It’s been over 15 years since Doom II hit the PC market, well shown by the fact that the minimum specifications required a 486 processor and 8MB of RAM on your personal computer. Back in those days this was cutting edge stuff and allowed the sequel, to what some call the greatest FPS ever, to cement its reputation as a classic in the genre.
Time has moved on though, and looking at today’s market we can see just how far this gun toting area in the gaming industry has become. With games like MAG allowing 256 players, albeit in a cheating kind of way, to battle at any one time. The question we have to be asking for this is not of it’s quality and reputation, as that was done back in the 90’s, but more a case of whether or not it can still be a lot of fun when you consider that most of the world who have a 360 are usually getting their kicks from Halo and/or CoD.
For a start, the pack includes the original game and an extra 9 levels bolstered onto the source code from Nerve Software, the guys who have transferred it onto the Xbox 360. The object is the same as ever, making you travel from A to B by eliminating whatever stands in your way with the help of some properly beefed up weaponry. There are a few subtle differences, but none to really call it a major improvement. One extra weapon is included in the shape of a super shotgun, which is simply a double barrelled job which puts some of the beefier monsters down easier, as well as the game spanning one full episode, rather than being broken down to a few chapters.
In an age where most re-releases get themselves a full HD makeover, Doom II bucks the trend by sticking to the way it’s always looked. The only certainty from this is that it will divide the fans, with some thinking it looks hideous now compared to other FPS releases out there on the arcade marketplace, like Serious Sam and Perfect Dark. Others, myself included if I have to be honest, will go down the “if it ain’t broke” path and lap up the nostalgia like a cat locked in a dairy. It is as pixelated as you like and it doesn’t fill up the whole screen, but you can forgive it for all the hard work it has done over the years in getting us to where we are today (like that isn’t biased, you retro lover – Ed).
In keeping with the tradition of leaving things the same, the MIDI files boom out of the speakers with a great sense of pride (and will no doubt be sampled by a wannabe pop star to bolster his career in a few years time) and is a bit of a far cry from your Hans Zimmer orchestral behemoths or having Steve Vai rattle some guitar strings. The monster noises, rather than scare you now, just make you laugh and giggle, much in the same way that you begin to snigger when someone farts at the most inappropriate moment. It’s humorous, but in a good and affectionate way.
One thing you do notice when playing Doom II is just what it was achieving well before the current herd of wannabes, not to mention the ability to make things work that some of the modern developers still can’t after a few attempts. World at War has, so far anyway, been the only title brave enough to try a 4 player co-op system. Thing is though, Doom II was doing this before Treyarch’s last Call of Duty even got into Boot Camp. There is the obligatory death matches, certainly, but iD had a fully cooperative system included in the sequel, which just shows how far ahead of the time they were back then. Sprint buttons were also noticeable, and were vital to get keys and other pick ups throughout the game.
The biggest offline carrot that dangles in front of you, much like in the original Doom, is the percentage count which can be a cause of celebration or anguish at the end of every level. Much like in most platform games nowadays there are secrets galore contained within, from hidden rooms to vital weapons, health and armour. It’s when you see yourself being short by a kill or an item somewhere that the little light in your head flashes saying “MUST TRY AGAIN” and no matter how hard you try it just won’t switch off, whatever you do.
The best way to look at Doom II now is to think of it as an alternative to the first person shooters of today, and to class it almost in the same area as Valve’s very impressive Portal. The co-op stuff is good fun, as is the deathmatch material, but you’re never guaranteed to get yourself a game (I know, I’ve tried). If you play it as a single player title in which you must collect everything and find all the secret things however, it really does turn it into a different animal altogether.
Considering what you get for a shade under eight quid, you can’t fail to be impressed with everything that’s on offer. It’s a fun time portal to a land that vectors forgot, when BFG was nicked from Roald Dahl’s book cover and given an adult meaning. It takes older gamers like me back to a time when we embraced this newly discovered genre and all it produced. Whether it allows young gamers to appreciate gameplay over graphics is still debateable, but I certainly hope so because much like Pac Man, Tetris and all the others before it, truly outstanding gameplay never really dies out, even if you can’t look up and down. It’s good old fun, with those two words prefixing that three lettered word of joy having no more relevant meaning than here.
VideogameUK verdict: 8/10
