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DOOM II: Hell on Earth (PC)
Publisher: GT Interactive	Developer: id Software
Genre: Action	Release Date: 10/94
ESRB: Mature	More Info on this Game

By Benjamin Turner (more about me) | Dec. 10, 2003
While it looked just a normal sequel, DOOM II built on the considerable strengths of its predecessor to provide an unforgettable action game experience.

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Pros	Cons
Perfect gameplay, single and multi; highly replayable; great new monsters; double-barreled shotgun.	None.

How do you follow up on one of the most groundbreaking games of all time? In 1994 id answered that by taking what worked before and slapping in a double-barreled shotgun, a horde of new monsters, and 32 new maps. That's DOOM II in a nutshell, and some people were disappointed that it didn't take things further. I wasn't one of them, because while DOOM II might have felt a bit conservative, it accomplished something very difficult. It zeroed in on exactly what was lacking in the first game, which wasn't much, and improved on it. The result was about as close to perfect as an action game could get, and a game that surpassed its prequel in most quantifiable ways.

DOOM II trades in the lunar labs of the early DOOM episodes for a more familiar locale: Planet Earth. True to its subtitle, Hell's minions have figured out how to invade Earth, slaughtering untold billions and perverting the places they roam into warped versions of their former selves. Humanity's remnants plan to escape the ruined world in a massive spaceship, but the spaceport is currently occupied by hellspawn. As the sole survivor of the original demon war, it's left to you assault the occupied spaceport and secure humanity's future.

So basically you shoot stuff and try not to die. It's DOOM, ya knucklehead.

Harder, Faster, Better, Stronger

Best. Weapon. Ever.

The most important addition to the game is the double-barreled shotgun, which is simply one of the best weapons ever concocted for a video game. It's over twice as powerful as the original shotgun but has a much less focused spread, ensuring the regular shotty isn't obsolete. It's powerful enough to take down even medium-strong enemies with only a few well-aimed shots, which gives a nice boost to the pace of the gameplay and encourages more close-range combat. It fires with a deep, bass-heavy "CLICK-CLACK-BOOM!" that never fails to be satisfying. Best of all, it can take down other players with a single well-placed blast, forever altering the dynamics of DOOM deathmatch -- it's now even faster.

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More Screenshots

The Amazing 40mph Doomguy

I setup ZDoom on an office computer, and a bud who shall remain unnamed was checking out the game for the first time in years. I checked in and he was on E1m6, but was only walking. I politely pointed out that there was a run key, and his speed doubled. He was shocked at how fast the game became, because every FPS after DOOM has only gotten slower. Follow id's own games -- each new one is almost always slower than the previous one. I guess it's realistic, but is it more fun?

Which Wins?