Delivers a much more action-packed experience than Doom, but some things just don't feel right...
Doom II contains the same style of gameplay found in Doom: enter a level, blow away anything that moves, and go to the exit. While the gameplay in Doom II is essentially the same as Doom, it is kept fresh due to the addition of new monsters and a new weapon, the double barrelled shotgun. The new monsters present the player with new challenges, among them running for cover after a heat seeking missile has been launched at you or when an Arch Vile has started to cast an undodgeable flame spell.
Doom II's graphics are of the same quality as those of Doom. Again, while they are not up to standard as far as modern games go, they serve their purpose well. Like in Doom, Doom II's graphics can suffer from pixilation when viewing objects from a distance on certain machines. However, this problem did not crop up very often in Doom, as most of the fighting took place in confined areas. Doom II, on the other hand, features many large, open environments with enemies scattered from one end of the map to the other, a good deal of which are to be found outside the structures in those levels. Due to this, pixilation can occur fairly often.
Doom II also features the same sound effects from Doom, and then some. The new demons' cries sound great, and the new DBS sounds pleasntly powerful. Again, the MIDI files sound a little outdated, but are still fairly good background tunes. Most of the soundtrack consists of 'revving up' pieces of various volumes, with a few soft tunes thrown into the mix. None of the latter come close to the disturbing quality of the vocals in Doom, however.
Doom II is a fun game, no question about it, but it just does not feel the same as Doom. First off, the decision to utilize large environments with open outside areas in many of the game's levels replace the clausterphobic feeling Doom had with a sense of frustration as you try to navigate your way through the level. The huge monster count per level and new soundtrack style also alter the experience. Instead of being constantly on edge for fear of a monster surprising you, you are almost always shooting at vast herds of demons. Instead of fighting to a soundtrack designed to make you experience a wide range of emotions, you will find yourself blasting happily away to driving action music that makes you feel completely invincible.
The storyline of Doom II is another sore point. While Doom's story wasn't the greatest tale ever told, it far outshines the simplified story exhibited in Doom II. You arrive back on Earth after the events in Doom and find that Earth is overrun by demons. After all your buddies are killed, it is up to you to save mankind. But, id games are not known for their sensational stories, so it is of little consequence.
One personal problem I found with the 32 level campaign was that you don't always feel you are where the game tells you you are. For instance, when you first enter Hell, the environment doesn't begin to look Hellish until the next few levels later. Even the sky stays the same until that same point, showing a human city in ruins. The only level on Earth that feels remotely plausible is the Downtown area, but even that requires a slight strech of the imagination. This is definitly a step back from Doom's efforts to convince you that you were where you were.
Doom II is a classic FPS that presents the player with an action packed gaming experience, but replaces the creepy atmosphere of Doom with a feeling of being in complete control of any situation. Regardless, this is a fun game that any self respecting gamer should own.