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showing 12 games

name	publisher(developer)	year	description
DOOM	id Software	1993	[b]npc strife[/b] - they don't do this automatically, but will beat up their allies if subjected to friendly fire. This is a "feature" repeated in many games using the Doom engine. [b]possessed[/b] - the humans you encounter are controlled by demonic spirits or some such, not zombies or anything.*DoomEd as well as the DOS version of DOOM were developed on a several platforms running NeXTSTEP 3.3. NeXTSTEP's design didn't really care if these systems were 68k, x86, or PPC:[quote=John Romero]In fact, with the superpower of NeXTSTEP, one of the earliest incarnations of DoomEd had Carmack in his office, me in my office, DoomEd running on both our computers and both of us editing one map together at the same time. I could see John moving entities around on my screen as I drew new walls. Shared memory spaces and distributed objects. Pure magic.[/quote] [Zerothis]There was also an expansion to Doom called [game=#162120]The Ultimate Doom[/game] that added fourth episode, "Thy Flesh Consumed", into the mix.Doom launched First-Person shooters as one of the dominant genres in PC gaming(although Wolfenstein 3D had established the genre), and also launched the PC as a viable gaming platform Superb level design, well-designed weapons and truly frightening atmosphere. The pseudo-3D levels (Doom's engine didn't allow for levels to be multi-layered) were the best looking and immersive of the time and are still enjoyable today. Also one of the PC's most copied games, its influence rings true in the vast array of First-person shooters. This has been both a blessing and a curse for gamers, as unimaginative and poorly executed Doom-clones swamped release schedules in the mid-to-late 90s. Doom was originally released as shareware, allowing Doom to gather a massive following very quickly.*My first digital addiction.. pure nostalgia. Think back and feel the atmosphere again that was hanging around your DOS machine when it was playing those sinister midi files... what a game! [Roland]
Doom II	id Software	1994	[22]*[media=youtube]tt3E7S8me2E[/media][b]boss battles[/b] - the Icon of Sin if nothing else.Let the Obsession begin. Again. This time, the entire forces of the netherworld have overrun Earth. To save her, you must descend into the stygian depths of Hell itself! Battle mightier, nastier, deadlier demons and monsters. Use more powerful weapons. Survive more mind-blowing explosions and more of the bloodiest, fiercest, most awesome blastfest ever! Play DOOM II solo, with two people over a modem, or with up to four players over a LAN (supporting IPX protocol). No matter which way you choose, get ready for adrenaline-pumping, action-packed excitement that's sure to give your heart a real workout. [?]*This game is one of the most popular games when 3D shoot-em's first became popular. It involves total carnage of evil demons, zombies and monsters with an arsenal of shotguns, chainguns, missiles, BFG, Plasma, Pistol, and Chainsaw.
Heretic	id Software;GT Interactive (Raven Software)	1994	[media=youtube]PvXDik3-XG0[/media]*1999-01-11 source code released under a restrictive license. 2008-09-04 source code was released under GPL compatible license.A [gametag=doom]Doom[/gametag]-like game with similar premise, demons from some outer realm invade the homeworld of Corvus, our elven hero and "heretic" for standing up against the absolute rule of [i]D'sparil[/i] after years of hiding. As the lone magical warrior to stand against the hordes of the Serpent Rider, you battle your way through monsters, undead, demons and the evil disciples to finally give D'sparil a final beating. Basically Heretic is for anyone who wanted fantasy-themed Doom as it doesn't really offer much more than Doom did, though Heretic started a [url=/groups/info/heretichexen]well-loved series[/url] telling the tales of D'sparil's brothers enslaving other worlds and how their indiviual heroes fought back and defeated the rest of the Serpent Riders. However, if you're just looking for a plain shooter of around the same era, you're better off with Doom.*[b]Episodes:[/b] City of the Damned * Hell's Maw * The Dome of D'sparil * The Ossuary * The Stagnant Demesne The shareware version only had three episodes compared to the retail release's five, but a later free patch updated the shareware version to have the two additional episodes.*Raven Software teamed up with Id Software for the second time in its creation of the hit fantasy action game Heretic. Based on a modified DooM engine, Heretic pioneered a revolutionary new inventory system for character item use that has become commonplace in the FPS genre. Id Software published the game under its flag and it was distributed by GT Interactive. Players took the role of Corvus, an Elven hero whose race was nearly eliminated by a horde of evil monsters from another dimension. The first episode of Heretic was released as Shareware as a precursor to the full version of the game, Heretic: Shadow of the Serpent Riders. Heretic won several awards for excellence, appeared in such notable publications as USA Today and Playboy, and opened many new doors in the computer gaming software industry for Raven Software and its team of developers. Heretic was Raven Software's most popular, highest acclaimed, biggest selling game to that point. [Raven]*More than just another Doom clone, Heretic lets you battle it out as Corvus against the first of the serpent riders. New weapons, the ability to jump and fly, water that moves your char around etc. make this game stand apart from others of it's kind. Along with an inventory system, and the Tomb of Power, which gives all your weapons an added boost, perfect for when you're opponents are just a little better equiped than you. Heretics game-engine is the same as in "Doom" and "Doom 2". Gameplay is very similar with some extra-features and a fantasy-setting. In 1996 GT Interactive re-released the game as "Heretic: Shadow of the Serpent Riders", which features 2 more episodes.
The Ultimate Doom	GT Interactive (id Software)	1995	[media=youtube]K0nlO87evhY[/media]*The complete megahit game that set the world afire. Plus All-New Episode IV: Thy Flesh Consumed. The demons came and the marines died. Except one. Your are the last defense against these hell-spawned hordes. Prepare for the most intense mutant-laden, blood-splattered action ever! The texture-mapped virtual world is so real, you don't just play DOOM - you live it. The Ultimate DOOM takes you beyond anything you've ever experienced. First, you get all three original episodes - that's 27 levels of awesome, explosive excitement. Then it really blows you away with an all-new episode: Thy Flesh Consumed. Now you're dead meat. Just when you think you're getting pretty good at DOOM, you get hit with Perfect Hatred, Sever the Wicked and seven other expert levels never seen before! They're so incredibly tough, the first 27 levels will seem like a walk in the park! [?]Comes on 5 3½ disks.*[b]Minimum:[/b] MS-DOS 5.0 * 33 MHz 386 CPU * VGA GPU * 4 MB RAM * 20 MB free HD space * Sound Blaster or AdLib SPU [b]Recommended:[/b] * 8 MB RAM***The Ultimate Doom takes you far beyond the realms of your experience. All three original episodes of the greatest, splattertastic, adrenaline pumping game ever made are here - that's 27 levels of doomongerous gameplay to challenge even the most hardened gamer. But that's just for starters... Then, but only if you're tough enough, you can pick up the gauntlet of an all-new episode... Thy Flesh Consumed. Those fiendish geniuses from id have delved deep into their twisted psyches to present you with the ultimate Doom experience yet - nine new levels of the most torturous, twisting and toughest action imaginable. Will you prove big enough to meet the challenge? [Box blurb]***Retail version of shareware [i][game=#19653]Doom[/game][/i] that included fourth episode: "Thy Flesh Consumed" which was not present in the registered version of the shareware release. The fourth episode is not considered canon either, as the story involved with it is intentionally ridiculous (avenging the murder of your white pet rabbit).
Hexen	id Software;GT Interactive (Raven Software)	1995	Re-edited version with addons included [84]* [22]1999-01-11 source code released under a restrictive license. 2008-09-04 source code was released under GPL compatible license*Has rather unique difficulty levels, the number of enemies gets inflated as is to be expected, but better weapons are located later on, forcing you to fight with old and "less efficient" ones much longer. But since each character has only 4 weapons total, including the starting weapon, this isn't such a big thing but does prove additional challenge early on. There are some differences in encountered enemies between the characters, too (or they're randomized, but I haven't verified that). There are only two types of "ammo" (mana, really), where the second weapon consumes blue, third weapon green, and fourth weapon both. Unlike some other games of the time, magic was not simply dispensed from some magical weapons, but the character actually seemed to have proficiency in magical arts, as witnessed by the mage classes use of lightning and ice and cleric's use of fire. Hexen is also one of the first (if not [i]the[/i] first) first-person games to implement jumping, as well as falling damage which is ignored in great many games even today. [spoiler=Show weapons;Hide weapons]Baratus (Warrior): Spiked Gauntlets * Timon's Axe * Hammer of Retribution * Quietus Parias (Cleric): * Mace of Contrition * Serpent Staff * Firestorm * Wraithverge Daedolon (Mage): * Sapphire Wand * Frost Shards * Arc of Death (Lightning) * Bloodscourge[/spoiler]*Raven Software's HeXen actually began development as an expansion for Heretic that was originally slated to hit the shelves as "Heretic II." However, the game design so expanded beyond the original game that this proposed the expansion of the Heretic universe took on a bold new identity of its own...HeXen: Beyond Heretic. HeXen was developed over a period of 8 months, published by Id Software and distributed by GT Interactive in 1995. The game introduced the 3-D gaming world to the "hub system" of level progression, rotating polygonal brushes and multiple character classes that were available in both single player and multiplayer. All of this combined to help HeXen raise the bar for the first-person shooter genre. HeXen pushed Id Software's DooM engine to its absolute limits and surpassed Heretic as Raven Software's most popular, highly acclaimed title. The success of HeXen prompted a mission pack, Deathkings of the Dark Citadel, and several ports to home console gaming systems including the Sega Saturn, Nintendo 64 and the Sony PlayStation. HeXen also became the first Raven Software game made available for the Macintosh. [Raven][b]System requirements:[/b] 486 33 MHz CPU or better * MS-DOS 5.0 or higher. * 25 MB free HD space * 8 MB RAM * VGA graphics card * Sound Blaster or 100% compatible sound card Supports joystick and mouse.*~ Represeting a quantum leap in realism, bursting at the seams with playability and bulging interactivity, Hexen is a spellbinding and terrifying epic that pits its players as one of the three classes of hero and sets them on a nightmarish knife-edge quest to destroy the evil rulers who once controlled them. Every part of this colossal battle between horrific creatures is waged with one of the 12 death dealing weapons, either alone or in 'co-operative' or 'Deathmatch' networked play. Pretenders to the throne beware: - id Software and Raven have joined forces again to create this masterpiece of the 3D dynasty. [Box blurb]While you were battling the evil forces of D'Sparil, the other Serpent Riders were busy sowing the seeds of destruction in other dimensions. One such dimension is the decaying world where Hexen takes place. A world littered with the mangled corpses of nonbelievers and inhabited by the undead followers that executed them. Only three humans - a warrior, a mage and a cleric - have escaped the leaders' vicious spell. Now these brave souls have sworn to crush the evil regime that threatens to destroy the world forever. Separated upon entering the mystical portal, the three are forced to attempt on their own what they had hoped to do together: find Korax's stronghold, destroy him and restore order in the physical world. [id Software]**A sort of sequel of Heretic, Hexen takes you to a new world to take the place of one of three heroes (A Fighter, a Cleric and a Mage) to stop the second of the Serpent Riders. The use of a "hub" system to travel back and forth through the levels is a very innovative idea. This is one of my all time favorite games, however some are turned away by the running around, collecting of puzzle pieces.
Chex Quest	Digital Café;Ralston-Purina (Digital Café)	1996	Distributed inside Chex cereal boxes as a freebie.
Final Doom	id Software (TeamTNT)	1996	Two New, 32-Level DOOM II Episodes. Evilution: Far from earth, the UAC recommenced their experiments on on of the moons of Jupiter. A spaceship, mistaken for a supply vexxel on radar, hovered above the base. Hideous demons poured out, blanketing the base with death. All your comrades were quickly slaughtered or zombified. This time, it's not about survival. It's about revenge. The Plutonia Experiment: Every effort has been made by the nation's top scientists to close the seven interdimensional Gates of Hell, but one portal remains open. Alone, you must infiltrate the ravaged complex, defeat the demon Gatekeeper and seal the last Hell-hole before the undead are prepared to, once again, take over the world. [?]**Includes two "campaigns": [i]TNT: Evilution[/i], with the events set on Io. * [i]Plutonia Experiment[/i], with the events set on Earth. Oddly it seems neither of the storylines take the player to Hell unlike in all other Doom games.
Hexen: Deathkings of the Dark Citadel	id Software (Raven Software)	1996	Apparently the first expansion Raven Software ever did.
Strife	3DO (Rogue Entertainment)	1996	Tagline: [i]Trust No One[/i]* [58]As the source code for this game was lost, subsequent porting efforts are relying in the reverse engineering efforts of Vavoom, ZDoom, SvStrife and Chocolate Strife developers.**This has the most advanced retail modification of the old Doom engine I've seen.
Quake	Activision (id Software)	1996	[b]Minimum:[/b] * MS-DOS 5.0 * Pentium CPU (w/ math co-processor) * 8 MB RAM * 80 MB HD space [b]Recommended:[/b] * 16 MB RAM*[b]Episodes:[/b] 1) [i]Dimension of the Doomed[/i] : "The mystical past comes alive" 2) [i]The Realm of Black Magic[/i] : "Ancient castles and strange beasts ahead" 3) [i]The Netherworld[/i] : "Primal fear in a strange dimension" 4) [i]The Elder World[/i] : "Your worst nightmare come true"Re-released as GLQuake which used OpenGL for rendering rather than software, Windows port of the game was based on GLQuake rather than the original software version.This game was developed on a several platforms running NeXTSTEP. [Zerothis]Partially influenced by H.P.Lovecraft's works.**Excellent game for the time. When I first saw the purple moving clouds in the skies of the game on the free demo I remember I rushed to the store to buy it!! I can remember I played night after night just to finish the game and had sleepy eyes on the office the day after. In the end of the game there was some kind of a monster on a small island which you could jump on to finish it off.. No doubt about it: In its genre, one of the best games ever. [Roland]
Amulets & Armor	United Software Artists	1997	The game uses id Tech 1 (Doom engine) level format (.wad), but is supposedly otherwise unrelated to it.
HacX	? (Banjo Software)	1997

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