Throughout the 30 years of its entire lifespan, it was always clear why the original Doom was not only a phenomenal game in its own right, but why it is now considered a bona fide classic to this day. There were aspects about it that future games would manage to refine and execute better, but even with that in mind, the game was still fast-paced, action-filled, immensely satisfying, rewarding for those who took the time to really look around for secrets, and it created a type of game that not too many others could properly replicate, in terms of both quality and feel. It also helped that the game was immensely successful, and is now considered to be the father of FPS games to come out from that point onward, so naturally, given the game’s immense success, a sequel was developed right away to continue this game’s legacy and to refine a lot of the elements present within the game. This game would come out not too long after the original, and it would be known as Doom II: Hell on Earth.
Making a sequel to the original Doom and releasing it so soon was kind of a risk for id Software, when you think about it. The original game already had plenty of things that people absolutely loved, and plenty of different reasons to play it over and over again, whether it be through playing through single-player mode to see what secrets you missed, or even through multiplayer mode with your friends. So, how the hell (Ha Haaaaaaaa) were they going to top the original game in such a short time? Well, that, my friends, was simple: by making Doom again, but better. This development choice would pay off for them, not only going on to also sell very well, but it would also receive just as much praise as the original game, if not more. In my opinion, it absolutely deserves that recognition and success it got, because I not only think this game is better than the original Doom in just about every way, but I also consider to be fantastic, providing yet another round of non-stop, blood-pumping action with just enough change to make it wonderful to revisit time and time again.
The story picks up right from where the original game left off, where after defeating the Spider Mastermind from the previous games, Doomguy finds his way back to Earth, where he finds that it has been completely overrun by demons, slaughtering innocent lives and taking over the planet as their own, so naturally, it is up to him to single-handedly take them all down and stop this demonic invasion once and for all, which is a simple enough set-up that both feels satisfactory enough for a natural continuation, while also being just enough to get the player right into the meat of things. The graphics are……. literally the exact same as the previous game, but hey, that’s fine, as the game still looks great either way, the music is also just as wonderful, having plenty more kick-ass tunes to jam out to while shoving the barrel of your gun in some poor demon’s face and blowing it clean off, the control is… also the exact same, so nothing more to touch on there, and the gameplay is very similar to the original game, to the point where you could call it a direct copy with nothing else going on, but there is more to it then you realize.
The game is still a first-person shooter, where you take control of Doomguy once again, go through many different levels, now all bunched together rather then being split up into multiple episodes (which is a better choice, if you ask me), take down any demonic scumbag that stands in your way as you find your way through these facilities and hellish landscapes, gather plenty of different health and ammo pickups, power ups, and additional weapons to make your slaughter all the sweeter, and take on plenty of big and bad forces of hell that will fuck you up if you aren’t ready and quick on your feet. In many ways, it is almost identical to that of the original Doom, which is a good thing, considering that this style of gameplay was already fun enough to begin with, so you can jump in right away and have a blast, but underneath the similar coat of paint, there is a little more going on here.
When I say this game is identical to the original Doom, I mean that in almost every way possible. The graphics, gameplay, general feel, and means of progression are the exact same, which may make you question why this was made as a sequel in the first place, instead of say, an expansion of the previous game. However, when you look deeper into it, you’ll then notice some key differences that make it stand out. If I were to describe the game in one sentence, I would say it is “Doom for Super Players” (but not that kind of super), as while it may be incredibly similar, the gameplay is much faster, more difficult, more reactionary in plenty of scenarios, and all the more invigorating. Even from the first couple of levels, you notice a lot more going on in them then the first batch of levels in the original game, which does make this feel more like a natural progression for the Doom series, for if you have played the original game, you should be experienced enough to handle whatever this game can throw at you.
What also helps with this is that, while most of the game remains relatively the same, there were some key elements that do spice things up. There are new enemies to be found here, each packing their own new means of challenging the player, and not only do they have great designs, but they can be pretty tough to take down if you aren’t careful, forcing you to learn different ways to approach a foe, and thus, improving your skills as a player as a result. In addition, there are new goodies that can be found throughout the levels, such as the Megasphere, which fills up both your health and armor all the way to 200, which is pretty damn helpful, and the Super Shotgun, a new weapon that is pretty much just a better version of the shotgun. That may make you question why they even bothered to make this weapon in the first place, but if you do bother questioning that at all, I will kindly ask you to get the fuck out of here and rethink everything, because the Super Shotgun is AWESOME. Sure, it may use more ammo then its counterpart, but it does more damage, covers a wider range of fire, and can kill multiple targets if used effectively, not only making the original shotgun obsolete in just about every way, but also becoming my new go-to weapon for any situation in this game.
Not only that, but the levels themselves also just FEEL different, still keeping the same general flow of progression familiar for those experienced with the original Doom, while also giving you more to do. You could focus on the goal at hand and just try to find your way to the exit so you can get a move on, but you can also look around in various places that don’t necessarily help you reach the end quicker, but they can reward you handsomely if you go out of your way, encouraging exploration more than ever before. Not to mention, this game still does have plenty of secrets for you to find, and just like with the original game, they can be quite hard to find, so those who enjoy looking for secrets and other means of reaching that glorious 100% mark, Doom II has plenty of that for you in spades.
However, at the end of the day, if you are not a huge fan of what the original Doom gave you, then you definitely won’t be able to get into this title, as it is essentially just Doom 1, but with more stuff. Yeah, it does have new features that can be fun to mess around with, but it has you doing the exact same stuff that you did in the last game with no major changes to be seen, which can definitely turn people away who weren’t able to get into this type of gameplay in the first place. Thankfully though, that is really the only complaint that I can think of for this title, because for those of us who are big fans of this game, it still manages to provide plenty for us to do, see, and kill all the same, and there is nothing more that a Doom Slayer like myself could ask for.
Overall, despite a huge lack of change, Doom II surpasses the original almost flawlessly, and it is a fantastic game as a whole, being even more fun, fast, satisfying, and gruesome as ever, while refining everything about the original game to the point where it could be hard to go back to after this… even though plenty will still go back to it. I highly recommend it for those who were big fans of the original game, as well as those of you who are into classic FPS games in general, because if you somehow haven’t played this game at this point, then… what the HELL are you waiting for?...... alright, you know what, I think that is one too many hell puns for a Doom review. Don’t wanna make reading this feel like you are actually being tortured in Hell, because trust me, there is already plenty about real life that could do that instead.
Game #496
Making a sequel to the original Doom and releasing it so soon was kind of a risk for id Software, when you think about it. The original game already had plenty of things that people absolutely loved, and plenty of different reasons to play it over and over again, whether it be through playing through single-player mode to see what secrets you missed, or even through multiplayer mode with your friends. So, how the hell (Ha Haaaaaaaa) were they going to top the original game in such a short time? Well, that, my friends, was simple: by making Doom again, but better. This development choice would pay off for them, not only going on to also sell very well, but it would also receive just as much praise as the original game, if not more. In my opinion, it absolutely deserves that recognition and success it got, because I not only think this game is better than the original Doom in just about every way, but I also consider to be fantastic, providing yet another round of non-stop, blood-pumping action with just enough change to make it wonderful to revisit time and time again.
The story picks up right from where the original game left off, where after defeating the Spider Mastermind from the previous games, Doomguy finds his way back to Earth, where he finds that it has been completely overrun by demons, slaughtering innocent lives and taking over the planet as their own, so naturally, it is up to him to single-handedly take them all down and stop this demonic invasion once and for all, which is a simple enough set-up that both feels satisfactory enough for a natural continuation, while also being just enough to get the player right into the meat of things. The graphics are……. literally the exact same as the previous game, but hey, that’s fine, as the game still looks great either way, the music is also just as wonderful, having plenty more kick-ass tunes to jam out to while shoving the barrel of your gun in some poor demon’s face and blowing it clean off, the control is… also the exact same, so nothing more to touch on there, and the gameplay is very similar to the original game, to the point where you could call it a direct copy with nothing else going on, but there is more to it then you realize.
The game is still a first-person shooter, where you take control of Doomguy once again, go through many different levels, now all bunched together rather then being split up into multiple episodes (which is a better choice, if you ask me), take down any demonic scumbag that stands in your way as you find your way through these facilities and hellish landscapes, gather plenty of different health and ammo pickups, power ups, and additional weapons to make your slaughter all the sweeter, and take on plenty of big and bad forces of hell that will fuck you up if you aren’t ready and quick on your feet. In many ways, it is almost identical to that of the original Doom, which is a good thing, considering that this style of gameplay was already fun enough to begin with, so you can jump in right away and have a blast, but underneath the similar coat of paint, there is a little more going on here.
When I say this game is identical to the original Doom, I mean that in almost every way possible. The graphics, gameplay, general feel, and means of progression are the exact same, which may make you question why this was made as a sequel in the first place, instead of say, an expansion of the previous game. However, when you look deeper into it, you’ll then notice some key differences that make it stand out. If I were to describe the game in one sentence, I would say it is “Doom for Super Players” (but not that kind of super), as while it may be incredibly similar, the gameplay is much faster, more difficult, more reactionary in plenty of scenarios, and all the more invigorating. Even from the first couple of levels, you notice a lot more going on in them then the first batch of levels in the original game, which does make this feel more like a natural progression for the Doom series, for if you have played the original game, you should be experienced enough to handle whatever this game can throw at you.
What also helps with this is that, while most of the game remains relatively the same, there were some key elements that do spice things up. There are new enemies to be found here, each packing their own new means of challenging the player, and not only do they have great designs, but they can be pretty tough to take down if you aren’t careful, forcing you to learn different ways to approach a foe, and thus, improving your skills as a player as a result. In addition, there are new goodies that can be found throughout the levels, such as the Megasphere, which fills up both your health and armor all the way to 200, which is pretty damn helpful, and the Super Shotgun, a new weapon that is pretty much just a better version of the shotgun. That may make you question why they even bothered to make this weapon in the first place, but if you do bother questioning that at all, I will kindly ask you to get the fuck out of here and rethink everything, because the Super Shotgun is AWESOME. Sure, it may use more ammo then its counterpart, but it does more damage, covers a wider range of fire, and can kill multiple targets if used effectively, not only making the original shotgun obsolete in just about every way, but also becoming my new go-to weapon for any situation in this game.
Not only that, but the levels themselves also just FEEL different, still keeping the same general flow of progression familiar for those experienced with the original Doom, while also giving you more to do. You could focus on the goal at hand and just try to find your way to the exit so you can get a move on, but you can also look around in various places that don’t necessarily help you reach the end quicker, but they can reward you handsomely if you go out of your way, encouraging exploration more than ever before. Not to mention, this game still does have plenty of secrets for you to find, and just like with the original game, they can be quite hard to find, so those who enjoy looking for secrets and other means of reaching that glorious 100% mark, Doom II has plenty of that for you in spades.
However, at the end of the day, if you are not a huge fan of what the original Doom gave you, then you definitely won’t be able to get into this title, as it is essentially just Doom 1, but with more stuff. Yeah, it does have new features that can be fun to mess around with, but it has you doing the exact same stuff that you did in the last game with no major changes to be seen, which can definitely turn people away who weren’t able to get into this type of gameplay in the first place. Thankfully though, that is really the only complaint that I can think of for this title, because for those of us who are big fans of this game, it still manages to provide plenty for us to do, see, and kill all the same, and there is nothing more that a Doom Slayer like myself could ask for.
Overall, despite a huge lack of change, Doom II surpasses the original almost flawlessly, and it is a fantastic game as a whole, being even more fun, fast, satisfying, and gruesome as ever, while refining everything about the original game to the point where it could be hard to go back to after this… even though plenty will still go back to it. I highly recommend it for those who were big fans of the original game, as well as those of you who are into classic FPS games in general, because if you somehow haven’t played this game at this point, then… what the HELL are you waiting for?...... alright, you know what, I think that is one too many hell puns for a Doom review. Don’t wanna make reading this feel like you are actually being tortured in Hell, because trust me, there is already plenty about real life that could do that instead.
Game #496
cowboyjosh
2 months ago
Anyway not trying to UM AKSHULLY at you lol just my perspective on why the games were sold the way they were. Great review! I’m glad you loved it it’s such a classic.