Wolfenstein 3D (XBLA, 2009)

Wolfenstein 3D
Developed by iD Software
Ported by Nerve Software
Published by Activision/Bethesda
Released for XBLA (6/2009)
Also on 3DO/GBA/Jaguar/Mac/Mobile/PC/PS3/SNES
Backwards Compatible on Xbox One

The classic Wolfenstein 3D was originally released for PC back in May 1992. Developed by iD Software, the game is the original first-person shooter and laid much of the groundwork for what would become Doom. I remember being absolutely blown away by this game the first time I played it. I'd never witnessed a game where the violence was happening right in your face like this and as a ten-year old it felt like a horror game to me at the time, what with all the creepy Nazi camps and bones scattered about. The game might not look so impressive to the younger crowd, but Wolfenstein 3D with it's smooth-scaling sprites and first-person perspective was a big deal back when it came out.

The PC classic was ported over to the Xbox Live Arcade and originally released in 2009 released to coincide with Raven Software's Wolfenstein, published by Activision who held the rights to the franchise at the time. In 2013, the game was released once again after being de-listed, this time published by Bethesda and re-issued just before the release of Wolfenstein: The New Order. Both versions of the game are exactly the same except for the publisher credits. For achievement hunters, it was possible to unlock achievements separately for both releases of the game if you happen to enjoy Wolfenstein 3D enough to play through it twice.

This is, for better or worse, pretty much a straight-up port of the PC classic. It contains all six episodes that were included in the registered version. Each episode contains nine levels and one hidden level that's accessed by finding a secret exit, for a grand total of sixty levels. So if you enjoy the maze-like layouts of the levels, you'll get a lot of bang for your buck. Remember, this is the first FPS, so there's not a whole lot of variety when it comes to your arsenal. When you first begin you'll be armed with only a handgun and your knife. As you progress through the game, you'll eventually find an automatic rifle and a minigun. After acquiring the next best weapon there's really no point in going back to the handgun, so you won't have to worry about switching between your weapons during battle. This is a good thing in Wolfenstein though, because the key to staying alive is to always shoot first when you encounter an enemy. On the harder difficulties, an enemy getting off even a single shot before you can easily mean death. This game is old-school, meaning you have a limited number of lives, but can obtain more by picking up 1-ups in hidden areas or racking up enough score. Score can be gained by picking up treasures scattered about, mostly found in secret areas. The whole lives system is pretty much void thanks to the fact you can save & load at any point in the game, but can be used to add additional challenge if one wants to avoid using saves.

While there are a large amount of levels to play through, the variety between them isn't the greatest. There are some nice details scattered about, like tables, pots and skeleton bones, which helps compensate a bit for the lack of floor and ceiling textures. There are also different colored sections within levels, which helps make it a bit easier to tell where you've already been and need to go, though unless you're using a map it's pretty much guaranteed you'll lose your way at least a few times throughout the game (there is no in-game map of any sort). The episodes vary a bit in quality and the third episode is definitely my favorite, as this is the one where you face off against Hitler in the last level. In the third episode the level design is lot more simple and straight-forward, ramping up the difficulty with enemy placement instead of complicated mazes like most of the other levels in the game. The last three episodes are definitely not as memorable as the initial three, mainly due to even more maze-like layouts and a lack of new enemies, but they are still worth a play if you enjoyed the first three episodes and add quite a bit of replay value. There's a particularly nasty level to be found in the fourth episode (level 5), where one of the keys you'll need to complete the level is hidden behind a secret wall.

Performance-wise, Wolfenstein 3D runs smooth as you'd expect from a console like the 360 with one notable exception. For some reason whenever you press against a wall to reveal a secret there's a bit of a pause, as if the game is loading or something. The game also pauses when you're unlocking an achievement, but this is something I've run across in many titles before and is not terribly uncommon. The game did freeze on me a few times at the end of level results screen, but I was still able to access the Xbox menu for an easy exit to the dashboard. The controls are mapped out to the pad in a manner that makes the game easy to play. The run button is assigned to the left trigger so it's easy to toggle on and off. You can't turn around as fast as you can with the mouse, so make sure to use that save if you don't know what lies around a corner. When it comes to the save and load functions they work just as you'd expect though a quick-save button would have been a welcome addition. The game does contain leaderboards that rank you score on each level, but unfortunately there's no way to save or watch replays.

Wolfenstein 3D is now going on over 26 years since its release at the time of this writing, and time certainly has not been as kind to this game as it has with later FPS games. While I personally still found the game enjoyable, I chalk a large portion of that up to the severe nostalgia kick I get from playing it. Even as somebody who grew up absolutely loving this game, I can admit that the action can be quite repetitive and the maze-like level design borders on obnoxious at times. Whether you're coming back to it or playing it for the first time, Wolfenstein 3D can still deliver a good time, but it hasn't aged as well in the gameplay department as later FPS titles like Duke Nukem 3D or Doom. If you've already finished those and need more retro FPS action, Wolfenstein 3D should hold you over for a little while.

Final Verdict: Wolfenstein 3D is a certified classic and this is a good port, however the game has not aged all that well, featuring simple gameplay with little variety. The game is still fun and can be enjoyed by those looking for a retro blast from the past.

Related Links:
Buy Wolfenstein 3D - Xbox Marketplace
Bethesda - Official Site
Wolfenstein 3D - GameFAQs
Wolfenstein 3D - Achievement Guide - Xbox Achievements
Wolfenstein 3D - True Achievements
Wolfenstein 3D Ports (Stop Skeletons From Fighting) - YouTube
History of Wolfenstein (Gaming Historian) - YouTube

Doom II (XBLA, 2010)

Doom II
Developed by iD Software
Ported by Nerve Software
Published by Bethesda Softworks
Released for Xbox Live Arcade (5/2010)
Also on PC/Mac/GBA

Doom II, released on PC in 1994, was the much anticipated follow up to the best-seller originally released just a year before. At first glance, the game looks basically unchanged and in many respects it is very similar to its predecessor, but further inspection will reveal a very different style of level design and some nasty new monsters to kill.

Doom II ditches the episode format of the first game, rather just running the player straight through thirty consecutive maps (plus two hidden maps). One positive aspect to this is that when playing on the harder difficulties you won't have to start over with only a pistol after every episode. The first part of the episode will have you battling the demons on Earth, with the later levels taking you deeper into the depths of hell. The city environments definitely show their age and many times are a bit abstract, but for the most part the level design is solid and is much more wide open than the original title. There were a few maps I got completely stuck on, forcing me to resort to the internet for maps in order to figure out where I was supposed to go. I don't recall ever having to do this on the original Doom except to find secrets, which is the one reason I prefer the level design in the original game. That's not to say Doom II has bad level design at all as there are definitely some solid maps to be played in this title.

In addition to the 32-level main campaign, Doom II includes a new 9-level episode "No Rest for the Living" that was created exclusively for this version. New Doom maps are definitely a welcome addition however the quality of the map design is not quite up to par with the original Id Software maps. They are still fun to blast through but on the harder difficulties ammo and health become scarce effectively sky-rocketing the difficulty. You can tell they took advantage of the new hardware and really packed these levels full of monsters. As stated previously, these levels are definitely fun just not quite as good as the originals.

The new weapon, the super shotgun, is a superb addition to an already incredible arsenal. You'll need to use this weapon frequently too, because the new enemies are far more brutal and deadly than any you've encountered in the previous game. They all fit in well with the original cast and will make it hard to go back to the first title after you've experienced the ferocity of these new enemies. The original crew were pushovers compared to these guys! The final boss encounter is very original and tough as nails.

Deathmatch and co-op modes are present as they were in the first game, allowing for up to four players to join up online or locally via split-screen. There are also leaderboards featuring replay clips. There are some avatar awards you can unlock through playing the game which is always a nice little feature. Overall, Doom II is an excellent sequel to the classic franchise and definitely delivered in giving the players more of the same but on a larger scale with the difficulty raised up quite a bit. Like the original Doom, Doom II was removed from XBLA once the Xbox One received a port of the game in July 2019.

Final Verdict: Doom II still holds up well in modern times and is still a great shooter. Those new to the series should start with the original before playing the sequel.

Related Links:
Buy Doom II - Microsoft Store
Doom XBLA Review - Xbox Overview
Doom II - GameFAQs
Doom II Achievement Guide - Xbox Achievements
Doom II - True Achievements

Doom (XBLA, 2006)

Doom
Developed by id Software
Ported by Nerve Software
Published by Activision/Bethesda
Released for  Xbox Live Arcade (9/2006)
Also on PC/Jaguar/32X/SNES/PlayStation/3DO/Saturn/GBA/iOS
Backwards Compatible with Xbox One

I'd be shocked if you hadn't at least heard of the Doom games at some point, seeing as if you're reading this you must have at least a passing interest in video games and the game has been ported to what feels like just about everything that can play video games at this point. Doom was one of the biggest gaming hits of the '90's and many would swear that it was one of the greatest games ever made. As a kid growing up back in those days, I saw firsthand the huge impact that this game would leave on video games as a whole. So, after all these years, how does Doom hold up and would somebody that has never played it before enjoy it?

This version of Doom for the Xbox Live Arcade is a very straightforward port of the PC classic, featuring all three original episodes plus the fourth bonus episode that came with Ultimate Doom. The game looks and sounds exactly as it did originally on the PC, with no hiccups in the frame-rate and the classic Doom midi soundtrack. Graphically, as long as you take into account the year the game was released, everything still looks quite good. You can easily identify everything and the enemies still look as hellish as they ever did. The enemy death animations, while there is only one for each enemy, are still satisfyingly brutal. The sound design is excellent as you'll always be able to identify the monsters you're up against by their unique noises. It never fails to make me panic when I hear the sound of flesh tearing as an imp sneaks up behind you. The music design is heavily influenced by heavy-metal/rock groups of the 90's and it fits the satanic theme perfectly.

The control scheme is laid out well enough but trying to switch out weapons in a hurry can be a pain. You have to use the Y and B buttons to slowly scroll through your weapons, where on the PC version you just had to press the corresponding number to bring up the desired weapon. I did notice after I'd already finished the game that they mapped your weapons out to the d-pad. I think we all know how lackluster the 360's default d-pads are but it's better than nothing. Doom's weapon selection is iconic and pretty much set the standard for the genre. The shotgun, mini-gun, rocket launcher and plasma launcher are all great weapons and all serve a purpose in certain scenarios. The chainsaw is still great for those tight corridors and the BFG-9000 is amazing on special occasions, though you can't use it too often as it drains your ammo heavily! Doom really nailed the weapon diversity the first time around and the only weapon you won't care to use is the pistol you start out with.

The level designs are solid in Doom and for the most part still hold up pretty well even today. The progression of difficulty is good as well and the game will get pretty tough towards those final levels. If you want the true Doom experience, make sure to play through the game on the ultra violence setting. This version of Doom also retains the co-op campaign and deathmatch modes from the computer version as well, which is awesome and definitely adds loads of replayability to the title. Local co-op or deathmatch is allowed for 2-4 players. Online play is also still available at the time of this writing as long as you have a subscription to Xbox Live. There are also leaderboards with replay clips so you can check out some of those insane speed runs. This is definitely a welcome feature and I wish it would become more of a standard with these older titles being re-released on newer platforms.

If you've never played a Doom game before, the enjoyment you will get out of it depends on the player. I would imagine to the younger generation, these sprite-based graphics are pretty ugly, but if you don't mind the old graphic style there's still a great experience to be had with the game. I would definitely start with this one over the sequel as I feel the level design is more focused and the difficulty is far more fair in the original.

Doom was de-listed from the Xbox games marketplace for a while presumably due to the fact that publishing rights for iD Software games changed hands from Activision to Bethesda, but the game did return to XBLA under the new publisher. Doom would be de-listed once again from XBLA, this time for good, once the Xbox One port of the game was released in July 2019. Doom can also be obtained in physical media form via the Doom 3 BFG Edition, which also includes Doom II.

Final Verdict: A solid port of the PC classic, Doom is recommended for anybody who likes first-person shooter games. It's always good to learn the roots of the genre and see how we got to where we are today.

Related Links:
Buy Doom - Microsoft Store
Doom - GameFAQs
Doom Achievement Guide - Xbox Achievements
Doom - True Achievements
Digital Foundry Retro: Every Doom Console Port - YouTube