Doom RPG

Doom RPG
Developer(s)	Fountainhead Entertainment
Publisher(s)	JAMDAT Mobile (now EA Mobile)
Designer(s)	id Software
Series	Doom
Engine	DoomRPG
Platform(s)	Mobile phone
Release date(s)	September 13, 2005
Genre(s)	First-person shooter / Role-playing game
Mode(s)	Single player
System requirements Java ME with MIDP 2.0, or BREW 2.0 or later

Doom RPG is a mobile phone game developed by Fountainhead Entertainment. It combines the Doom first-person shooter franchise with role-playing elements. The storyline incorporates many of the events of Doom 3, but involves different characters than those in the computer version. The game's engine was later used for another Fountainhead Entertainment title, Orcs & Elves.

Gameplay

The game retains many of the elements of Classic Doom, and is shown in the first person like the original. It is also visually similar to the original Doom. However, the game is fundamentally different in that it is a turn-based role-playing game, rather than a shooter, with greater emphasis on the plot. Combat and movement are turn-based, allowing the player time to select their responses in combat. The player turns at 90 degree angles and moves space by space. It is very important to speak to the scientists and access computer terminals to attain vital information in order to progress through the game, similar to Doom 3.

Many features of the original are retained, including the status bar face, sound effects and the majority of the weapons and monsters. Notably absent are the Chainsaw, Arachnotrons and Spider Mastermind. A difference from the original is that each monster is one of three levels of difficulty, and is colored to indicate this.

The game also adds several new elements. New weapons include the fire axe and fire extinguisher which are useful in combat against certain enemies.^[1] The dogs from Wolfenstein 3D appear as a new enemy, known as Hellhounds. A dog collar-like mind-control device allows the hellhounds to be captured as pets, which can then act as both a melee weapon and a shield.

Story

The story occurs on a Martian Union Aerospace Corporation installation similar to Doom 3. The player is addressed to by NPCs in the game as Marine.

The game is divided into section based on Sectors in the base. The sectors are Entrance, Junction, Sector 1 through Sector 7, and Reactor. The Junction is the staging area or main town for the game.

Guerard was not on good terms with Jensen. Three weeks prior to the start of the game, Guerard asked Graff to perform a security audit on Jensen. Jensen failed the security audit and was dismissed for this security breach. Jensen suspected that Guerard was involved in his dismissal. During the same time, demons started to invade the installation, appearing out of nowhere. It is around this time that the game begins.

Early on in the game, the Marine meets Dr. Jensen when he was accessing a computer terminal investigating his dismissal. During the exploration of first few sectors of the installation, the Marine receives help from Dr. Guerard in gaining access to various locked down areas. In Biological Research Facility, the Marine meets Dr. Nadira who quarantines his weapons claiming security measures. Dr. Nadira then commands his mind-controlled hellhounds to attack the Marine and disappears in the process. Eventually, Marine meets Jensen again. This time he is incarcerated in a prison cell. After freeing Jensen, he informs the Marine that Guerard and Nadira are into an evil scheme and directs the Marine to the next section of the installation.

The next time the Marine meets Guerard and Nadira, it is known that Guerard was behind the invasion and has been attempting to open a portal to Hell in the Reactor Sector. Guerard promptly orders demons to attack the Marine and Nadira. Nadira dies and Guerard escapes. The Marine proceeds through the remaining two sectors, acquiring the BFG 9000 and the key to the Reactor sector.

By then, a major invasion devastates the Junction. With the help of Kelvin and Jensen, the Marine gains access to the Reactor sector. Kelvin and Jensen both die in the process.

In the Reactor sector, Guerard reveals himself as Kronos and transforms into demonic form. By this time, he has succeeded in opening the portal to Hell. After defeating Kronos, the Marine closes the portal by destroying the reactors powering it. The Cyberdemon slips through before the portal closes. The game ends with the defeat of the Cyberdemon. The Cyberdemon is likely to be Kronos' creation referred to by other NPCs.

It is noteworthy that many NPCs who helped the Marine would die during the conversation to demons attacking from off-camera.

Characters

• Marine - Protagonist and the player character
• Dr. Bradley Jensen - A senior resident scientist of teleportation research team.^[2] He was recently dismissed due to failing a security audit.
• Dr. Guerard - A current scientist of teleportation research team. He assists the marine in gaining access to a few locked down areas.
• Mr. Nadira - A senior resident scientist of UAC's Biological Research Facility specializing in experiments on mind control.^[2]
• Col. Graff - A colonel of UAC Marine Headquarters. He is likely responsible for installation's security. He never appears in person in the game; however, he is involved in the story.
• Dr. Kelvin - A scientist the Marine meets during his adventure who worked with the Marine to solve a few problems.
• Kronos - A former scientist of teleportation research team. He once visited Hell via teleportation technology, where he combined human technology and demonic flesh to create a super weapon. When UAC administration discovered his actions, Kronos was dismissed and his research was covered up.
• Jenkins - The assistant of Dr. Jensen. He likes his job mostly because he gets to blow so many things up.

Weapon

The following weapons appear in the game:

• Axe - Basic melee weapon. Use if you have low/no ammo or a death wish.
• Fire extinguisher - This weapon can kill Phantoms and Lost Souls as well as putting out fires.
• Pistol - Basic Pistol. Lowest damage potential besides the axe, but definitely better than nothing.
• Shotgun - A medium range blast-type weapon. Has the potential to kill with a single shot if fired up close.
• Chaingun - Burst fire makes this an excellent weapon to deal with multiple targets. Watch your ammo supply as it shares the same ammo with the pistol.
• Super shotgun - A shotgun that fires two shells at once, doubling it's damage potential.
• Plasma gun - A gun that fires super-heated plasma, dealing lots of damage. Ammo is less common so use wisely.
• Rocket launcher - Fires a high-explosive rocket and deals major damage. Be sure to use it at range because using it too close will cause massive damage to yourself.
• BFG9000 - The most powerful weapon in the game. Deals extreme damage and can kill any enemy in the game with a single shot (Except Kronos and the Cyberdemon)
• Dog collar - Use this to capture a dog-class demon such as the Hellhound, Cerberus or Demon Wolf.

The effectiveness of each weapon varies depending on the type of monster.

References

1. ^ "How to Play". Doom RPG. EA Mobile Games. 2005. http://www.eamobile.com/Web/Catalog/US/en/game/mobile/ProductHowToView/product-24342. Retrieved 2006-09-06. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "Company Snapshot". UAC Homepage. Fountainhead Entertainment. 2005-09-16. http://www.doomrpg.com/n.x/UAC/Home/Corporate/Who%60s%20Who. Retrieved 2006-09-05. 

External links

Official

• Official Doom RPG website
• Doom RPG at id Software
• Doom RPG at Fountainhead Entertainment
• Doom RPG at EA Mobile Games

Reviews

• Doom RPG at MobyGames
• Doom RPG at GameSpot
• Doom RPG at 1UP.com

Others

• Doom RPG at Doom Wiki
• Doom RPG at GameFAQs