I dont really think that framerates or graphics is really what makes a game.

Absolutely correct!

I still find "DOOM" and "DOOM II" to be among the most playable and entertaining games I have ever tried -- yet their graphics quality is laughable by today's standards.

DOOM is wonderful for mindless entertainment -- if it moves, shoot it before it shoots you -- and the balance of the weaponry whereby every weapon has both strengths and weaknesses is superb. (One subtlety I always appreciated is the "spread" of the double-barrelled shotgun is such that the single-barrel is more effective at longer ranges.)

I prefer DOOM to a game that is targeted towards the "serious" gamer -- one who is willing to put in literally hours of practice in order to become competent enough to just survive from one level to the next. Maybe I am just getting old and slow, but I find most new games to be so difficult that I am not willing to go through the learning curve required to play them. I don't want to work that hard in order to play.

tanstaafl.