It’s not every day you get to play a new id game. If you’re not counting iPhone games (and we’re not counting iPhone games) or re-releases, the last new title the studio released was Doom 3. And that was in 2004.
So this week’s release of post-apocalyptic buggy death simulator RAGE is something to be treasured, whether it ends up a triumph or something… less triumphant.
Given the fact that id has been around for 20 years now, and in that time has released some of the best games ever made, I figured today was as good a time as any to look back on them.
Below you’ll find clips of most of id’s games. Some of them all-time classics, some of them games very few of you have played, and others are from the Commander Keen series. Because Commander Keen is awesome.
Total Recall is a look back at the history of video games through their characters, franchises, developers and trends.
Dangerous Dave in Copyright Infringement (1990): The game that started id, John Romero’s unauthorised Mario port (using his Dangerous Dave character from a 1988 game) proving that id had the chops to pull off tech (in this case side-scrolling) on a PC nobody thought was possible.
Commander Keen (1990-1991): One of the best, if not the best platforming series on the PC, id’s Commander Keen saw six released in just two years, making the Green Bay Packers famous to millions of gamers outside the US.
Dangerous Dave in the Haunted Mansion (1991): John Romero’s Dangerous Dave makes his id debut in another great platformer. Note the shotgun. id will be somewhat preoccupied with it in the future.
Rescue Rover (1991): If you want to see what Portal would have looked like if it had been released in 1991 (and starred a dog), go play Rescue Rover. It would get a sequel in the same year.
Shadow Knights (1991): id does Shinobi in yet another platformer, this time with ninjas.
Hovertank 3D (1991): id get some 3D experience under their belts with Hovertank, which, as you can see, is Wolfenstein. With tanks.
Catacomb 3D (1991): What the hell were id doing in 1991? Working nine day weeks? Catacomb was another 3D game, this time much more fully realised, and clearly pointing the way towards….
Wolfenstein 3D (1992): The game that gave id their big break. One of the most popular PC games of all time, and credited (if unfairly) of birthing the first-person shooter genre. Would get an expansion, Spear of Destiny, a year later.
Doom (1993): Everything Wolfenstein did, Doom did better.
Doom II (1994): A year after Doom, hell came to Earth with Doom II, which was bigger, badder and better than the original (if also largely identical, if you know what I mean).
Quake (1996): Wolfenstein was a technical revolution. So was Doom. Could id’s third shooter series continue the tradition? You bet it could. The world’s first true 3D shooter was a revelation.
Quake II (1997): Quake got itself an upgraded sequel a year later. It remains my favourite game of the series.
Quake III (1999): Quake III tried something different, basically eschewing singleplayer content altogether in favour of a balls-to-the-wall multiplayer focus.
Doom III (2004): All in all, a… disappointing game. A number of serious flaws, including a ridiculous torch mechanic, resulted in the first id game in over 10 years to be met with anything less than overwhelming praise.
Rage (2011): id’s first major game release in seven years, its first designed with consoles in mind and its first since Hovertank to feature vehicles. To say it’ll be interesting to see how it all comes together is something of an understatmenet.
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