Summary
Since the days of the 8-bit console and the floppy disk,id Softwarehas been a fixture in the video game industry. This is the company that gave the gaming worldDOOM, the iconic first-person shooter that ignited a whole genre and became the bane of office networks the world over, along with other unforgettable titles likeHereticandRage.
There’s a lot more in the id Software catalog besidesDOOMthese days, and the composition of the company has also changed significantly since the final years of the 20th century. Some of the highest-rated games are famous titles that even non-gamers will recognize, but there are also popular and well-aged vintage id games that have been lost to time.
Updated on June 22nd, 2024, by Kristy Ambrose:ZeniMax Media, the parent company that also owns Bethesda, acquired id Software in 2006, which is why the modern DOOM, Quake, and Rage games presently appear under their brand name. Although id Software still existed, the goals, projects, and financing were controlled entirely by ZeniMax. In 2021, the company changed hands yet again when it waspurchased by Microsoftand is now an official part of Xbox Game Studios. Work continues at id on Quake and Rage, two of their most successful franchises to date.
12Dangerous Dave In The Haunted Mansion
Metacritic Rating: N/A
The tongue and cheek title, which followed the protagonistinto the sequels, wasn’t the only innovative thing about this game, especially for the time. Not only was it shamelessly geared towards a mature audience with the subject matter and scenery, butDangerous Dave In The Haunted Mansionalso had features like an auto-loading shotgun and more precise character movement.
Dave is a simple guy; you may tell from his jeans and baseball cap, but he has to rescue his brother Delbert from the haunted mansion and the creatures within. The game was forgotten for more than 15 years before it was ported to Java and re-released for cell phones, but it goes to show the design and style have endured despite its simplicity.
11Orcs and Elves
Metacritic Rating: 68
An early attempt at a hybrid between an RPG and an FPS,Orcs and Elvesis exclusively for the Nintendo DS. In this game, the player has to fight their way through an elven citadel that includes a catacombs levelalong with a dragon’s lair.
That means adventure and items galore, like any decent role-playing game. There’s a variety of weapons available, like swords and bows, as opposed to the usual guns or missile launchers, keeping the FPS angle of the game but giving it a creative twist.
Rage 2still has a dedicated fan following, even though it’s not as popular as the original. The dystopian setting is part of the charm, and instead of other FPS games that confine the player to an indoor space, this game includes a lot of open-world gameplay and customizable details for each individual character.
That means a lot more is included in addition to weapons. Players can also choose a land or flying vehicle, explore different parts of a vast wasteland, and choose factions to align with or fight against.
Publisher(s):Apogee Software
Release Date:2025-07-14
A classic from the early days of stand-alone desktop computer games,Wolfenstein 3Dcombined ideas from historic lore, role-playing games, and the first-person shooter POV that featured a silent but deadly protagonist.
The result was an FPS that started a whole genre.Wolfenstein 3Dwas to the FPS genre whatResident Evilwas to survival horror. The game has seen a couple of reboots since, with the latest and greatest beingWolfenstein: The New Order, which went on to spawn two sequels withThe New ColossusandYoungblood.
The first game in what became a franchise,Ragecombined a gritty post-apocalyptic setting with an elaborate FPS game. The open environment, the various options for individual customization, and the immersive storylines made players love this game.
It also has a lot of modern online options. There are no less than three gameplay options available when playingRage.There’s a single-player mode with an immersive storyline, a co-op mode that lets players hook up with a friend, and, naturally, a multiplayer mode for enjoying some arena-like action.
DOOM 2: Hell on Earthis one smash-hitsequel that surprised nobody. It improved on its predecessor in a number of ways, starting with putting it for sale in stores as opposed to shareware or mail order exclusively.
The game also introduced several elements that would become important fixtures in the more recentDOOMreboot series. Examples include the infamous Super Shotgun and an entire host of new demonic enemies, such as the Archvile and Revenant.
DOOM(2016) paved the way for a new beginning for the entirety of the franchise, and would be followed up by the equally successfulDOOM Eternal.
The game pleased both fans and critics, honing in on everything that made the original games great, then reimagining and reinventing it by taking full advantage of contemporary gaming tech to keep it fresh and gory. New and old fans alike could wield a myriad of new abilities and weapons in their battle against the monsters from Hell.
The originalDOOMgame, released in 1993, still retains a strong fan base, prompting several sequels, a myriad of spinoffs, and a remastered version more than a decade later. That’s just video games. There are also books, comics,and even a feature film.
Considering that this game wasn’t even sold in stores, it’s difficult not to find oneself impressed at what a massive imprint it ended up leaving on gaming and pop culture as a whole. Almost everyone has this game on their home computer even if they couldn’t remember where they got it.
One of the earliest examples of a first-person shooter that also used fantasy elements along with a futuristic setting and a military aesthetic, this was one of the most popular titles in the already well-lovedHexenfranchise. It was a direct sequel to Heretic, another fan favorite, and the last installment was the equally belovedHeretic 2.
The game was an FPS game, in keeping with id’s usual wheelhouse, but it was also an RPG, and the distinct classes had some familiar TTRPG elements but also had some creative twists. Players could choose between a pre-rolled class of Fighter, Cleric, or Mage before they set off to find and destroy the evil Korax.
This is when theDOOMgames really started to look good by relatively contemporary standards.Doom 3used a new 3D graphics engine that would revolutionize the whole gaming world, not just the FPS genre.
Although the title implies this is a sequel, it’s actually a reboot and virtually ignores the characters and storylines of the previous two games. Instead of fighting in an alternate dimension or fighting off an earthly invasion, the player has to save a research facility on Mars, a slight twist on the original.
