I never thought I'd see the day when I would reach my forties (laugh it up) and Doom would still be relevant in the gaming sphere. With The Dark Ages coming sometime in 2025, id Software's influential shooter franchise is still as str??ong as ever.

To say nothing of the modding community, which has been tweaking and tinkering with the classics since time immemorial. Most fan-made content may change much about the originals, but will typically keep it feeling like a traditional Doom?? game. However, one person decided to switch things up ??a bit.

ModDB user HELLKNIGHT61 thought it was high-time to remove the "FP" from "first-person shooter" and deliver a version of Doom that's more isometric. More specifically, they've taken the 1993 game and rebuilt it in the Age of Empires 2 engine, tu??rning it into some sort of classic PC gaming amalgamation.

Rip 'n' tear 'n' wololo

Now, before I go any further, I am aware that "Age of DOOM" came out a year ago. According to the download page, it was released on November 9, 2023. However, it seems to have wormed its way onto the first couple of pages of ModDB and, honestly, I'm ??genuinely surprised I haven't come across this one already.

HELLKNIGHT61 describes the mod as both a "tactical shooter and isometric shooter game," with some point 'n' click elements to boot. Simply put: it takes the sprites and visuals from Doom (as well as the ultra violent Brutal Doom mod) and incorporates them into Age of Empire 2's otherwise green and pleasant lands.

It's also standalone, which means you don't need either of the official games in order to play "Age of DOOM." It features a tutorial scenario, a practice scenario, as well as a remake of the "Knee Deep in the ?Dead" chapter, which has nine maps. It's also recommended to start? with the tutorial, because a fast-paced shooter in an isometric world with tactical elements may not have the most intuitive gameplay.

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The one thing about the original Doom and Doom 2 was they really liked to emphasize the dreary colors to match the guttural 90s violence. Combined with some of the murkier, bloodier hellscape levels, id?? Software's iconic series is not exactly known for its liberal use of bright colors.

Until now, that is. As you can see, ModDB user DoomMate is currently in the midst of creating a mod for Doom 2 that can only be described as "neon." While it's still a work-in-progress?, "Volt Laser" is promising a large selection of custom maps that have taken cues from a more synthwave/cyberpunk aesthetic.

This "megawad" will contain 35 levels, featuring a city, underground, some outskirts, and more. You can see the progress that's been made in the video above, and I, for one, am looking forward to running around maps that hav?e purple floors and teal buttons.

Deus-Doom? System Doom?

As mentioned, "Volt Laser" is s?till being worked on. Its creator did say they wanted it out by November, but have had to delay releasing the mod due to other commitments. At this time, there's no definite launch day, but it should hopefully be before the end of the ??year.

However, DoomMate did post recently with some updates from the project, including some more images. I don't know about you, but that skyline in the distance is giving me mad original Deus Ex vibes. Or some other throwback pi?ece of dystopian science fiction.

In any case, I'm here for it. Honestly, I'll be surprised if I ever get bored of seeing Doom mod??s. We've all played the games to death and I know I go on about fan-made content a lot, but if I had even an iota of i??nvestment and talent as a lot of modders do, you wouldn't be reading this article right now.

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Let's face it, when playing Doom or Doom 2, the only reason to start punching enemies is that you've just picked up the Berserk power-up. Either that or you have a sadistic, unquenchable desire to know how long it takes to down a Cyberdemon with ?fisticuffs. Hint: it's probably a long time.

Anyway, if you're tired of being given the easy route with weapons, ModDB user Tortilladude has the solution. With "Gunless" installed, you can strip away the need for pistols, shotguns, and rocket launchers, as this mod only allows you to use ??your punches to quash the demons of hell.

Making a case that guns in Doom 2 are (and I quote) "for wussies after all," this downloa??d replaces all weapon sprites with just the Doomguy's fists, which includes nume?rous variations on the punching animation.

Mano a Imp-o

N??ow, I haven't had a chance to check out the mod myself, but from the images on the download?? page, it looks like you still get projectiles. It's just they're now coming from your knuckles instead of from the business end of a plasma rifle or something.

In any cas?e, Doomguy will no longer have to worry about lugging around all manner of arsenal. Not when he can mow down the denizens of the underworld with naught but his mitts and?? a "duke it out" mentality.

Once again, we find ourselves drawn back to the allure of classic Doom. The modding community has kept us coming back for more with some pretty interesting ways of playing id Software's iconic FPS. We may be moving forward, what with Doom: The Dark Ages coming in 2025, but it'll be???? a cold day in hell before people stop playing and tinkering with the OG entries in the series.

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While some of us are still wondering whether the rumors about a possible Quake 6 will ever turn out to be true, we can blast away on Quake Champions. If you've never experienced the fast-?paced ?FPS and you're a fan of arena shooters, now seems to be a good time, as the game's experiencing something of a boon.

Okay, "boon" might be overselling it slightly, but as noted by PCGamesN, Quake Champions has seen the concurrent player count peak to 1,943 in the space of a day. According to the most recent data from SteamDB, just 24 hours ago, only around 500 people were playing, but now �a??t the time of writing �1,625 players are currently lo??gged in.

If this was a case of the game going on sale, that would obviously explain this sudden rise in popularity. However, as you can see on Steam, Quake Champions is 100% free. You can't exactly discount something that doesn't require money to begin with. The only way you can go up from there is to make it so the game gives you money for playing. Hmm...now there's a thought.

As if the game did a rocket jump

So why this surge in popularity? It's not quite known, from what I can see. The most recent update for Champions was on September 12, which is fairly recently, but?? not enough to see player count go from a few hundred to nearly 2,000 in a matter of a few hours.

Maybe a well-known streamer has been playing it recently? Well, when I last checked Twitch under the "Quake Champions" label, only a few channels were broadcasting the game, with around 70 people viewing. So tha?t's not it.

No, it seems that, according to a recent thread on Reddit, there was a tournament that went ahead on Sunday, September 22 at 5PM CEST. The post says "Estoty is bringing us number 12 of its 2Ă—2 TDM Quake Champions ?tournament series," and? that "all players can enter to win $150 in prize money."

This tournament certainl?y lines up with the game's very recent popularity spike, so that could explain it. Shame I didn't know about it sooner, to be honest. Could have done with a spare $150.

I do remember playing the game several years ago. I recall it scratched a certain itch, taking me back to my Quake 3: Arena days, fighting low-po?ly bots in high-octane battle, dangerou??sly close to an arena's precipice. The glory days of first-person shooting, some may argue.

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If there's one thing you can say about Doom??, it's that it's never boring. Sure, you've clocked the classic games more times than you've eaten soup, but the vanilla experiences are ??just the beginning. Modding is where it's at, yo.

Look, you know how this works. I tell you about a Doom mod and you all go and check it out. This one is not quite like the others, though. It has colors, for starters. Spaceverse: Bunny Maze from ModDB user SmilingFaceMedia offers something a little different to just a graphics twea?k or some modern i??nnovations.

It's a rather bright (red: very teal) ?FPS that has you playing as a "virtual man" who's stuck in a virtual maze, full of habitants known as "Lunar Bunnies." That sounds fun, until it becomes apparent that these humanoid bunnies are out to kill you.

Always with the killing

As the creator says, there's more to Spaceverse than just shooting and surviving. You also have to use your intellectual moxie to navigat??e the maze. Oh dear, thinks I.

The mod has been built for GZDoom, specifically, and does come with ??a warning. I'll let SmilingFaceMedia field? this one:

Spaceverse: Bunny Maze contains imagery, flashing colours, and other content that may upset some players. If you happen to be epileptic or easily offended, then we discourage you from playing this game�for your own good. Spaceverse: Bunny Maze is also?? NOT compatible for mobile as it is only intended to play on PC.

Probably best to make that message lou?d and clear.

As we move ever closer to the release of Doom: The Dark Ages �this time a medieval-themed entry in the iconic series �we sho??uld never forget where Doomguy came from. Yes, even if ??he's been turned into a virtual man who has to fight bunny girls.

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Doom is just one of those games that feels like it's always been there. Indeed, some of you reading this?? wer?en't even born when id Software dropped its now legendary FPS onto our collective faces. It's still hanging around today, and one of those reasons is because people keep modding the OG releases.

Some of these people are figurative monsters, however. If you've played the older Doom games on Nightmare difficulty, you know what a challenge it can be. Well, ModDB user immistyer decided that wasn't enough, so has given us a new "Impossible" skill t??o select.

One of the key things that makes the original Nightmare mode so hard is the fact that enemies k??eep respawning, so you can never truly get rid of them. Kind of like f??lies in the summer; they just always seem to be around!

A buzzin' nuisance

However, with this impossible skill level, the ante has been upped by making it so the monster respawn time has been halved. They come back twice as fast this time round. Here's everything immistyer's mod (which is currently available in Early Access) does for the original Doom:

• Increases monster "Aggressiveness" to 0.95 (ZDoom default is just 0).
• Makes it so you only get 75% ammo without a backpack, and also so that you only get 1.5x ammo with a backpack.
• Increases ALL damage by 2x.
• Increases monster health by 2.5x.
• Makes it so you only get 0.65% of the armor and health.
• Makes ALL knockback 2.5x stronger.
• Replaces all medkits with stimpacks.
• Enables fast monsters.
• Disables infighting!!!
• Makes monsters respawn twice as fast as in Nightmare!!!
• Sets the spawn preset difficulty to "Hard"

Note that even monster infighting has been disabled. Now all the hellish creatures have nothing to focus on except the most efficient way to?? turn your meaty body into a fine paste.

I haven't tried the mod myself, but I bet it's a doozy. I've only ever really dabbled with the game's?? official Nightmare difficulty a few times over the years, so a setting that labels itself as "Impossible" does not sound like a particularly chill time for me.

Of course, as well as tinkering with the classics, Doom, as a series, keeps moving forward. We already had the 2016 reboot and the equally well-received Eternal. Now we're getting a new one: Doom: The Dark Ages, which takes us back ??to a medieval period. I don't particularly care where we go, so long as the killing is brutal and the monsters' insides go well with the décor.

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There’s some pretty awesome news coming out of Quakecon this year, especially if you’re a fan of Doom. If you are a fan of Doom, you probably already own every game in the series six times over and don’t need something like the Doom Anthology. That is unless you want to own a 5�replica BFG.

Let’s be clear here: this is the Doom (2016) BFG9000 that carried over into Doom Eternal. I would be very interested to get my hands on a replica of the original Doom (1993) BFG9000. The game depicts that particular weapon from the top and from the side and I still have? no idea what it’s supposed to look like. It looks like you’re holding a spaceship, and I would like an explanation.

At 5� the replica is unfortunately not the actual size of a BFG, so it is for display purposes only. You’re going to have to hit? the crafting bench and build your own life-sized model if you want one to complete your Doomguy cosplay. However, this tiny terror does have an LED and a stand to make it look a bit more imposing.

I’m sure most older fans of the series have a lot of affection for the BFG9000. It was the game’s ultimate and most ridiculous weapon. �0s FPS were all about outlandish weaponry, and the BFG9000 was an early one. Adding to its mystique is the fact that it was only found in the Inferno cha??pter of the game, meaning it wasn’t accessible in the shareware version that a lot of people played ??at the time.

My home had the SNES version of Doom back in the day, so? it was a long time before I was ever able to get my hands on the weapon.

The Doom Anthology itself is a physical compilation of all the major Doom releases. It comes with.

• Doom
• Doom II (I assume this is the new Doom + Doom II compilation by Nightdive, which includes all the original engine releases like Final Doom)
• Doom 64 (It’s nice to see this get the recognition it deserves)
• Doom 3
• Doom (2016)
• Doom Eternal

What’s really screwed up about this release? is ?that, despite the fact that this is a physical release with a Steelbook case, it doesn’t seem to have any actual media in it. It says:

“DOWNLOAD NEEDED. BOX CONTAINS KEYCODE TO UNLOCK GAME COLLECTION [DOOM, DOOM II, DOOM 64, DOOM 3, DOOM (2016), DOOM ETERNAL]. LINKED BETHESDA.NET ACCOUNT NEEDED.�/p>

Why would you want an empty Steelbook with a minimalistic logo design? Since this information is based on an early listing on both Amazon and Bethesda’s own storefront, I’m hoping that the PC version’s text got applied everywhere else and that the console releases have discs or cartridges inside, but empty cases are still pretty messed up. While Doom (2016) and Doom Eternal are still relatively recen?t games, the lac?k of media just makes this feel like all the value is in the 5�BFG.

Doom Anthology will be a??vailable on Switch, PC, PS4/PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.

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[Update: While the store page still isn't live, if you already own Doom on Steam, it will now updated to Doom + Doom II.]

A mysterious store page has popped up for Doom + Doom II, a compilation of the classic FPS titles. While modern ports of these games aren’t exactly a new thing, the kicker here is t??hat this version will be coming fro?m Nightdive Studios.

While there hasn’t been any official announcement about this, an unlisted store page has been spotted on Steam that outlines what will be included. Assumedly, the announcement is planned for Quakecon 2024, so try and act surprised when it happens. In the meantime, I have received confirmation from Nightdive Studios and have been told “Watch our Deep Dive!�That’s the studio’s showcase on YouTube.

According to the store page, not only will these two legendary titles be ported to Nightdive’s proprietary KEX Engine, but so will most of the classic Doom series??, along with some new content. Here??’s what is included.

• Doom (1993) - Original Version
• Doom II â€?Original Version
• TNT: Evilutionâ€? Part of Final Doom
• The Plutonia Experiment - The other part of Final Doom
• Master Levels for DOOM II - A big olâ€?compilation of levels from various sources
• No Rest for the Living - Nerve Software's added campaign, included in the Xbox 360 version of Doom 2.
• Sigil - A new episode created by John Romero
• Legacy of Rust - An even newer episode created by id Software, Nightdive Studios, and Machinegames

On top of this is all the modern?? conveniences brought about by the KEX Engine. Up ?to 120FPS and 4K resolution. There’s mod support, a remastered soundtrack, and other things that I, personally, find less interesting. You can check it all out on the aforementioned store page.

Doom is one of my all-time favorites. I probably play through the entire game multiple times per year. I’m less hot on what came after it, but since it’s all based on the same foundation, I love it all the same. I’m very excited to see the new episode, since the additional content in Doom 64, Quake, and Quake 2 was all phenomenal.

According to the trailer on the store page, Doom + Doom II will be av?ailable directly after the announcement.

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When Wolfenstein 3D came out in 1992, it started a gaming revolution by showing what was possible in three-dimensional development. Then we got Doom just a year later, and the world has never been the same since. However, we mustn't forget id Software's 1995 gloomy shooter Quake, which had just as much of an impact on the FPS genre as? its predecessors.

Of course, many of us haven't forgotten the gothic-cum-sci-fi series at all. That was just a flimsy pretext to lead you into what follows. With hopes that a Quake 6 could be on the horizon, it's time to look at all the mainline entries, listing them in order o??f what peo??ple thought of them when they released. Sounds fun, yeah?

As always, here are a few sidenotes:

1. I'll be attempting to use PC review scores where possible, but there will be one exception.
2. I'll only be talking about the main games themselves; so, not the expansion packs.
3. The list won't encompass Nightdive Studios' remasters, but I may save room at the end for a quick shoutout.

With that, let's rank all the Quake games based on their review scores.

Quake Champions (73%)

Off to a bad start with this one, as there doesn't appear to be an aggregate score from critics for the PC version. That is to say, the only version of the game. However, this IGN entry has ??it down as a 7.3 from user ratings. All 16 of them. As such, that'll have to do. If we convert it into a percentage score, then 73% would put it at the bottom of the list. Right. That's the admin out the way.

Quake Champions was originally released to Early Access in 2017, becoming free-to-play in 2018. It's essentially an arena shooter �not unlike one of the many you've probably played �but very much taking cues from Quake 3: Arena. You know how games like this go. Run around, go "h'up" a lot, shoot at others until they die. I did actually play this when it first came out, an?d I remember it being a heap load of fun. Shame it doesn't get a lot of love in mainstream gaming these days. Or maybe it does and I'm so out of the?? loop, I've become a triangle. What does that mean? No idea.

Quake 4 (81%)

Hot off the heels of 2004's Doom 3, id launched the fourth Quake entry, perhaps one of the darkest games in the series. Using the former's engine, the latter was definitely leaning towards that grisly marine aesthetic that was becoming popular at the start of the new millennium. If you remember nothing about it, there's at least the infamous Stroggification scene, where you watch from a first-person perspective as your character gets gruesomely transformed into a half-biologic??????????????????????????al, half-mechanical Strogg creature.

I played this briefly not long after it came out. Personally, it wasn't for me. I could see what they were going for, but it seemed a far cry from the classic games that I remember playing. I appreciate game studios were interested in deeper narratives and more serious stories, but it felt weird seeing it in the Quake univese. I can't explain why. But what do I know? Metacritic shows a score of 81% and Steam has it down as Very Positive.

Enemy Territory: Quake Wars (84%)

Yep, no. I can hear it. Hold your horses for a gosh-darn second before you go diving to the comments section to tell me that Enemy Territory isn't technically a mainline Quake game. I'm aware that it's more of a spin-off. However, according to the Wikipedia entry, it's set in the same universe as the second and fourth installments, and it's also considered a prequel. Therefore, I would still say it's a canonical part of Quake. Yes, despite the fact that it was developed by Splash Damage of Brink fame instead of id Software. Again, I'm aware. O?kay, we good?

Although I'm a long-time Quake fan, this is one I have no experience with, I'm afraid. We're very much into online multiplayer territory at this point. The year was 2007, and we were starting to see more people gaming over the interblag. With Halo 3 having come out just days before Enemy Territory and Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare just aro?und the corner, it seemed the studio very much wanted a slice of that online action. Not for me, but a PC aggregate score of 84% meant it obviously paid off.

Quake 2 (87%)

Quake 2 dropped in 1997, and it was perhaps not what people were expecting. John Romero �whose influence helped shape the first game as well as the early Doom installments �had left id Software, and the studio went through a few changes. The first being that the second game in the Quake series was a massive departure from its predecessor. For starters, it was more sci-fi than gothic horror. However, the action was s??till there, but things like the Nailgun and the ??moody Trent Reznor soundtrack were no longer present.

But that doesn't detract from Quake 2 being an excellent game. Yeah, the murky brown FPS look eventually became a cliché, but, for me at least, Q2 represented the next step in the genre's evolution. I absolutely love this game! I don't care that it's a meat-headed, generic action shooter involving space marines on alien worlds. It's a fast-paced experience with some interesting set pieces and memorable enemies (who can forget the Tank Commander?). Much like Enemy Territory, Metacritic doesn't show a PC score, so I pulled it from the Wikipedia aggregate instead.

Quake 3: Arena (93%)

Do you write it out like Quake 3 or Quake III? No matter. I consider this part of the golden age of the series. Casting my mind back to 1999, I recall playing this game absolutely to death. The fact that it was an arena shooter with enemy bots for those who didn't want to play online was very appealing to me. The internet was still in its infancy back then, and I just didn't have a steady enough connection to be able to pew-pew-pew with others in deathmatch glory. Bots wer??e my friends, and that is probably the saddest sentence I've ever written.

Anyway, I admit having cheated a little here. Remember earlier when I said about using PC scores except in one instance? This is said instance. See, while Wikipedia shows a score of 84% on PC, Metacritic gives the Dreamcast port a mighty 93%. I know I should stick with my original rule, but the difference between the two scores is worthy of note in this case. I only ever played it on PC and I found it to be hugely enthralling, so you can imagine playing a 9% better version of it. No, I'm not just making excuses so I can put Quake 3 higher on the list. How dare you!

Quake (94%)

The original Quake from 1996 is not only considered the absolute best in the whole series, it's arguably one of the greatest first-person shooters in gaming history. What made it such a hit was it not only used advanced development techniques for the era (including full real-time 3D rendering), it was also a huge proponent of the early deathmatch scene. True that Doom may have popularized it, but it was Quake that leaned heavily i?nto it as online multiplayer started t?o become more popular.

I've played this countless times over the decades, as well as the host of custom maps you can get for it. It is, without hyperbole, a timeless classic, and for good reason, too. It's a fast, intense, uninterrupted FPS experience, all wrapped up in a brooding and gothic aesthetic with creatures to match, which actually renders the game slightly scary when you first play through it. With a Metacritic score of 94%, it??'s typically held up as a shining beacon of what a game could be back in the 1990s. It was also proof ??that id Software were capable of making huge strides in the industry.

Honorable mentions

Of course, I couldn't just leave it there. While Quake's future is not certain at this stage, the series remains in th?e limelight. As such, I think it's only right to give a shoutout to a couple of games that didn't make it onto this list,?? but are worthy of praise:

Nightdive Studios remasters

We know that Nightdive Studios is responsible for some well-received remasters of late. For instance, we got their modern take on Quake back in 2021, and then Quake 2 in 2023. Both of which have not touched w??hat made the originals such great games, but they have tweaked them with a visual spit polish and some quality-of-life improvements.

In short: we get to play classic Quake again, but on modern machin??es. Nightdive has done right by the source mat??erial, and these releases probably are the best way to experience the OGs in this day and age.

Quake 2 on Nintendo 64

It's common for games to get ports to other systems, but they are typically just copy-and-paste jobs, perhaps with a bit of tinkering to make it more suitable for the platform it's being played on. Not so with Quake 2.

See, when it was ported to the Nintendo 64, it wasn't just a case of taking the PC version and condensing it down to a cartridge-based console that wasn't known for first-person shooters. Instead, "Q2N64" was its own thing. It had its own levels and missions, and even newly added real-time lighting effects, according to this IGN review. Sure, it was shorter than its PC equivalent, but it did what ?it could with the limite??d capacity of the Nintendo machine. That alone is not an easy feat for an FPS.

The post Ranking all m??ainline Quake entries by review score appeared first on Destructoid.

Since time immemorial (well, 1996), Quake has been a lot of people's go-to when it comes to speedrunning. Alre??ady a pretty nippy FPS, id Software's iconic shooter continues to draw in new players who are looking to break world?? records. And another one has just been beaten.

Over on the aptly titled YouTube channel, ??Quake Speedruns Explained, we are treated to details about a record t?hat's stood for nearly four years. As of May 2024, user Kisimov has achieved an eye-watering time of 22:582 seconds on the game's first (in a way) map, E1M1.

Over the course of 17 minutes, we get a breakdown of what it took to achi?eve this target, which beats the previous world record by about half a second. Kisimov completed the level on Nightmare difficulty, rendering the time they got ever more impressive.

What the Quake?!

Although E1M1 is one of the shortest maps in the game, particularly as it's an early one, many speedrunners have been spending decades trying to nail down the route with perfect preci?sion. As you'll see in the video, there's a lot that can get in the way.

For a start, playing on Ni??ghtmare difficulty means there are more enemies who can deal more damage with greater accuracy. Add onto that the unpredictability of their movements and you have a recipe for a frustratingly difficult record-breaking attempt.

Indeed, we get to see just a small example of the tens of thousands of attempts it took Kisimov to get to the end slipgate in just 22 seconds. Grunts being in the wrong place, hitscans dealing enough damage to kill the player, or even the geometry of the map itself all contribute to restart after res??tart.

It's not just the sheer tenacity in moving from point A to point B in as quick a time as possible. Along with Doom, the original Quake is? prett??y much the poster child for how dedicated speedrunners can be. Many commit years of their lives to fine-tuning every frame, making attempts as near to perfect as they can.

This latest record �which has been officially acknowledged by Speedruns.com �may not seem like much, but when the QSE host delves into the minutiae of these 22 seconds, it becomes apparent that speedrunning is seriou?s busines??s.

Just seeing all the failed attempts alone �some of which take place in the first room �is enough to put a lot of people off. I don't know if I ever could get in??to it myself, especially given that the video analysis seems confident that no one will ever beat Kisim??ov's E1M1 run. Though we've heard a line like that before.

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Hey, remember that time Twitch played Pokémon? An amusing endeavor, I'm sure many of you will agree. Well, what if we did the same thing but with another game. Say...Doom?? Oh man, that would be pretty amusing to see and not at all complicated to actualize.

Well, would you look at that. Someone's only gone and done it. YouTuber ThePrimeagen has managed to make the original Doom capable of being played by simultaneous Twitch viewers; 1,000 of them, to be precise. Now, it should be said that this is technically an ASCII version of the classic FPS, but it still stands as an entertaining ??experimen?t.

Needless to say, the above video contains a lot of complex information about how they were able to convert and compress the game in such a way as to make it playable via a chat log. I'm not even going to at?te??mpt to explain it, as the knowledge I have of programming and software engineering is on par with my expertise on hyperlocal economics in the region of �oh, I don't know �the town of Shitterton in England (look it up).

It's real

If you want to just see the part where 1,000 people play the opening section of Doom, you will need to pretty much skip to the ??last minute of the video. If you are genuinely fascinated by how it's all achieved, I'll see you in 15 minutes.

Right at the end, we get to see the final result of ThePrimeagen's work, which involves tasking people in Twitch chat to control Doom. You all know how this work, which means you p??robably also know ??how this turns out.

There are a large number of hiccups along the way, including Doom Guy continually falling down a staircase before he's able to get up it. However, the effort is worth the wait, as the viewers do manage to complete the first level of Doom, tricky thou??gh it clearly was. Isn't technolo??gy pretty cool?

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From speedrunning to interesting mods to porting the games in unusual ways, Doom persists because it transcends the pixelated world built by its original developers. Now that The Dark Ages has been announced, id Software's iconic series is onc?e again in the public eye.

Although, it never really stopped being part of the wider gaming conversation. As a series, Doom has not only survived against an ever-changing industry, but has stayed relevant and continues to be successful. Sure, there was a period whe?re it felt like it may not ever make a glorious comeback, but it's stuck around because somebody needs to keep the demons of hell at bay.

With the new game on the horizon, I thought it was time to remind ourselves just where it all began. This brief history of Doom aims to reflect on the early days and how it's managed to remain im?pactful after three decades. And for once, I will make sure I don't talk about how old all this makes me feel (this sentence notwithstanding, of course).

The beginning of an era

Let me say this first to just get it out the way: the original Doom was not the first ever FPS to be developed and released. That title doesn't even go to Wolfenstein 3D, which came out the year before and was also created by id Software. You need to go way further back than the 90s. According to Guinness World Records, the first ever first-person shooter was Maze War, which came out in 1973. Much of what came during this period has largely been pushed to the wayside thanks to time, but it's a fascinating read?? if you're ever in the mood for ??a gaming history lesson.

The genre has only been growing ever since those heady days, but it was the original Doom (and, to some extent, Wolfenstein) that popularized 3D gaming, especially in the guise of a newfangled thing called an "FPS". IGN referred to the 1993 release as the "father" of the modern shooter, noting its fast-paced action and mindless violence, which would eventually catch the attention of fans and the media (see also: Mortal Kombat).

A sequel �Doom 2: Hell on Earth �was released in 1994, which kept much of its predecessor's aesthetics and mechanics, but added in new monsters and weapons, including the now-legendary Super Shotgun. An expansion called Master Levels was released in 1995, as was an updated version of the first game called Ultimate Doom.

While the two main entries alone solidified their place in PC gaming history, it was arguably the 1993 OG that had the most impact. Since then, these classics have been ported across many platforms over multiple generations, which also includes some pretty gnarly ports of the original Doom. As such, getting hold of a copy of the old Doom games is not exactly hard. Accessibility is probably o?ne of the reasons we're still tal??king about these retro titles to this day.

That wobbly bit in the middle

Had Doom stopped in the mid-1990s, with two critically acclaimed releases under its belt, it would still have left its mark on the industry, given how influential it's been. It led to the evolution of the first-person shooter, which seemed to tie in nicely with advances in gaming technology. Without it, we probably wouldn't have Quake (another banger from id Software), which implemented full 3D models, Half-Life, which changed the way FPS narratives were told, or Unreal, which brought about visuals that were seen as?? unprecedented at the time.

But Doom carried on. In 1997, a Nintendo 64 game was released. Because it was locked to a single console, it didn't have as wide an impact as its predecessors at the time. It has, however, gone down as something of a cult hit. It also wasn't developed by id �instead being helmed by Midway, which was also responsible for bringing Quake to the N64 �but it wasn't a port, either. Instead, it was its own stand?alone release with a new story that aimed to carry the baton for the original entries.

Then things went quiet for a few years, until Doom 3 launched in 2004. Now, technically Final Doom (released in 1996) was the third main installment, but you can class that as part of the first era of the series. I do, at least. Also, it was developed by the now-defunct TeamTNT. So for argument's sake, we'??ll say the third game was the early 2000s one.

Things had moved on in the FPS genre at this point. Half-Life 2 was yet to come out, but Halo had been kicking about the place for a few years and was something of a game-changer. As such, Doom 3 had to be pretty special to stand out. And stand out it did, but maybe not to everyone's tastes, for it swapped out the high-octane action for something more horror-based (though it still had action). Maybe not everyone liked this direction the series had gone in (personally, I did), but it kept the Doom name in the limelight. At least for a little while. It also made use of the then-new id Tech 4 engine, so it had? some pretty advanced visuals for the time.

The great comeback

Look, for the sake of brevity, I'm skipping a few details here. In the interim before the big reboot, we got Doom Resurrection �which was an attempt to turn the franchise into a survival horror �as well as a couple of Doom RPGs (yes, seriously). But outside these, there wasn't a lot going on until Doom 2016 made an appearance.

Many of you are probably aware of this already, but for those who aren't, we very nearly got a Call of Duty-style Doom game at one point. During the development of a fourth installment in the mid-2000s, parent company Zenimax pulled the plug and instead asked the s?tudio to do a reboot of the series. And that was what we got in the end. You can see early footage from the cancelled project below.

Doom 2016 was such a success because it was a return to those glory days of the 90s when it was a?ll about the insane action, the brutal violence, and the sheer chaotic spectacle of it all. Sure, it was visually on par with the modern era, but it retained a lot of that fast-paced shooting that many of us grew up with thanks to the classics. It was also nice to play something where you felt like the most dangerous one among a horde of bloodthirsty monsters. Power fantasies, man.

Doom Eternal came in 2020, right before much of the world went into lockdown I hasten to add, and was as well-received as the previous game. Having recently replayed it myself, I think Eternal is great but has a number of flaws that stop it from being on the same pedestal as the 2016 reboot (first-person platforming, anyone?). Whatever your thoughts, Doom was truly bac??k, and we now know it's not going away any time soon.

And here we are

I'll admit, I don't quite know how to feel about The Dark Ages. On the one hand, it's a new entry in the continued success of one of gaming's most influential series. On the other, a third installment can be tricky to pull off, retaining what made the previous entries special while keepi?ng things fresh. Generally, I like to think I'm keen to try it o?ut when it releases next year.

But it represents one more chapter in the Doom saga, a timeline that stretches back to the mid-1990s, when fresh-faced developers like John Carmack and John Romero were cutting their teeth in a relatively new industry. Not many other franchises can say ??they can comfortably keep the lights on for a solid 30+ years. Of course, id Software is not the studio it was back in the day, with peop??le departing and new teams forming, but it counts itself as one of the big developers.

But the fact is, the story of Doom is one that will live on for a very long time. Who knows for how long, really? But there's a reason why the name crops up in lists of the most influential or most impactful FPS games of all time. That go??es for both the classics and the modern reboot. Both old and new are typically amongst some of the best in the business, and that's not an easy feat.

Many of us grew up playing the earlier games, so to see Doom still kicking it decades later is like a parent watching with pride as their child makes it in the big, wide world. When s?ome young programmers and designers from Louisiana got together to start making games, there's no way any of them could possibly have visualized just how far that ambition would take them.

I don't want to get too sentimental or hero worship-y about all this, because it is just a game, after all. Had Doom never come to fruition, would another name have emerged and we'd be talking about that instead? We'll never know, but this is the timeline we're living in and id Software is a studio that will forever be associated with thrusting the first-person shooter into the mainstream. Here's hoping The Dark Ages can continue the legacy.

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Now that we've all seen the trailer for The Dark Ages, the brand-new Doom game that will be taking us back to medieval times, there was at least one thing that stood out for me: the Shield Saw. The teaser showed all the usual chaos and demon-sla??ying we know and love about the series, but the saw-looking shield in the ??Slayer's possession is next-level.

Well, if you're intrigued about getting to try it out on the denizens of hell, your chance has already arrived. As spotted by PC Gamer, a modder has already added the "Shield Saw" seen in the Dark Ages trailer into the original Doom.

The mod comes from user Craneo, in which they say they just "kinda ended up trying to make actual decorate [sic] for it." Soon after, they made the .WAD file available, which you can download from Google Drive here.

A slice of violence

You can check out the brief footage above before you decide to download the mod. Essentially, it seems to replace the classic chainsaw from the OG in fav??or of the newfangled Shield Saw.

We get to see the Doom Slayer hacking away at Zombies and Imps as per, but the real USP comes when they throw it at?? oncoming enemies. Upon contact, it basically turns monsters into a fine paste, so it's a pretty beefy weapon.

It's also just one of countless examples of how quickly the modding community can move. Remember, the teaser for the new Doom only went live a couple?? of days ago, and Craneo's mod was released less than 24 hours later. Efficient, I'd say.

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Are you thrilled about the possibility of a new Doom game? If you've clicked on this article, chances are good you're pretty pumped. There have been rumors about a new reveal for a bit?? now, and we'll find out wheth??er it was worth getting excited soon enough.

According to an exclusive report from Insider Gaming, not only is there a chance that id Software could unveil a new Doom entry at this year's Xbox Games Showcase, the game's final title is said to be finalized. At one point, it was going to be called "Year Zero," but it seems as though it's going with "The Dark Ages." It's also said to have been in development for the past four years, so pretty much as soon as Eternal was complete.

The Xbox Games Showcase will be taking place on June 9, and will be a chance for Microsoft to discuss some exclusive games in its upcoming roster, though it's difficult to know exactly what's going to be on the schedule. The show will be immediately followed by a deep dive into Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.

A look at the Slayer's past?

While details about the new Doom are pretty scarce, the report and video above say there's a chance we could be going back in time, perhaps to Medieval times. The title The Dark Ages does suggest it could take place in that time period, giving us a glimpse into the D??oom Slayer's life back in days of yore.

Of course, all expectations must be tempered at this point. As solid as these rumors sound, we're best off waiting until June 9 to see what's going to be confirmed. We're also hoping we'll get to see more Avowed during the showcase.

Playing my first Doom game as a young whippersnapper, I never thought the series would endure as much as it has. Although the team has changed over the decades, id Software's legendary FPS is not just trying to keep its head above the water; it??'s thriving in an increasingly competitive market. Here's to more demon slaying with whatever's on the horizon.

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The last game we got in the Doom series was 2020's Eternal. A fine game it was as well (though I personally prefer? the 2016 entry). Given that it's only been four years then, one would hardly expect a new installment so soon. W?e know how long AAA titles take to develop in this climate. However, something may be on the horizon soon.

Back in January of this year, ZeniMax Media registered a trademark that many interpreted as being Doom related. The trademark itself was given the title "IDKFA," a well-known reference to a cheat code from the earlier games. Given this, many have assumed that this has to be in relation to an upcoming game.

The Verge's Tom Warren also teased a Doom may be on the way in a recent write-up on what's happening inside Microsoft and Xbox right now. "Microsoft will be banking on some new game announcements lifting the Doom around Xbox," Warren writes. Eurogamer also reports that it's heard similar things.

We have so few details about this speculation that I'm surprised I'm able to fill the required word count for this article (though I do waffle sometimes). As such, it can't be said what ZeniMax has planned. All we can do is play the Speculation Game based on what people strongly suspect, given the Doom reference.

Could an announcement be made soon?

Not long ago, the Xbox Showcase for 2024 was announced, which will be going ahead on June 9. This will be a chance for a lot of Xbox-related content to be shown off and teased. Seeing as id Software �the studio behind Doom �is part of this business umbrella, there's every possibility a new game in the ico?nic series could be announced.

I'm spit-balling, of course. None of the official Twitter/X accounts from the likes of id, Bethesda, Xbox or even the Doom profile itself mention any kind of anno??uncement inbound. Makes sense if ??they want to keep it schtum, though.

We don't even know if id Software will be the developer of any future Doom games. I mean, it would seem likely, given the s?tudio has been making them since 1993 (albeit not with t?he same people onboard). But as I say, these are just rumors, so we'll hopefully know more either during or just before the Xbox Showcase goes live.

The showcase will be an important moment for Xbox either way, as the company faces scrutiny for its recent closure of several studios, including Arkane Austin and Tango GameWorks. This summer's stream will show what road Xbox has ahead without the makers of Prey and Hi-Fi Rush on-board.

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For the past 30 years, Doom has stood as one of the most influential first-person shooters of all time. Its 1994 follow-up �conveniently called Doom 2 �ha??d just as much of an impact. Part of the reason these classic id Software games are still around is thanks to the speedrunning community.

Now, more than two and half decades later, one user has managed to beat a long-standing record using a healthy blend of pixel-perfect techniques and sheer tenacity. Back in 1995, a runner called Demonlord managed to get through the first map of Doom 2 in an impressive time of 6.83 seconds. This has now been bested after decades o?f attempts.

The new record holder go?es by the username 4shockblast (real name: Aleksey Kamenev) who, at the start of this month, managed to get to the exit of "MAP01: Entryway" in an eye-watering 4.97 seconds, a feat many (including Demonlord) thought was impossible.

How the frick??

In order to understand the skill and determination involved in this attempt, and why it's such a significant run, YouTuber Karl Jobst goes through the history?? of some of the major attempts. While other players, such as Thomas Pilger in 1998, have proved it's possible to get through Entryway in under six seconds, any quicker than that felt almost out of reach.

Although it's a short level, the luck and timing needed to get the new record borders on witchcraft. Jobst explains that the main hurdle is the horde of enemies blocking your path down each corridor. This has resulted in speedrunners firing a stray shot early on in order to get zombies ?and imps to react and move towards the sound. In theory, this then creates a window of opportunity to slip past them quickly.

This also led to players attempting to get under five seconds, but with monsters not on the map. This at least allowed for pathing techniques, finding the most optimal routes to see if getting a time of four seconds was even possible. Even with additional strategies being implemented, such as a specific type of straferunning called "SR50" and using walls and enemies ("things") to boost speeds slightly, having monsters turned off meant runs were?? only "theoretical."

The long and the short of it is: there's a reason it took 26 years to beat Demonlord's record. While others �such as SSlasher in 2002�did manage to get below six seconds, it wasn't until 4shockblast's latest attempt that getting under five seconds was actually achievable. While the final time is 4.97, Doom 2's?? end screen rounds it down to just four seconds. It's a mighty impressive achievement, and I fear the player who can do even better than that.

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It's always interesting when veterans of the gaming industry break off and start new endeavors. And they d??on't come much bigger than emptyvessel (yes, it's r??eally spelled that way), which is a team of developers consisting of some notable names from the likes of id Software and Naughty Dog.

In a recent video uploaded to YouTube, the new studio has been teasing a work-in-progress. It's a very short clip that reveals nothing, but the "glitchy" visuals, hints of violence, and the soundtrack give strong Cyberpunk 2077 vibes. To me, at least.

So far, there's ??been absolutely no details about what this project is, other than it being described as a "battle between control and chaos that the system has in store for you." We do, however, know that it's got some pretty good pedigree behind it.

Just look at this collective experience

Looking at the emptyvessel website, we get to meet the team behind the studio. We're definitely not dealing with amateurs here. For example, general manager Garrett Young has worked with id Software on Doom, Quake, and Rage, but has also worked at Mi??crosoft and Activision.

Art Director Alex Palma also has Doom attached to their resume, being a visual designer on the 2016 reboot and Eternal. Alongside them is Colin Thomas, a character designer who spent 15 years at Naughty Dog, working on things like The Last of Us and Uncharted.

Oh, and Mick Gor?don is also part of the tea?m. Guess what his role is?

?Basically, there's a lot of skill and experience in this new development team. I can already picture the type of games emptyvessel will be pushing out, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

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Nothing fills my blackened heart with gaming joy more than seeing relics of the past remain steadfast in this modern era. In this case, I've found a mod for Doom 2 that scratches that nostalgic itch with its implementation of a classic Mortal Kombat voice line.

In "Toasty! for Doom," ModDB user MilHouse.wad has brought the iconic announcement to id Software's legendary shooter. While playing the game, it's possible to have sound programmer Dan Forden ann??ounce his ?famous "Toasty!" line while battling hell demons. Certainly a fitting combination.

This is an obvious nod to the original Mortal Kombat game released in 1992, in which Forden's avatar would appear in the corner of the screen at c?ertain points during a bout. It was glorious.

"Excellent!"

According to MilHouse.wad, in order to get him to utter his famous "Toasty!" line, you'll need to gib an enemy. So basically, just run around with a rocket launcher or the Berserk power up. Will the novelty wear off? Only tim??e will tell.

We're unlikely to see the end of Doom and Doom 2 modding any time soon. And why would we want that? If people stopped tinkering with these FPS classics, we'd never get to see all the beautiful things people can do with the formula, such as make the game run on a toothbrush.

The original games remain an absolute triumph, paving the way for the first-person shooter genre. I realize some people are sick of hearing? that, but now you know?? how your parents feel when they try to tell you how important the Beatles were.

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The day I stop talking about Doom mods is the day I've been captured by aliens who have taken over my body, but they don't know how to operate it. In fact, I need to work out a system to let everyone know I'm not the real me. For now, let's take a look a??t a curious monstrosity that's coming to id Software's iconic FPS.

Over on ModDB, user Anya_Forger is in the midst of modding Doom 2 so that reminds us all of the pain that once was 1996's Bubsy 3D. I??t's a curious mix, I have to admit, but it remains to be seen why this is happening at all. I'm weirdly excited for it.

Currently, "Bubsy Doom" is still a work-in-progress, with no release date yet. For now, you can download a small taste, which converts the classic Doom menu screen into the one from Bubsy. There are plans to hopefully incorporate levels and MIDI sounds from the latter into ??the former, but currently the creator is busy with real-life obligations.

It could breathe new life into the long-forgotten games

While the modder is planning to bring Bubsy 2 into Doom as well, it's the mention of incorporating Bubsy 3D that will be cause for some curiosity. It's generally regarded as one of the worst games ever released, which in a way makes it a pretty significant part of gaming his?tory.

And for all we know, Anya_Forger may actually enjoy the game. Who are we to judge? All I can say is they seem genuinely exc??ited about making their project, saying "aren't these mod devel?opers wonderful?"

It's also another notch in the bedpost of Doom modding. There are so many out there, from Doom meets Friday the 13th to Doom but all the sound effects are from Half-Life. We've seen it all. Well, nearly all.

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Benjamin Franklin once said that "nothing is certain except death and taxes." Had he been alive today, he almost certainly would have said, "oh, and the other certainty is people will keep modding Doom un??til t??he end of time." Quite the forward thinker. Anyway, here's id Software's iconic FPS running on a toothbrush.

Just a few days ago, Twitter user atc1441 (thanks, Rock Paper Shotgun) uploaded a brief clip showing Doom running on a smart toothbrush. On the tiny scre??en of the Planck Mini, you can just about make the game out. The modder even goes as far as showing it being controlled by a mouse.

In a second tweet, we see they eve?ntually managed to get it to run full-screen rather tha?n in a small window. Now we can see the thing much clearer.

Fight demons...and tooth decay

According to atc1441 �who says their biggest passion is to "custom firmware on as many devices a??s possible" (no way) �the toothbrush itself, "contains an ESP32-C3 with 4MB Flash."

Using some additional downloads and a "miniwad" of Doom, they were able to compress the game down to the 4MB required for the flash. Hey presto: Doom on a toothbrush!

I don't think I'll ever get bored of the ways people can modify id's influential shooter, either tinkering with the original or getting it to run on all manner of devices. Just have a look: Doom on a robotic lawnmower, in an audio spectrogram, on a pair of earrings!

One day we're going to reach the singularity and someone will boast how they got Doom to run inside Doom. Oh, wait.

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If you thought the days of porting Doom onto every possible device known to humanity were over, think again. Now, get ready to slay demons while als?o maintaining a neat yard. You may be a lover of violent FPS games, but you're also a responsible adult now.

If you happen to have an Automower NERA from Husqvarna, know that an update for the firmware is coming soon which will allow you to play classic Doom. Ju??st to clarify, it won't turn your garden into the realms of hell. Rather, you'll be able to control it on the robotic lawnmower's screen.

There's even a pretty badass trailer for it. According to the Husqvarna website, once the update is live, the game will be playable "using the robotic lawnmower’s onboard dis??play and controls." You'll navigate with the control knob, while the START button will allow you to run forward.

Some caveats to consider

If you're into the horticultural lifestyle and fancy some Doom to go with that, this is obviously a pretty nifty update. Of course, you don't need me to tell you that you'll actually have to have one of these Automowers t??o begin with (which I hear aren't exactly cheap).

The update itself will begin rolling (ha!) out on April 9. However, it's for a limited time only, as it's only going to be available until September 9. If you do have one of these mowers, you can register for the software here.

One other thing to consider is that it's not being made available to all countr?ies. According to the website, it'll be rolling out to the following markets??:

United Kingdom, Ireland, Malta, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Spain, Portugal, South Africa, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Slov??????????????????????????akia, Turkey, Moldova, Republic of Serbia, ??Germany, Austria, Slovenia, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Iceland

Sadly, no U.S. update, apparently.

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As influential as the original Doom games are, it'd be interesting to know how much they'd stand the ravages of time were it not for modding and unusual ports. It set the building blocks for the FPS genre back in the day, but the f??act that people continue to tweak the original f?ormula shows just how much of an impact the series has had these past 30 years.

Sometimes mods will even incorporate other horror franchises. Take this one that mixed Doom with Friday The 13th. Inspired. Now, here's one for us Alien lovers, in which the iconic X?enomorph creat?ures have made their way into id Software's classic shooters.

Brought to us by ModDB user SlegInfantryman, "Xenomorph Infestation" is an upcoming mod for both Doom and its sequel featuring a "fully functioning Xenomorph hive that will grow organically featuring the whole life cycle."?? We can see how the images bring the two ideas together.

Now we just need Ripley fighting imps

At the? moment, the mod is in alpha stage, with no? finalized release date yet. SlegInfantryman has said it's more for testing at this point, but it's available to download as a demo.

Here's what?? they have ??to say about it in response to a comment on the mod page:

This is the alpha version which I was mainly using to test and make sure the Xenomorphs functioned correctly in infe??sting maps. If you run the Xenomorph infestation.pk3 alongside one of the other pk3 files included, you can watch them take over a map.

In any case, it's a bit of fun to see them running around like excitable kittens in the world of Doom. There seems to be quite a few of these mods already??, which suggests the two franchises are just natural bed fellows.

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Oh, Doom. Is there any method by which you can't be ported? Evidently not, it seems. The latest in a near-endless attempt to get id Software's iconic FPS up and running? on just about everything on the planet is one that will be music to your ears. Or not, as is the case.

Over on Reddit, user wojtek-graj has made Doom completely playable...in audio. That is to say, they'v??e managed to ge??t it to run in a spectrogram, which is a visual representation of sound frequencies. Actually, I'll let them give you the lowdown:

The game is ??displayed by generating an audio signal that can be viewed as a spectrogram, while input is taken from the microphone, with specific frequencies being mapped to specific keys.

They've also made the source code available on GitHub, as well as instructions?? on how to play it. So if you find pla??ying the classic way a bit too passé, this is at least one alternative.

It will never end

There simply isn't time in the known universe to go through all the different devices that can now run a 30-year-old shooter. Suffice it to say, it's brought out a lot of creativity in people over the years. Here, someone has been wanting to get Doom to run on E. coli cells.

With the reboot coming out in 2016 and Eternal launching in 2020, the legendary id series has trul??y made a comeback.

Not that it ever really went anywhere. Sure, things looked a little uncertain with Doom 3's approach to more survival horror, but seeing the OG running on a spectrogram means �if nothing else �fans sure aren't bored with Doom yet.

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Nvidia is quite forthcoming about its themed hardware products. In October, Team Green launched an Alan-Wake 2-themed graphics card in honor of the horror sequel's release. Now it's Doom's turn to get the RTX 4000 treatment.

If you want to get your hands on a 4090 GPU styled after id Software's iconic shooter, Nvidia is giving you a few days to take part in a giveaway. In a recent post on Twitter, the tech giant has said it's celebrating Doom?'s 30th year with a chance to win one of the most powerful pixel p?ushers in the land.

To enter, all you have to do is comment under the tweet with a couple of hashtags. The compet??ition ends at 5 pm Pacific Daylight Time on December 18, so you have until next?? Monday. The winner will be announced on January 31.

As big as the BFG 9000

The graphics card itself is still the same $1,789 hardware that came out over a year ago. Just, now it has a custom Doom backplate. The image does look kinda cool??,? but you better be the kind of PC user who has a viewing window on their system. Not to mention the space to accommodate this beast.

Say what you will about the expense of the "Ada Lovelace" 4000 range, but Nvidia knows how to keep itself in the limelight with giveaways like this. While RTX 3000 graphics cards are still the? preferred generation, according to Steam, the newer hardware i??s starting to make its way into gamer's rigs.

Were I in the market for a new graphics card, the chance to win a free RTX 4090 is something I'd think twice about?? skipping over. If nothing else?, it'll keep me warm in the new year.

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The original Doom recently celebrated its 30th anniversary, making me feel quite old. As well as being an early blueprint for the FPS genre, id Software's iconic shooter is also a popular modding playg?round. Sometimes, these mods harken back to even older gaming days.

Modders Gokuma and Kontra Kommando have crafted a love letter to an absolute classic '80s slasher film. Specifically, they've turned Doom into Friday the 13th??. More specifically still, they've based it on the NES adaptation, turning the 1989 side-scrolling game into a first-person shooter.

Set in Camp Crystal Lake �as you would expect �the mod brings back Jason Voorhees to "slaughter all those that would dare to step foot" into the camp. It's up to Doomguy to stop him, presumably. Currently, there's no full release date, but you can download the current beta from ModDB to try it out.

Life before Doom

It's interesting to see this kind of mod. While it could have been just set in the Friday the 13th universe in any respect, the creators chose to breathe new life (resurrect, if you will) into a game that's even older than Doom.

A lot has certainly changed over the decades for the plu?cky FPS. Thirty years is a long time in any form of media, but to see id Software's legendary 1993 release keep coming back for more is a strong testament to just how important the game has been to the industry.

There are so many Doom mods out there, some of which change up the formula immensely, not to mention the countless ways of porting the game. There's not really an??ything else like it in the video game wo??rld, so hats off to the studio for bringing it to us.

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Well, it's been about a hundredth of a femtosecond, let's see what people are trying to port Doom onto now. Oh my, would you look at that! It appears as though it's possib??le to get id Software's iconic FPS to "run" on cells.

In a meeting of technology and biology, PhD student Lauren "Ren" Ramlan at MIT (as shared by Reddit user AnNdPh) has figured out a way to use E. coli cells to sort of run Doom. N??ow, I'm not scientifically minded, so I don't fully understand how they do it.

In a nutshell: what they've been able to do is tweak or modify the cells to �for want of a better term �turn them into monitor pixels. This has then allowed them to display the game in a very rudiment??ary wa?y.

I hope you have half a millennium to spare

While this means the E. coli cells are technically displaying the game rather than actually running it, it's still impressive to see Doom being ported in this way.

Ren also notes that the game is only able to run at one frame every 8.33 hours. Using this figure, they estimate it would take around 600 years to complete it in its entirety. Even the likes of Skyrim can't compete with that kind of longevity.

With the original Doom recently celebrating its 30th anniversary, the legacy of the iconic shooter continues unabated. One can't help wonder where the FPS genre would be without the 1993 release, but one's thing for sure, no one's running Call of Duty on E. coli cells.

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Upon its release, Doom established itself as a blueprint for the then-new first-person shooter genre. Going on to become one of the most icon?ic PC games in all existence, id Software's FPS retains its legacy as it turns 30 years old.

To celebrate the occasion, John Carmack and John Romero �both of whom played a pivotal role in the game's development �reflect on their time spent working on Doom. As you can imagine, it holds a lot of fond memories for the pair, wh???o some have described as gaming's equivalent of Lennon and McCartney.

During one section of the Twitch video (which was moderated by writer David L Craddock), Carmack acknowledged that the original Doom was pretty influential in getting people in the '90s interested in PC networking. Encouraging fans to understand about upgrading hardware, some have even gone on t??o become professionals in network engineering, the pair say.

How times have changed

Having just released SIGIL II �a free WAD file for Doom �Romero is aware of how the game is changing all the time, thanks to a dedicated community. A few months back, he played through the MyHouse WAD, a custom story built by a fan that generated a lot of attention due to its House of Leaves-style narrative.

Of course, both Johns have seen how the industry has changed over the last three decades. While advances in AI are making it possible to have smarter enemies in games, Carmack doesn't believe it's always for the best. He said he much preferred to have the player be the focus, and intelligent enemies that have independence would not have worked in Doom.

He also laments the loss of game manuals. With how deep some releases are in terms of their lore and mechanics, it's surprising that manuals aren't still a thing. Romero even mentions Ultima 5, which has more than one.

A lot may have changed, but the legacy of Doom is unwavering. The series is still going pretty strong, ??but the OG releases from the '90s will always be praised due to their influence. Here's to another 30 years of demon slaying!

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Ever the versatile games, the first two Doom entries are staples of the dedicated mod community. With the original being crossed over with Doctor Who, it seems mixing franchises is not off the table for the plucky F?PS. That also includes other titles from id Software.

Coming from ModDB user DASniperIC, their recent Doom 2 mod is a recreation of 1992's Wolfenstein 3D. Using the former's engine, they've been able to do a faithful reconstruction of the latter. While it doesn't look much different given that they're both retro shooters from a bygone era, you can tell it's Doom because of the UI at the bottom.

It doesn't appear as though this is a full remake of Wolfenstein, though. In the description, DASn??iperIC says the foll??owing:

The maps [sic] layout is basically exactly the same as in Wolfenstein 3D, there is a working chaingun and treasure, 3 bosses and some DEHACKED sillies to better mirror Wolf3D. And a surprise for MAP33 :)

Guten Tag, Doomguy

Given that it says there are three bosses, it's likely that this isn't a full recreation of Wolfenstein 3D. The original game has six bosses, so it's possible that this mod represents maybe half the game. The mention of something special on level 33 also suggests this. ?I haven't had a chance to play it yet, so I can't confirm that.

It never gets tiring seeing all the interesting modifications that are coming out for these absolute classic FPS games. While there could be a Wolfenstein 3 currently in development, there are evidently more than enough people keeping the old-school games a??live and w??ell, decades after their original release dates.

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There will almost certainly never be an end to the sheer number of things Doom can be ported to, but earrings are a new one. We've already reached the point where Doom was running inside Doom in some weird Inception-style melding (is that a dated reference?). ?Now, someone has managed to combine the iconic FPS with fashion.

Streamer, "self-taught dev," and Twitter user Alina has posted a short clip of herself wearing a pair of Game Boy-inspired ear??rings. Only these earrings can be seen playing a dinky versio?n of id Software's classic shooter, Doom.

This came about not long after Alina posted a tweet about how said earrings can actually be programmed to play Tetris on them. Soon after, user @zKassaiAudio set things in motion by predicting that someone would run Doom on the earrings, which is exactly what happened.

Can I get a pair?

Looking at some additional Twitter/X posts, Alina says she's using the Thumby keychain. This is a tiny gaming device from a company called Tiny??Circuits, which has been designed after the Nintendo Game Boy.

Given that the Thumby is programmable, it's feasible for anyone with coding skills to put a micro version of Doom on there. As for the earrings, they'l?l need to be bought separately. It might seem like a gimmick, but it'll give you something to play when your phone'??s out of signal.

As for the game itself, well, Doom officially turns 30 years old next month. That's longer than some people reading this have been alive. It begs the quest?ion of how id (and the fans) will be celebrating its legacy. Doom fashion accessories seem like a good start.

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Doom always takes the crown, but that doesn't detract from Wolfenstein 3D's influence as a key part of FPS history. The series is still going to this day (maybe not as strong in some cases), and people are continuing to modify t?he OG 1?992 release.

For example, "Blazkowicz's Text Adventure 3D" is a different take on Wolfenstine 3D. Created by user TryHardWolfers, it essentially turns the game into a text adventure. By that, I don't mean it converts the shooter into prose, dialogue, and reams of exposition. Rather?, what it does is replace every single texture with a word.

Walls are simply described as "BRICK WALLS," hanging lights are dubbed "LAMPS," and the machine gun you carry...well, you get the idea. There's even a screenshot showing that the picture of Adolf Hitler has been changed into words. You can download the mod from ModDB.

It's a wordy one

As TryHardWolfers says, this "text ta?le is filled to the brim with well-worded action and tense text map design." It's almost as if we've come full circle, taking the immediacy and immersion of a 3D rendered environment and broken it down into a text adventure of ye olden days.

With Wolfenstein 3 said to be in development, there's seemingly ??no stopping B.J. Blazkowicz and his Nazi-killing antics. With the first game in the series releasing all the way back in 1981 (developed by Muse Software, 11 years before id's 3D take on it), battling against the Third Reich is evidently something that ju??st doesn't go out of style.

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