The year is 1974. Modern computers had only been around since the mid 30's (technically the first type of computer showed up in 1822, in the form of a mechanical calculator called the 'Difference Engine,' but not in any form that would be applicable to present day computers), and had barely even begun to realize their limitless potential. Shooting games had hardly been entertained (hurr hurr, no pun intended) since physicist Dr. Josef Kates invented the first video game, the tic-tac-toe game 'Bertie the Brain,' in 1958. After many rounds of text based and space-themed games, a new title exploded into the tightly-knit, tiny gaming community. 'Maze War' brought about the dawn of a new video game genre that would forever change the entertainment world as we know it: the first person shooter, otherwise known as the FPS.
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Let us now move on to the year 1987. The popularity of videogames had started to grow exponentially. Video games had started to become a more commonplace form of entertainment, and the Atari ST had begun to establish its role as the premier home computer. One of the star titles of the Atari ST was MIDI Maze (later known as Faceball 2000 on the Gameboy and the SNES), the continuation of the original Maze War series. MIDI Maze offered something that its predecessor (and, in fact, no other game) had not: a multiplayer deathmatch mode. Multiplayer Deathmatch is, as we know well, one of the building blocks of a sub genre of shooter that took the world by storm in the 90's and early 2000's – the arena shooter.
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1993 was the year that everything in the FPS world changed. Id Software released a 2 mb shareware rein of terror into the gaming world. According to NBC news, during the press release for this game id boasted, 'We fully expect to be the number one cause of decreased productivity in businesses around the world.'
Oh, yes, Doom did that and more. In fact, Doom helped to shape both the future of the FPS genre and a new generation of gamers in a way that it's predecessor, Wolfenstein 3D, did not. The sensuality of the quick, vivid combat combined with the gory, brutal, 3D world ate the hearts and captured the souls of gamers across the planet. LAN multiplayer offered players the option to play the campaign with friends – or the option to destroy their enemies cohorts in ferocious deathmatch PvP. Id Software also provided players with a very, very special gift: tools that assisted in modifying, or 'modding,' the game. Although modding had been practiced since the days of Castle Wolfenstein, it wasn't until Doom that the modding scene exploded. Players have since created Doom mods ranging from the serious (Brutal Doom), to the silly and NSFW (H Doom).
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After Doom came a slew of Doom-like games, all boasting similar themes and multiplayer style. Id Software went on to quickly continue production and release of the Doom IP, all the while hatching a plan for exactly what they wanted to do next. Meanwhile, Marathon, Heretic, and Duke Nukem 3D flooded the gaming scene with fast-paced FPS gameplay and brutal deathmatch modes. These releases unknowingly paved the way for the possibly the biggest multiplayer FPS release of the decade.
1993 was the year that everything in the FPS world changed. Id Software released a 2 mb shareware rein of terror into the gaming world. According to NBC news, during the press release for this game id boasted, 'We fully expect to be the number one cause of decreased productivity in businesses around the world.'
Oh, yes, Doom did that and more. In fact, Doom helped to shape both the future of the FPS genre and a new generation of gamers in a way that it's predecessor, Wolfenstein 3D, did not. The sensuality of the quick, vivid combat combined with the gory, brutal, 3D world ate the hearts and captured the souls of gamers across the planet. LAN multiplayer offered players the option to play the campaign with friends – or the option to destroy their enemies cohorts in ferocious deathmatch PvP. Id Software also provided players with a very, very special gift: tools that assisted in modifying, or 'modding,' the game. Although modding had been practiced since the days of Castle Wolfenstein, it wasn't until Doom that the modding scene exploded. Players have since created Doom mods ranging from the serious (Brutal Doom), to the silly and NSFW (H Doom).
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After Doom came a slew of Doom-like games, all boasting similar themes and multiplayer style. Id Software went on to quickly continue production and release of the Doom IP, all the while hatching a plan for exactly what they wanted to do next. Meanwhile, Marathon, Heretic, and Duke Nukem 3D flooded the gaming scene with fast-paced FPS gameplay and brutal deathmatch modes. These releases unknowingly paved the way for the possibly the biggest multiplayer FPS release of the decade.
1996 marked the release of the first Quake, which has always been hailed as the spiritual successor to Doom. With Quake came the debut of id Software's new engine, as well as a whole new era of accessible multiplayer gaming. Quake was the first game to allow users to host servers on their own computers, therefore allowing multiplayer games to become more easily accessible and readily available – even making it so that Quake became the first e-sport. This should be considered the true birth of the arena shooter, as readily available multiplayer finally allowed for the quick, chaotic combat to be showcased in its full glory.
1999 saw the emergence of another huge arena shooter ip: Unreal Tournament. Unreal Tournament was built on the back of the 1998 title, 'Unreal,' a title which showcased the famed Unreal Engine. Unreal Tournament, combined with Quake, boosted the hallmark chaos, quick combat, and versatile weapon pickup of the arena shooter into the realm of legendary popularity.
- This is an early version of the Unreal Tournament experience, featuring new content and returning classics. There's still a lot of work to be done, but you're able to participate, today, and earn in-game rewards available only to Pre-Alpha participants.
- Unreal Tournament is the original King of the Hill in the frag-or-be-fragged multiplayer gaming world. As the undisputed 1999 Game of the Year, Unreal Tournament grabbed the first person shooter genre by the soiled seat of its pants and knocked it around the room with its never-before-seen graphics, brutal edge-of-your-seat gameplay.
Let's fast forward to 2016. Arena shooters haven't been popular on a massive scale in a while, as their releases have been scarce for a good, long time. In fact, most arena shooter fans have been languishing on well-worn Quake Live (originally known as Quake III Arena) for the past 17 years. The gaming community is now looking forward to the revival of a couple of their favorite IP's: Doom and Unreal Tournament.
Before I get too far into this discussion, let me say this: Doom is not – and has never been – an arena shooter. Referring back to the mention of Doom earlier in this article, yes, the original Doom does have many of the hallmark mechanics of the popular arena shooter IPs. Doom is that way for good reason, as Quake was originally supposed to be a continuation of Doom and therefore carried much of the feel and mechanics of Doom into its gameplay. Yet, Doom is not an arena shooter and therefore should not be judged as such.
I've seen a huge wave of reviews of the Doom beta like these on Steam:
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Although there are a lot of reviews that cover points that are COMPLETELY moot thanks to the fact that the current product is BETA (i.e. 'oh well the advanced options aren't available'), reviews like the ones above irk me the most. The reviewers completely reveal their lack of experience with the IP in these reviews, since if they had ever actually played the original they would know that Doom never had its sights set on being a traditional arena shooter. I mean, hell, 'arena shooters' didn't even exist when Doom was released, and continued not to exist for several years after. The new Doom, in the words of my best friend, 'sits comfortably somewhere in between Quake and Halo,' and offers relaxing, semi-casual fun while bringing the best of the Brutal Doom mod into the current engine. I'm not saying that the release is flawless – although I personally have been completely enjoying the game thus far and look forward to playing the full release, I can somewhat understand some of the complaints about the game.
One complaint I tend to agree with is how the 'glory kills' are handled in the game. Instead of being able to move around while the quicktime event for your kill takes place, you're rooted in one spot while the animation plays. It does look badass, but there is one huge flaw: because you can't move, enemies can get a glory kill on you while you are getting a glory kill on someone else.
The other common complaint that I can side with is the loadout system. In the older Doom games, you're able to carry several weapons at a time – in this Doom, you can only carry two (plus your grenades, but I'm not sure those count). I can totally understand the irritation over this, since there's really no good reason for the limitation.
Oh, and the announcer. I hate the announcer with a passion. He's still better than the announcer they had in one of the previous closed betas, but dear lord, why does he sound so… bro-ish. Thanks, Obama.
I have qualms with DLC for the game being announced before the game is even released, too. That's currently besides the point, though, since we don't actually know how they're planning to handle the DLC's release. I digress. So far, Doom has been a sleek, seductive FPS to sink into at the end of a long day. Gameplay is quick, but not impossibly so. The guns feel gritty and good to use. Snagging a demon rune or the gauss rifle is exciting, and becoming a demi-god feels, well, good. The game design itself is demonic, but not too overdone. All in all, Doom is shaping up to be a solid, modernized version of the Brutal Doom mod.
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Those who are searching for a modern arena shooter need to turn their eyes towards Unreal Tournament 4. It's very fan driven, and has therefore stayed extremely true to the original games. All of the guns are very balanced, the gameplay is quick and crisp, and community input is not only welcome, but expected. It's a no-bullshit FPS that manages to balance competitive play with good, old-fashioned fun. Although Unreal Tournament 4 is currently in alpha, it's already very polished and highly playable. If you're latched on to traditional arena shooters, leave Doom well enough alone and play Unreal instead. It's free, so you don't have much to lose.
Arena shooters have a long, rich history, with roots buried firmly in the dawn of gaming's existence. Grandfathered by classics such as Maze War and begotten by the original building block of modern FPS's, Doom, arena shooters bring a unique blend of organized chaos to the table that appeals to experienced and inexperienced gamers alike.
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And with that, I leave you with my final thoughts on the Doom situation:
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-Melissa
