibility for last for that cyberdemon. I always really enjoyed the Romero style craggy rockys and narrow hidden passages styles, as it satisfies my exploration instincts.

E4M7: A fine level, but the one I'm most likely to forget.

E4M8: A much more satisfying ending this time. Started playing Doom in 2000 and despite all the cheats only found out about the BFG compartment behind the Spider Mastermind 2 weeks ago when I saw a random playthrough and they just opened it up and I was like Oh wow I didn't know that was there...

 

Edited May 28 by RICHIE B

[Stupid Bunny]

I dearly appreciate the E2M9 love here. I always enjoyed the spirit of the map and the little story it tells. Not sure why people want it to be anything more.

 

Also that E1M9 is boring as hell and Doom95 ruined like 90% of the surprises in the game for me :.( (ok well it enabled me to do that to myself)

[RICHIE B]

Hi Stupid Bunny *waves*, yep totally agree with that. I've just been playing TNT Revilution - I'm years if not decades behind on things. Nice work.

 

I think it's mostly people who don't like continuity and like to start a whole new game every map (pistol start haha) who have the biggest beef with Fortress of Mystery.

 

EDIT: Just a bit of fun ribbing, I respect the pistol starters. *salutes*

Edited May 30 by RICHIE B

[Maximum Matt]

On 5/29/2024 at 3:35 AM, RICHIE B said:

The locking door into the final room is bullshit imo. I play continuously and like to go back and gather everything I left. I hate it when you can't. I managed to run out quick but in my most recent playthrough I found that door was now locking after I'd gone back out when it hadn't before. I still haven't figured it out.

Pretty sure that door is either a thirty-second locking door (like the others in that area) or it gets opened by a linedef in the ambush room

On 5/29/2024 at 3:35 AM, RICHIE B said:

E3M3: In all these years I've never heard anyone mention the music sounds like a remix of E1M1.

It was actually inspired by Behind The Crooked Cross, by Slayer - 

P.S. - cool review

[RICHIE B]

Ta very much. Yeah I knew that Deep Code song was based on something real but the game version in particular def sounds like a remix of E1M1. I'm sure people picked up on it but surprised never to hear it mentioned.

 

As for that door, no I was definitely getting locked outside for some reason after squeezing back thru after the final fight. I always thought if you don't get back thru quick you're locked into that final area. It's a real bugbear as I like to gather up all the stuff I left behind.

[Maximum Matt]

Nah, I checked, it's a thirty-second timed door - it will close via a linedef right as you enter the room.  You can trigger the linedef and jump back out before the door closes, but you just have to wait for it to reopen - also if you come back through the reopened door later on, it will reclose, but again, you just have to wait.  I'm fairly certain there's no locking issues with this door.  

That one after the red room in E2M4, though...

[RICHIE B]

Ok now I HAVE to play it later, I'm too curious about this now haha.

 

The door out of the red room with a baron and the fast crusher with a key on it? Hmmm never noticed a problem with that one.

Edited May 30 by RICHIE B

[Maximum Matt]

Go through the door, turn around and press 'use' (spacebar or whatever) on the air where the door was, and it will close again.  Then re-open it, go back into the red room and wait for it to close again.  Congratulations, you've just been locked in forever.  

I love these little quirks about the old-school Doom levels.  

[RICHIE B]

Happy to say I stand corrected about the final area door in E1M6. All those years of needless worry about trying to rush back out quick after the big fight ended.

 

The E2M4 haven't managed yet.