I’ve been playing games pretty much since the deathmatch genre existed. Here are my memoirs, the ABCs of deathmatch history.
Doom
Doom is probably the earliest multiplayer deathmatch game I played. We’re talking modem connections or very basic DOS networks running off Novell. Side stepping missiles was great and the sounds were awesome. I could hear the missiles wiz by in my headphones so I knew when to strafe, and this is where strafing really began. But the game had its limits, like no jumping. This was also the first game we modded, changing out sprites and sounds, thus keeping the game alive.
Duke Nukem 3D
Duke Nukem brought Jetpacks and jumping into the deathmatch world. This changed the genre forever, making players focus on heights as well as hallways. With heights that mattered, characters could dodge missiles by jumping or ducking. These games also offered a lot of single gameplay action to the multiplayer fun.
Quake/Quake 3 Arena
We had many hours playing and modding quake to our liking. From grappling hooks to steerable missiles the mods kept this game going for years. By the time I was done with Quake we had Xena, Batman and Predator fighting with their own unique weapons and sounds, thanks to Mods. The arena versions still kept the game alive for new players.
Unreal/Unreal Tournament
By the time Unreal got into full swing they had Rail guns and the Redeemer, a crazy powerful rocket. The first time I heard a multi-kill was after circling overtop of a maze waiting to unleash death from above. By 2k4 they added vehicles and huge maps which changed gameplay.
Half-life
Half-life offered some more of the same awesomeness. Back in those days it was still an afterthought to have a multiplayer setting, so games focused on the single player missions and multiplayer was just an afterthought. However, thanks to half-life we have team fortress and Counter-Strike with the many hours of gameplay they provided.
The Era of War Games
After the success of games like counterstrike, we quickly saw the market shift to military games like Battlefield and Call of Duty which has dominated the scene in the last few years. Don’t get me wrong, I love military and realism, but I yearn for those early days of rocket jumping and railing.
Where Did It Go?
As games changed, gamers changed too. Nowadays we are broken into teams. These teams work together for the same goal but back in the day you were by yourself. You had only yourself to blame for losing.
Don’t Call It A Comeback
Toxikk
Toxikk is a pretty fun game currently in Beta release. So not too many people are online, but the maps are very reminiscent of those old Unreal battles. In addition to maps focused on vehicles they also added maps based on a mix of ground and air combat. I look forward to the full release of this game.
Unreal Tournament 2014
It looks like Unreal will be back as well. With new maps and a new engine it looks very promising. I might have a reunion tour with friends. I just need to get the band back together. The best part of this is the new version is going to be free, supplemented by a future mod store. So gear up today.
The future looks bright for deathmatches. What games are you looking forward to?
