Doom

"It's the same Doom you know and love, but is that a good thing?"

In this day and age, first person shooters are one of the biggest game genres out there, each one trying new and intuitive methods of making them seem more realistic than the others out there. But back in 1993, they were far and few, with the only true first person shooter out there that anyone ever knew was Wolfenstein 3-D. It wasn't untill the release of Doom that the first person shooter genre really took off, with all it's modding abilities and the introduction of Deathmatches. And now, we have the whole game provided on XBox Live Arcade. Yes, it's the same Doom that you grew up with, nothing's changed for the most part. But in some cases, leaving things unchanged isn't always the right thing to do.

Graphics: 6/10
This is a direct port of the PC game, meaning that all the lighting effects and smooth movement that defined the game back in its day are still intact. And all of the blood and gore that made it infamous is still here. Unfortunately, if you're looking for any special effects that take advantage of the new hardware it's on, you're better off picking up Doom 3 for the original XBox. While all the graphics are still the same, the enemy sprites, especially their corpses, look very blocky and old, and even up close, some of the enemies look like they're blurred.

Sounds: 5/10
Like the graphics, the soundtrack and sound effects were pretty much left untouched, meaning that even though the weapons still retain their sounds, they seem rather muted at times. The soundtrack is also played at a low volume for some reason, meaning that if you want to hear it, you'll need to get your volume control up. While the general feel of each tune is still retained, the low volume really takes a bit out of it.

Controls: 10/10
Fortunately, the game's controls are very well designed for this type of controller. The ability to move forward and strafe with the left stick while turning with the right stick was a stroke of brilliance on the developers' part. While you can't directly switch to a weapon you want to equip, the ability to cycle through them quickly with the face buttons makes up for it. Another interesting feature was using the down part of the directional pad to access your map, which is useful when you need to look at it in a hurry.

Replay: 8/10
Doom features all four episodes of the original, but sadly doesn't feature any extra levels or any of Doom 2. (Maybe at a later time?) The multiplayer aspect that made Doom popular is retained with splitscreen four player deathmatches and two player co-op mode, but it's best used on XBox Live, where you can relive the days of taking on people from all over the world from your own home, or working with a friend who lives in another state to finish a difficult level.

Overall: 7/10
Doom isn't spectacular in terms of presentation, but it still retains its original charm in terms of the multiplayer and single player aspect. You won't find any crazy maps or new add-ons, but you will find a classic frag-fest waiting for you if you're ready to be Doomed.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 10/03/06