[NOW YOU'RE PLAYING WITH POWER] =>AMIGA  =>ATARI  =>COMMODORE  =>NINTENDO  =>PLAYSTATION  =>SEGA  =>SNK  =>TURBO  =>XBOX FEATURES   HALO 2 VS DOOM   Halo 2 (Xbox)     Doom (32X) And not even a particularly good version of Doom, the Sega 32X one. See, I've been playing Halo 2 for a few hours at a time as I could squeeze it in since the game was released. However, in a moment of weekness I checked out some online auction and bought myself a 32X that came with Doom. Naturally I had to make sure it worked. For about 6 hours. Sure, I haven't played through Doom since I bought it new for the Jaguar years ago, but I remembered enough to get a decent distance through it. But not enough to remember every monster around every corner. Obviously Halo 2 is a remarkable technical achievement as well as a fantastic study in game design. But not so fantastic that, once you get sucked into the world of the first person shooter, the experience is surprisingly close to the great granddaddy of them all, Doom. In both games I get lost in the moment. In both games a peer carefully around the corner waiting for the next armed soldier or monster that may or may not be there. Jump through doorways with exposure in both direction and whirl around to dispatch the enemies behind me, look for cover or something that I can blow up. And in both games I realize my pulse racing, I'm sweating and swearing, and I'm lost in the moment. Strategy, looking for another route, watching ammo. Heck, even enemies from above – in Doom they might not fly but they stand in hidden cubbies from elevated locations. Don't get me wrong, I love Halo and Halo 2, the eye candy, humor as well as action, and recognize that it's a superior experience. But it is certainly evolutionary, not revolutionary. And evolution happens slowly. -Eric Ruck 2011 ben langberg, all rights reserved.