We’re All DOOMED!
I’m a pretty solid dude. Aside from the thought of having no weed, nothing really scares me. Like, what’s the point? However, if there’s one thing capable of creeping me out, it’s DOOM. Developed by id software and officially released in 1993, DOOM took PC gaming to a whole new level of immersion. Boot up, turn out the lights, and prepare to send your heart rate through the roof as you blast through demon-swamped space stations, ridiculous arsenal in tow, chasing a truth that only becomes bleaker the more you progress.
This game has always been LOADS of fun. So much that my Dad used to skip out on work to log mad hours on it. Seriously, he hogged this shit to the point that it was hard for me to even get any game time in a one-PC household. Put the whole family’s livelihood in jeopardy just to play DOOM. Interesting.
The concept of DOOM was so fascinating that it just had to be adapted into a movie. Fans of the franchise got their wish when a feature film based on the sci-fi horror classic hit the big screen in 2005. Well unfortunately, the movie DOOM was a dud, a mega box office flop panned by critics and fans alike. I honestly didn’t think it was ‘that’ bad. I mean it had the Rock. He knew his damn role. But while Dwayne wins at everything, not even the Great One could stop this movie from sinking into the depths of irredeemable fuckery the further it ventured along. What started out as a decent flick was marred by poor pacing, horrendously animated monsters, and cheesy action sequences framed in first-person shooter mode. I get paying homage to the OG game, but that shit just wouldn’t fly in any film made after 1995. SMH.
DOOM: The Redo
Teleport to October 2019, we finally get an official do-over with a DOOM reboot. DOOM: Annihilation was released straight-to-DVD on a much smaller budget. Similar to the first movie, Annihilation follows a team of Marines who are deployed to investigate the strange happenings at the UAC base stationed on Phobos. Shit quickly hits the fan as the crew is attacked by facility members turned zombies and sinister ulterior motives come to light.
Like its predecessor, DOOM: Annihilation didn’t strike a chord with critics because it was negatively received as well. But fuck critics. I actually thought this was a very fun movie. The reboot benefited from up to date technology as the monsters were far more fierce and realistic … as realistic as monsters that don’t actually exist can be, is what I’m trying to say, I guess. Took a while to blast off, but once it did, the action was hard and heavy all the way through the final explosion.
While I ultimately enjoyed the movie, I thought it was yet another missed opportunity. Just on a different level. The imps were cool, but aside from the zombie jabronis, these were really all the DOOM monsters we got. Where were the pink piggy monsters? Or the menacing Barons of Hell? I also feel the film didn’t explore enough of the lore, resulting in a wham-bam fan service kinda deal. The DOOM universe is fairly extensive, so it would probably be better told in a 10 to 12-episode TV series. Just hard to cram all that shit in a 96-minute movie, you feel me?
DOOM Evolution
Of course there are modern DOOM games, which I’ve yet to play. And I may never ever play them thanks to my recent discovery of QuestZDoom. Designed for Facebook’s Oculus Quest, the QuestZDoom engine brings the DOOM experience to virtual reality, and trust me when I say it is fuckin’ amazing! Imagine all the insanity of the original game in an immersive world dripping with more bullets and gore than ever before. QuestZDoom is highly customizable, so you can load up a configuration that is true to the original game, or take a hard left with mods like Brutal DOOM, which is a whole nother world of awesome sauce.
If you’re a fan of the series, you owe it to yourself to try DOOM in virtual reality. Just watch out for significant others, or children creeping up trying to be funny while you’re under the hood. Something like that can scare the shit out of you … like literally.
Contel Bradford is a mystical and complex individual. You can attempt to unravel some of the mystery by visiting his author site at countkrewpublications.com.
