Doom (Xbox 360)

GameSpot editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 3.5 stars Very good
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 7.3 (3.5 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Jeff Gerstmann
• Reviewed on: 09/28/2006
• Released on: 09/27/2006
• Originally published on GameSpot: Doom (Xbox 360) Review

Sure, there were first-person shooters before Doom. But Doom was the one that made the genre. Originally released in 1993, id Software's hell-on-Mars game revolutionized PC gaming and then went on to make appearances on what seems like a billion different platforms. Well, make it a billion and one, because now Doom is available for download via Xbox Live Arcade. This Xbox 360 version of the game stays mostly faithful to the original, and it holds up well after all these years.

Doom puts you in the role of a lone space marine stationed on Phobos, one of the moons of Mars, where a bunch of eggheads have been messing around with teleportation experiments. As luck would have it, those knuckleheads manage to open up a portal to hell, sending all manner of demons onto Mars. It's up to you to blow apart as many demons as you can as you make your way through level after level. The game is broken up into episodes, but other than a static screen of text that plays at the end of each episode, there's no real "story" to the game. And no need for one. Doom's power lies in its ability to create hectic combat situations that put you up against overwhelming odds as you work your way through the 27 levels that compose the "original" trilogy of episodes, along with the fourth episode that was added after the game's release as a part of Ultimate Doom.

Doom's weapons are iconic, so much so that it still seems insane for a first-person shooter to come out today without basic Doom-inspired weaponry like a shotgun, some sort of automatic machine gun, and a rocket launcher. All of those classic weapons, from the chainsaw to the room-clearing BFG 9000, are present here. As are the classic level and enemy designs. One look at the screen, and you'll probably have the reaction of "Yep, that's Doom, all right." Of course, your own personal feelings about Doom will determine whether that's an excited statement or one of indifference, but there's no denying that this is a quality package.

Graphically, the game attempts to emulate the original game rather than using updated polygonal models or a new graphical engine. As a result, objects and monsters get a bit blocky when you get close to them, just as it should be. Still, with many other classic games getting optional face-lifts on Xbox Live Arcade, it's hard not to wish for a few little updates, like some sprite filtering or an option for true wide-screen support. The menu screens all use the entire width of an HDTV, but once you launch the game, you're staring at the original 4:3 image. The ripping MIDI guitars that made the game's soundtrack so memorable are completely intact, and the game's sound has been updated a bit to take advantage of surround-sound systems.

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