At this point I don’t even know what to say about Doom that hasn’t been said before. One of the most important games of all time, a franchise still going strong more than thirty years later. All that was missing was for Nightdive to remaster the first two games in the franchise, since they had already done some godly work with Doom 64, as well as Quake and Quake II. Welp, here we are folks. Nightdive didn’t simply remaster the first Doom and call it a day. They dropped a package containing that game, its sequel, and pretty much every single expansion that has been released over the past thirty years. Plus more.

The oddly named Doom + Doom II is a package containing pretty much every single level ever conceived in the original Doom engine. The first two games, their expansions, a brand new campaign designed by MachineGames, and even mod support, are all included in this package. You read that right: mod support. It didn’t take long for me to find the legendary Nuts.Wad mod (that one level featuring a literal ten thousand enemies), and be able to run it on a console. At about ten frames per second, but hey, it worked on a Series S of all damn things.

A crapton of content will always be a welcoming feature, but you may wondering if this remaster is better than any other in terms of visuals, performance, and customization options. It’s a Nightdive effort, after all, so you shouldn’t worry about it. The resolution has been improved and the textures look crisp, but you can even play at the original resolution if you want to, turning the screen into a truly horrendous, albeit amusing, piece of abstract art. Whilst I appreciate Nightdive’s improvement on the resolution and textures, I don’t think the lighting effects look that good. Some pitch black levels are too much of a hassle to deal with.

Thankfully, this is the only major issue I’ve had with this collection. Any other complaint I have towards Doom + Doom II is more of a nitpick than anything else, such as wishing there was an easier way to switch between weapons during a blood-pumping section. With that out of the day, very little to complain about the gameplay. Due to how old they are, the old-school Doom games work perfectly well on a controller. Run and shoot like hell, just making sure to align your sight with an enemy in order to hit it with your weapon, with responsive controls and punchy combat.

Some other quality of life improvements featured in this collection include a fantastic map screen, and a quick save (and load) function. You will die a lot in later levels, so being able to quickly reload a previous save with a simple button combination was a godsend. Finally, the online multiplayer netcode has received a boost when compared to previous Doom re-releases. I will admit I didn’t spend that much time on a deathmatch, especially when there’s a near-infinite amount of single player levels to enjoy, but I’d be a fool not to appreciate this extra level of polish.

But wait, there’s even more. You may know Andrew Hulshult, the man behind the Wrath: Aeon of Ruin, Dusk, and Doom Eternal DLC soundtracks. He’s already a gaming music legend in his own right. Well, you may not know he became famous many years ago by rearranging and rerecording Doom and Doom II‘s soundtracks, from MIDI to actual instrumentation. It has been, for the longest time, a mere fan project. A well-acclaimed fan project, but a fan project nonetheless… until now. Id Software made sure to add that entire soundtrack to Doom + Doom II, making each level sound like a Megadeth moshpit. It’s absolutely beautiful. You can still toggle back to the old-school soundtrack, by the way, and newer episodes and campaigns are limited to MIDI soundtracks only.

I’ll be brief because there’s not a lot else that needs to be said: it’s a Nightdive remaster of the first two Doom games, and you already know what that means. Those games now look better than ever, run like a dream, and have been tinkered to near perfection. I have a few complaints regarding lighting effects and the clunky weapon selection system, but that doesn’t make this package any less exciting. Featuring every single previously released expansion, plus a brand new campaign and even mod support, the lasting appeal is endless. Those brand new Doom remasters are simply amazing, and you should play them right now.

Graphics: 7.0 Whilst I appreciate Nightdive’s improvement on the resolution and textures, I don’t think the lighting effects look that good. Some pitch black levels are too much of a hassle to deal with.	Gameplay: 8.5 Due to how old they are, the old-school Doom games work perfectly well on a controller. Run and shoot like hell, with responsive controls and punchy combat. I just wish there was a better way to switch weapons.
Sound: 9.0 Brand new rearrangements by Andrew Hulshult have finally allowed for the old-school Doom soundtracks to actually sound like a thrash metal concert. You can still toggle back to the old-school soundtrack. Newer episodes are only MIDI-based.	Fun Factor: 9.0 The classic Doom gameplay you know and love, which holds up quite well after three decades, in one package absolutely plastered with content and new levels to bang your head at. Need I say more?
Final Verdict: 8.5

Doom + Doom II (the new remaster) is available now on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, PC and Switch. The original Doom and Doom II are available in way too many systems worth mentioning.

Reviewed on Xbox Series S.