Doom Classic

Developer: iD Software
Price: $6.99
Version Reviewed: 1.0 (iPhone OS 3.0 Tested)
Reviewed on: iPhone 3GS

Graphics / Sound [rating:3.5/5]
Game Controls [rating:3.5/5]
Gameplay [rating:4.5/5]

iPhone Integration [rating:4.5/5]
User Interface [rating:3.5/5]

Re-use / Replay Value [rating:4.5/5]

Overall Rating:

Following on from Doom Resurrection, the slightly revamped, slightly modernized version of good ol' Doom, iD Software thought you'd like the classic experience, and so this week they announced the release of Doom Classic, for iPhone (and iPod touch) - and this time my friends, it is the Doom we all know and love. You won't find polished graphics here. This is the classic 8-bit Doomfest you've been waiting for. Nostalgia overload.

If you're reading this you probably know what Doom is, but believe it or not there are still people out there who have yet to experience it. Doom was introduced in 1993 as a science-fiction horror based FPS, and when first introduced was looked upon as the first of it's kind, sparking what many see as the thriving FPS genre we have and buy into today. This release takes everything you loved about the original Doom and shrunk it down to fit inside your pocket!

The game sees you play through 36 missions, in 4 episodes. The first 3 episodes are the original ones you know and love. These include: Knee-Deep in the Dead, Shores of Hell, Inferno, and the latest - Thy Flesh Consumed. Playing the actual game is simple enough. Controls are touch based, and you have a three different control options.

The first configuration (and the default when opening the game for the first time) is a movable joystick-like area located on the left-hand side of the screen. This controls your characters directional movement. Opposite this is your 'tap to fire' button. The second configuration sees a d-pad introduced into the left side of the screen, which is static. Opposite this is the right is the joy-stick which controls both vertical and horizontal movement, and above this is the 'tap to fire' button. The last and final configuration for controls in Doom Classic sees a navigation 'wheel' added (on the left), allowing control of your camera view, alongside a full d-pad (on the right). On this configuration, your 'tap to fire' button stays in the same position as on configuration 2. When moving a control element around the screen, once you lift your finger up, the control snaps back into the corner. This is great as it means you don't have control items cluttering up the screen.

Moving in-game, while the controls are easy to use, and having 3 different configurations to choose from definitely helps, gameplay can be a bit fast - I'll explain what I mean by that. I'm not referring to the length of the game, but instead the 'speed' your character moves around the maps. In my experience it can get a little nauseating. But this is really all I can fault in this port. While it doesn't ruin the game, you'll likely find it a little harder to reach and navigate to places you'd like to because of it.

In-game stats like your health, amount of ammo remaining and percentage of armour you have remaining are displayed in a static bar on the bottom of the screen. Tapping the animated character head thorws up your weapon inventory. Available weapons in the game include: Your fist, Pistols, Shotgun, Chaingun, Rockets, Plasma, BFG, Chainsaw and the DBLShotgun. Ammo for all of these can be picked up in game.

If you're not a big FPS fan, graphically you might find the game disappointing. There are no flashy visuals here. Just pure, true, "bloody" Doomilicious FPS. Graphics resemble that of Duke Nukem, sporting that 'pixelated' look you die-hard Doom fans craved all those years ago.

There are a few welcome changes though, the first being multiplayer ability. Doom Classic offers two multiplayer modes including: Deathmatch and co-operative multiplayer which in trun supports up to 4 players at any one time, via Wi-Fi. The game also features the original Doom soundtrack which plays throughout, although this can also be disabled allowing you to use your own music from iPod.app.

Overall, Doom Classic for iPhone is a worthy port of a retro gaming classic. A nostalgia title recommended for fans of the franchise, iD Software have managed to pull off bringing the game to the iPhone, in a user intuitive and graphically pleasing way. While I found the game could do with a few more control tweaking options, this can be overlooked (in a way), by the amount of content packaged within this port, and your bang for buck.