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  Bringin' in the DOOM Clones Like any hit, DOOM inspired more than a few knock-offs. By Benjamin Turner & Kevin Bowen | Dec. 11, 2003 When a hit game comes out, it's inevitable that people'll try to copy it and coast on its success. This was never more apparent than with DOOM, and by late 1994 the term "DOOM clone" was already well-entrenched in the popular gaming vernacular. However, people actually got too over-zealous in throwing out that label, and for a while it seemed that just about any game that happened to have 3D, first-person graphics was instantly labeled a DOOM clone. Today, we're going to take a look at some of the most interesting "DOOM clones" that appeared in the period following DOOM's release. Some are clearly rip-offs. Others are not. They all, however, had the misfortune of coming out after id's genre-defining masterpiece. By the way, the "Clone Factor" ratings are rather arbitrary, so don't think too hard about them. We didn't! CyClones
Dev: Raven
Right before it became the ultimate id engine-licensing grindhouse, Raven Software released an unusual 3D adventure game through SSI, of all companies. (You know, the "Gold Box" AD&D; guys.) CyClones is quite the odd relic.
Pub: SSI Rel: 11/94 Clone Factor:  Ben's Take: I actually picked this up at Toys 'R Us a few years ago for the bargain price of 99 cents, but I couldn't get my soundcard to cooperate with it at the time. With features like System Shock-style aiming, sloped surfaces, moving platforms, and an actual story, CyClones is more than just a me-too DOOM clone. Hopefully I'll have more luck next time. It's neat to see Raven doing something without id technology. Frags' Take: I guess you didn't play the craptastic Mageslayer; Raven should definitely stick with making games on id tech. I'm very interested to see what they do with Quake IV. Descent
Dev: Parallax
Descent was the first major PC action game to offer a full "six degrees of freedom," well over a year before id's Quake would hit the scene. Like a mix between an FPS and an ultra-simple flight-sim, Descent's vertigo-inducing 3D action probably caused more stomach churning than DOOM ever did.
Pub: Interplay Rel: 12/94 Clone Factor:  Ben's Take: Descent was a cool game but just wasn't as well-designed as DOOM. After I got used to its novel flying action, it just wasn't terribly fun anymore, and later levels were often exercises in frustration. Calling it a DOOM clone is just silly, though. Frags' Take: Descent was inexplicably compared to DOOM back in the day, but that was probably only because DOOM was incredibly popular. I vaguely remember reading a quote somewhere that proclaimed something to be, "THE DOOM OF PUZZLE GAMES!" Ugh. Heretic
Dev: Raven
Heretic was the second of what would soon become many Raven games based on id engines (the first was 1993's obscure ShadowCaster). Basically a medieval take on DOOM, Heretic put players into the curly-tipped shoes of Corvus the angry elf. Massacres ensued.
Pub: id Software Rel: 12/94 Clone Factor:  Ben's Take: Heretic is a shameless clone of DOOM, which makes it one of the better 3D action games of the early era. John Romero produced it, so I guess it's obvious where the influence came from. While not quite as good as DOOM, I still enjoy giving it a play every so often. Frags' Take: Heretic's single-player gameplay couldn't hold my attention, but I had a lot of fun with the multiplayer. The artifacts were the best part: Who could forget using the Morph Ovum to turn your friends into squawking little chickens? The Tome of Power and the Wings of Wrath also came in handy. Next: When Tom Halls Attack » Page: 1 2 3 4 5 |
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