When it was first released in 1993, Doom set the bar for all other first-person shooters moving forward, with its lightning-fast gameplay, fountains of blood, and incredibly addictive nature. The 1994 sequel, Doom II, upped the ante, adding new enemies and weapons, more complex levels, and a grander sense of scope and excitement. Together, these two games laid the groundwork for the FPS genre and are revered as absolute masterpieces, and as such, have been ported and re-released more times than I can count.
That number grows again with the release of Doom + Doom II, a new remaster of these iconic games created by NightDive Studios, available for all major platforms. But why, in 2024, would you want to buy yet another remaster of Doom? Surprisingly, Doom + Doom II justifies its existence with some excellent new content, including a brand new expansion, remixed music, online multiplayer, and fantastic gameplay. This is not just a decent port, but possibly the best way to experience the classic Doom experience on consoles.
All of Classic DOOM in One Place
The title of Doom + Doom II undersells things a bit, as this collection contains much more Doom content than the original two games. In addition to Doom and Doom II, you can play every official expansion that has been released in the past 30 years, totaling nearly 150 maps of mayhem overall. This includes Master Levels for Doom II, TNT: Evilution, and The Plutonia Experiment, all released back in the mid to late 1990s. Modern expansions like the co-op intended No Rest for the Living and John Romero’s SIGIL/SIGIL II are also included in full, but it’s the newest expansion, Legacy of Rust, that draws the most attention. Co-developed by Nightdive, id Software, and MachineGames, this expansion not only offers more demon-filled levels to clear, but also a handful of new enemies and weapons.
When it comes to the quality of the gameplay, there’s no disputing the entertainment that Doom provides. Fast, bloody, and putting you on a hell of a power trip, this is a first-person shooter that every gamer should know. In fact, if you’ve never played classic Doom and you’re reading this right now, just do yourself a favor and go pick up Doom + Doom 2 on your system of choice. If you like FPS games in the slightest, you won’t be disappointed. Thanks to NightDive Studio’s KEX engine, which has continually output other excellent remasters like Quake, Powerslave Exhumed, and Star Wars: Dark Forces, Doom + Doom 2 looks incredibly good, running at up to 120FPS in 4K, depending on your platform. You’ll also be ripping and tearing to an excellent new remixed soundtrack, composed by Andrew Hulshult, which injects a hefty boost of metal into the now iconic score.
Endless Mods and Online Multiplayer
The Doom modding community is one of the most long standing and prolific of them all, with thousands of levels to download, but of admittedly varying quality. While Doom + Doom 2 doesn’t do anything radically new with level modding, especially on PC, it does make the process easier for newcomers or console-only players. From the main menu of either game, you can easily access a mod browser, which currently holds hundreds of mods to enjoy. To play, it’s as simple as hitting the “subscribe” button and activating the mod in the menu. New and existing mods are being uploaded at a rapid pace, resulting in a seemingly endless selection of levels, all included for no extra charge.
The other defining feature of Doom + Doom 2 is the incredibly simple online multiplayer offerings, something that most Doom ports woefully lack. With just a few button presses, you can host or join a multiplayer server, be it competitive or cooperative. Up to 16 players can enjoy a map at once, and the ease with which you can connect and play is a godsend. Every official campaign is supported as well, making expansions like No Rest for the Living much easier to enjoy. Seamless online multiplayer might not be the craziest feature for a modern FPS, but for classic Doom, it’s something that players are always happy to see.
If the idea of yet another Doom port feels ridiculous, rest assured that you’re not alone in that thought, but Doom + Doom 2 is actually well worth the investment. Especially for console players, this remaster provides unrestricted access to a sea of mods, excellent online play, and a decent bang for your buck. Unless you’ve got a super beefy PC and a large stack of level mods already in your possession, Doom + Doom 2 offers the best classic Doom gameplay that money can buy. Best of all, this new game is free for those who have already purchased the previous Doom port that was distributed by Bethesda, meaning you might already own it. Now, if you’re ever feeling the itch to play Doom, you can rest easy knowing that there’s a top-tier remaster that you can play on any modern platform, whether it’s the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Xbox Series X/S, or even last-generation consoles.
