Our Favorite Games II: Doom

Platform: MS-DOS (original) Released: 1993

While “Wolfenstein 3D” pioneered the first-person shooter genre, it was “Doom” that seriously put it into the mainstream.

“Doom,” originally developed by id Software, was as violent as it was popular. In Doom, you were a space marine basically blasting and chopping away anything in your path. Whether it was blasting possessed humans or destroying fireball-launching aliens, it was fast, run-n-gun fun. “Doom” was built using the appropriately-named Doom Engine, a new 3D game engine first used in this game. The game took some aspects of “Wolfenstein 3D,” also developed by id, and improved upon them, including but not limited to walls of varying heights and full texture mapping of all surfaces. Your weapon was fixed directly in front of you just like in “Wolfenstein,” and included everything from guns to a chainsaw to the plasma-shooting BFG 9000, one of the baddest weapons ever created in video game lore. “Doom” also featured a multiplayer “Cooperative” and “Deathmatch” mode.

“Doom” was the winner of multiple Game of the Year awards. However, the graphic nature of the game stirred a bit of controversy. It has been said that the two teens responsible for the 1999 Columbine High School massacre. The game has also been part of other controversies over the years, but is still regarded as one of the most important video games in history.

Inside Scoop: Freaky Creatures

You’ve got to love it when dragons and mutant birds collide. (Screenshot courtesy of Sinuate Media)

I don’t usually write about newer-generation games with enhanced graphics, but today I’m going to break tradition. So sit back for a minute while I introduce you to Freaky Creatures.

What is Freaky Creatures you ask? Freaky Creatures is a cross-platform, massively multiplayer online game set to hit stores in early 2009. The game will come on a reusable USB flash drive bundled with collectible action figures, according to the folks at Sinuate Media. By checking out the screenshot featured above, the game looks like a cross between Mortal Kombat and Final Fantasy, though it’ll be rated “E” for “Everyone” upon its release.

But there’s more to this Abandon Interactive Entertainment release than just picking a fighter and going toe-to-toe with another: Freaky Creatures will open up an entire universe. For starters, players will have the opportunity to build and customize their creatures to battle friends with. More than 3 billion combinations of parts, powers and objects for your creature will be available. From there, you’ll interact with your creature to grow a strong bond between the two of you. Of course though, the battle aspect of Freaky Creatures is what helps you achieve dominance.

But the Freaky Creatures universe goes far beyond just creature creations and battle. You’ll have the chance to interact with other gamers through character blogs, leader boards, mini-games, member contests, tournaments and polls. There’s also going to be an online comic! And the game will work on both PC and mobile platforms, so you can take Freaky Creatures on the go.

Want to get in on the action before 2009? By signing up on http://www.myfreakycreatures.com/, you can receive access to the Beta version of the game (Note: The required download is nearly half of a gigabyte). There, you’ll meet numerous other users who are already giving Freaky Creatures a try. Even if you don’t want to sign up for the Beta version, you can still check out the Web site for additional info regarding the game.

Our Favorite Games: Lemmings

Platform: Commodore Amiga (PC) Released: 1991
Ah, Lemmings, those gullible, green-haired beings that jumped, dug and built their way into out homes in the early 1990s. Just about everyone has heard of Lemmings. The idea of the game was to get the required number of Lemmings (drones) to the door at the end of the stage. You helped make your way through the stage by jumping, digging, bashing or blowing your way through numerous terrains, everything from dirt to rock to concrete – just don’t fall into the water or lava! You assign a Lemming a specific task, and he’s (or she’s – I’m not quite sure) supposed to do it, so as long as you timed your assignment right. The game had four difficulty levels, each with a set of included levels. On each level, there was set number of Lemmings you had to save in order to move on. Now I don’t know exactly why, but even though the concept of this game was simple, it was still a lot of fun. If you haven’t tried it yet, I highly suggest you do.