Why Toy With a Classic?
Yes, id could no doubt augment the Doom experience to include the abovementioned aspects, but to this I ask, 'Why toy with a classic?'  When I saw Return to Castle Wolfenstein at E3, I had mixed emotions.  I think Gray Matter has done a great job creating a rich visual world, but it bears little resemblance to the 90-degree walls of Wolfenstein 3D.   Indeed Return to Castle Wolfenstein is nothing more than a name and a setting, and I'm not sure I want to play a re-updated version of a classic.  If the game is good I'd love to play it, but why does it have to be Return to Wolf-3D?  If the game works, then I want to play it because it's an engrossing experience, not because the name of a famous first person shooter is on the box.

I think the new incarnation of Doom runs a similar risk.  In twenty years when I think of Doom I want to remember downloading the 1993 shareware version – I don't want to have the pellucid brilliance of that moment tarnished or clouded by a "restored" version of the game that was released a decade later.  Even if the new Doom is an absolute masterpiece, it will still inevitably be compared to its prequel. At the same time, it will look nothing like the original because game technology has advanced so much since 1993.

The id Clout
All this being said, many of my thoughts are no more than idle speculation at this point since id has been tight-lipped about their plans for Doom – whether it will be a re-make, a re-creation, a sequel, prequel, online only deathmatch game, etc.  Furthermore, the company has a number of talented artisans inside of its walls and I wouldn't even begin to bet against them.  But at the same time, I am beginning to wonder what is to become of the "id Software" brand.  With so many Quakes and Dooms, I almost wonder if the game names are making the company and not vice versa.  id Software is a company that should have enough clout to sell games based on its namesake alone – it's not like Steven Spielberg has to keep making E.T. movies to be successful.  While there would be nothing wrong if Spielberg kept making excellent E.T. flicks, it's also nice to see him cover a breadth of subjects in film.  I feel the same way about id.

But as id co-founder Kevin Cloud said in his online plan file, it seems all id games are made under close scrutiny and amid internal strife.  In many cases, tension can be healthy because it shows everyone cares about the final outcome.  In this case, I just hope the final outcome is something that pays tribute to what Doom was while also taking the experience to the next level.

It won't be easy to live up to these requirements, but id is one company I've learned to give the benefit of the doubt.

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