By Nick P.

Doom. Noun. 1. A judgement or sentence 2. Fate 3. Ruin or death; At least, that's what some guy at Oxford would tell you. To many, Doom is far more than just some word slapped down onto the pages of the dictionary. It would account for countless nights spent staring at the computer. It is a revolution in home entertainment, a start of an era, and a nightmare for some politicians. It is a whole legacy that can now be owned on a compact little disc.

Enough crap. Doom is a game, one of the greatest games of all time. If you are reading this, chances are that you agree. You have all these modern games being spewed out from all these new software companies: Half-life, Unreal, so on and so on. But they wouldn't be here if it weren't for a little programming magic from Doom creator and god, John Carmack. Hours spent writing codes amounted into the first truly revolutionary first-person shooter game engine. And while many of today's newcomers look at its dated graphics and snicker… Well, you understand. It was a breakthrough, an enlightening, something that people still crowd around and chant like some tribes in the Amazon do around their idols and gods (and those missionaries cooking in the pot).

Id, the company to which Carmack belongs, the company that spawned this game, knows this. That is why they have taken a teleport (and I guess it wouldn't be exaggerating to say an imp-infested corridor) to making a sequel. Well, not a sequel, not a prequel, yet not quite a remake. It is Doom III, yet… This has created some discussions on some forums where certain words start being flung around that you won't find in your family dictionary. So don't listen to me… or listen to me and judge for yourself.

Take a good look at the picture above. Notice the way the character's armour is peeling and nicked from all those pesky lost souls. Notice the way a small vein runs under the demon's greyish skin. The demon is an updated rendition of a hell-knight while that person is, well, about to become spineless-mush. With the release of the follow-up Doom III, id is hoping to strike more fortune than that poor marine in the picture ever will. After becoming the first truly dynamic first-person shooter, Doom became one of the most celebrated games of all time, and since its release on December 10th, 1993, it has enjoyed an ever-expanding community of fans that toyed around with the game, so that it runs on modern machines. However, Doom's graphics have inevitably become dated. With the success of Wolfenstein and Doom, the games that pushed id to the top of the food chain in first-person game design, they figured it was time Doom had a makeover. Wolfenstein had received similar treatment. Doom was a logical next step.

The urge to launch a rocket at a horde of imps is inexhaustible. Id Software understands that. John Carmack had been working on the Doom III engine for years prior to the actual decision. And what a beautiful engine it is. Perhaps that is how Doom III captures the feeling of the original: the engines set up scenes that are beautiful yet ominous. So, let us observe what treasures (weapons) this engine will behold and how they can be applied (monsters). But mainly, let us observe how this new incarnation will compare to the original that fired imaginations worldwide and frightened people with its 'measly' 20 fps engine.

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