I am really enjoying Doom II

[Anayo]

I found Doom II for Macintosh at Goodwill several months ago. With the help of the Doomsday engine I began playing it lately.

I wish FPS's were more like this today, and not just because of nostalgia. It's so strange how Call of Duty looks like a Hollywood action movie, but each level's just a straight line filled with convenient places to take cover punctuated with cut scenes. Doom II's maps are so complex. I frequently get lost, but somehow I admire that instead of hating it. Conserving health and ammo and dispatching demons without getting killed is like a real fight for survival. I doubt a game with Doom II's graphics would be marketable today, but as an experience it just feels more alive to me.

[Xeogred]

[Tanooki]

Hahaha xeo that's rich and sadly accurate.

DOOM 2 is a damned fine game to really get the true FPS experience from, but don't ignore Ultimate DOOM (1) as well as I still think it the better game marginally. I have no idea if it hit the MAC but there was this collectors package with D1(Ultimate), D2, and also Final DOOM with its 2 wads and other goodies that's stupid cheap to get today on a real disc for PC. There's so many great engines out there to run the old game wads on a modern computer there's no reason not to play it.

I'd like to also suggest the other gems of the iD line like DOOM, Wolfenstein 3D and Spear of Destiny(sequel), along with the DOOM engine game Heretic(+ Shadows of the Serpent Riders addon) and also Hexen.

All of those may look dated now but they were not a fake linear experience with lots of yappy moments around firefights with pre-designed cover points. They're big and dangerous but it will hold the hand slightly only growing the challenge and area size by the map/episodes. Along those lines you also have a good experience with some other stuff like Rise of the Triad, Blake Stone, and Duke Nukem 3D.

One other thing, you want modern but not a straight line so much -- look up the HD remasters of Serious Sam 1 and 2. They're doom like totally with large areas, lots of places to go or get lost in, heaps of enemies and tons of crap being thrown at you. It's like some screwball spiritual successor.

[3DSStrider]

Doom is the best FPS to ever exist. Modern shooters just suck. Linearity, handholding, storylines, regenerating health, none of this is needed. I hope Doom 4 kicks ass.

[Tanooki]

I forgot another worth throwing out there, well two packages
- Medal of Honor Allied Assault (package, see GoG.com, has the 2 addons)
- Call of Duty Warchest (co1+addon, and cod 2)

Both are not for wimps because while those are WW2 games and scripted down a path of sorts, it's not so wide open like the iD games, there is no regenerating health, and there isn't a ton of restoratives either so you have to really watch it, even on standard difficulty.

The first is on GoG and often on sale for 75% off ($2.50) and the other being activision no deals much at all but it's I think $30 for all 3 in that package. If you like WW2 era shooters they shouldn't be ignored and they're not handholding types with restorative health.

[Anayo]

Actually I had a lot of exposure to these sorts of old school fps's as a kid in the 90's. Mainly my dad let me play Doom 1, Wolfenstein 3D, and Duke Nukem 3D all on MS-DOS. Of course I re bought nearly all of them when I got into retro gaming later, as a teenager, even discovered some I'd never experienced in their heyday, like Hexen and Shadow Warrior. I actually own Ultimate Doom and Final Doom on steam as well, I just began playing Doom II before those. I've practically memorized Doom 1 and Duke 3D so I thought I should give it a chance to one that's more unfamiliar to me. I'm really glad I did.

[Tanooki]

I have a fun suggestion that's kind of free depending.

DOOM64 EX https://doom64ex.wordpress.com/

If you own the N64 game or just don't care about that, that program there is a modern implementation of the game for the computer where it takes the assets from the N64 rom (file in the install has a tool that extracts things) to allow it work on a modern computer. It still looks and feels kind of like the N64 game, but you get the benefit of mouse/keyboard, high res, all around a sharper presentation value and you can get around it being overly unplayable dark like the N64 game was on a lot of TVs. It maybe called DOOM64 but it's not DOOM 1 on 64, it's 100% unique, and it even has a final boss and a multipart weapon you have to assemble that was in the original DOOM bible that never made it to PC finally realized.

[J T]

I have a fun suggestion that's kind of free depending.

DOOM64 EX https://doom64ex.wordpress.com/

This is AWESOME! I have always loved DOOM64, and this just makes it all the sweeter with the mouse+keyboard controls and the higher res graphics! It's like getting an HD remake of one of my favorite N64 games!

[Xeogred]

I've been wanting to give EX a look, I'll probably hit that up next time I revisit it. I played TC Absolution, which was also amazing as well and pretty legit. EX looks like it's for the absolute diehards that will notice any difference, but yeah. I'm curious.

Doom 64 flat out rocks. It's a shame it gets overlooked a lot and doesn't get ported to everything else in the world like the original games do. 64 is pretty much the true Doom 3 (even though I'm a fan of 3). Same gameplay as the originals but with a facelift and the creepy music completely gives it a different tone. It was also super difficult if I remember right. About midway into the game, the Hell Knight's were pretty much the normal imps throughout every map. I don't know if it were just my computers, but I remember the last few levels lagging because of how many monsters were around. Crazy stuff.

[J T]

If you prefer your modern FPS to have that old-school flavor, try one of the following.

(Click the images to go to the game pages)

Wrack


Ziggurat


Hard Reset


Shadow Warrior


Rise of the Triad