In this regard Doom 2 functions more like an expansion pack than a full sequel. Gameplay additions include new monsters, one new weapon and one new powerup. All the baddies, weapons and powerups from the first Doom reappear, copy/pasted. So where does that leave us in the sequel? Well, let’s just say you can tell where efforts were made… and where they were not!įor instance, the game features no new graphical or technological improvements. So not only were they working on Doom 2, but also an additional nine levels for their original masterpiece. And adding to what must have been an already truncated development cycle, there’s also the fact that, as raised in my previous Doom review, the guys at Id software released “The Ultimate Doom”, simultaneously with Doom 2 – a repackaging of the first three episodes that also added a fourth episode, “Thy Flesh Consumed”. Well, for context, the original game was released in December 1993, Doom 2 was released in September 1994 – that’s ten months development! Lightening fast by early 90s standards and full on warp-speed by today’s. But now that the explosive dust has settled, let’s take a look back at what is, and what could have been.ĭoom 2 is, in many ways, a game of two halves there’s good and there‘s bad. Hotly anticipated by eager crowds ready for more run-and-gun action, this game was, on release, the best selling video game of all time and to this day remains one of the highest selling titles in video game history. The first sequel to the hallmark game that ushered in the era of the first-person-shooter. DOOM II: Hell on Earth Game Review Published by id software – Developed by id Software – PC

Doom ii hell on earth