Far Cry isn’t exactly Half Life, but it’s still an awesome FPS that has a unique graphical style and mentality. You can find a boxed copy for cheap, and you can order the PC version from GOG.com for $10.

It’s happened to all of us. You’re playing your favorite game, and you’ve thought of ways you could make it better. Maybe you were playing Marvel Ultimate Alliance and you were wondering what the game would be like if you could bring DC or Capcom characters to battle alongside the X-men and Avengers. Maybe you had an idea for a kick-ass new track for Forza or Gran Turismo. Maybe you wondered what would happen if you put Starcraft’s Zerg against Warcraft’s Scourge. Or maybe you wondered what your favorite WWII shooter would be like with Zombie Nazis (oh wait a sec, Treyarch already thought of that one). Ever since the beginnings of PC gaming, it’s been increasingly easier to turn games on their heads. Thanks to the success of games such as LittleBigPlanet, the console gaming market is able to get in too (well, without the need for warranty-voiding console hacking at least). These past several years have seen an increase in games which utilize user-created content, almost to the point where the entire game is driven by it.

User-Generated content, as it pertains to gaming, can be divided into one of five categories, and they aren’t mutually exclusive either. First there are add-ons, which add new modules to a game. These can be anything from new weapons and characters to new maps and missions. Second, there are partial conversions, or overhauls. These change some of the basic rules of the gameplay, A good example of this is the Shockwave mod for Command and Conquer Generals: Zero Hour, which adds several new features, and Awesomemod for Sims 3, which alters the rules to add a number of gameplay features. Third, there are unofficial patches, which are made by a game’s fan community to fix issues that the developers can’t (or won’t) address. Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines has been supported by several of these add-ons after its original developer closed up shop shortly after the game’s release. Next, there are total conversions, which use a base game as an engine on which to build an all-new game. This particular category of game modding was made famous by Counterstrike, which is a total conversion of Half-Life, and Team Fortress, which builds over Quake. In many cases, total conversion have become just as popular (if not more popular) than the game it was built upon. Finally, there is Machinima, which is more of an artistic vehicle wherein a game’s engine is used to produce computer animation, such as in the famous Red vs Blue, a comedy series which uses the Halo engine.

The Modding scene has found the most success on the PC, and is popular with many Real Time Strategy Games, First Person Shooters, and Role-Playing Games, although it’s not limited to those genres. As a matter of fact, one of the first tools for generating user-creating content that was released was Electronic Art’s Pinball Construction set. PCS was developed by Bill Budge, who then allowed EA to publish it. People could create their own tables, set the positions of the flippers, spinners, and bumpers, adjust the ball physics, and create their own custom artwork. They could then freely and legally distribute them to friends via floppy disk (remember, this was years before the internet). It’s success led to the development of the Music Construction Set, Adventure Construction Set, and the Racing Destruction Set, all of which were developed by independent developers before being published by EA.

Overtime, more advanced tools hit the scene, and players found ways to alter their own games. One significant game led the breakthrough in computer modding: Doom. Doom’s level’s were stored as WAD files, and players were easily able to decipher this format, giving them the means to alter levels as well as create new ones. In time, developers created third party applications that made it easier for non-programmers to create Doom levels. Modders even went so far as the create total conversions based on various licensed properties. With the availability of 3d modeling tools such as Maya and Blender, creating objects for custom content has become easier than ever.

How did gaming companies react? They simply embraced it. Realizing that the creation and distribution of user generated content for their software extended their products’ lifespans a thousandfold, they actively encouraged it. Throughout the next several years, developers would package tools to create mod content with their games, even going so far as to include the same tools that they use to create the game, such as Epic’s Unreal Editor which is used with most Unreal Engine based games and Valve’s Hammer Editor, which is used with the Source Engine. Some games have utilized programming languages to make them selves modable. Firaxis’s Civilization IV lets players change the rule sets and add modules using Python and XML. Some mods have even gained official status, such as Team Fortress, which gained a sequel which was included in the Orange Box. Firaxis has included several Fan-Made mods with the Civilization IV expansion ‘Beyond the Sword’, including ‘Rhye’s and Fall of Civilization’ and ‘Fall from Heaven’. Recently, many games themselves are driven by user-generated content. EA’s Spore allows players to share their creations via an in-game ‘Sporepedia’, and content is sometimes downloaded automatically into a player’s game world. The Sims 3 has several user-friendly tools players can use to create characters, styles for clothing, and houses. They can then be shared with other players at an online exchange. Lionhead’s The Movies allows players to create their own movies and share them online with friends via Youtube.

The modding scene hasn’t been prevalent on consoles due to their closed hardware. For the longest time there was no way of sharing or distributing custom content, and without a hard drive or suitable storage medium, console gamers didn’t have the flexibility that PC modders have enjoyed. Thankfully this is beginning to change with the advent of online gaming services. Eidos/Free Radical’s Timesplitters series included a mapmaker which allowed players to create their own multiplayer maps. Throughout the series, the mapmaker’s functionality has been increased, and players were able to create simgle player missions. By the franchise’s third installment, players were able to share their creations online. The recent Smackdown vs Raw 2010 gives players the ability to create wrestlers, storylines, finishing moves, and movies, and share them online. EA’s NCAA 2010 included an online-based Teambuilder application where players can create their own teams on their computer, then download them in to their game, making them available for other gamers.

Perhaps no other game demonstrates the potential for console-based content then Sony’s Little Big Planet. Using a set of easy-to-use tools, players can create their own levels, which can them be shared online. Ever since the game’s 2008 release, gamers have created over thousands of levels, many of which are homages to other classic game titles such as Mario and Contra. An upcoming sequel promises even more functionality.

With the advent of Youtube, Myspace, blogging, Twitter, and other ‘Web 2.0′ mainstays, it’s been easier than ever for the regular consumer to influence the direction of media. Everyday people upload their own videos to Youtube, create playlists on last.fm, and share news tidbits on Twitter and Myspace. However, this really hasn’t been a new phenomenon. Gaming, be it PC or console has embraced this consumer-driven mentality for years, and it has led to some interesting results. Mod programmers have went on to form successful game development companies, and many mods have become legendary within gaming communities. So next time you check out someone’s Unreal map, LittleBigPlanet level, or Sims 3 lot, keep in mind that you could be looking at the next great game designer.

Overall, the gameplay is easy enough for casual gamers to pick up and play while still being complex enough to appeal to hardcore gamers. Plants vs Zombies is a lot of fun, and out of all of Popcap’s products, it has gained the most success amongst ‘hardcore’ gamers. In fact, it’s estimated that half of the game’s sales are from the hardcore gamer crowd. It’s available for PC, Mac, Iphone OS, and is coming soon to Xbox Live arcade. Although nothing has been announced yet, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see it on Playstation Network and Wiiware anytime soon. Just because it’s made by Popcap doesn’t mean you should dismiss it as just another game for your grandparents.

The hotly anticipated RTS game, Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty has been slated for release on July 27, 2010.

If you haven’t already pre-ordered the game, you can do so on Amazon and recieve a free beta key!
The Collector’s edition also includes, but is not limited to, the game’s soundtrack and a 2GB USB thumb drive that contains the original Starcraft and the expansion pack Brood War. This intrepid RTS fan will be getting the collectors’ edition. Pre-order either version via the links below!

Like the Retribution Engine (which I featured a few months back), Cube 2: Sauerbraten is a game built around a set of editing tools that are featured with the game. Unlike Retribution, and for that matter most other FPS editing tools, the game tools are featured in-game, and the editing is done in real-time. Although it isn’t as elaborate as your Source and Unreal engines, it does make editing faster and processing a lot easier on your computer’s processor. The game includes a single player campaign, and several multiplayer modes which can be played either online or offline with bots. There is also an online co-operative map editor. The editing software is easy to use, and the game isn’t bad either. You can find the Cube 2 engine for free at http://www.sauerbraten.org/.

$20 Game of the Week: Free 3D Game Maker (PC)
Platinum Art’s Sandbox Free 3D Game Maker is based off the Cube 2: Sauerbraten Engine, and is modified to teach children about game development. There is no violent content in the game (as the project is intended to be used in school settings), but there are several game modes, such as role playing, side-scroller, and base capturing. Much of the Cube 2’s functionality is available including the in-game and co-op in-game editors. In addition, there are even several in-game menus (that can even be viewed in 3D) that make the software even easier for younger developers. Many schools are making use of this, and pretty soon we’ll be seeing the next generation of game designers! You can find the Free 3D Game Maker at http://www.sandboxgamemaker.com/.

Lost Classics: Mario Paint (Super Nintendo)
Mario Paint was one of the first Super Nintendo games that wasn’t actually a game, but an application suite. Despite it’s name, Mario paint was more than a simple paint composition program. Players could use to program to create animations and even compose music. You could create tile stamps with a pixel grid editor, and use them to make complex designs. The program made use of the SNES mouse (which was bundled with the game), and was one of the few SNES games that made use of it. Unfortunately, since this was before online gaming, there is no way to share your works besides recording using a VCR. When you need to take a breather, there is a fly-swatting minigame. Mario Paint did a great job of giving players the ability to be creative on a 16-bit system, and has served as the inspiration for various other SNES games, as well as the upcoming Wario Ware D.I.Y.

Warcraft 3 centers on the threat of the Burning Legion and the continued conflict between humans and orcs. However, two new races are added to the mix: the Night Elf Sentinels and the Undead Scourge. Many of the events alluded to in WOW have their origins here. You’ll see Arthas’s decent from noble hero to the new Lich King, the attack of the Burning Legion, the rise of the Night Elf Sentinels, and the human alliance and orcish horde join forces against the demons. Each faction has its own abilities and perks. The humans are a middle of the road faction, with a health mix of spellcasters, technology, and infantry. The Orcs favor strength, as their spellcasters are amongst the strongest in the game, the undead can harvest the corpses of the fallen in order to use them as weapons, and the night elves favor strength and speed, and since all their buildings are living trees, they can uproot themselves to relocate the base. Warcraft 3’s hero system is unique as well, giving the game a bit of an RPG-style flair. Heroes have their own inventory and they can level up to learn new spells. They can also purchase items and hire mercenaries at various shops scattered around the map. Each faction even has a building where they can revive their hero if they are slain. This is great, because in most other RTS games, one would be too afraid to use their hero unit because they risk getting them killed and failing the mission. While there are still missions which can be failed if a hero is slain, they are done thankfully in such a way that they are easy to get through. There is a greater variety to the missions as well. Some levels even have exploration and puzzle solving elements.

While this game is familiar to anyone who has player Starcraft, unfortunately a few of Starcraft’s faults are also present here as well. I can only select 12 units at a time, and if I assign them to a hotkey, then they won’t show the number I assigned them. Thankfully it is a tad easier to navigate around this though. All my currently selected units are grouped together by portraits on the command bar, and if I need to use an ability, all I have to do is click on the portrait. If I need to use a healing power, then all I have to do is select the spell and click on the portrait of the unit I want to use it on. Since everything is in 3D, I have less of a chance of actually getting my units stuck behind one of my buildings.

Along with main game, Warcraft 3 also includes the Frozen Throne expansion featuring new units, an all new campaign, and the Naga Quasi-faction. You can also playonline over Battle.net, and a mission editor is included for those of you who like modding, so there is a lot of cool stuff in this box. WOW gamers who haven’t played it yet will want to check it out just to see the origins of the online game, and RTS fans should play it for its solid action and unique spin on the genre. If you like Starcraft, you’ll love Warcraft 3.

Other than that, the gameplay will feel right at home for veterans of RON. The campaign makes use of a map similar the RON’s conquer the world campaign, and you’ll spend lots of time in battle researching and upgrading your tech tree. While Rise of Legends doesn’t reinvent the wheel, it is still an excellent RTS game, and it does a good job of following up Rise of Nations, even if its scope is scaled down in comparison.

There is no shortage of wrestling titles that allow players to step inside the ring, but how many allow them
to step behind the curtain or even into the front office? No I’m not talking about Smackdown vs Raw’s General Manager mode. I mean taking the role of the Vince McMahons,the Eric Bischoffs, the Bill Watts, the Vince Russos, or the Paul Heymans and deciding who gets the push, who gets buried, making deals, securing talent, negotiating contracts, and everything else that the head booker does. Well, Adam Ryland’s Extreme Warfare series has been letting players do just that. It’s been around since 1995, and in 2004 it changed its name to Total Extreme Wrestling and made use of a windows interface. Although 2010 is going to be released soon (if it hasn’t been already), 2005 is available for free at the site at www.greydogsoftware.com.

Like its predecessors and sequels, TEW 2005 is entirely menu-driven. That means you won’t be seeing any matches, controlling any wrestlers, or participating in any wrestling action. What you will be doing is selecting one of several promotions, and do what you can to take it to the top. You’ll set merchandising, book angles, set matches, decide who wins, and even set the length of the segments of your television product. You’ll also have to deal with wrestlers and their egos, and like the stuff you see on tv, you’ll also have to deal with backstage drama. The menu interface is sometimes hard to work with (especially when trying to book angles) and the game could benefit from some kind of tutorial mode, but once you get the hang of everything, you’ll easily get sucked in. You’ll be booking PPV cards, promoting matches, and negotiating with talent just like a real promoter.

If you’re what they consider to be a ’smark’ (wrestling lingo for smart fan) or wrestling insider, TEW is the perfect package for you. Wrestling fans will get a kick out of taking control of what goes on behind the scenes…. as long as they realize and are willing to come to terms with the fact that pro-wrestling is scripted.

Duke Nukem. Halo. Call Of Duty. Resistance. Killzone. Goldeneye. Bioshock. Deus Ex. Quake. Timesplitters.

The list of great first person shooters goes on and on, and each game has left its own unique stamp on the genre, weather it’s the RPG-like stat progression of Bioshock and Deus Ex, the cinematic realism of Modern Warfare and Rainbow Six Vegas, the zaniness of Timesplitters and Duke Nukem, or the multiplayer action of Halo and Goldeneye. However, all of these games owe their existence and popularity to one name: Doom. While ID Software’s classic didn’t create the FPS genre (that honor many would say belongs to ID’s previous effort Wolfenstein 3D), it helped shape the face of the genre for years to come. This article will take a look at the classic and its impact on gaming.

Wolfenstein 3D
Our article does not actually start with Doom, but with Wolfenstein. Released as a 3D reimaging of the 2D Castle Wolfenstein games, Wolfenstein 3D was notable due to a couple of reasons. Years before Call of Duty and all its clones had players storming Normandy beach for the 50th time, Wolfenstein 3D was one of the first WWII inspired games that gave players the actual real-life WWII experience, complete with zombies with chain guns embedded into their chests, mutant attack dogs, and a cyborg Hitler. More importantly, it was the dawn of what would be known as the first person shooter genre. While games had been done in first person before (mostly adventure and RPG games) Wolfenstein largely received credit for kick-starting the genre. With its first person viewpoint, Wolfenstein gave players an untold level of immersion, and it was the closest players would get to the virtual reality craze that was popular in gaming at the time without buying any fancy headgear. However, once its innovations had worn off, Wolfenstein’s number one fault became all too apparent: SERIOUS LACK OF VARIETY. You traveled through the same bland hallways, shooting the same limited arsenal of weapons at the same few enemies. It was not as if the game was terrible, in fact for many critics and fans, it would go on to become one of the greatest games ever. However if this new genre was to survive, then its next entry would have to offer more than what Wolfenstein did. So to that end…

The Legend Begins
ID Software’s next effort bought nothing less than certain Doom to PC gamers, so it was only natural that the game be called Doom. The game’s setting could best be described as Alien meets the exorcist. Placing gamers in a role of a space marine trapped on Mars, you had to survive a demon infestation that would lead you literally into Hell. Taking the same basic design as Wolfenstein, Doom improved on it in every area. There was a lot more variety in the weaponry. Along with the standard pistol, you made use of shotguns (which would go on to be a staple of nearly every good RTS series), plasma rifles, the BFG 9000, a chainsaw, and other tools. Your expanded and diverse arsenal was a good thing too, as you faced everything from demoniacally possessed enemies, large animal-like demons, fire wielding imps, and cyborg-demons. The bland hallways of Wolfenstein gave way to changes in height elevation, which enabled stairways, elevators, pitfalls, outer courtyards, and high ledges. The bland walls were also replaced thanks to texturing. The first episodes of the game were filled with computer terminals, electronic devices, futuristic equipment, and other doodads. Later on in the game, these devices were replaced with satanic imagery, scenes of ritual sacrifices, demonic imagery, and other horrific imagery as you descended into Hell. Improved lighting effects enhanced the game’s atmosphere, with the darkness in many of the game’s levels being used to frighten players, making Doom one of the first games to use darkness and lighting in such a manner. Little touches such as non-perpendicular walls, your weapon swaying back and forth, and audio clues helped to put Doom over its spiritual predecessor in a big way. By the way, here is some trivia: during the early stages of development, developer Tom Hall wrote the Doom Bible, a huge document full of ideas that were later dropped from the game in favor of a more simplistic approach. Among them was a new weapon, several playable characters, and a backstory featuring a fictional planer.

Multiplayer
Along with an excellent single player game, Doom also included a deathmatch mode for players to battle their friends with. By connecting computers over ethernet, players could fight against each other online. Doom also supported deathmatching online by letting two players connect over a phone modem. By the way, Doom was the first game to use the term ‘deathmatch’ to refer to the mode.

Modding
Doom’s greatest contribution may not have come from the guys at ID Software but rather the consumers who purchased the game. Particularly crafty hackers discovered that the game and its levels were encoded in an easy-to-discover WAD format. By altering this format, they managed to make changes to the levels. Exploring further, they found that they could create all new WAD files, meaning they could create new levels. Particularly crafty programmers then created 3rd party applications with which to create new WAD files. Even more so, they figured out how to change the textures altogether to create all new enemies, weapons, wall textures and sprites, even going as far as to create an all new game on top of the engine, known as a total conversion. People went on to create total conversions of Doom based on everything from Batman to the Simpsons. As you can see here, there is even a mod based on Mega Man. The U.S. Military even created a version of Doom used for military training, and Digital Cafe created a nonviolent version of doom called Chex Quest which was given away for free to promote the cereal. ID Software’s product inadvertently (or perhaps intentionally) gave rise to a community of user-generated content never seen before in gaming. Other games in the genre would soon become the catalysts for mods themselves, with many total conversions even gaining mainstream success such as Counterstrike (a mod of Half-Life), Defense of the Ancients (a mod of Warcraft III) and Team Fortress (a mod of Quake). It got to a point where PC development companies began to openly support game mods, with developers going as far as to include map and scenario design tools with their games. Many PC game releases even include the same tools that the developers used to make the game, such as the Epic’s Unreal Editor program.

Controversy
Doom was released during the early 90s, when gaming began to head out in a more mature direction, led by the arcade monster Mortal Kombat. With the increase in blood and guts came an increase in the outrage of parents and teachers. With this increase in drama came the increase in politicians sensing opportunity. It was then discovered (read: scapegoated) by ‘experts’ (read: people who never played a video game in their lives save for Pong and Pac-Man) that video games, along with heavy metal, grunge rock, and gangsta rap, were responsible for corrupting the youth and turning them into hardcore criminals and murderers. Doom was especially singled out, as parents feared that its first person perspective, along with the emergence of virtual reality technology was actually training children to become killers (apparently somewhere out there is a gun with a keyboard, mouse, and monitor attached to it). To ward off some of the fire from Doom and other such games, the entertainment software board established a ratings system designed to inform parents of a game’s content, so this temporarily took the focus away from Doom (of course later violent video games that were released throughout the next few years caught their fair share of heat too).

Doom would once again be at the center of controversy in 1999, when two teenage gunmen, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold went on a grisly shooting spree at Columbine High School. I’m not going to recap the horrific events of that day as its been done millions of times already (most particularly in this past week’s $20GOTW). After the shooting, parents groups, teachers, and the media would go on to find out what drove two youth to preform such acts (because you know, suburban youth never decide to commit crimes on their own, so it must be an outside influence), and in doing so they found several scapegoats to blame it on. One of these would be no other than the PC game Doom. Thus, an all-new firestorm of controversy arose against video game violence, with fingers once again pointed at ID Software’s masterpiece in a knee-jerk reaction. Thankfully nothing major came out of it. A few years later when incidents such as this tragically became the norm, studies done by researchers such as the Institute for the Greater Good, Harvard medical school researchers Cheryl Olson and Lawrence Kutner, the U.S. Secret Service and the Department of Education would conclude that video game violence and the increase in school shootings were not closely related. The Secret Service and DOE studies in particular analyzed 37 different incidents of school violence and found out that only 1/8th of the shooters had an interest om violent video games. The main trait that everyone had in common was that they had histories of depression and/or attempted suicide. However, parent groups, teachers, clergymen, and election-year politicians aren’t trying to hear it.

By the way, I’d like to take this opportunity to clear up a couple of rumors. First of all, parents complained that the two boys played a version of the game called ‘God Mode’. God Mode isn’t a version of the game, but rather a secret code in the game that grants invincibility. Also, it was rumored that Eric Harris designed a custom map based on Columbine High School which was used as a ‘practice run’ before the actual massacre. This isn’t true either. While Harris did create custom Doom levels, none of them were based on Columbine High School.

Distribution and Sequels
The original Doom was released as shareware. The first episode, consisting of 9 levels was uploaded to a public server, and players were encouraged to download it and share with others. While many people who played the shareware version didn’t buy the full game (consisting of two more episodes), the game itself sold upwards of 10 million copies, and drove the success of later sequels, which weren’t released as shareware. There wasn’t a retail version of Doom available until The Ultimate Doom was released in 1995, containing an all new episode.

Like most good games, Doom was followed up by numerous sequels. 1994’s Doom II saw the demon invasion heading to Earth, and the marine had to stop it. While II used a newer engine, it wasn’t much different from the original. That was okay, because back then it was okay for a sequel to not deviate much from it’s predecessor, and more of Doom is always a good thing. ID released a series of Doom II levels entitled ‘The Master Levels’, which was a collection of levels designed by independent designers. They were hard to complete, and didn’t have a real storyline, although fans of Doom ate it up. Doom II was later succeed by 1996’s Final Doom, a released composed of two independently developed episodes: TNT and The Plutonia Experiment. Doom 64, a Nintendo 64 exclusive rendition of the franchise featured all new textures for enemies and weapons. Doom III, which was released years later, was a re-imagining of the first game. While it’s dark atmosphere and creepy enemies kept the survival horror spirit of Doom alive, purists panned it for not being more faithful to earlier entries in the series. Doom III didn’t change the genre like its predecessors did, but it was powered by an all new graphics engine, and its horror-movie storyline kept things moving. It was followed up by an expansion pack, Resurrection of Evil and an IPhone sequel Doom Resurrection, which was a prequel to Doom III. Last April, ID Software announced Doom 4. However since they are busy on their new IP Rage (which will be released ‘when its done’), I wouldn’t expect to hear anything on it for a good while.

Console & Source Ports
Doom was a much sought-after game, and console gamers wanted to see what the fuss was all about. Nevermind that joypads at the time didn’t match the precision of a mouse and keyboard, Doom was the big killer-app of its day, and any console that was capable of running it gladly included it amongst its lineup. The Sega 32X and Atari Jaguar included it as a launch-window title, and in the case of both systems was one of the few games that you’d buy the system to play, although both ports were missing several levels and enemies from the PC game, and both versions had an inferior soundtrack. A version of the game also hit 3DO, although it was sorely lacking thanks in no small part to a playscreen that was the size of a postage stamp. There was even a port for the Super Nintendo thanks to the Super FX Chip. This version of the game was a strange beast. It had most of the monsters that were missing from the Jaguar and 32x ports, and it’s soundtrack was closer to the PC version, but it had no texture mapping for floors and ceilings, the back and sides of enemies weren’t rendered (so enemies always faced you), and there was no progress back up system (although higher difficulty levels allowed players to select which episode to start). Two players could play deathmatch online using the Xband modem. The definitive console port of Doom at the time was the Playstation’s ‘Ultimate Doom’. Along with most of the levels from Ultimate Doom, it contained a number of new levels, a redone soundtrack, and improved textures. The Playstation also received a port of Final Doom, which included a mix of levels from both Final Doom and the Master Levels collection. Throughout the years, Doom would hit multiple consoles, handhelds, and computer operating systems, either as official ports or homebrew. These systems included the Linux OS, Game Boy Advance (making it the first time that the game was made available on a handheld), Macintosh, and Sega Saturn. Although it wasn’t a console, Microsoft’s Bill Gates made it his mission to bring Doom to Windows 95 even featuring it in advertisements for the upcoming OS. Recognizing the game’s popularity, and hoping to promote the new OS as a platform suited for gaming, Microsoft programmed a special port of Doom for Windows 95 entitled Doom 95. It could run WAD filed from previous DOS versions of Doom and could be used to set up multiplayer games. Doom is also available on Xbox 360 via the Xbox Live arcade, and was included on the collector’s release of the Xbox version of Doom 3.

In 1997, ID software made the source code for Doom available, and fans began porting the game to hardware that didn’t previously support the game, including the PSP, Nintendo DS, PDA, and Ipods. Fans have also created ’source ports’, programs which run Doom on more modern hardware. Many of these source ports contain new features. For instance, Vavoom, the one I use, features OpenGL and Direct 3d rendering as well as full 360 degree mouse look.

Legacy
When it first came out, Doom was simply a good game that everyone just had to play. Over the years however, it would stand the test of time, becoming a pop culture icon, and changing the landscape of gaming much like games such as Super Mario Brothers, Street Fighter II, and Final Fantasy have done. Even today, with more advanced FPS titles, Doom still has a huge community of fans who continue to create mods, play deathmatches, and develop and maintain various source ports of Doom. It’s easy to take for granted Doom’s innovations to the genre, even today as players create levels for Little Big Planet, play each other online in Madden for Xbox Live, and are scared shitless by Dead Space’s dark atmosphere.

Movie

Yes, I know there was a movie based on Doom. It featured Dwayne Johnson (a.k.a. The Rock), and basically took a rancid dump over everything we loved about the source material in a way that would rival Uwe Boll’s greatest works.