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| | Title:
DOOM
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System:
Xbox Live Arcade
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Genre:
FPS
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Publisher:
Microsoft
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Developer:
id Software
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Release:
09/27/06
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Online:
Yes
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ESRB:
Mature (M)
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Is playing an old game really that much fun? This is the question millions of Xbox 360 owners will have to ask themselves before investing their time, energy, and ultimately money into the latest Xbox Live Arcade title, DOOM. No, not DOOM 3 but the original DOOM released back when many of the younger gamers didn’t even know what a PC was, much less how to use one. Now that we are all grown up, Microsoft is hoping that the allure of trying out a classic – which cemented many of the gaming norms we appreciate today – will make us drop 800 MS points. Is it worth it? Depends on what people like in a first person shooter.
DOOM is a classic make no mistake. Without it games like Halo, FEAR, Crysis, and even Half-Life 2 would simply not exist. But unlike other forms of entertainment where one can go back in time and relive their favorite black and white movie, or listen to their cherished vinyl record, old videogames just aren’t that much fun. This couldn’t be clearer than playing DOOM again after all these years. The problem with videogames is that unlike movies, books, and music they are an interactive experience that requires people to participate. Gradually, videogames have become smarter, and thus we as games expect our enemies to not only be smarter, but also require us to think. We want mental stimulation and challenge and DOOM just doesn’t deliver in this respect. This is probably the biggest minus against DOOM, regardless of the aged graphics and sound. The gameplay of DOOM can become boring rather quickly when compared to the norm of the nowadays.
Now don’t get me wrong, for the first hour or so the gameplay experience of DOOM is like a trip down memory lane for older gamers…and if nothing else, a history lesson for us who are younger. The core mechanics of DOOM haven’t changed. Players take the role of a lone Marine who must battle through various high tech locations – as well as one that isn’t: Hell – and battle against its minions to ultimately save the human race. While this doesn’t sound original, realize that DOOM was the first game to bring this plotline to the forefront of gaming. Gameplay consists of blasting through waves and waves of enemies as the gamer tries to find the exit door. Movement is typical of a FPS on the Xbox 360, minus one very important thing: no Y-axis control. Back in the day no one thought about looking up or down, and it is jarring at first to be confined to one virtual eye level. Luckily, this does wear off after the first fifteen minutes or so as you get used to the effect. Switching between weapons can be very cumbersome as well, since one has to click through the weapon selection to find the one they want. More than once, I pulled out the wrong weapon and managed to get myself killed…annoying to say the least.
The weapon list in DOOM is short, but entertaining nonetheless. The pistol, shotgun, plasma gun, chainsaw, rocket launcher, fists, and BFG are the weapons of choice and each one works pretty effectively. Aiming is not as precise as it has to be in today’s shooter, which means the auto-aim works very well, if not too well in some circumstances. Some unrealistic situations occur when enemies, which are on a higher level, are hit even though the player is looking at the wall. At least the ammo is plentiful, and generally the weapons work well other than the dramatic auto-aim.
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