News – John Romero Invites You To Return To Doom

Got a hankering for the first-person battleground that is Mars?  Want to take on Hell’s forces one more time in a battle to the bitter end?  Well luckily for you Doom co-creator, and id Software veteran John Romero, has got you covered.

You see, in what can only be considered a very, very pleasant surprise, John Romero last week took to Twitter, and announced that he has crafted a brand new stage, for the genre defining classic Doom.  Yes you read that right, a brand-spanking new stage for the now 23 year old classic, the first one in 21 years in fact.  Even better, he’s released it completely free via his DropBox.

The stage is entitled Tech Gone Bad, and has been designed by Romero for all modes.  Yes, that includes single-player, co-op and Deathmatch, one of the original competitive FPS experiences.  What’s more, Romero has not referred to this as a one off bonus, but rather “a warm up”, possibly supporting a statement he made a over a year ago when he spoke of a new shooter he was developing.

Nevertheless, when talking about this latest addition to the 1993 gaming masterpiece, Romero added that developing it took him:

several hours over the last two weeks.

Moreover, he also considers this level to be a boss level replacement for e1m8, the game’s original final stage.

Doom New 2
Tech Gone Bad features dangerous lava cracks near the start, cracks which are hard to avoid and can inflict high amounts of damage.

As such, given the significance Romero attaches to this final stage, he additionally went on to both set the scene, and describe this latest stage too:

After exiting the Computer Station you knew the worst was up ahead. You still hadn’t reached the place where the demons were coming from. The steel door shuts behind you as you realise you’re there; you’re at the Phobos Anomaly. Cracks from hell are all over the place as seepage from the portal invades the entire installation. Now it’s time to find the portal and stop the demons from coming through. You know UAC had hundreds of scientists working at a high-tech lab somewhere.

Well, it’s not every day that you get brand new content for one of the most iconic and best loved games of all time is it?  Let alone one that is simply being created as a love letter to the game and the fans.  So, let me here at Rings & Coins be among the many, many fans to say “Thanks You, John Romero”.  I think it’s time to grab that Shotgun once again.

Sophia Aubrey Drake

A lifelong gamer with a fanatical love of all things Nintendo and Japan. So much so that she's written a thesis on one and lived in the other. Currently on a quest to catch every last Pokémon. Follow me on twitter via @DivaXChill or @RingsandCoins.

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