Gaming Target - Game Boy: Doom II

Written by Matt Swider on December 09, 2002

Review: Remember my favorite secret in the beginning: The chainsaw is located behind your starting position. Miss it and you'll be doomed too!

I have fond memories of Doom II dating back to May of 1994 when I first experienced the gruesome shooting game on my PC that sported Windows 3.1. After becoming so engrossed in the game, I only dabbled in its successors until the day Doom hit the Game Boy Advance. While I enjoyed the reincarnation immensely and was able to recall the days of playing the original, I hadn't clocked the same number of hours on it as I did with Doom II. This is why I was pleased to hear that Activision planned to follow up the ported original with its sequel and was even more delighted to find out that Torus Games was handling the translation. After projects under Activision such as Jackie Chan Adventures and Space Invaders, Torus Games has retained a reputable quality for its handheld games. Additionally, the developer has already proven itself capable in the first person shooter genre with the release of Duke Nukem Advance earlier this year. From Doom II, we receive another mindless shooter from almost decade ago, only this time with improvements in every corner.

At first glance, it seems as if the visuals in Doom II have gone unchanged in comparison to last year's release. Yet going back through the original port proves that there are some subtle differences between the two games. While there are minor improvements in the framerate and texture quality, the biggest enhancement comes by means of clarity and visibility. The options menu provides a contrast setting dubbed gamma, which increases and decreases the overall brightness. Even though it's highest setting is an improvement over Doom, dark areas still exist and make it tough to see on the Game Boy Advance screen. Then again, it wouldn't feel like a Doom game without such shady lighting effects.

The one aspect that never really fit the Doom theme was its music. Each tune comes off as too upbeat and doesn't mix well with the rest of the carnage in the game. Nevertheless, it fills the gaps and is better than the eerie silence that sometimes accompanies games in the genre. While songs don't set the mood, many of the sound effects do the job just as well. The blast of all seventeen guns and the enemy grunts that follow each hit match the PC version perfectly. Each audio clip is clear-cut and the snarling heard throughout is dead on.

Doom II plays just like its predecessor with thirty new stages of adrenaline rushing, demon slaying gameplay. The design of each level and placement of enemies within is superior, making one think about using tactics rather than always storming a room full of imps all the time. Going on a killing-spree from level to level is inevitable though, even though there's a greater emphasis on switches and color-coded key collection compared to last time. The multiplayer experience within Doom II has also improved with the chance to battle it out in all the levels of the game. Both four-player deathmatch and two-person cooperative modes require players to provide their own cartridge, but offer hours of riveting entertainment in the process.