Doom II was developed by Nerve Software/id Software and published by Bethesda Softworks. It was released on May 26, 2010 and retails for 800 Microsoft Points. A copy of the game was provided by the publisher for reviewing purposes.

Fifteen years ago, Doom II was released on the PC and was at the cutting edge of first-person shooters. Of course, games have gotten exponentially more complicated over the years, but this doesn’t mean that Doom II is unplayable – far from it, actually. The game is still fun and full of personality, even if it is a pixelated mess by today’s high definition standards.

Here’s what we liked:

A great port – Doom II is not a remake, but a great port to the Xbox 360, with the graphics and sounds untouched from the original version. Although very dated, there’s a certain appeal to Doom II’s retro sights and sounds. Everything fans remember remains intact, and serves as a great nostalgic trip down memory lane.

Nice extras – Aside from Achievements and Avatar Awards, a bonus chapter is included in this version of Doom II, titled “No Rest For The Living,” as well as online and offline competitive modes with splitscreen.

 

Here’s what we didn’t like:

Extremely dated – It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that a 15 year-old-game looks and sounds dated, but for some, it might be too old to enjoy. No looking up or down and no jumping will throw some players off, too.

Sluggish multiplayer – Online multiplayer is sadly laggy and slow at times. One would expect online to be smooth at all times since everything else is so simplistic.

For a 15-year-old game, you could certainly do worse. Ironically, Doom II is a breath if fresh air when compared to modern shooters due to its total simplicity and retro charm. Sure, it looks and sounds old as dirt, but blasting pixelated demons into pieces and navigating the hellish levels is still fun, even today. Those who did not play the game back in 1994 may find it too outdated to play.

Score: Buy it