348th played so far

Doom_II_-_Hell_on_Earth_CoverartGenre: First-Person Shooter
Platform: Various
Year of Release: 1994
Developer: id Software
Publisher: GT Interactive

We have (obviously) played Doom before, the granddaddy of all other FPS games. Not the first perhaps, but the first that made it Big and put LAN multiplayer on the map. The second was released not soon after – with the third taking over a decade longer. What difference does a year make?

Our Thoughts

It’s difficult to appreciate how some games have improved over their predecessors. While Doom  II doesn’t look outstanding to our eyes, it still looks better than the first game did.

The levels also feel like they’re put together better as well. Aside from being larger, they feel less linear – even if they’re not that much, it feels like you have more options and there are more places to explore. The puzzles that are there feel more integrated as well as an area to move through, and progress flows more naturally.

What’s just as nice is that the levels feel, as much as I have noticed, more varied. There are more outside area and they are mixed together with indoor levels more nicely. The styling feels consistent with more areas of the levels seemingly having a purpose, including a prison area.

Most of the mechanics are the same (although at times improved), so with most things this feels like it is more of the same. But that doesn’t matter. There’s an expanded selection of weapons, which is more fun, and with the polish added to the levels, they are much more fun. With the additional variety in levels, Doom II becomes a lot more interesting to play than its predecessor.

Final Thoughts

If we are being honest with a game like Doom II it is impossibly to not see the age. However, in a similar to games like Dungeon Keeper and Alpha Centauri, it does not matter because what remains are the fundamentals of  good game. It has since been successfully ported to the XBox 360 and Playstation 3.