Every Doom Game, Ranked
Have you ever wanted to soak yourself in the blood of demons? Run screaming into the pits of hell with guns blazing? Become the thing that Satan himself fears? The Doom franchise gave us that opportunity. Here are the best Doom games, ranked.
10. Doom Resurrection
Doom Resurrection should have stayed dead. It’s literally just an iOS games with Doom 3 assets plastered onto it. It’s a weak, tepid, cashgrabbing excuse for a railshooter that belongs in the pits of hell that it fights against. I’m not even sure it counts as a Doom game. Does a zombie count as a person? No. The comparison is fair, because this game is a braindead facsimile of the original. It’s not good, it’s disappointing. I’m disappointed in myself for even including it on this list.
9. Doom RPG
At least they tried? Doom RPG is another mobile game that at least attempted something original. Even if that attempt fundamentally misunderstands the reason why people play Doom games. We don’t play Doom to explore, to gain experience points, to level up, to face foes employing our own tactical acumen. No, we play Doom to go into a room full of demons guns blazing with nary a thought in our minds but “DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE!!!” Doom is the ultimate high-octane thriller, and seeing it reduced to a turn-based RPG is boring, no matter how “innovative” it is.
8. Doom II RPG
Dammit Doom, I thought I told you we didn’t want any more RPGs! Alright, I see what you did there. You took a game that made the franchise run in the wrong direction and at least gave it nicer running shoes. Doom II RPG is exactly what it sounds like, a more developed sequel to an idea that just wasn’t all that good in the first place. Yes, it is better than the original Doom RPG, it is an improvement in the same way putting chocolate syrup on a burned piece of toast is better than eating it dry. But that still doesn’t make it good.
7. Doom 64
Doom 64 is exactly what’s written in the tin: a Doom game for the Nintendo 64. Alright, fair! It’s a serviceable game! Good graphics (for the time) and it delivers a passable Doom gameplay experience. The problem with Doom 64 is that it doesn’t do anything new. Rather than innovate, it basically just presented the same game for a new crop of gamers: Nintendo players. It’s always good to have new converts to the Doom faith, but Doom 64 feels somewhat redundant to longtime fans of the series.
6. Doom 3
Doom 3 took a glorious, guns-blazing franchise and gave it a graphical makeover that stunned new fans and series veterans alike. The denizens of Hell look good. “Horrifying” good and not “pretty” good but you know what I mean. Sadly, despite this game’s excellent graphics, the gameplay itself took a hit. What should be an action-packed thrill ride is a decidedly slow-paced game that feels like a chore to get through. At least it isn’t turn-based, but still not quite fast enough.
5. Final Doom
Final Doom isn’t a Doom game per se. Rather, it’s a level pack for one of the greatest Doom games ever made: Doom II. When I say “level pack” I’m aware of how underwhelming that sounds, but this game is anything but. Final Doom is a MASSIVE expansion, offering 64 new levels across two new Doom stories: Plutonia and TNT. Best of all? It isn’t a franchise game, it was actually developed by a group of hardcore fans of the series who modded the original into something totally new. The developers did the smart thing and rewarded the fans’ efforts by making the game canon. We love to see it.
4. Doom
It’s Doom, baby. What else is there to say? A watershed moment in gaming, the shotgun-wielding nightmare fantasy known as the Doom franchise was born! Never before had a game delivered such blood-dripping violence, such high octane thrills, such video game FUN. It’s impossible not to crack a gleeful smile while emptying two barrels of buckshot into the gibbering mouths of the demonic hordes. And the multiplayer? Iconic. Doom INVENTED the concept of the Deathmatch, a gameplay style without which there would be no Halo, no Call of Duty, no pwning noobs.
3. Doom Eternal
Doom Eternal built upon the modern foundations laid by Doom‘s 2016 reboot and made them even bigger. But “better” is still debated. The game certainly features more than any other Doom game on the market, what with its new focus on platforming and narrative gameplay. But some argue that these fleshed-out aspects actually weaken the gory, grim skeleton that Doom is built upon. Every second spent hopping from platform to platform or watching a cutscene is a second not spent killing demons with a flamethrower. And I’m only here for one reason: the flamethrower. When you have a perfect foundation, sometimes the bells and whistles are just unnecessary.
2. Doom II
Doom II took a good thing and made it even better. More guns. More monsters. More action. More fun. Series purists say that Doom II is actually the best game in the franchise and that the modern editions of the series pale in compare to the vintage glory of the original. They’re not wrong. Without Doom II‘s landmark influence, it’s tough to say whether or not Doom‘s 2016 reboot or Doom Eternal would have had the impact that they had on gaming today. Doom II is the bedrock upon which the series is based, and while it may not have the modern graphical bells and whistles that the remakes do, it is easily the most important game in the franchise.
1. Doom (2016)
The 2016 reboot of Doom was everything that a hardcore fan could ask of the series and more. With stunning next-gen graphics and an all-new load-out of weapons and demons on which to use them, the new Doom was a joy for new fans and franchise veterans alike. The game is flawless. Jaw-dropping action. Mountains of gore. Sweet-ass gear upgrades. And best of all? A little bit of character spice added to the series’ protagonist the Doom Slayer. Heavy metal Master Chief was a hit. And speaking of heavy metal, the game’s score is in a league of its own.
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