Daniel Carvalho

It would be an understatement to say that information regarding Doom 4 has been tightly guarded. So you can imagine my excitement when during one of my id Software stalking episodes, I came across the new logo for Doom 4 on their job opportunities page. Discreet, but delicious.

And I must say, I like it. I love the way the logo honours its lineage, while maintaining a character of its own. Although this doesn’t relieve the intense deprivation I’ve been burdened with since id Software first announced that Doom 4 was in production, it certainly wet my lips.

I’m also beginning to think, that if you want the latest and exclusive news on id Software’s projects, their job opportunities page is where it’s at. As far as I recall, the first announcement of Doom 4 came from the very same place, when they were looking to hire new talent to work on the game.

Taking the logo reveal as an omen of news, I scrubbed a little further and came across Doom 4’s page on Wikipedia, informing me that a writer by the name of Graham Joyce has been penned “to help develop the storyline potential”. Something that Computer and Video Games reported that I apparently missed. It’s good news, as id Software has always been in need of a good writer. However, their games have always excelled at delivering an amazing experience, which fills in the gaps of a under-worked storyline. In fact, to add an overly embellished storyline would actually become a detractor to the overall experience.

Gosh, I really do hope the new Doom is more like the original. Which is the impression I’m given by the new logo. The fact that the texture on the lettering appears to be concrete, with a little earth thrown in on the bottom half. Although to be fair, it equally if not more so, depicts a Hell-ish type theme; but let me elaborate on my first assumption, a man has to dream. The setting and style exhibited in the first two episodes of the original Doom (Knee Deep in the Dead and The Shores of Hell) is very hard to rationalize. Almost inexplicable. The architecture consisted of large, monolithic, concrete structures with technology embedded here and there. It reminds me of mall designs back in the 70’s and 80’s. Lots of concrete and open spaces. I guess what makes it so confusing is that it’s like present day buildings, but with highly advanced technology mixed in. It had a unique feel; and while I loved Doom 3’s futuristic, cold steel, hydraulic theme (which I think id Software nailed), I do miss the oft vacant and sparse facilities, that haunted moons.