byJoe McCloud

Blood, huh? A more suitable name for this game would be "Dud." I just don't understand the justification for such mediocrity.

I mean, seriously, folks, what's the use of producing another 2D Doom clone? Now, if it were a good clone, that'd be a different story. With Duke Nukem 3D, for example, 3D Realms took an existing game and improved upon it, resulting in a fun title that kicks major ass. Monolith, on the other hand, has pooped out a by-the-numbers shooter, pure an simple. The irony of it all is that GT Interactive is the company that published both of these titles. You'd think that with the success of Duke, they'd know what a quality Doom clone should play like. I guess not. True, Blood has enough gratuitous violence to make it entertaining, but that value decreases dramatically with every minute of gameplay.

On the plus side, the game's dark, gloomy atmosphere gives it a horrific quality, and the sound is genuinely creepy. The control is as good as it gets, and the frame rate is fast enough to keep your eyes bugging out of their sockets.

But the art and graphics are nothing to brag about, and the enemies are less detailed than Duke 3D's. Even your character's weapons--a voodoo doll, a hairspray flame-thrower, and a flare gun--lose their panache after a while, which is too bad, given that they're one of the things Monolith's hoping to use to sell the game. I must admit, there was one little feature in the game that gave me a devilish grin. Occasionally, you'll decapitate one of the zombies, giving you the opportunity to kick his head around like a soccer ball. All the while, blood is spewing from the neck as it's knocked between locations. Kinda funny, kinda cool--the first couple of times. Eventually, though, even that loses its charm.

All in all, this game might have been worth a look a couple of years ago, but by today's standards, it isn't worth the CD it's printed on. Still, if you're a diehard first-person junkie who can't get enough of Doom-type games, or just enjoy lots o' hemoglobin, go out and download the shareware version from the GT Interactive home page, or wait until May to purchase the full version.