Wolfenstein 3Dis already an ancient video game, first releasing in 1992, but someone has managed to make it look even more retro by “demaking” which somehow allows it to run on an Intel CPU that was originally launched in the late 1970s. Known for being agame that birthed the FPS genre, id Software’s iconic title predates the likes ofDoom, helping to set the early blueprints for what would become the modern first-person shooter. As such, it’s gone down in gaming history and people are still tinkering with it to this day.
True that when it comes to modding old school FPS releases, people tend to think of all theweird devices that the originalDoomhas been ported to. It gives some indication of just how far technology has advanced over the years that smartwatches and treadmills can play some classic shooters. However,Doomisn’t the only one that can be played in ways that it shouldn’t as someone has taken its predecessor and made it compatible with some truly ancient hardware.
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As spotted by PCGamesN, a GitHub user by the name of jhhoward has managed to takeWolfenstein 3Dand essentially demake so it looks even older. The modder says they’ve made it so the game can run on machines powered by Intel’s 8088 CPU. This particular processor was released in 1979 and was instrumental in helping Intel produce a home PC, essentially kick-starting a new era in home computing. The chip was discontinued in 1998, so it had a pretty decent run.Wolfenstein, according to jhhoward, has also been made to support other video modes, such as RGB with magenta plates, CGA, and Tandy 160x200.
It’s incredible to think that people are still modifying this aged, yet wholly important, FPS. Despite its age,Wolfenstein 3Dis still having mods releasedby the community, which keeps the retro title in the gaming limelight. Of course, there are newer releases in the series and while some of them are decent, even highly praised, some would agree that they don’t hold a candle to the OG entry for sheer innovation alone.
Wolfenstein 3Dturned 30 in 2022, along with some of its contemporaries, likeRobocop 3andUltima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss. It’s hard to imagine that entire generations have emerged since those days of yore, but what id Software has done is left a huge impression on the early days of gaming, especially in the FPS genre, and this impact is still being felt to this day.
Wolfenstein 3Dwas released in 1992 for DOS and other legacy platforms.
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