iPhone Review: Doom Resurrection
by Jaden Walker
Developer/Publisher: Escalation Studios/ id Software
Genre: First-person shooter
Price: $9.99
Verdict: Worth the price of admission.
Pros: Amazing graphics and gameplay. Fun new twists on the series.
Cons: Slightly odd aiming controls. The computer’s whistle.
If there’s one thing that’s more than simply redundant, it’s a resurrection of zombies. That said, it’s a hell of a lot of fun! No matter how many times Doom comes out, I can’t help but want to play it. This is one of the few older game franchises that hasn’t released thousands of sequels and promptly embarrassed itself out of any credibility.
Doom Resurrection, for the iPhone and iPod Touch, is a brand new game in the Doom universe. It uses graphics from the third game in the Doom series, which look surprisingly good on the iPhone/ iPod Touch. The game has the same basic story line: A military experiment on teleportation that accidentally opens a door to Hell. Now there are demons and zombies all around and you need to, if you excuse the phrase, “get the Hell out of Dodge.” The one new twist is that you find another living person at the beginning. He’s a bit too afraid to venture out with you, but instead locks himself in a room and sends a little flying robot with you so he can talk to you. The robot whistles very loudly any time it talks to you and the noise really got on my nerves, and probably will for you as well. That’s one of only negatives on this game, though. Still, watch out if you’re playing with headphones in.
The game itself is an on-rails shooter– meaning that it moves for you. To be honest, this is my favorite kind of shooter. It really tests your reflexes and reaction time because you never have time to rest and gather your senses. The controls are simple and refined. You tilt the device to move the crosshairs and aim your weapon. There are buttons in each corner that allow you to fire, reload your weapon, dodge attacks, and switch weapons. You touch items on the screen to pick them up as you see them. There are also certain enemies who will grab and attack you, and you free yourself by shaking your iPhone/iPod Touch. The controls are very solid, but have a few quirks. I found the aiming system to be very cumbersome at first, especially the fact that tilting forward aimed up and back aimed down. Luckily I accidentally paused the game and found the invert function to switch those. Once you get used to the calibration, it feels just fine. The other odd point is picking up items can be picky. If an item is in the corner, it’ll be more likely to fire your weapon (or whichever button is nearby) instead of grabbing the item. A simple update can fix that small issue, though.
As far as gameplay, it’s exactly what you would expect. You walk around military bases and parts of Hell and blow up zombies and demons. It really doesn’t get any better than this. What more can I say? Lastly, the Doom series is synonymous with cheat codes like the perfectly named “God Mode.” Unfortunately, in my time with this game, so far, I have not found any of the cheat codes for this title. I’m sure they’re there, but I can’t share them with you, yet. If I’m able to find them, I will update this review for everyone. If you’re a fan of Doom, first person shooters, rail shooters, or just blowing up zombies, this game is an OUTSTANDING title and well worth your $9.99. Keep sending these our way, id. You did a wonderful job :)
