Home Features 20 things you probably never knew about the Doom games

20 things you probably never knew about the Doom games

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With over 25 years of action to its name, Doom isn’t just a game title. It’s a way of life, a brand that promises guns, gore and glory. With today seeing the release of DOOM Eternal, we’re feeling kind of nostalgic here at Critical Hit. We want to take a trip down the bloodiest lane of memories, soak up the carnage and revel in some of the most obscure trivia to ever be ripped and torn out of the various Doom games.

So here we go, a list of trivia that you may or may not know about Doom, Easter eggs of devastation that you can memorise and whip out like a boomstick of knowledge at a party. Trust me, everyone’s going to be impressed.

Doom

DOOM Did You Know (1)

So where did the idea for Doom come from? While playing Dungeons and Dragons, the team at Id Software eventually ended their tabletop campaign with a portal to hell that opened up and unleashed a horde of demons on them. From there, the spark for Doom lit a fire that eventually saw the creation of the iconic game.

In another Dungeons and Dragons nod, the Cacodemon that would plague players was inspired by the Beholder from the cult classic pen and paper game. Replacing the many eye-stalks of that source material with numerous horns, the Cacodemon also shares some design elements with a creature from a Dungeon’s ‘n Dragons expansion, the Astral Dreadnought that was created by the book’s author Jeff Easley.

How did Id Software settle on the name of Doom for their new killer game? According to John Carmack, the name came from the film ‘The Color of Money’, where Tom Cruise’s character Vincent Lauria shows up with a custom pool cue and carrying case. When asked what he has in the case, Vincent merely replies with a smile on his face…”Doom”.

In the original Doom, the map E4M1: Hell Beneath contains a little Easter egg provided that you’re playing the The Ultimate Doom version. Venture deep into the catacombs, and you’ll come across a tribute to none other than American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. The homage to the legendary rockers can be found inside of a room, where the band logo is prominently displayed.

DOOM Did You Know (3)

For one brief moment in time, personal computers around the world had more copies of Doom installed on them than they had Windows 95. Bill Gates apparently almost bought Id Software so that he could own the game, but these plans were put on ice for a Windows 95 port of the game instead that helped promote the operating system. And saved Microsoft a few bucks as well.

While he was known as Doomguy in the original games and was reborn as the Doom slayer in the 2016 remake of Doom, the main character of Doom actually has a name! Just not a very good one hence why you seldom hear it, as the Doom novelisation named the protagonist as Flynn “Fly” Taggart.

In one of many nods to a certain other first-person shooter that helped shape the genre, it turns out that the original Cyberdemon you face in Doom is the same one that tangled with BJ Blaszovicz in the Wolfenstein games. Having lost that fight against the original American badass, the towering demon had its leg and arm replaced with new technology, becoming the Cyberdemon of legend.

Doom 64 may have featured the original game dialled up to 11 on the visual front, but there’s one thing that was definitely missing from the end product: Red blood. In accordance with strict laws at the time regarding what content could be displayed in video games, the German and Japanese versions swapped the trademark crimson that erupted from slain demons for a brighter and more fictional explosion of green blood.

Doom II

Id software has a habit of placing secret nods to their previous games in their newer titles, and Doom Ii was no exception! In addition to a secret Wolfenstein map based on the first level of Wolfenstein 3D, players could also find a secret exit in that level that would take them to the Grosse stage. A reference to Wolfenstein 3D’s Hans Grosse boss, players would need to shoot four hanging Commander Keens (which is another Id Software game reference) and then flip a switch to access the level.

DOOM Did You Know (4)

One of the more disturbing villains in Doom II was the Arch-Vile, a cackling demon who could raise the dead after killing a few of them. How did Id Software come up with his trademark laugh? By capturing audio of a young girl saying “why”, shifting the pitch down and then mixing it with another sound so that the Arch-Vile’s dual personality confusion would leak through in a subtle manner.

DOOM Did You Know (5)

Having become fed up with Id Software boss John Romero and his growing ego, the staff behind Doom II’s development team hid a cheeky easter egg in the first sequel. When facing the icon of sin, a section of its head is missing and a strange demonic chant can be heard. This is actually a voice clip in reverse saying “To win the game, you must kill me, John Romero”. Enter the noclip cheat mode, enter the boss and you’ll find a secret room with John Romero’s severed head stuck on a pike. Lovely stuff.

Something else that Doom II does that no other game has since replicated? In the Doom II RPG version that was released on iPhone and iPod Touch, players could step into the boots of Major Kira Morgan, the only playable female protagonist in the entire game series.

Doom 3

DOOM Did You Know (6)

Scattered throughout Doom 3 are arcade cabinets for Super Turbo Turkey Puncher 3, a game within the game that has plenty of Doo DNA. Built on the engine that powered the first two Doom games, the level itself is based on the fourth secret level of the original Doom, titled Fear. Oh and in case you didn’t catch it, the game’s title is a cheeky parody of Street Fighter Alpha 3, complete with a phony developer by the name of Nabcon.

Doomguy may have no name in Doom 3 once again, but in the official tie-in novelisation Worlds on Fire he goes by the name of John Kane.

Look closely at one of the stone tablets in the Site 3 chapter, and you might notice something familiar. That’s none other than an homage to the iconic cover of the first Doom game, carved in stone.

Before the final battle with the Cyberdemon, players can take a detour and find a brick with the Id Software logo on it. Activate the brick and you’ll discover a room that houses an Id Software PDA. Inside of that personal desktop assistant, are words of thanks from Id Software, congratulating the player for having made it that far in the game.

DOOM 2016

DOOM Did You Know (7)

Ever thought that the main menu music had a rather industrial sound to it? That’s because composer Mick Gordon got his hands on an actual chainsaw and ran it through a Soviet-era synthesiser known as the Polivoks. With a stack of old analogue equipment, used guitar pedals and numerous other obscure equipment, Gordon’s soundtrack for Doom was a heavy and literally metal composition.

If you’re feeling especially blasphemous, you can try running the Cyberdemon track through a spectrograph where you’ll not only find the number of the beast, but a few pentagrams for good measure.

DOOM’s infamous opening sequence where the Doom Slayer breaks free and begins his bloody quest? That was inspired by none other than Robocop, specifically the scene where Alex Murphy is transformed into the law enforcer of the future. Id Software wanted to convey a sense of power, and so they took inspiration from the surgery scenes where hints of Robocop’s power was shown off.

Much like the original Doom games, DOOM 2016 has its fair share of references to other games. In the first level, one of the doors bears the Vault-tec logo of Bethesda’s fallout games, while a more grisly Easter Egg can be found in hell. In a secret cave, there exists a small skull on a stick, wearing the yellow helmet of Commander Keene.

Last Updated: March 20, 2020

44 Comments

  1. Gotta admit, when I read the title, I expected a list format, Darryn style.
    Not an actual well written article.

    Reply

  2. D@rCF0g

    March 20, 2020 at 15:16

    I really, really, really, really wish some of the older franchises from that era would also be updated: Heretic and Blood, to name two! There is obviously still a market for such games, as Doom and Wolfenstein have proven.

    Reply

    • The D

      March 20, 2020 at 15:16

      I’d give Brad’s organs for a new Hexen.

      Reply

      • Original Heretic

        March 20, 2020 at 15:19

        Do we get to choose whose organs we’d give?
        I choose…Pikachu!

        Reply

        • The D

          March 20, 2020 at 15:25

          Um, I need to see what’s left? I owe Square Enix a few parts for Final Fantasy 7 Remake as it is.

          Reply

          • MaSeKind

            March 20, 2020 at 15:34

            You can always start giving away your Batmen ;P

          • The D

            March 20, 2020 at 15:34

            …There are some lines that must never be crossed my dude.

      • OddSockZA

        March 20, 2020 at 15:47

        Is there somewhere that’s taking in brad’s organs in exchange for stuff? I have a list.

        Reply

    • Original Heretic

      March 20, 2020 at 15:19

      Yes… Yes we need another Heretic game.

      Reply

    • MaSeKind

      March 20, 2020 at 15:16

      We can only hope that a studio like NightDive can get on that. But somehow I doubt those old idSoft games will be remastered/remade. Unless it’s from Bethesda themselves.

      EDIT: Actually now that I think about it they did do a Blood remaster didn’t they???

      Reply

  3. Llama In The Rift

    March 20, 2020 at 15:34

    No Doom 3: BFG Edition Easter eggs?

    Back then i got my first pair of “gaming” headphones and the noises and music scared the living fur of me. Was a good game but more horror in my opinion, ran that game on a Intel Celeron 1.8Ghz single core CPU and some Nvidia Gt 220…ah the good days!!

    Reply

    • The D

      March 20, 2020 at 15:39

      I ran out of time 😀
      But hey, I’m happy to add more when I have a chance!

      Reply

      • Llama In The Rift

        March 20, 2020 at 15:41

        Always happy to come back and read them D!

        Have a good weekend chums!

        Reply

        • The D

          March 20, 2020 at 15:47

          Same to you buddy!

          Reply

  4. Son of Banana Jim

    March 20, 2020 at 14:47

    lol Darryn, you deleted that post?

    Reply

    • The D

      March 20, 2020 at 15:04

      Jim, here’s the scoop: please stop trying to stir the pot. Between you and Stoompot, I’m not in the mood for this red pill nonsense. This isn’t up for debate.

      Reply

      • Son of Banana Jim

        March 20, 2020 at 15:04

        It’s a news piece that’s being criticised by EVERYONE! Even progressives.

        Reply

        • The D

          March 20, 2020 at 15:04

          And it’s not worth the energy of even addressing.

          Reply

          • Son of Banana Jim

            March 20, 2020 at 15:04

            Aren’t you a pop culture website?

          • The D

            March 20, 2020 at 15:04

            Jim, please stop trying to bait me.

          • Son of Banana Jim

            March 20, 2020 at 15:04

            Dude, I’m not in your echo chamber, you either take the criticism or you ignore it.

          • The D

            March 20, 2020 at 15:05

            And you either behave or I ban you from the site.

          • Son of Banana Jim

            March 20, 2020 at 15:05

            lol, Whatever man. I’ve seen your declining monthly views, If you last more than another year I’ll be surprised. Cheers, we’re done here.

          • The D

            March 20, 2020 at 15:05

            Goodbye.

      • Son of Banana Jim

        March 20, 2020 at 15:04

        Lift your head up from the sand, bud. It’s not just red pill nonsense, even progressives are questioning the choice of characters and what they represent.

        Reply

      • MaSeKind

        March 20, 2020 at 15:16

        You guys want some alone time?

        Reply

  5. OddSockZA

    March 20, 2020 at 15:41

    I thinks weekend calls for a bit of isolation and DOOM ETERNAL.

    Actually, that was what my plan was anyway, but now it’s government sanctioned.

    Reply

    • Llama In The Rift

      March 20, 2020 at 15:47

      Remember that wish one always had?

      “Wish i could stay home and just play games , hate work!!!”

      Who says dreams don’t come true?

      yeah, under different circumstances, but hey, beggars can’t be choosers.

      Reply

      • OddSockZA

        March 20, 2020 at 15:47

        Yup! Just gotta make the most of it, I guess. Stay safe out there, mans. <3

        Reply

        • MaSeKind

          March 20, 2020 at 15:51

          That’s where you’re doing it wrong. You shouldn’t be out there 🙂

          Reply

        • MaSeKind

          March 20, 2020 at 15:51

          That’s where you’re doing it wrong. You shouldn’t be out there 🙂

          Reply

      • MaSeKind

        March 20, 2020 at 15:48

        The bad thing about it is even though I’m sitting in front of my computer at home all day, I still need to work 🙁

        These articles aren’t making it any easier. But then again I didn’t have to come here

        Reply

        • Llama In The Rift

          March 20, 2020 at 15:51

          But you can’t stay away either, i know!!

          Was in the hospital in bed with blood clots on the lungs 2 weeks back, but still had my mobile phone to check up on the news here to keep me sane.

          Now i’m back at work and only a matter of time till we have to work from home i guess.

          Reply

          • MaSeKind

            March 20, 2020 at 15:51

            Damn man that sounds rough! Hope all is good now

            We closed offices on Monday so this here is my only human contact, and I’m not even sure about the human part always XD

          • Llama In The Rift

            March 20, 2020 at 15:58

            All good bud!!

            Who knows….i see a Banana causing some mischief so can be anything at this point….even a dude called “Fly”!!

          • MaSeKind

            March 20, 2020 at 15:58

            Haha well Jeff Goldblum is always welcome

          • Llama In The Rift

            March 20, 2020 at 16:03

          • MaSeKind

            March 20, 2020 at 16:09

            Haha why is this man so damn charming! I swear he’ll be able to get the most butch men to eat out of his hand.

            The funniest is seeing interviewers getting all flustered when they talk to him XD

          • OddSockZA

            March 20, 2020 at 17:29

            Have you watched any of The World According to Jeff Goldblum on Disney+? He’s so goddamned weird (and delightful)

          • MaSeKind

            March 20, 2020 at 17:36

            OMG no didn’t even know about that. That sounds amazing. Will definitely check it out

          • OddSockZA

            March 20, 2020 at 16:09

            Damn man! That sounds horrible. Would that not put you in the high-risk group for covid-19? You should probably be working from home already.

          • Llama In The Rift

            March 20, 2020 at 17:01

            We only got 3 confirmed cases as of yet so when it starts looking bad we’ll be informed when self isolation and work from will be implemented.

            Just have to stay on the medz and be vigilant and hygienic for now.

          • OddSockZA

            March 20, 2020 at 17:29

            Good luck!

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