Doom Resurrection Micro-Review: What In The Sam Hell
id Software and Escalation Studios have compacted the essence of Doom 3 into an iPhone app with Doom Resurrection, an on-rails first-person shooter that teleports the player from Mars to Hell and back.
id’s Doom 3 side story puts players in the role of a Marine, aided by a flying ‘bot named Sam, as he makes his way from point A to point B, shooting anything that looks vaguely demonic. Borrowing familiar settings and enemies from its 2004 inspiration, Doom Resurrection whittles the experience down to something more appropriate for an on-the-go re-imagining.
Without the benefit of access to a keyboard and mouse, Doom Resurrection relies on accelerometer and touchscreen control to get all that first-person shooting done. The interface is simple, with portions of the iPhone’s touchscreen dedicated to attacking, dodging, reloading, switching weapons and pausing. To move your ever present reticule, just tilt.
With those concessions, was Doom worth exhuming on the iPhone?
Loved
As Good As On-Rails Shooters Get: Gaming snobs may turn up their noses at the prospect of a first-person shooter being hobbled with an on-rails guide, but Doom Resurrection remains surprisingly fun. Honestly, I didn’t miss keycard hunting, updating my PDA security clearance levels or straining to see without a flashlight during my play time. I was more interested in the often frantic light gun-like action. Smartly taking cover and perfecting headshots adds depth to a relatively simplistic arcade-style game. Having my performance graded after each level, based on things accuracy and the number of secret items found, compelled me enough to revisit many of the game’s stages.
Technically Impressive (Or Hey, That’s A Pretty Good Doom Impersonation): Doom Resurrection doesn’t look nearly as good as its five-year-old PC forebear, but it generally runs at a good clip. It’s the control scheme that impresses most, with a tilt to aim function that actually works—mostly thanks to a quick calibration setting that lets the player recenter the reticule on the fly.
Hated
But Not Without Its Quirks: Doom Resurrection does comes with its share of frustrations. The hitbox for enemies is generous to a fault, so you may be pointing directly at an exploding barrel, but hitting the zombie standing just to the left of it. And you’re probably going to recalibrate that targeting reticule a bit too often. And you’re going to roll your eyes at bad guys that teleport right behind you all the time. And you’re probably going to miss some health or ammo items when the touchscreen doesn’t register your taps.
Doom Resurrection will let you have a great deal of fun with it—if you overcome your iPhone game phobias and let yourself have a great deal of fun with it. There’s depth of play here, thanks to a suite of weapons that includes shotguns, plasma rifles, the trademark BFG and even a chainsaw, as well as smart, simplified touch controls.
What sometimes detracts from that fun is Doom Resurrection’s asking price (which seems just a few dollars too high), a handful of antiquated design decisions, and its occasionally mystifying touchscreen quirks.
Doom Resurrection was developed by Escalation Studios and published by id Software on the iPhone and iPod Touch on June 26. Retails for $US9.99 via iTunes. Played through main campaign on “Marine” difficulty, replayed multiple missions on “Veteran” difficulty in Free Play mode.
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Comments (AU Comments | US Comments)
jslizzle
Scotsdale
did John Carmack write the base code for this project too?
Eric Marty
@Scaramanga: I agree with you. Zenonia controls are just so horrible I can't take this seriously as a gaming platform. The only game I have on my iPhone that I do actually play when I'm bored sitting at my mother-in-law's house is iDracula. It's the only game to me that the controls don't irk me, also pretty fun.
@Michael McWhertor: It might be prudent to include this information in the summation of the reviews for iPhone games.
@(Zombie) Kermad:
I grew up with Doom. Has pulling power to me. Among many others. Doom 3 was actually really good after you got over the "OMFG I HAVE TO USE A FUCKING FLASHLIGHT" thing.
@lestat730: Id lost their edge when romero went out imo, so basically after Quake
Games like this one just need buttons.
Grind_Axis
BOOMER!
@tehdorkz: True. I played Assassins creed recently and the demo looks like a fun game. The controls are utter crap though - an on screen joystick simply doesn't do the trick.
Even worse are all the racing games that think that moving your phone is a good idea to steer. Let me say that once an for all: IT IS NOT!
As you move the screen out of sight the more you steer gives developers the option to make the controls too touchy, so that if you shake it will move your car, or too stiff, so that you have to move the screen out of your sight. Both sucks.
develin
@lestat730: I have an ipod touch and I treat it like crap. Hell, i keep it in the same pocket as my keys sometimes, unprotected. Other than a few small scratches that I definitely deserved, the screen is still fine. As for the smudges, in the right light you can see it but generally if you have your brightness somewhat up the screen looks fine.
The problem with games on the iphone/ipod touch for me is that it drains the battery life pretty fast.
Slartibartfast
@zach a mac rack alack: It's the control scheme that impresses most, with a tilt to aim function that actually works-mostly thanks to a quick calibration setting that lets the player recenter the reticule on the fly.
Sounds awful.
You didn't mention the horrible controls though.
@(Zombie) Kermad: I agree, seems like ID has lost their edge. Lets hope Rage redeems them, I really want to love them again.
Yet you couldn't do something a little better with my psp Id...
@tehdorkz: Capitalism at work my good sir, You see a quick dollar 'points at chart with money on it' easily earns you more then lower but more constant sales over several months
Wait a minute...
@lestat730: Also thought I'd mention that it's really annoying when playing games that require touching more then the accelerometer. When I'm playing Need For Speed it's great because it's mostly all tilting, but when playing Hero Of Sparta (Dungeon Crawler) where I have to tap the enemys or the spot I want to move I hate it. Not a big fan of games where my fingers block the action, it's akin to having someone walk in front of your TV while playing on a console.
@Lucas Hamel: I don't have an iphone but I've been playing touch screen games on my LG ENV Touch and it gets REALLY smudged after even a short session. Ever since I bought a touch screen phone a microfiber cloth has been in my pocket every day.
@Benjamin Kieffer: iPhone 3G
@BubbleF**kingBuddy: Yeah, the fat zombies are always the gluttonous ones, eating all other humans before anyone else could.
It's why the Boomer is always so sick in Left 4 Dead, it's eaten so much, it's literally to the point of throwing up after eating so much.
Thomas Henry Ward
@dreamfall: Yeah, but you don't wanna stand too close to them...with your rocket launcher.
I like how the iphone is unable to do the whole bullet cound on the gun, so it's just a broken screen. Great graphics none the less.
I hate character movement in iphone games like wolf3d and zenonia. If I only have to shoot, then I might check this one out.
dfx
@Scaramanga:
They usually drop the price after sales slow down, so I'd wait.
@Lucas Hamel: And by in the cars, you mean at the fast food drive thru.
I just started this on "Marine" difficulty. Aiming takes a little getting used to but its pretty cool so far.
Why do iD think that Doom as a lisence has some sort of pulling power. Doom was awesome like 15 years ago. So was Doom 2. But when everyone else copies them, and then they fail to innovate, then there's nothing to separate them from the rest of the crowd. It's as if they didn't realise that gameplay and graphics were their key features. Did they think we were playing Doom for the glorious local and magical lore?
@Scaramanga: That's my biggest problem with iPhone games, it's so hard to control them with the touch screen. Haptic feedback might help a little, but it just feels like there's no real sense of control using the touch screen or accelorometer to play games.
$10 is too high for an iPhone game. I own dozens of iPhone games and only Rolando is even close to worth paying that much. The majority of iPhone games are pretty pathetic shovelware measured by any modern standard of gaming (granted, there are few gems).
Sad thing is, it seems like all serious games get reduced to becoming an on-rails shooter on the iPhone; much like Metal Gear Solid on the iPhone.
It makes sense, if you played any game with a touch-screen D-pad, like Zenonia, then you know how frustratingly terrible it is.
Scaramanga
@gold163: I dunno man. I play a lot of zombie games, but I still see more fat people on the street.
By on the street, I mean in the cars.
Lucas Hamel
That guy looks like the Man Without a Face from the Maury episode of South Park.
SEX_BISON
@BubbleF**kingBuddy: Careful there, don't want to offend any fat zombies.
The Forgetful Brain
I'll wait for the price to drop, like with wolf 3d.
I just have trouble taking my iPhone seriously as a gaming platform I guess. Some of the games out on it are neat and all, but a lot of them are just really gimmicky. It's a lot like the Wii, everyone sees a chance to make money so they flood the market with terrible games and hope people buy them. That's not to say every game on either is bad, just that you have to sort through a lot of crap to find something worth your time and money. I've tried a few games on my iPhone, some were pretty fun for a few minutes, but after that I never really played them anymore, that's how I see this game ending. It looks neat and all, but overall, just seems like something I'm going to forget about after a week or two.
@BubbleF**kingBuddy: i like my zombie fatties. aren't they marvelous?
dreamfall
@undefined: No, every fat zombie guy has his OWN rail shooter. They're stars.
Bergerac
@King of Fun UK: You might register the same complaint with the old Doom games, but at least those were simply so fun that repetition was a selling point.
@Lucas Hamel: You might be surprised.
@BubbleF**kingBuddy: I believe that there are more fat guys in real life than in zombie rail shooters.
Lucas Hamel
I'm really surprised at how many games are being put on the iPhone. I never looked at it, thinking "this is something that I'd like to use as a gaming system!"
It seems like most of the games are rail-shooters. I'd rather have them on the Wii.
Also, doesn't the screen would get really smudged?
Lucas Hamel
@BubbleF**kingBuddy: Why of course! Fat Zombies = Epitome of Awesome :)
Rhapsidous
Which generation iPhone or iPod touch did you review this on?
Benjamin Kieffer
Hmmm, sounds interesting, might have to warrent a purchase, my gaming fix on my iPhone is limited to just casual pick up, play, and put down games. Price is a little much though.
@BubbleF**kingBuddy: How else would I pay my way through college?
You know, weirdly I only had one complaint with this game.
The stages just go on and on and on and they're so damn repetitive.
Aside from that though? Great looking, "decent" storyline, fun mechanics. Well worth the price.
Does every rail shooter have a fat zombie guy?
Why didn't they just put Doom and Doom II on the Iphone... that would have been far better! (Incidentally, if it's already on the Iphone, I was complete unawares)
Kyle Cunliffe
@RyuuzakiBjorn: Well, technically I spent 300 dollars to play it since I played it on the 360, but if I'd have played it on the PC, it'd have been a lot more for the PC plus graphics worth shit. Does he mean he paid 300 just for the game? Because that'd be serious...er...devotion. I paid 28 dollars for it on eBay, personally.
miquonranger03