Jump to content
Search In
  • More options...
Find results that contain...
Find results in...
schmerr

Is Doom GBA worth it?

Recommended Posts

I recently bought a gameboy advance and wolf3d for it so i could have a quick fix of nostalgia on the go, the only downside is, wolf3d on gba kind of sucks. Not bad enough for me to regret my purchase, but in those larger spacious rooms, it chugs along at like half the frames it usually does. So, i'm wondering if the doom and doom II ports are more of the same? i saw it somewhere for around $15, is it worth that much?

Share this post


Link to post

Eh, not really. They both run somewhat poorly, and they're censored with green blood and disappearing bodies. The music in Doom 1 has been butchered horrendously and also has the wrong track arrangement. Doom 2 doesn't even use the Doom engine, and thus the gameplay feels different, kinda like how SNES Doom 1 had a totally custom engine. Get them if you must, but remember that they're only a novelty.

If you've got a GBA, maybe you should look into games that actually shine on it. Dunno if you like platformers, but I've always loved Wario Land 4. Super Mario Advance is a very nice revamp of Super Mario Bros. 2 (western version, AKA Doki Doki Panic), feels a bit more like an actual Mario game now. Obviously, there's a whole library of good stuff on there, but it's been years since I've played GBA so I don't really remember much.

Share this post


Link to post

Heh Wario Land 4, I remember back then finding it kind of disappointing since it strayed away from what I thought made the previous Wario Land games great.

Share this post


Link to post

No it is not.

Why not get something else worthwhile? Like Alien Hominid or Mother 3. Those are some good GBA games off the top of my head.

Share this post


Link to post
Guest Unregistered account

Everyone said:
THIS GAME SUCKS!


*Peeks out from behind desk*

I... I thought it was an okay game...

Share this post


Link to post
Avoozl said:

Heh Wario Land 4, I remember back then finding it kind of disappointing since it strayed away from what I thought made the previous Wario Land games great.

how's it like compared to the first and third game? i beat both Wario Land 1 and 3 at 100%, and they're both terrific games for different reasons (the first game being an addictive, simple platformer with neat secrets, the third one being an incredibly immersive and deep game that always managed to stay fresh), but i've never played the second or fourth one.

Phendrena said:

It is a truly awful game.

Get Advanced Wars - one of the best games released on the GBA.

Dave

also, this guy speaks the fucking truth.

Share this post


Link to post

Doom for game boy advance is a good game. It is still doom to its core.

The only things that I didn't like about it was that the resolution is super small, making a lot of things a blurry pixelated mess unless it is within chainsaw distance.

Monster corpses disappear after a short amount of time. Dead monsters make for easier navigation, indicating places you have already been.

There is no nightmare mode. Nightmare is the equivalent of ultra violence. And the boss battle maps (cybie and mastermind) have been omitted.

For what your concern is, for the sluggish choppy gameplay, doom does tend to slow down on the larger maps, like containment area, mt erebus, and unholy cathedral. But not by a whole lot. Also, the lighting kind of stinks for a game boy advance with no backlit screen. There are generous brightness settings though, including an option similar to light amplification visors, which actually cuts down on the lag a little bit too. I am not disappointed that I bought it. I don't own doom 2 though so I don't know what to say about that.

Share this post


Link to post
Joe667 said:

I... I thought it was an okay game...

Agreed. For Doom on the go, it's not so bad. But it is a slightly watered-down version of Atari Jaguar Doom, which is a way watered-down version of the PC game.

GBA Doom II is a custom version and an impressive effort, but it's still stuck with the limitations of the system. As with GBA Doom the graphics and performance are so-so. Multiplayer is possible with both (cabled networking only), but gameplay is even chuggier.

An alternative pocket-Doom choice: If you have an iPhone/iPod and don't mind touchscreen controls, try Doom Classic for iOS. Much better graphics, features, performance, etc.

Phendrena said:

Get Advanced Wars - one of the best games released on the GBA.

Also agree. I played the first few games in the series and enjoyed 'em all.

Share this post


Link to post

Only a PSP or an android device can offer serious dooming on the go. Or wolf3ding. Or quaking.

OK, I'll stop now.

Share this post


Link to post

Ditto. Wish I had Doom on my Vita. Doom on PSP is good times but the LCD is a blurry mess on my PSP 2000.

Share this post


Link to post

I enjoyed both classic dooms for gba when they were new. I dont know if time will have bad effect for attempted second playthru.

Share this post


Link to post

I didn't think GBA Doom was too bad either, despite its limitations. For a while, it was how I played Doom for the most part, though I had played the PC and other versions beforehand. Doom 2 for GBA, on the other hand, I wasn't all that impressed with. It seemed even slower than GBA Doom and for whatever reason, the sound effects were pitched down like in Doom 95 - a thing I've never really liked.

If you really want to try Doom out on GBA, I'd recommend the first over the second.

Share this post


Link to post

Depends what you're after, really. In this day and age it's arguably pretty obsolete as a portable option, but if you simply want yet another way to play Doom then it's not the worst way to spend your money.

The controls can be a bastard to get used to though. They're also different between games.

Share this post


Link to post

Jesus Christ. I had the chance to play Doom GBA and I was thrilled. It probably could be better, but isn't GBA a pretty old device these days anyway? Give it a slack.

Do Android ports that can be played with Android handheld consoles exist? And don't tell me that touchscreen makes a good a Doom game, because it surely doesn't work well. I haven't been tempted once to play Doom on my Android tablet, because to put it bluntly the user interface is bloated and crap on some ports, or totally broken and crashy on others. It's much easier if I have some hardware d-pad and trigger buttons.

Share this post


Link to post

Back when I had my CFW phat PSP I used to play Doom on that- very fun~
Supported pwads and even DEH stuff!

Share this post


Link to post

Does Doom PSP exist officially? If not, do recommended ports exist? I did find some of them, but it was impossible to run them. It said that they're "corrupted".

Share this post


Link to post
printz said:

Does Doom PSP exist officially? If not, do recommended ports exist? I did find some of them, but it was impossible to run them. It said that they're "corrupted".

Install proper custom firmware.

Best version for the psp is Doom Legacy release 4.

Share this post


Link to post

It lacks a Cyberdemon (and a Spider Mastermind for that matter), so no.

Seriously, I'm going to make a Mario side-scrolling game and have Bowser completely removed from the game. The final "boss" will just be jumping over a couple of Goombas and Koopas. See how that works out.

Share this post


Link to post

GBA Doom is my least-favorite version of Doom of all the console ports I've played (though I never did play 3DO Doom). The speed is terribly inconsistent, varying between feeling like you're moving underwater, to actually moving too fast, resulting in cheap hits as you try to react quickly enough. The lighting effects are basically meaningless, as sprites are fullbright regardless. The music is ruined. The levels are simplified. And having so few buttons causes control complications as well: I think you have to hold R & L and press up and down to cycle weapons, meaning you can't move and switch weapons at the same time.

I really can't recommend it. GBA Doom II seemed significantly better, but it's still a choppy experience and is too easy due to a bug involving armor degradation.

Share this post


Link to post

But you have to realize that the GBA's sound system isn't all that powerful.

The armor degradation bug wasn't the only thing to make it easier, there's also the limited monster view range making it easier to pick off targets from a certain distance, I remember easily killing off the Spider Mastermind in The Spirit World when it was a certain distance away and it didn't even attack back.

Share this post


Link to post
Avoozl said:

But you have to realize that the GBA's sound system isn't all that powerful.

That's not really an excuse. Doubly so since GBA Doom II's music was better, and Doom II was a bigger, more detailed game.

Share this post


Link to post

From what I read, I thought the armor bug in GBA Doom II removes the armor protection when you finish a level (so you might have a numerical armor value, but it won't spare you any damage when you get hit until you find a new armor in the next level). Wouldn't that make the game harder, or am I missing something here?

Share this post


Link to post

Dylan had this and played it through a DS. I thought it was an OK port but I don't have any technical knowledge to say if it could have been better given the hardware limitations. It certainly beats the mobile phone version as a portable way to play Doom since using touchscreen for FPS controls doesn't really work IMO.

Share this post


Link to post

I like both Doom games on the GBA and still play them from time to time on my GBA Micro. All the flaws mentioned here are, of course, valid but I still think the GBA ports have their own charm. Besides, I don't think there's a better official port on a handheld with real button controls... Unless there was a Zodiac or Gizmondo version?

PS: I also liked the Ecks Vs Sever games and Duke Nukem Advance too if you're looking for other playable FPS's on the GBA. :)

Share this post


Link to post
peach freak said:

From what I read, I thought the armor bug in GBA Doom II removes the armor protection when you finish a level (so you might have a numerical armor value, but it won't spare you any damage when you get it until you find a new armor in the next level). Wouldn't that make the game harder, or am I missing something here?

Ah, it seemed like armor was degrading much more slowly than in the original game, but that might just be because it wasn't absorbing damage anymore. So yes, if that's what's happening, the game would definitely be harder.

Share this post


Link to post
40oz said:

I don't own doom 2 though so I don't know what to say about that.

just make sure you don't get a bootleg cart that doesn't seem to save data. at least i didn't spend a whole lot money on it as it was in some sort of thrift store, but still.

Share this post


Link to post

From what i've played on the emulators i think it's worth it, having doom on the go is awesome. Also here's an unpopular opinion - i really digged the music on gba ports, i don't know why, it's just sounds different and cool, very minimalistic.

Share this post


Link to post

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

×