What are 3D games with 2D sprites like Doom called

terminology

Games like Killer Instinct, Doom, Duke Nukem, have 3D scenarios but use 2D characters.

I know they're called in such way it demonstrates it's not technically all 3D, but I can't remember the name.

Best Answer

There's the term "2.5D", which combines a lot of concepts, a lot of them still heavily in use today.

What games like Doom and Duke Nukem 3D do is called Billboarding. Here, a 3D environment is used and 2D sprites (usually always facing towards the camera) are inserted into the world. The term "billboarding" derives from the way it is presented - a flat "board" facing the camera and displaying the content.

Other techniques, such as axonometric and particularly isometric view are also used in a lot of instances to give the illusion of a 3D environment, rather than a true 3D environment.