Before I review reviewing a lot of Doom games. No I haven't got to play Doom 64 although I did play a good amount of a mod based on it. I still haven't got to play Doom (2016). I am well aware it's sequel is coming soon. I figured to talk about Doom since it quickly became a passion of mine. Usually horror & shooters at the time doesn't mess but Doom is a clear exception.
1. Doom (1993) and The Ultimate Doom (1995)
Doom is a classic that most shooter fans has played at some point. Personally I love everything about it to the point I can't really criticize much of it. I enjoy majority of the maps you play with intense boss fights. The soundtrack alone keeps bringing me back for more. Doom has some of my favorite FPS enemies ever.
Sure you have to look up parts of the story. After a few levels texts will explain what's going on. Honestly any excuse to kill demons is good enough for me. I always like all the weapons Doomguy gets. A lot of the secrets are well hidden taking a long time to find. There isn't much else in terms of beating it on the hardest setting Nightmare.
This difficulty has enemies constantly spawning no matter how often you kill them. Also you can't cheat on that difficulty. Doom was a spiritual successor to another FPS game I'm also a huge fan of. Wolfenstein 3D thanks to a few spin off games we now know both classic franchises are connected. Doom picked the perfect title for this game.
Two years following it's release id Software release The Ultimate Doom. Originally there was three episodes or campaigns for those not familiar with those FPS style games. They added a new fourth episode to challenge players. This is the definitive Doom 1 experience. One weird thing is some newer ports of Doom 1 aren't called The Ultimate Doom despite being that version.
2. Doom II: Hell on Earth (1994) and Master Levels for Doom II (1995)
OMG just when I didn't think Doom couldn't get any better here comes Doom II: Hell on Earth. WOW this game is truly amazing in every sense of the word. So what it looks a little similar to the previous game. So did Spear of Destiny to Wolfenstein 3D but it had plenty differences to help differ the two.
I feel the same can be said in this case as well. Doom II adds the super shotgun. A few new enemies got added into the mix. But the biggest challenge is Doom II now one long campaign instead of several shorter ones. Even Wolfenstein went through this change. This also means the number of hidden levels is cut down to two.
I do need to talk about those levels for many reasons. Why do I keep bringing up Wolfenstein you ask? The very first level from that game is one of two hidden levels of Doom II. Rise of the Triad as one of it's extra levels also has a recreation of the same level. The other secret level does pull things from Wolfenstein & Commander Keen.
Instead of simply pressing the button like in most levels. You have to kill four Commander Keens before you can finish the level. Also surprise the Cyberdemon is a boss in this level. They combine Doom with Wolfenstein in terms how this boss fight plays out. The levels are much bigger than the previous game.
The final boss is easily the worst thing about this game. I had more of a challenge from the Cyberdemon. The Icon of Sins keeps spawning enemies almost the entire time. It stays in place with no real way to defend itself. The method to taking him out kinda annoying since you need a rocket launcher.
Oh wait that's not enough you have to get on a platform that lifts high enough. Then finally you have to fire just before you start falling. The game gives you little to no way knowing if you actually damage him or not. I would say the best method is cheating. You can input noclip code to fly behind it for a easter egg.
You can simply attack John Romero's head until you win. Yeah it goes from being frustrating to incredibly easy. There's slightly less levels than in the previous game. I do need to mention Master Levels for Doom II for those that may know about them but aren't exactly sure what are they. Trust me after I explain this I don't blame you for still being confused.
Unlike most expansion packs that act as their own games that usually add stuff to the game. Master Levels for Doom II is an emulator that has extra levels made by skilled Doom modders. id Software contacted a lot of people to allow their work to be in this expansion. This is where things starts getting confusing.
You have to remember which levels each of them replaces. It is possible to play majority of them in one run. They simply replace several Doom II levels. A couple of them are replacing the same level. Which could trigger not working at all. Steam didn't do a good job with this expansion. It's difficult to put it into words how frustrating it is.
Thankfully GOG's version works perfectly for the most part. They did an amazing job, also in the same deal you get Doom II with Final Doom. I should mention Master Levels for Doom II doesn't actually require Doom II in order to play. But I think you should have both of them installed just in case.
3. Final Doom (1996)
Final Doom is virtually two more Doom II episodes in one huge expansion. Virtually taking a page from Spear of Destiny mission packs. Except those aren't that bad with both having their own stories. Sure it has the exact same number of levels with one reusing the same soundtrack. Final Doom was created to be incredibly challenging for the finest Doom players.
Basically you could play the previous games on their hardest or second hardest settings. Compared to this, those were a cake walk I'm not kidding. Not much gets added but some of my favorite classic Doom maps are present here. This expansion may not have the best title but in a way it sorta works. If you love Doom II you should give this a try.
I do need to bring something up. I haven't got to play PS1 releases of these games. Final Doom on that console also had some levels from Master Levels for Doom II. Surprisingly enough on PS3 as Doom Classic Complete has all of them with No Rest for the Living. The PC version is just the classic DOS versions without No Rest for the Living.
Although it is still possible to play that if you so happen to own Doom 3 BFG Edition. Final Doom does have some of the most annoying levels in the franchise history. How this got made did cause some controversiality. Two brothers were nearly finished making TNT: Evilution that was originally going to be release free.
Until they had a deal with id themselves. They quickly finished TNT: Evilution to quickly make The Plutionia Experiment. I will even say The Plutionia Experiment is way harder than TNT: Evilution. Personally I am a big fan of TNT: Evilution for what it is. I never cared much for the other episode included.
4. Doom II: No Rest for the Living (2010)
Watch out Duke Nukem, Doom II got a new episode before you did. To be honest Episode 5 of Duke 3D was good just not great. In comparison to No Rest for the Living wow this is a solid follow up episode. This was stated to have maps even bigger than both halves of Final Doom. Some levels are really filled with demons.
Sure this is a short campaign but they did a truly amazing job keeping it not only faithful but also a lot of fun. I still say the original Doom II campaign is better. Not many releases of Doom II has this episode. The episode length itself is a tribute to Doom 1. Not much gets added here either but I do enjoy the new maps.
5. Doom 3 (2004)
Doom 3 is technically a remake of Doom 1. But those two are very different games from each other. Although a lot of the same enemies, weapons and other related stuff is still present. Doom 3 is much slower having more puzzles. They make it more clear when you are facing off against a boss. Two particular bosses requires a different method for defeating them.
The guardian has additional orb you have to take out before you can do damage to him. The Cyberdemon can only be damage by the soul cube. Honestly I prefer this than majority of Duke Nukem Forever bosses that forces the player to use explosives. I do like these newer variation of classic Doom monsters.
To be honest I didn't care much about the lost souls in this game. Thankfully in later Doom 3 games they stand out more. I will say this is one of the better Doom games to play. Although I do understand why a lot of Doom fans not liking this game. Doom 3 has messages from several people to help understand what was going on.
I do like doing the objectives doesn't affect the game play much. The worst thing about this game is Nightmare. Your health keeps bringing to 25 with enemies doing more damage while your attacks does less. Trust me unless you want the challenge I don't recommend it. Doom 3 is one of the better video game remakes that's incredibly different from the older games.
6. Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil (2005)
To me this is the best out of Doom 3 games. Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil spices things up just the right way. You get the artifact that looks like an ancient demonic heart. After killing the first three bosses, you will gain additional abilities for the artifact. I would even say it's one of the most powerful Doom weapons ever created I'm not kidding.
You play as a different Doomguy from the previous game. You must go into Hell to stop this mad scientist from dooming everyone. At the end of Doom 3 you get a small sneak peak of what he became. Speaking of him, he's the hardest boss fight. Although Invulnerability Hunter is possibly the most annoying Doom boss either.
You have to keep firing until he starts regenerating. Keep in mind there are enemies in the area. You have to take out one of the generators. This will do so much to damage while shortening how much health he gets back. Trust me it take me awhile to figure all of this out. I got to be honest the puzzles involving the artifacts are among my favorites in this series.
I do like how they did the ending they allow us to decide if Doomguy lives or dies. They still haven't confirmed which actually happened. I do love the cover of this expansion more than the actual game's. I felt this was a solid expansion easily one of the finest for any Doom games. Yes it is a little on the hard side but it isn't ridiculous like Final Doom.
7. Doom 3: The Lost Mission from Doom 3 BFG Edition (2012)
Doom 3: The Lost Mission is basically an additional campaign taking place during Doom 3's campaign. Another Doomguy thought to be killed off survives. Before I go on, never since this game we had two Doomguys. This guy's goal is to seal off the portal to Hell with help from a scientist. Two previous bosses return with notable changes.
Vagary has some small enemies to help her this time. Beyond that it is a shorter boss fight since she's weaker than her Doom 3 counterpart. Despite the similarities, Vagary and Spider Mastermind aren't related. The Guardian is easily the worst Doom 3 boss fight. He does differently being notably weaker.
Doom 3: The Lost Mission doesn't seem to affect much. Majority of levels are slightly altered from Doom 3. Even Final Doom had more going for it in it's level designs. This is also the shortest among Doom 3 games. I got to be honest it is alright I prefer many Doom games over this one. There really isn't much else to say except as of right the only way to play it is through Doom 3 BFG Edition.
This also has remastered Doom 3 & Resurrection of Evil that's many claim is a little too bright that removed modding. This uses the same Xbox 360 ports of the first two Doom games. If I'm not mistaken Xbox 360 and PS3 versions has more achievements/trophies. One annoying thing for Xbox gamers is if you already own the first two Doom games then you put that disc in it won't work.
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