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I Wish id Would Stop Making Video Games

I Wish id Would Stop Making Video Games

Every time I talk about id Software, the company behind titles like Wolfenstein , Doom , and Rage , I always get a little annoyed. But until recently, I hadn’t been able to put my frustration into words. However, yesterday, during a conversation with a few of my Cheat Code Central colleagues, I think I was finally able to communicate what I’ve been feeling.

I wish id would stop making video games.

Admittedly, it feels like I’m betraying the video game industry by saying this, but it’s true. Everyone knows id basically invented the first-person shooter genre in 1992 when they released Wolfenstein 3D . Sure, other developers had managed to produce similar pieces of software, but id perfected it in a way that was unrivaled at the time.

Then, for the next decade, id released hit after hit. After Wolfenstein , the company produced another groundbreaking title, Doom , and continued perfecting that franchise until they refocused their attention on Quake in 1997. But after Quake 3 was released in 2000, I feel like id’s prestige sort of wore off.

Here’s a list of the titles that id has developed since 1992:

  • Wolfenstein 3D (1992)
  • Wolfenstein 3D: Spear of Destiny (1992)
  • Doom (1993)
  • The Ultimate Doom (1995)
  • Doom II: Hell on Earth (1994)
  • Master Levels for Doom II (1995)
  • Final Doom (1996)
  • Quake (1996)
  • Id Anthology (1996)
  • Quake II (1997)
  • Quake III Arena (1999)
  • Quake III: Team Arena (2000)
  • Doom 3 (2004)
  • Wolfenstein 3D Classic (2009)
  • Doom Classic (2009)
  • Quake Live (2010)
  • Rage HD (2010)
  • Rage (2011)
  • Doom 3 BFG Edition (2012)
  • Doom 4 (TBA)
I Wish id Would Stop Making Video Games

So, a company that was known for their innovative approach to game development has simply been rehashing the same clichés for the last decade. Obviously, they weren’t cliché when id invented them in the 90s, but now, first-person shooters are unbearably popular, and we just don’t need another title that looks and acts like Doom .

Sure, Doom has its fan base, and that’s fine. I don’t really want to take that away from them, but there are hundreds of other games that accomplish the exact same thing.

Maybe I’m just tired of watching an industry icon slowly fade into obscurity, but I really wish that id would either call it quits or release something truly spectacular. But in order to do that, they’re going to have to hire a damn writer.

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