Posting to a forum recently, user TheMajorHavoc has created a downgraded version of the original Doom game, or at least a work in progress, which runs on an old Atari 2600. According to one source, this ancient games console, which hearkens all the way back to the 1970s, was not designed with 3D titles in mind. Yet, TheMajorHavoc has managed to pull it off with this demake.
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Admittedly, it doesn’t look like much, but the rudimentary elements of the classic FPS are evident in the clip. According to the user’s post, the demake contains three animated enemies: imps, Pinkies, and the Cacodemon, with more to come, such as facial expressions, more weapons, and a boss fight. While it might not look pretty, the user has managed to do something quite extraordinary, which is to bring a 1993 game to a system that was obsolete by the time said game was even out. Given that Doom has recently had a new map made for the original, there is clearly still some demand for it. TheMajorHavoc’s project simply takes that one step further, or back in this case.
Doom is one of those games that is simply rife for modding. There is even a community of fans who are dedicated to making the game run on unusual machines, not too dissimilar to this Atari 2600 demake. A couple of months ago, one modder managed to get the original Doom to run on a GoPro Drone Controller. Such challenges have become almost like memes, with some of the most unexpected pieces of hardware capable of the running id Software’s influential title.
While getting Doom to run on an Atari console is impressive in itself, the fact that the user actually downgraded the game to match the visuals of that era is equally impressive, if not more so. It’s a testament to the community, and it’s arguably not the weirdest thing to run it. It’s not, for example, the same as getting Doom to run on a kitchen appliance.
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Source: Atari Age, Retro Gaming Magazine
