Doom RPG (Mobile)

GameSpot editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 4.0 stars Excellent
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 8.6 (4.0 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Jeff Gerstmann
• Reviewed on: 09/23/2005
• Released on: 09/13/2005
• Originally published on GameSpot: Doom RPG (Mobile) Review

While it might not pick up any style points, there's something to be said for the simple nature of the name "Doom RPG." It lets you know exactly what you're getting into: a role-playing game based on the classic id Software first-person shooter, Doom. Converting an action game into a turn-based RPG sounds like a risky maneuver, but aside from a handful of quirks and the occasional performance issue, Doom RPG is an interesting and fun new twist on the Doom legacy.

The story in Doom RPG is a little more fleshed out than the original Doom's story, and it takes a couple of pages from Doom 3. You're a space marine, arriving on Mars to get your investigation on. It seems that there are two feuding scientists roaming around the base, and there's word of a matter teleportation unit that, as you would probably expect, seems to be a gateway to hell, and hell's demons and other monsters are using that gateway to overrun the multisectored Mars station. As the nameless marine, you move from level to level, gunning down anything that gets in your way as you search for keycards and work your way closer to the game's final confrontation.

Doom RPG might look a whole lot like the first-person shooter it's based on, but this is actually a turn-based game. You can move one square at a time, and if there are any active enemies in the vicinity, they'll take their turns as well. Some actions, such as rotating your viewpoint--which is done at 90-degree angles--don't cost you a turn, so you've got plenty of time to survey your surroundings. The strategy of the game is to try to make enemies waste their turn on moving into your line of fire and then give them the business with one of your many weapons. Some enemies, however, are able to move into your view and attack in the same turn. Knowing the difference between the two is key to your survival.

The simple turn-based structure is an interesting way to look at Doom, but it comes with a handful of annoyances as well. As you probably already know, the world of Doom has a whole lot of tight corridors in it. While Doom RPG probably isn't quite as cramped as the first-person shooters were, there are plenty of situations where you'll be in a corridor, with no way to get out of the line of fire of an enemy. You'll get hit, and want to dig into your inventory to use a health pack. Unfortunately, that uses your turn, and you'll get hit again--leading to your wanting again to use a health pack. Since one more hit will kill you, this essentially leaves you trapped, hoping that an enemy misses with its attack so you can get a shot off or at least attempt to back away. This problem is further exacerbated by the game's surprisingly weak weaponry. While some enemies have affinities that cause them to take more damage from some weapons than others, overall you won't feel like you're powerful enough. This leads you to use a large amount of ammo in each fight, which forces you to depend on your axe, which is your melee weapon. The axe is strong against zombified humans, usually causing them to explode in one hit, but in the later levels, you're rarely facing this type of enemy.

Continue reading

Recent user reviews

• Average user rating: 0 stars Not yet available
  Back to product review
• My rating: 0 stars Write review

• Showing 3 of 3 user reviews

• 4.0 stars

  "Flawed because of mobile phone but loads of fun"

  by davebegood on October 30, 2009

• 4.5 stars

  "It is the best cell phone game out!!!"

  by samusgravity on November 2, 2007

• 5.0 stars

  "This is the best action mobile game I've played to date (Feb. 2007)"

  by NaturalHistorian on February 20, 2007

• See all 3 user reviews Write review