If you've been around games for a while, chances are you'll have heard of Doom. Even if you've only recently started playing, the chances are still pretty high that you may have come across the game, due to it being the sequel to one of the most ground-breaking first person shooters of all time.
While there's not much in the way of a story here (and even less in the way of an explanation), there is vague excuse for you to be shooting things, and exploring the brown, unwelcoming environments that make up the game's 30 levels. It's basically something to do with the forces of hell, invading your planet, and generally making a nuisance of themselves. As gaming's stereotypical space marine, it's up to you to step in, and defend humanity, before sending the demonic forces back to the Hell from whence they came.
Hey, don't laugh - a few years ago, this was cutting edge. I mean, just look at how fierce that thing on the left is!
Thankfully, there is a bit more to Doom II than just mindless shooting, and this is one of the game's biggest appeals. Each level's packed to the brim with secret areas, and various other little shortcuts, tricks and easter eggs for you to find - and as you get scored at the end of each level based on how long you've taken, how many enemies you've defeated, and how many secrets you've found, there's plenty of reason to play through again.
And while figuring out how to access these secret areas can often be quite obscure, this actually a strange part of Doom's appeal, as you'll often find yourself either running around the entire level, with your character's face pressed against the wall, hammering A as you search for the next secret area, or flicking every switch you come across in different combinations in the hope you may eventually unveil the next secret.
If you've seen games like Halo: Reach, and have been thinking about getting into first person shooters, then a game like Doom II is a great place to start. With (comparatively) simplistic gameplay, and without the ability to look up and down, it's a great way to ease yourself into the genre - and if you really need someone to help you find your bearings, you can even bring a friend along for the ride.
Two player co-op - defending the Earth's so much more fun with a friend
Letting you play through the campaign mode in co-op, Doom II lets you enlist a friend in the fight to save humanity, and repel the invading hordes - which, as with most games, makes it a lot more fun than if you were playing it on your own. Unfortunately, though, for some daft reason, you can't get achievements by playing in split-screen - a habit we really wish developers in general would drop.
The overall package is rounded out with an all-new chapter to play through, and some pretty robust online deathmatch play, letting you take on real human players around the world, but at the same time, Doom II is still an ageing game. If you didn't play it the first time round, you may wonder what all the fuss is about, but there's still plenty for newbies, and co-op players to take in here.
Format Reviewed: Xbox 360
