Doom (Nintendo Game Boy Advance, 2001)

When I first bought this item, I was excited and was also ready to see a solid port of my favorite Doom game come to a handheld console. Well, four days and a viscerated shipping mailer later, I actually got to play the original Doom for the game boy advance instead of just watching videos on the internet. My response at first was skeptical, it just wasn't as action-packed as Doom on the PC, but then I realized that I was on the easiest difficulty as opposed to me being on Ultra-violence on the PC version. Then I played the game on Nightmare and things antied up quite a bit, that being said my whole view of this game has changed since. Now, if you're looking at buying this game there are a few differences that seperates this port from the PC version. First of all, the most noticeable difference between the PC and GBA Dooms is that the GBA Doom uses the JagDoom mapset, which means that only 23 out of the 24 original levels are available, the cyberdemon and spider-mastermind are missing, the levels that are included are simplified (some were almost unrecognizable), and all of the secret levels were axed out so the game could be crammed into a single two square-inch cartridge. Some other differences, while minor, will be noted, such as when the pinkies (That's the monster that's a pinkish tone and tries to bite you for those of you who aren't familiar with Doom lingo) die they make the sound of an imp's death instead of their own snorting sound, also is that when you fall you make the sound that resembles you being hurt, although no damage is taken it can get quite confusing at times. Also noted is that the box of bullets looks quite a bit lighter than its PC counterpart. The music in the game is a lot simpler than that of the PC version since it's on a cartridge and not a CD, which means a lot of techno sounds and synthetic bass, also the music at the first level is gone and some of the songs are played out of order, the music is surprisingly quiet also. The controls in the game aren't terrible, you use the D-pad to move and turn, the shoulder buttons to strafe, and the A and B buttons to either use (open doors, pull switches, press buttons, interactions basically) or fire, depending on your button configuration. As for the actual gameplay aspect of the game, the frame rate is surprisingly smooth and the only time you'll actually see a stutter in the frame rate is when you're in a large, open area or there are tons of monsters and items littering your screen, or both. The game is pretty much just as fun as its PC comparison and, in my point of view, the boss levels (DIS and Tower of Babel only) are more fun than that of the PC. Now, of course this game is never going to be as good as the PC or XBox 360 ports of Doom, but remember, it's Doom, it's portable, it's fun, what's not to like!?

This is a pretty impressive port of Doom considering it being on the GBA. Most of the levels are here, all but the boss monsters are included, graphics are good, and the framerate does keep up fairly well. However, all is not good. The enemies bleed green blood, the music is pretty bad, and the graphics can become pretty messy when being attacked. But its still Doom and being on the GBA is just too cool to pass up. Its a good game overall and can still be found cheaply. If you like first person shooters and own a GBA, there is no reason to not own this game.

I remembered playing this groundbreaking game years ago on one of my first computers. When I saw it was now placed in the GBA format, I wondered how it would translate to the little screen and how it would stand up to the sophisticated RPG's and Military Games with their complex missions that I was now accustomed to playing. I found that this is still the great game I had spent hours playing years ago. This game is perfect for the GBA screen. Fast paced, hack and slash fans will love the timed objective; to take everything out and make it to the goal by the pre-set par time. Detail people, like me, will love to try to find every secret and every Item in each level. If you like first person shooters, this game is for you!

I would have to say this is one of the better games on the gameboy advance. It has hours of play and was alot like the pc, with very few things changing from the pc to gba. This is a game that you can pick up and play a few levels anytime and it will always be fun.

This game is very good. Although it is somewhat less detailed than the PC version, it is still a classic that will always be in my favorites.