Parent's Guide: Doom II: Hell On Earth - Age rating, mature content and difficulty

Doom II is an Xbox Live Arcade re-release of one of the earliest first person shooters, Doom II: Hell on Earth. With heavily pixelated graphics, and rooms rendered using very early 3D technology, it's certainly a blast from the past, but one that's stood the test of time fairly well.

While those used to the modern comforts of today's shooters may find the challenging difficulty level and the lack of anything in the way of tutorials a little disconcerting, with a suitably cheesy plot in tow (scientists have somehow opened a portal to Hell, causing the demons of the underworld to spew out and cause havoc) there's still a lot to like about Doom II. Using the left stick to move around, and the right stick to look around, it's up to you to make use of a variety of weapons, from chainsaws to shotguns to rocket launchers, and even your fists, to beat the demon hordes back to where they came from, while hunting out secret passages in the game's corridor based levels.

While those familiar with games like Halo and COD will likely have no trouble getting used to the controls, younger players may struggle with how twitchy and sensitive the analogue sticks are to your input. With less in the way of mod-cons than you get on modern games, it can be quite the jolt for players who didn't grow up playing things like Doom II to come back to it now. While younger players who can handle dual analogue controls should be able to do it, the often punishing difficulty and lack of sign posting makes this one better suited to slightly older kids.

While it may not be as realistic as today's shooters, Doom II still contains some questionable content that parents may want to know about. Enemies give off large pixels of blood when shot, with chainsaws sometimes creating large, bloody gashes on your foes. Depending on the weapon you're using, enemies will also sometimes explode.

Age Ratings

Format Reviewed: Xbox 360