Gaming Target - Game Boy: Doom

Written by Kyle Williams on September 25, 2001

First Impressions: Wow, Doom for this system too? That was.....unexpected.

When the original Doom burst onto PC screens in 1993 it helped to start a gaming revolution. Id's original masterpiece sparked surges in several different gaming directions. It was both one of the first widely played first-person perspective games and sported networked multi-player action. Next month Id and Activision are giving us the opportunity to take this classic on the road when they release Doom for the Game Boy Advance.

The GBA revision of Doom is all set to immerse us in the same gameplay that made the original game so successful. You will be able to once again take control of a heroic Space Marine and guide him through 24-plus levels of demon infested mayhem. At your disposal will be a full arsenal complete with shotguns and plasma rifles. Sure, the story may be nonexistent, but the action will more than make up for it.

Doom is set to show us whether or not the GBA will be able to run 3D game engines. While Doom isn't exactly on the cutting edge of the technology curve, neither is the GBA. After all, the Game Boy Advance is basically a handheld version of a Super NES. Doom will be a good test of what this fledgling system can do. If all goes as well as things are currently looking then we can expect to see several additional, more advanced, fps games to grace this system.

To help make the GBA release unique Id is adding several new features and play modes for the portable Doom. Of those features, the most exciting is the Multiplayer Co-op mode that will allow you and a friend to battle through the entire game on the same team. There are also three new deathmatch modes that will accommodate up to four players with a Game Boy Advance link cable. These multiplayer modes are what will help keep this classic fresh in the midst of the current batch of powerhouse action titles.