"A revolutionary shooter game that's quite good, but far from great"

Intro
So, just because something is ''revolutionary,'' does that mean we must readily bow down and worship it? I don't think so. Take this game, for example: Doom. It was an innovative shooter when it came out. Pretty much because of this game, many other shooters, both good and bad, came along. Okay, I'll admit! This game is slightly fun, but not a perfect game.

Sole Survivor
In Doom, you are the sole survivor of a large group of space marines who were stationed on the two moons of Mars. The group was attacked by a massive horde of evil demonic aliens and completely wiped out, except you, of course. Now, it's up to you to destroy the demons.

Game Layout
Pretty run-of-the-mill story. The gameplay is like most shooters out today, although when this game came out it was quite innovative. Unlike many shooters that came out before this one, you can actually move up to down, meaning that you can climb stairs rather than be stranded on the same level as you are with Wolfenstein or Blake Stone. The only time you actually ''go up'' on those games is when you advance to the next stage. Although you can move up to down, you cannot jump in this game, strangely enough.

Gameplay
The gameplay is a lot like shooters that came before this. You basically just aim a weapon and fire. There are also barrels you can fire at that will explode and deal massive amounts of damage to your enemies. You get many different weapons in this game as with any shooter. You start out with a basic pistol, but then get other weapons such as a shotgun, a chaingun, a rocket launcher, the BFG, etc.

Score and Fail
Where does this game score and fail? Well, when it first came out, the graphics were considerably good. Maybe a bit of pixilation, but then again, this isn't exactly a new game, either. The sound effects are also considerably good. I enjoy most of the different monster roars throughout the game and some of the explosion sounds. The controls are very easy to work. You mainly just use your set peripherals to move front to back, or left to right if you push the strafe button. You can also turn your character 360 degrees left to right, but not up to down (like you can in Descent).

Where I thought this game lacked was mainly in the gameplay area. After a while, it got extremely repetitive. Almost every level was like playing the last, only with a slightly different strategy in mind. Make no mistake, though. The gameplay isn't totally bad, it's just not great and probably one of the factors that cost this game a spot in my ''10 League.''

FINAL JUDGMENT
Graphics: Not too bad for an older game. They are certainly better than shooter games before this one. 8/10
Sounds: Good enough 9/10
Control: Easy enough to handle. It's just a shame that Id didn't catch on to the idea of jumping on this game. 8/10
Plot/Storyline: Straight out of the land of B-movies. Unfortunately, it's pretty run-of-the-mill. 5/10
Gameplay: A bit fun to start, but gets pretty old rather fast. At least it has an addiction factor to it 7/10
All Together: 7/10

Recommendations
Any fan of the shooter series should give this one a try, no matter how old it is. It's a classic, but not a highly rated one, in my book.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 02/05/01, Updated 04/18/01