The dilemma with hero worship is that eventually your heroes (being usually human) are destined to stumble. For some, that tainted side gives the hero their humanity, and makes them far more genuine than a cardboard cutout. Being fans of gaming, there are no shortage of two-dimensional heroes in games of all types. But, that’s the games and this topic is about the architects of games. It is ironic, to many, that programmers and game designers could have any type of following at all. After all, these are by and large nerdy guys who spend excessive time indoors and stuck in front of a computer screen. They either pore over lines and lines of code, or they spend hours getting a certain set of pixels or rendering just right - hardly epic stuff truthfully. And yet, from all of this comes a vision, and just like movie directors, a good game designer, artist, or programmer can create a world that we not only witness (movies), but get to actually live. So… they are deserving of some mild adoration in my books.

In the early years, it was id software that many gamers idolized. First of all, they arguably created the first-person-shooter genre with Wolfenstien 3D (though they had a previous game that was a shooter as well), and they undeniably were the architects of Deathmatch. Doom was pure gaming crack, and it was at that defining moment that many of us took the pledge to be true to gaming in good times and bad, and as long as we should live… much to the displeasure of our spouses. At id, it was John Carmack that was the programming god, and it was John Romero that bestowed all they did with the unique id personality that sold the masses on their particularly dark vision of the world. Reading Masters of Doom by David Kushner allowed us to view the history of the company in a whole new light, and it proved one of the most enjoyable reads I’ve had in years.

There’s the history. Now to the present. id has changed a lot since those days. Carmack and Romero had their falling out and the consequence of that was Quake 2 on one hand (awesome), and Daikatana on the other (not so awesome). Though his personality hasn’t changed much, and he’s still a great person to observe and read, few are able to argue that he is still a great game designer. What was his last hit? Well… that would be Quake actually (with an acknowledgement to his cell phone games that were quite good). I do believe, however, that Doom 3 suffered considerably for not having him on board during the design. I really liked the game, but more on the foundation of my love for the brand than my love for its narrative or mechanics.

Another former id employee is American McGee. He too rode high on the winds at id, and has since moved on (and down). His game Alice was very cool and unorthodox, and I have to confess I quite liked it. However, since then he has fallen with a speed few meteors have been able to match. Scrapland was pretty bad. Some argue that only his name was used on the box, and he had little to do with the actual game, but that’s immaterial. It bears his stamp, and it’s pretty mediocre. But nothing can compare to his latest offering, “Bad Day LA.” I’ve watched the development of this game with considerable interest, principally for its absolutely unique premise, its promise of great self-effacing humour, social commentary, and overall fun gameplay. Turns out, sadly, that the game sucks in all of those departments, and what we’re left with is a stinking pile of digital shit that reviewers are having a tough time giving even a 1, 2, or 3 out of 10.  What the hell happened?

For Romero, it was likely the fact that he was high on his own success, and a little too ready to buy into the idol worship he inspired in the early days. Fair enough, and he’s come down from that significantly in the years since. McGee, in contrast, was never that strain of personality, is genuinely likable and down to earth, and has had a lot of time to reflect on his previous outings and efforts. How, pray tell, did this product ever get out the door with his name on it? Did he never actually play the game? Did none of the designers, programmers, playtesters, artists, or cleaning staff working in his building never tell him (and each other) that what they were making was an abysmal piece of electronic entertainment? Did they really want to outdo E.T. as the worst game in history? The mind reels with this, and I’m still a little in shock.

Needless to say, avoid the game at all costs…and perhaps this is a little warning to anyone who follows a designer too closely, assuming that they will turn out a product on par with their last one. Maybe we cannot count on our coding heroes any more. Maybe the world truly is ending in a ball of fire.  Whatever the case, its an interesting situation (though McGee would likely not use that word), and a reminder for those of us who review titles that it’s best to approach a game with no preconceived ideas of what you are going to encounter. At times, its going to give you one hell of a shock.

I would be curious to hear from anyone that has played the game… and enjoyed it…. if such a person exists on the planet.

- Martin VanWoudenberg