Some of my most nostalgic memories are connected to video games. I am currently making a sequel to my last post from the Hive Gaming Community - MY Best Video Game Memories contest. The post has paid out and the contest is over so don't vote on it... but you can read it, if you haven't already, for a little context!
Part of the gaming that i missed out on during the Golden Age of games was the P.C. portion. My family never had a computer so many of the internet developments and the gaming that came along the way was very foreign to me. However, some of my most favorite games and experiences were on P.C.
I'm making this post about a portion that was significant enough to me in my gaming experience growing up that i wanted to share with you all. It would have taken up too much of the sequel so i am putting it here separately. Now, let us begin!
I remember starting out my First Person journey with Wolfenstein! This style of game was completely new and different compared to the side-scrollers of the day. For you younger folk, you must remember that as bit sizes increased and the graphics expanded, the gameplay was more important than the visual of the experience. It's almost the complete opposite these days.
This was the first game i had ever seen where it takes place from a first-person perspective. Moving forward through the maze of hallways and going in and out of the doors was an evolution in realism, compared to say a game like Zelda or Contra in certain sequences. Most games that tried to get away from side-scrolling all had a hybrid version of an overview. Duck Hunt may have been one of the original console first-person perspective games as a shooter, but it was static so it doesn't count.
After reading up on the issue, apparently having the enemies in line with the player and keeping things in proper perspective was a difficult challenge to overcome. Leaving room above the character for the visuals was the closest they could get to achieve a first-person perspective feel but it was a compromise of sorts.
Wolfenstein was the next step in solving that problem. The levels were rendered in a basic 3D style but the subjects within the game were sprites modeled in a few different angles to give the illusion of the third dimension perspectives. Using 2D sprites for enemies combined with a brand new approach to making the levels in 3D using a game engine changed the Game literally.
While Wolfenstein 3-D wasn't technically actually 3D it was the first great leap in that direction. The real appeal to this game was the run and gun action on top of the fact it felt more like you were the player character. It was also all premised in it's plot of Killing some Nazis. Ultimately, you want to get to the main boss Hitler and take him out too.
All the games that are First Person here that i will mention have a link to try the game out form your browser underneath the image. All the links are HTTPS and i tried them out to make sure they all work. Many memories came rushing back in and it's amazing how these games withstand the test of time.
I would challenge you all to give each one a try. The cover image has the link for Wolfenstein 3-D. This image below has a more in-depth overview of this game than i will be giving.
Wolfenstein, for it's time, was and still is seriously intense. I still found it quite difficult, to be honest. The gameplay still operates as i remember. I didn't get to spend too much time playing this gem growing up... but it impacted my overall gaming experience and heightened my level of expectation in what i would now be looking for in games in the future.
As i grew older the themes and experiences in playing games needed to reflect that. Wolfenstein and it's Nazi-killing definitely fit the bill. Something about the name always appealed to me as well.
Originally, i never realized that i was taking part in the birth of a whole new pioneering genre when i participated in playing this unique game. It wasn't until i reflected on my experiences playing and did some background research that it occurred to me.
Although Wolfenstein 3-D was released initially on May 5, 1992, i didn't play it until well after. Colloquially considered to be the "grandfather of 3D shooters," Wolfenstein has been thought of as one of the greatest video games ever made.
As i was reading up to make this post i came across an interesting narrative in theme within the development of software and hardware that would eventually lead us all to the point where video games, rather on P.C. or Consoles, have driven us to now.
John Romero, of iD Software LLC, had the original idea to recreate Castle Wofenstein into a 3D first-person experience. His concept was to mow down Nazis and to recreate the feel of storming an SS bunker with dogs and blood and the gore of war. I would say Mission Accomplished!
Play Wolfenstein 3D here on your browser at PlayClassic.Games
For me, this is the game that changed it all! DOOM is a fast-paced run and gun First Person Shooter that has a plot with a bit more meat on the bone. While Wolfenstein established the FPS genre of gameplay action, DOOM is the game that made it popular! The original concept of this game was crafted by John Carmack of iD Software LLC as
a game about using technology to fight demons, inspired by the Dungeons & Dragons campaigns the team played, combining the styles of Evil Dead II and Aliens.
Having been a big fan of Sam Raimi's Evil Dead Franchise as well as the Alien Franchise, i definitely felt the influences in the gameplay. Doom became a collaborative effort from the team at iD including Mr. Romero.
Mr. Romero coined the term Death Match (which you can hear him describe in the video from that link in an interview including Mr. Carmack around the 49th minute) in November of 1993 as the first IPX, or networked multiplayer, game was established. Although i did not play multi-player or on the network, the single-player mode was still extremely robust. So, many of you gamers would probably appreciate the degree of influence this game served as a foundation for what is now the Massively Multiplayer Online Game genre.
DOOM also incorporated the use of WAD files, which stands for 'Where's All the Data?' to store graphics files and level designs. This file format gave the opportunity for users to make modifications to the code. Levels and enemies have been used in modifying the game which sounds like a pretty cool option. Apparently, there were many user-made levels and character design changes that you can still find online today.
DOOM was also a game-changer literally in that it got rid of lives and continues and exchanged it for a save at any point in the game and endless restarts at the beginning of your level. You had to depend on power-ups, shields, and just playing better. The speed was the main driving force in the concept of what DOOM was bringing to the table.
Essentially, DOOM starts out with a Space Marine on Mars at a base where government experiments take place. Teleportation portals are created in experiments gone awry and alien-demons come flooding the base. The way out is through. The objective in the game is to make it through each level's exit point while killing all the alien-demons you can. Of course, not dying goes without saying!
You have an assortment of weapons such as everyone's favorite the BFG 9000, (which stands for what you think it does) a handgun, chainsaw, shotgun, and the trustee plasma rifle. As you work your way through the levels killing the hordes and their overlord bosses you fight your way from moon to moon then into Hell. The end has Earth invaded by a portal from Hell.
DOOM 2 picks up where 1 leaves off, most of which is a battle to save the last survivors of Earth and to get them off-planet. The story wasn't really a focal point for me as a player. I really liked the characters, the settings, and the interactions. Having a variety of weapons and a god-mode you could turn on gave the game an extra level of appeal.
Everything about DOOM was an upgrade from anything else out there. If i had my own computer at the time... i am sure i would have played it all the time. DOOM 2 was essentially a continuation of part 1 but the hardware upgrades at the time made for a bit better graphics experience.
DOOM 1 & 2 have been considered a couple of the most influential and greatest games of all time. With changes in the lighting to show distance and having different complexities to the levels that no other game had at the time was genuinely revolutionary for the industry. The stage has now been set for the crowning masterpiece, Quake.
This game was the amalgamation of Wolfenstein and DOOM resulting in one of the most monumental games of all time! Quake was also created by iD Software LLC. The story is similar to DOOM's but the fast action gameplay was the primary focus.
Mr. Ramirez, one of the key developers who designed a quarter of the levels for Quake, was quoted in an interview as saying, "DOOM will look like Wolfenstein next to Quake." Wolfenstein was fast action, DOOM was even faster, but Quake was super fast-paced.
This game used much of the gaming engines from the predecessors as well as code and other motifs, however, this game brought the transition from 2-D sprites to fully rendered 3-D non-player characters to the table.
Featuring an ambient soundtrack by Trent Reznor of NIN, whose logo can be seen on the nailgun ammunition boxes. I listened to this soundtrack while writing some of this up. Trent was a fan of the original Doom series and offered to contribute to Quake. This was his first soundtrack and his voice-over can also be heard in the game as the main character. Trent actually said it's not music but rather "textures and ambiances." It perfectly set the mood and tone for the gameplay experience.
Quake combined themes from the three primary developers concepts such as Lovecraftian occultism, futuristic technology, and a medieval melee combat style blended together. Add that to the fast-paced run 'n gun style with a dark and gritty feel in gameplay this experience made it feel as if you were in a live-action movie battling for your survival. The initial concepts were paired down to accommodate a tight schedule in development but stayed as true as possible to the artistic intentions of everyone involved.
The enemies are really what makes Quake stand out a bit. The enemies are quite memorable and they take different approaches in overcoming them. This game took a lot of trial and error for me when playing.
How ‘Quake’ Changed Video Games Forever - Rolling Stone article
Quake also took online gaming to the next level, literally, by being the first to make multi-player specific levels. Esports was also practically started by Quake offering the first national-level gaming tournament. One such tournament had one of John Carmack's convertible 1987 Ferrari 328 GTS as the grand prize!
I never got to play this game online with multiplayer action. I used to live with my best friend back in High School and his mom's boyfriend had a computer. Fortunately, he was also a gamer. So, when i could find time, usually late at night i used to get some computer time to play. It's still pretty thrilling to remember listening in my big headphones in the dark of night playing this horror-inspired game.
Some of my best High School memories are associated with playing this game along with all the others mentioned. By the time i could play Wolfenstein or either of the DOOMs Quake was out... so the choice was obvious. I split my time playing Quake and the last game i will mention here.
Duke Nukem was a game that i would substitute for Quake often because of the realistic settings. It was very similar but yet very different from the others. This game was not created by iD software. However, the primary developer was of the original team from Wolfenstein 3-D.
Duke Nukem was also a game that established and solidified the First Person Shooter gaming genre. It was very crude and used many of the same inspirations as some of the others. Although critically acclaimed there were some folks that weren't the biggest fans of this game, Bruce Campbell just to name one.
He was quoted in an IGN article which you can read in here as saying, "Well, they're rip-off artists. Let them get their own damn material. It's called hiring a writer. They're blatantly ripping it off and if I was any kind of litigious guy they would've gotten a phone call by now. It's depressing and I think it's wrong."
I really enjoyed the Duke Nukem style of character as far as games are concerned. I appreciated the use of Army of Darkness quotes from Campbell's character Ash. I didn't see it as plagiarization until doing research for this post. Even the cover seems to be a little too similar in retrospect. Compare the poster below to the Duke Nukem cover.
Duke Nukem had lines such as, "come get some, that's gotta hurt, hail to the king, and groovy." All of which are classic lines from Ash and the Evil Dead franchise. This wasn't the only controversy surrounding this game. There were strip joints as part of the setting and adult-oriented easter eggs along the way within gameplay. What's that monster doing there in the gif below?
Play Duke Nukem 3D here on your browswer at PlayClassic.Games
All controversy aside, Duke Nukem 3D was a fun game and extremely difficult to play. The interactive environments and destruction you could wreak made it all the more fun. There were many pop-culture references and 'borrowing' that did make the game more fun to experience. Duke essentially has come back to Earth and it's being attacked by aliens that have mutated the L.A.P.D. into malevolent Pig cops. It would remind you of if Escape from L.A. was a video game.
I was sad when i beat this one. I still found myself coming back to play it anyways, which is a good measure of a game's value. All of these games have a place in the foundation and history of gaming. The contributions each one made is probably not truly measurable. Every one of these games had many ports over to other operating systems and a myriad of consoles. They all went on to become their own successful franchises but not without controversy along the way.
As time went on and so did the franchises they seemed to have gone downhill a bit. The original issues that made these games rated M for mature have gotten a lot quieter over time because of how much the industry has pushed the envelope in every way since the inception of the First Person Shooter.
As a final note, John Romero and John Carmack, the cofounders of iD Software LLC., ended up parting ways around the completion of Quake due to artistic differences for the future of the company. They remain friends to this day. Also, the iD Software company was a fellow native to the greatest country in the world, Texas! I had no idea these legendary games were created so close to home and that Texas had such a hand to play in the founding of the modern global gaming industry.
I wouldn't trade anything for those long nights of Playing as the First Person exploring new ways to interact within a simulated experience. It was easy to get lost and absorbed in the worlds presented and destroying obvious evil while trying to stay alive. I hope you do end up trying to play a little bit of at least one of these games for either old time sake, or to have a greater and more profound appreciation of the games that came before paving the way!
I appreciate your time so thanks for sharing some of it with me in reminiscing within this history lesson. Thanks to HIVE and the Hive Gaming Community for a place where this content belongs.
The Player Perspective is always First Person when you are the Player!
