Classic 'Doom' On the Way

These aren't imitations, my friends, nor are they side projects. id Software's own website has the two iPhone games available for download now, and says that the third will be available soon.

Earlier this year, it released a port of the original Wolfenstein 3D, which was the first game to set id Software's high standard of technical excellence in first person shooters. Relative to the day when it was originally released, Wolf 3D's smooth graphics and versatile controls made the FPS a viable mainstream genre for the first time, catapulting the company through the mouths of gamers everywhere.

With Wolf 3D, id's advancements in storing and parsing map files led to a game engine that spent less time deciding what to draw on the screen, resulting in a game that ran faster than other FPS attempts with fewer features. The CPU was now less taxed with the core FPS gameplay, allowing for bigger fights, bigger enemies and arsenals, larger, more interactive maps, quality music, and frequent use of voice and other atmospheric effects.

Now, just a few days ago, id released an all-new game to update their second renaissance-leading FPS. 'Doom Resurrection,' a brand new chapter in the Doom saga, is a whopping $9.99 at the Apple iPhone App Store. It's not a true 'Doom' gameplay experience in the classic sense. The gameplay is more like an arcade; you can't control the character's movements, but are propelled through the game map after securing each room or corridor. Instead of free roaming, players dodge, change and manually reload weapons, and shake-off grappling attacks. The game isn't very long. It almost feels more like a two hour playable tech demo, than a finished game.

Rumors abound on the web that Quake will be right behind the upcoming release of classic Doom, but I've been unable to confirm this so far from any id Software official statement.