14. Doom 2 (PC)When I originally compiled my top 10 list, this was the game I considered putting in over Contra. Both games are the purest possible expression of the shooter in my mind. Both are Dead Simple and elegant. Both don't saddle you with cutscenes or plot or fetch quests. You hit start, and you get to killing demons.
Ultimately, Contra won out because I felt that while even simpler than Doom, it had less chaingunners.
Doom 2 is more than just a game, it's an engine. Some of the WADs that have been made for it are actually better (far, far better, even) than the original game. I'll spare you their names since I doubt most people here are hardcore Doom WAD players, but if you're ever in the market for some really good (and hard) shit, head on over to Doomworld. I won't be rating Doom 2 on player created WADs. But I felt it would be very remiss of me not to mention them, because they're a big part of what makes Doom 2 so great.
So, those of you have been reading this list may remember me telling you that I actually prefer Doom 64's level design and weapon balance. So what gives? Why is Doom 2 so much higher on this list? Could it be that it's increased menagerie of enemies makes that much of a difference?
The answer is yes. Yes it does.
Doom 64 only saw a few cuts. But those cuts were deep. They cut the two best enemies out of the game, one of which is probably the best designed enemy in
any game ever. They also cut the chaingunner, but eh. That I can live with.
So, let's talk about those two enemies and why they make the difference. The answer is "because they're really fucking well designed". And it turns out that what makes Doom so special is how it's various enemy designs all combine and compliment each other to create really interesting, challenging, and fun encounters. So cutting what are probably the two best enemies out of your sequel really hurts the game overall.
First up, we have everyone's favorite Spooky Boi Skeleton, the Revenant. Ok, so they shoot missiles at you. Sometimes they're just a regular projectile, and sometimes they're a homing missile. Oh and they'll play punch out with you if you get too close.
That's it?
Yep. Good doesn't mean complicated.
What makes the Revenant so amazing is how they're actually not that tough. They can be dispatched in 2 rockets or 2 super shotgun blasts. But they're a HUGE threat because of their high damage potential (they have a huge spread of damage, something like 20-80) and the fact that their missiles can't simply be sidestepped, like most other enemies. They're also not hitscan, so they're not exactly as priority a target as a chaingunner or shotgunner, but you should never turn your back on them. Kiting their homing missiles around and into pillars and walls creates really interesting and frenetic gameplay as you dodge, weave, and duck around corners while dealing with other enemies in the room.
All in all, Revs are an outstanding mid-range threat. Sadly a lot of the Doom 2 expaks and WADs overuse them, which is bad because, well, overuse of any one enemy no matter how good they are makes you get sick of them. But when used in proper moderation, Revs are an integral part of the Doom 2 experience.
And now to talk about the big boi.
The Archvile is a fucking miracle of an enemy. Instantly hateable and loathed, they make Doom 2 newbies and veterans alike cry bitter tears. So lets jump in to their amazingly evil design, shall we?
Archviles are tanky. They are about as tanky as a Baron, so expect 5-6 rocket hits to kill them. Notice I said
hits, because chances are you'll use more rockets, because...
Archviles are
fast. They move decidedly faster than almost every enemy in the game that isn't a charging lost soul. And because they're so fast and erratic, it makes shooting them difficult, especially with projectiles like rockets.
So the best way to shoot them, it turns out, is to actually just wait till they attack you, because that forces them to stand still. And their attack is to light you on fire and then explode you. A flame will start building up under you, and if you don't break line of sight, it will launch you upwards and blow down about 80 of your health.
Oh, and you don't want to let them run around waiting for them to attack too much. Cause they have one other ability, you see.
Archviles bring dead demons back to life. At full health.
That's right, Archies are Hell's back row healer demons. Their power is limited, somewhat, in that they cannot resurrect Cyberdemons, Spider Masterminds, Pain Elementals, or each other (thank god). But that still means they can bring back full HP Mancubi, Barons, etc. They're an absolute bane to leave alive, more so than any other enemy except maybe a chaingunner.
Their wake up sound and appearance are both incredibly unique, which instantly lets the player know that this demon is something else, something special. And yeah, cutting this guy from Doom 64 hurt the game that much. The Archvile is an absolute terror of an enemy, but also perfectly fair. If you get hit by one or let one raise a ton of demons from the dead, that's on you. They're not cheap, just absolutely horrifying.
The rest of the game is great. Not perfect, it has chaingunners and some bad levels. Uhg, the city levels. But yeah, it's Doom. As far as I'm concerned, it's the absolute pinnacle of the formula. The WADs you can download and play are just (a very thick and delicious) icing on the cake.
Do I recommend this game:I do. It has a difficulty slider so if you're bad at shooting/action you can just lower the game down to your level. Avoid if shooters are not your thing.
Gameplay: 9.5. Demon slaughter at it's finest.
Experience: 6. The soundtrack is varied in quality, and the levels are sort of bland looking in that 90s way. But it's not terrible or anything, and it certainly looks better than what came immediately after it in the era of Quake's browns only design.
