When I was growing up, Doom was the PC’s equivalent of the Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat franchises- it didn’t matter where you lived, you knew of Doom. Even if you weren’t fortunate enough to have a PC to play it, you knew someone who had it. Before the days of multi-player gaming over the Internet and $500 video cards, Doom was a shining example that computer games could offer an experience not replicable on consoles and in the arcades.Doom RPG (role playing game) in many ways retains the uniqueness of the original PC games in the transition to cell phone gaming. It keeps the original’s graphics, plot, enemies, and first person perspective while converting the shooter into a turn-based role-playing game. The control scheme has been perfected for the platform, removing the original’s emphasis on twitch-based gameplay. Yet, as well as the game plays despite the gameplay redesign, its decade-old source material also becomes a hindrance the farther you progress in the game.
In most facets, Doom RPG can be considered a near replica of Doom PC. You take the role of a marine exploring a military base in Mars, which basically means you go into a level, clear everything that moves, and find an exit. It’s pure, simple gunplay. There won’t be any stealth or strategy involved and you’ll have a wide assortment of weapons to choose from, including the standard Doom pistol, shotgun, plasma gun, rocket launcher, and infamous BFG. Compared to the original games, Doom RPG places a greater emphasis on encounters with non-player characters. As you travel through the base, you will learn more about the game’s story through interactions with these characters and computers. While the overall story isn’t particularly interesting, the writing in these encounters is often laden with inside jokes, so talking to people and using computers is one of the better aspects of the game.
The RPG gameplay revolves around your character being able to make one move at a time, in which firing a weapon or moving 1 step counts as a move. Enemies generally follow the same rules as well. You can use the joystick on your cell phone for movement if you have one, but the keypad works just as well. As in most RPGs, as you progress through the game, your abilities will increase- you will gain additional hit points, your aim will increase, etc. Unfortunately, the leveling aspect of the game seems shallow as you never feel that you’re actually getting stronger. It’s more that as you get farther in the game, you get access to better, cooler weapons. This is why someone’s enjoyment will come from how much he was a fan of the original games in the first place. Doom RPG is extremely long (the game lasted 8+ hours for me) for a cell phone game, and while I was glad of this at first, I was tired of the game by its end. The switch to turn-based gameplay removes much of the tension and anticipation I felt playing the originals. Most fights feel the same, and there’s no particular difference in excitement in fighting a dog versus fighting the last boss in the game. The shooter gameplay in the original was repetitive as well, but this problem is highlighted more in the RPG.
Graphically, Doom RPG looks like Doom, for good and bad. The good is that the original’s 3D engine has been moved to the cell phone display perfectly, down to the limited animation of the sprites. Aurally, sound effects are usually only present when you’re firing weapons and there isn’t any music in gameplay. While it may come from a limitation of the cell phone platform, the absence of in-game music contributes greatly to the lack of atmosphere in the game and the monotony that builds over time.
Ultimately, your enjoyment of Doom RPG will depend on your past experiences with the game. The more you enjoyed the originals, the more you will like the cell phone version. Doom RPG really is Doom PC in RPG form. It is an excellent translation of the originals and the optimization for the cell phone platform is clearly evident. The original’s weaknesses are bigger problems in the RPG, however, because of the length of the game and the slower pacing of the gameplay. I didn’t feel much sense of accomplishment when I finished the game, and I don’t think I would be too excited to go through it again. Nonetheless, Doom RPG is a great value and worth checking out.
Test System: Sony Ericsson W800i
I love video games. I just don't play too many of them. I grew up always having to learn about games through my (incredibly cheap) subscription to Video Games and Computer Entertainment (10 years later, this magazine is now known as Tips And Tricks). I'd read through each issue several times, remembering all the screenshots and details, but it was rare that I'd actually to get play any of the games featured just because I didn't have the money to do so. Now, I'm lucky enough to work in the industry, at a position that requires me to be a video game expert. Apparently I really did learn something from all that reading back then! I still don't play a lot of games though.
I enjoy virtually all game genres, except for PC war strategy, which I'm sure I just can't handle in terms of sophistication. My true calling in gaming is the PC FPS. It's the only genre where I'm willing to overlook major flaws in a particular game, finish it, and enjoy it anyway.
I also have a fascination with digitized video games (Fox Hunt, Psychic Detective, Angel Devoid), a now-defunct genre. Back when full-motion-video was all the rage, these games were supposed to be the next step in bringing Hollywood to the gamer, but most of the time, these efforts resulted in hilarious (and ridiculous) "interactive" movies that, instead of bringing innovation to the industry, only paved the way for the bad voice acting that the industry still suffers from today.
