Doom

Download DOOM and step into the boots of the iconic DOOM Slayer! Battle hordes of demonic enemies, wield devastating weapons, and save humanity from the forces of Hell in this pulse-pounding shooter. Rip and tear, and play now!
a game by id Software, Sculptured Software, Williams, and Activision
Genres: Action, Arcade Classics, Shooting Games
Platforms: PC (1995), Sega GenesisGenesis, SNESSNES, Playstation, 3DO, Atari Jaguar, GBA
Editor Rating: 7.9/10, based on 11 reviews, 15 reviews are shown
User Rating: 7.0/10 - 20 votes
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See also: First Person Shooter Games, Retro Games, Best Singleplayer Games, Download AAA Games, Gore Games, Speedrun Games, Destruction Games, Arena Shooters, Isekai Games, Fast-Paced Games, Doom Games, Jaguar Games
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The ultimate stress reliever hits the SNES! This popular first-person shoot-em-up gets an "A" for effort, but the control leaves you feeling doomed.

Seal Your Fate

Similar to Wolfenstein 3D and Zero Tolerance, Doom is aptly titled. Set in three worlds populated with evil soldiers, monsters, demons, and other creatures bent on your demise, it's kill or be killed.

Use any weapon you can get your hands on and blow the charging enemies to smithereens before they do worse to you. Just point your weapon, fire, and enjoy.

Weapons, Anyone?

A variety of weapons (like shotguns, rocket launchers, and chain saws) make up your arsenal, along with other power-ups (like armor and first-aid kits). Doom isn't just about splattering enemies with your shotgun, though: Some levels have puzzles and require strategy as well as a quick trigger finger. Several hidden rooms and passages also add to the fun and make for hours of exploring.

Doom has graphics ranging from bright and colorful to dark and gloomy. Up close, walls and enemies suffer horribly from pixelization. Other visuals remain sharp, however, and distant objects are clear with colorful explosions and bloodletting that more than utilizes the red end of the color spectrum.

One of the key elements in the game is sound. Doom is most effective with the music turned off, so you can hear hissing enemies lurking around corners or right on your heels. The explosions, grunts of pain, and weapon discharges sound great. While the music livens up the stages, it overshadows important sound cues that are essential to complete the levels, such as secret doors opening.

Doom and Doomer

The biggest problem with Doom is the control. The delay between a button press and the onscreen action means movement isn't as responsive as it should be. You'll be fighting the controls more than the enemies. Cycling through the weapons is also slow -- press the button three times, and a few seconds later, the desired weapon appears.

Doom is an entertaining game, but lack of control nearly seals its fate (unlike the 32X and Jaguar versions or the similar Wolfenstein 3-D for the SNES). However, this game is probably the most fun you can have with loaded weapons without getting hurt.

ProTip: Avoid moving while in Map mode -- you can't see your enemies or other dangers.

Download Doom

PC

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP
Genesis

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP
  • Game modes: Single game mode

Player controls:

  • Up, Down, Left, Right - Arrow keys
  • Start - Enter (Pause, Menu select, Skip intro, Inventory)
  • "A" Gamepad button - Ctrl (usually Jump or Change weapon)
  • "B" button - Space (Jump, Fire, Menu select)
  • "C" button - Left Shift (Item select)

Use the F12 key to toggle mouse capture / release when using the mouse as a controller.

SNES

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP
  • Pentium II (or equivalent) 266MHz (500MHz recommended), RAM: 64MB (128MB recommended), DirectX v8.0a or later must be installed
Playstation

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP
3DO

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP
Atari Jaguar

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP
GBA

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP

Game Reviews

Join the Space Marines! Travel to exotic worlds, meet new creatures, and shoot them.

It's time to lock and load Doom into a 32X and enjoy the game that Wolfenstein built. This Doom sports fewer levels and less complex graphics than the PC or Jaguar versions, but it still has the chops!

ProTip: Peer into all openings -- you might find a hidden treasure or a hidden danger.

Martian Mayhem

You're the sole survivor of a Marine squad sent to investigate an attack on the Martian moon, Phobos. Who nailed your buds? You'll find out. The strategy's simple in this ferociously fun, first-person, aim-down-the-gunbarrel shooter: Shoot first, ask questions later! You race through 15 levels, blastin' everything that moves as you find nine weapons. All the familiar and fierce Doom creatures are present, including the pink beasts and the cyberdemons. Five several skill levels challenge you; the toughest, Nightmare, will you give... nightmares.

  • Practice shooting and simultaneously backing up.
  • Use the side step (press and hold Button C and press Left or Right) to dodge enemy bullets or peer around corners at the ready.

Doom 32X features excellent controls. You can easily whip around 360 degrees or even sidestep incoming rounds. The topnotch automap feature enables you to zoom in and out, overlay a grid, and move across the terrain in map mode!

Doom with Zoom

The great graphics slam right into your face. Unlike the PC and Jaguar Dooms, however, you don't see creatures from all angles as you move. This version's a major speed demon, though, and it's a blast to zigzag through alien gangs.

The sounds are killer. If click-dack-blam is music to your ears, here's your symphony! Even your death scream's sweet. The music's a catchy technofunk groove that's perfect for the gloomy mood.

Four handgun shots or two shotgun blasts exterminate these creatures.

Blood and Guts

Doom's no game for the squeamish or religious. Your shots send bloody bits and pieces flying, and you can use a chain saw! The spaced invaders favor a weird demonic motif and gruesome torture scenes.

Gunning for Greatness

Doom's built to blast on any system. If you have the stomach for video mayhem, you're definitely Doomed.

There are some games that make you remember exactly where you were the first time you saw them. What you were wearing. What the weather was like. Doom was not one of those games. It was beyond that. At the office, back in December 1993, we were too busy gaping at the monitor and fist-fighting over the keyboard to notice irrelevant details such as those.

W6 had spent a marathon night frantically sucking the 4Mb shareware version down a 14.4 modem from a bulletin board in Texas. Loading it up, we were completely amazed. We were like new born babies. Rolling eyes. Lolling jaws. And lots and lots of drool...

Holy Shit!

Doom looked real. As hilarious as it may seem from the screenshots, more real than anything we'd ever seen. It moved fast. Arcade fast. The levels were huge, spacious. They looked like real places. Except there were these demons and zombies everywhere, and rivers of radioactive waste, secret rooms, catacombs and dark bits where the lights were broken that made you feel really and truly scared. Your only comfort were these big weapons: shotguns, rocket launchers, a chainsaw. But the levels got weirder. The levels got darker. And scarier. And then these huge, howling demons started exploding out of the walls... Sound familiar? Doom was the mother of all first-person ultra-violent shoot 'em ups. We were witness to one of the most influential, ground-breaking, and downright playable computer games ever. It was set in hell. Yet we were in heaven.

Id Gets An Ego

They all played Dungeons & Dragons together. They had a shared love of Japanese games, horror movies and science fiction graphic novels. Contrary to prevailing wisdom, they considered the PC to be the future of gaming.

The hyper-geeky id team was small but packed with up-and-coming talent. Creative director Tom Hall. Young programmer and designer John Romero. Level-designer Sandy Petersen. Artists Adrian Carmack and Kevin Cloud. And last, but not least, was John Carmack, uber-geek programmer whose high performance 3D engines would become a dominating force at id and in the games industry in the years to come.

"We considered ourselves underdog developers with ideas and passion, and each new project was a step up the coolness ladder," remembers Romero. id had started out with the sideways scrolling Commander Keen series but the game that really put them on the map was Wolfenstein 3D. Released in July 1992, this action-packed maze/shooter game featured an impressive high-speed 3D engine and enough Nazi imagery to get them plenty of press and the inevitable ban in Germany. It sold well, but what's more it suggested for the first time that the PC wasn't just a golf and flight simulating 'dad machine' but could do fast action games as well.

The Texas-based developers wanted to break out of Wolfenstein's boxy castles for their next game and do something more realistic, an action adventure with a cohesive storyline. John Carmack had a new engine in progress. It could as yet only manage "sloping floors" but it was a start. Sci-fi space beckoned as a setting and for a while they even contemplated doing an official Aliens game.

"But we bailed out because we wanted total creative control and that was not going to happen with a licensed property," says Romero. "So John Carmack basically said: 'What if we did the same thing, except with hellspawn instead of aliens?" And so it happened. Eighteen months later, they released Doom.

Ideas, Ideas, Ideas

Playing Doom now is like driving your first car again. It brings back memories. Parts of it are familiar to you. You remember how it feels. And without modern control complexities-jumping, reloading, looking up and down - it's like driving an automatic. Pure, distilled gameplay. Shooting and killing. Reflexes and aim. Even today you're struck by the sheer amount of great ideas in the game. From the well-balanced weapons to the slimy explosions of blood and rib cage. From the monsters that fight each other to the sprawling environments and real-time updating map. The levels constantly surprise you. The traps still get you. The secrets still elude you. And you still take dogged pleasure in collecting every last helmet and energy bottle, finding every secret door, and killing every goddamn demon you can find.

"Even from the beginning of the graphic engine's construction, I knew it was far beyond anything that anyone had experienced,'' remembers Romero. "The atmosphere in the office was excitement, but also trepidation and a vague sense of not being sure of where we were taking this. The conceptual challenges were formidable, both for design and for programming."

The Hellspawn idea had ignited the team's imagination. They drew primary inspiration from their Dungeons & Dragons sessions, populating the game with demons and other unsavoury members of the role-playing menagerie.

"We pretty much came up with monsters that could come from hell -some of them are more traditional like the Baron of Hell, imps and possessed humans," says Romero. "[And] other monsters that no one had heard of before like the Cacodemon, Gyberdemon. Mancubus and the others."

Other ideas, such as the unforgettably brutal chainsaw, came from the sci-fi and horror movies and graphic novels they were into at the time. "I said we should have a chainsaw just like the movie Evil Dead so we could just sink it down into a demon's brain and just mow it down into the dirt," recalls Romero, possibly rather too fondly.

If anything the game had a surfeit of ideas. Special treasures, a hub level system, a HUD display with motion sensors, environmental dangers, level interactivity and the idea of different characters having different skills with different weapons. Plus an original BFG which blasted out 8,000,000 red and green balls everywhere. All topped by a complex story written by Tom Hall.

But as the 3D engine developed, John Carmack was pushing for a more level-by-level game, over something with a strong narrative and inter-level interactivity. As Romero observes: "There was a point probably around June of 1993 where we re-assessed what our objective was supposed to be and we decided to boil the whole concept down to 'kill everything and get out alive'."

Tom Hall became disinterested in the game's simplistic design. Mid-way througHhe Doom development, he split amicably from the team and joined 3D Realms, where a lot of his ideas would end up becoming Duke Nukem 3D. Nearly a decade on, though, he's still proud of his contributions to Doom. "As well as the original story, some levels, and the 'door trim is the key color' simple solution." he recalls, "I made up the term 'WAD'. We had 'Lumpy', a tool that grabbed lumps of data. John Carmack called upstairs to me, asking, "I need a file extension name. What's a bunch of lumps?"-1 thought for a second, and said. "A WAD?"

Smoother & Faster

With Hall gone, Romero took over the design reins. The embryonic form of what we now know as the first person shooter began to emerge. It was a super-fast action game hanging on the raw power of its revolutionary 3D engine, the speed and versatility of which was surprising even to its creators.

"The tech was just an amazing cheat by John Carmack - that's why it was so fast and ahead of its time," says Hall. "By just sort of doing 2.5D instead of true 3D, it made the math insanely faster and made Doom possible."

The Doom engine went far beyond anything yet seen on the PC. certainly in terms of raw speed. It featured a fully texture-mapped environment (including floors and ceilings), non-orthogonal walls (ie a wall that can be joined together at any angle, not just 90 degrees - and at any thickness), light diminishing, light sourcing, atmospheric light strobing, variable height floors and ceilings, animating environment elements such as lava and radioactive waste.

"Creatively, the technology dictated the parameters of what Doom should be, and Carmack's dictum of just getting the 'raw cool' out there with no frills is what made it the style it was," observes Hall. "The creative result was a synergy of John Carmack's tech and Romero's style and Adrian Carmack's art." As the engine developed in complexity, so did the levels.

"When we started designing maps, we were still in Wolfenstein 3D mode - 90 degree square blocks and consistent lighting for the levels," says Romero. "But as we started exploring all the things we could do with the engine, then we started designing more interesting levels."

Doom has some of the most memorable locations in gaming history, notable for their wide-open spaces, heavy-looking structural elements, gameplay flow and sheer atmosphere. The first episode of Doom is still one of the best designed sequences in gaming history. Romero designed the bulk of it and looks back on E1M7 as one of his best piece of work. Hall favours E2M2 with its famous stacks of crates. Sandy Petersen, who designed all the levels for episodes two and three, prefers the secret level from episode 2. "A little gem of creature and unit balancing," he says Romero also set the par times, the ridiculous 'best time score' which appeared at the end of each level.

"I started the level, ran to the exit as fast as possible, rounded off the resulting time, then added 30 seconds for padding," says Romero now. "Which means I actually got those levels done faster than the par times."

The Taste Of Success

Unsurprisingly, upon its release in December 1993, Doom was a total, unmitigated success. Not just commercially (bundling the first episode as free shareware ensured that an estimated six million people across the globe played it) but also for the prestige of this small Texan team. The sheer extent of what they had unleashed onto the world, however, surprised even them.

"It was clear it was a phenomenally cool game. However, that it would be that big a phenomenon, you're never quite aware of that," recalls Tom Hall. "Wolfenstein 3D sold ten times what Commander Keen did. And Doom sold ten times that." "It sold a couple of hundred thousand copies during its first year or so. Not that many really, considering its impact," adds Petersen. "It was pirated unmercifully."

"Lots of hate mail from the religious right was pretty fun, too." says Romero.

But Doom had a few more surprises which would guarantee longevity and influence far beyond the shelf life of the single-player game. It featured the first multiplayer mode where up to four players could gather on a level and fight to 'the best' over and over again. It was an unbelievable hit, crashing corporate networks the world over and introducing the words 'deathmatch', 'frag' and 'gib' into the gaming lexicon, if not the English language itself.

"I was the first to proclaim (as I usually did) the immensity of what we were creating and the concept of Deathmatch was a completely obvious 'BOOM' in the timeline of gaming," says Romero. "I played it in the office incessantly and I was the best for a long time until the others caught up.

In addition. Doom was coded with an open architecture so that anyone with sufficient mental prowess could not only change the levels and characteristics of the game but build entirely new levels, weapons and monsters. Thousands of new levels and a slew of 'mods' appeared, kick-starting an online community that still persists to this day. "I knew it would be fun. I didn't know it would be such a huge hit. Everyone at work really liked playing it, so much that it delayed its release. We all knew it would be a cult success among hard-core gamers. The surprise was how accepted it was among mainstream folks."

Regrets? I Have A Few

So Doom spawned a whole new genre of games, proved the PC could do a highspeed action number with its incredible 3D engine and started the multiplayer revolution. Not bad, you might think. But for its detractors, it was rife with corruptingly Satanistic imagery and its ultra-violence could apparently spark schoolyard massacres.

The team know this is all hogwash, though, and to this day, they are proud of what they achieved on Doom. But let's face it. nothing is quite perfect and if they could change one thing...

'The ending," says Hall. "We had all agreed that a great game ending was important for player reward. Then they put out a game that printed some text slowly at the end. One day of work could have made the ending really awesome." Petersen regrets how easy the game was to complete. "Most people started levels with some kind of significant equipment. However, almost all our playtesting was done starting each level with just a pistol. We made the game too easy for the average player."

Romero has no such regrets. "The effect that Doom has had on the world is probably something that can't be completely seen because it's too big and reached too far into so many areas of the world's various cultures. I'm as much a victim of Doom as anyone else and it's just great."

The Game That started it all, that popularised the FPS genre and pioneered immersive 3D graphics and networked multiplayer gaming as we know it, is playable in your web browser! Now take a moment to let that mind-blowing news sink in before you read on. OK... ready?

Back in the day when games came on packs of floppy disks and 4MB of RAM was considered a lot, the world was taken by storm when id Software's landmark first-person shooter was distributed as shareware and downloaded by an estimated 10 million people. Doom spawned a gaming subculture, and its engine went on to be used as a platform to build id Software's Quake engine, versions of which are still being used today.

You get to play through all three of the gruelling episodes, where you'll blast your way through possessed soldiers and hellish creatures such as fireball-hurling imps and those pink rhino-ape things that can sometimes turn invisible.

So if you have never played Doom before, and have only ever heard or read pompous old fanboys like us worship it as the great-granddaddy of all shooters, go and pay your respects and play it. Now. Lest the gaming gods smite you for your heresy. Even after so many years away, Doom provides a superbly pure and satisfying blasting experience, one that will probably never get old.

Doom lands on the 3DO with a thud. This version is awful, if just for the fact that you can only get fluid gameplay by shrinking the window to the size of a stamp-any bigger and the picture gets so choppy, it's unplayable. The sound and controls are average, but this is the worst console version of Doom so far. (By Art Data Interactive)

Overview

So you thought a BFG-9000 was portable fire power -- you were wrong. Now you can take all those familiar levels, great weapons, and nasty monsters with you wherever you go. The superior resolution of Game Boy Advance gives Doom as clean and clear a look as it ever had on your PC. PC Doom players (like myself) will find this game familiar. I am not sure that everything is exactly the same, but it sure feels like old home week. The fun part is re-discovering all those little secret places filled with good stuff. There are two ways to play each level, either cut and run for the end to beat the par times or take your time to clear the level of all evil and find all the secret areas. I always like to find all I can. Clearing a level too fast deprives me of some good carnage. Doom for GBA is a very faithfully-executed rendition of the classic original Doom for the PC. I had forgotten how much fun this game is.

Gameplay, Controls, Interface

There are still four difficulty levels of gameplay: 'I'm Too Young to Die,'? 'Not Too Rough,'? 'Hurt Me Plenty,'? and 'Nightmare!'? The difference between the levels is how much they can hurt you and how many of the bad guys are in your way. The gameplay is almost exactly the same as playing on your PC. However, instead of being able to choose a weapon by pressing a number you need to cycle through your list. This is not much of an issue, as I found that most of the time I used the same weapon until I ran out of ammo or I found a better one. There are three gameplay modes: single player, cooperation mode, and death match. I found the button assignment easy to use and reasonable. As in the classic PC version, this version of Doom has basic controls which are easy to master quickly.

Multiplayer

There is a good multiplayer mode. You can play in cooperation mode with a second game pack and a link cable, which allows both of you to battle through each area. It's always fun to share some good carnage with a friend. The only thing that tops this is dishing it out to a friend in head-to-head play. My only concern would be whether the game link cables are long enough, since I found myself bobbing around while I played. There is support for linking up to four GBA units, each with a Doom game cartridge, and going head-to-head in a four-player death match. Linking up the games and getting it all running is documented well in the book and, hey, no network problems! Let's just say it is a lot easier than it was to get PC's to talk to each other when Doom was first released.

Graphics

The graphics are comparable to the original game -- it looks like a direct port. I am glad they did not try change the graphics, even though handheld technology is more advanced than PC technology was when Doom was first released. If they had, it would not have been Doom. By comparison to some of today's games the graphics are weaker, but that is what Doom is all about -- rough carnage. For the day it was written, it was cutting-edge. Now on the GBA you have the right time and the right platform for a rebirth.

Audio

The sound brings it all back home. The music and sound effects are the same as in the original. If you are looking for something 'new and improved'? you will be disappointed. I, however, was very pleased with how true to the roots the audio was. I play this game with the volume up and it really pays to listen. You can often hear things coming long before you can see them. Keep your ears tuned in and you will live longer.

Documentation

Reading the instruction booklet is helpful if you have never played Doom before. If you have played Doom, the front where it shows you the control layout and the back if you are linking GBAs together are all you will need. If it has been a long time, you may want to skim through it to refresh your memory on what is good and what is not.

Bottom Line

This game is rated T for Teen, so I cannot recommend it for everyone, but if you are old enough, this will be a hot title on your wish list. This is one game that does not get warm and fuzzy on you. I am glad "Id and Activision" decided to release this game for the GBA. I love first person shooters and this was just one more chance to get into the fray again. Still a great game! Score 94: well done, nicely ported over and well suited to the platform. It also happens to be my favorite GBA title now.

People say:

8

Doom for the Jaguar has its ups and downs. While it may look very good, many elements that computer players enjoy were removed. The music has been done away with, along with a few of the Bosses. While I can understand the music, why the enemies? Several levels are gone and the controls are a little loose. If you love Doom and have no other way to play it, I guess you'll like it, but I think it's lacking.

7

Although Doom is a good visual representation of the incredible PC game, there are some notable losses that diminish the fun factor. Most notably, some of the levels have been axed. Also, the music is missing, although it was never anything exciting anyway. The control is decent, but it does take some time to get used to the slippery control. Otherwise, it's a decent game and one of the better ones to come out for the Jag.

7

Doom for the Jaguar is an okay game. Visually, it has the best graphics for any system outside the PC realm. There are new levels added; too! However, some levels were sacrificed for the new ones. That about ends the good points. On the down side, the background music was taken out. Also, there are no on-screen enemies when you play a two-player game. It's still a good game for the Jaguar.

7

The computer version is an excellent game, and this one retains many of the same aspects. All the weapons and levels are faithfully reproduced. There are several drawbacks, though. First off, the sounds just aren't there, and there is no Save Game Feature to let you thoroughly explore and test situations. Overall, it is a good reproduction, but after playing the computer version so much it doesn't compare.

The story is simple: you are a Marine stationed on the distant planet of Mars. The military has been conducting secret experiments on two nearby planets. Phobos and Deimos. After receiving a distress call from the planet of Deimos, you are ordered to get up there and secure the perimeter while the rest of the team goes in to survey the situation. The only contact you have with the rest of the Marines is a two-way radio. You try to reach them, but the only response is the sound of gunfire and screaming Marines followed by dead silence! As you enter the base, armed only with a pistol, you can hear animal-like growls echoing in the distance. Whatever it is, it's heading toward you, and it doesn't sound very friendly or human. You need to get in. grab as many weapons as you can, waste anything that moves and try to get out in one piece. Good luck!

THE GOOD

The game plays very much like its computer predecessor. Controls nice, with excellent sound effects!

THE BAD

Finding 100 percent of the items and secrets is nearly impossible due to no save feature. Where's the music?

THE UGLY

The cyberdemon and the arach-notron must have been too ugly to make it to the Jag version. Bummer!

Id's original first-person height-mapped action game hits the PSX. Included in this trilogy of destruction is Ultimate Doom and Doom 2. Both of these titles are included in the Monsters and Mutants box and it contains everything that had to be purchased separately on the computer. The game pushes the smoothness and outstanding graphic capability of the PlayStation to the limit. Not only is this title a good translation of the original, but Williams Entertainment, the producer, has also improved the already great title.

The levels remain basically the same with the familiar level layout and weapons, but the graphic end of the game has been cleaned up substantially. Lighting effects have risen to Include cast shadows and hues that give a genuine feeling of first-person action. Rooms with vats of green ooze reflect a green shimmer all over the room, which can even be seen in the reflection off your weapon. This glow can also be seen from a distance down existing hallways and corridors.

The sound has also changed from the original version. New effects cause players to wander by the seat of their pants waiting for the nasties to jump out at them and scare them half to death Groans, growls and shrieks come from all over and increase in volume as you get closer to the source.

Controlling your character is simple with the many buttons on the PSX controller. Players who have endured the computer version with either the keyboard or the Gravis Pad are in for a shock after discovering the ease with which control can be achieved on the PSX. The screens scroll smoothly as you wander about. Targeting and firing weapons is outstanding, giving you useful control of your character.

Doom does, however, have one feature that is bound to make you spend more money on peripherals. As with a handful of other titles, you can play a two-player game on two separate PSXs and TVs with the use of the link. Just as with the computer version, you can play a cooperative game or blast each other as many times as possible in Death Match Mode.

Veterans of the computer version and other players who were always interested in the game but couldn't justify the cost of a Pentium just to play a few titles, will all rejoice at this PSX release. It has everything you could possibly want in this type of title.

INSIDE TRACK

There are enemies around every comer. Your best strategy for keeping yourself safe is to hit them from a distance and dodge their attack by using the L1 and R1 buttons, which are in charge of strafing. Lean out from behind a comer and let 'em have it. When they target you and start firing their weapon, just roll to the left or right to avoid getting hit. All the while, you can keep the same general direction and just move back into range and give them another go. This basic tactic works flawlessly in any situation where a good distance separates you from them. Don't waste too much time with this attack, however, because the free-roaming characteristics of the enemies in Doom allow them to hunt you down from anywhere in the level. The strafe defense works well, but if you allow an enemy to get a few shots into you at point-blank range because you didn't know he was behind you, all of your effort will prove useless and you'll find yourself lying in a pool of your own blood.

  • MANUFACTURER - Williams
  • DIFFICULTY - Hard
  • THEME - Shooter
  • NUMBER OF PLAYERS - 1
  • Williams Entertainment for Super NES

Doom, Doom, Doom, Doom. Now that my tympani solo is over, let's talk about this game. The graphics are blocky, mainly because the game wasn't meant to be played on so small a console. If you NEED Doom, get it. Otherwise, you're better off leaving it alone.

  • Machine: Super NES
  • Genre: action
  • Players: 1
  • Publisher: Williams Entertainment
  • Developer: Sculptured Software

Ah, Doom. Doom, Doom, Doom. The trendsetter, the benchmark, the game that took over my life, that became THE title to copy for the '90's. Oh well. The most impressive thing about Doom for Super NES is that there's even a 16-bit version at all. However, that doesn't make it good.

It's a simple case of squeezing ten pounds of, uh, mud into a five pound sack - it just looks ugly. I'll grant you, it's remarkably complete, and it plays pretty well compared to more high-end versions. The designers have managed to wring a lot of game out of very little horsepower, but the bitmaps on the walls, which are blocky in any version, look positively chaotic in this one. Enemies which are far away blend in almost perfectly with everything else, and the whole game feels as cut down as it obviously is.

Beyond the eyestrain graphics, there are other problems. Control isn't as smooth as it needs to be, and it's mighty easy to get hung up on corners - never a good thing when you're running from a group of imps or demons.

The bottom line is that if you've never played Doom before, and a Super NES is all you've got (and face it, that's what Williams is banking on, and there are a lot of gamers like that out there), then by all means, knock yourself out. Doom is Doom, and you'll have a blast. If you have other options though, think of this as a last resort.

  • Manufacturer: Id Software
  • Machine: 32x

Question: I have a question. How do you reach the chain-saw in Mission One, Level Two? I can see it through the window but I can't find a way to get to the outside. Can you show me a way to get it?

Answer: Sure can. Your problem is that there's a lot of secret stuff between you and the ol' saw - not to mention a lot of imps and sergeants. Just follow the map and you'll get there. Just for fun see if you can make it through the whole rest of the level using just the saw - hey, I did it. Let me tell ya, it felt real good tool Hell, heh, heh - it was cool.

Its a classic game and must be played atleast once.

If you're looking for a reason to buy a PlayStation, Doom: Special PlayStation Edition is the strongest one yet. Not just another run-of-the-mill conversion of the popular PC title, this Doom doubles its replay value by giving you enhanced versions of both Doom and Doom II. Williams' pairing creates one of the most intense, thumb-blistering, and enjoyable games that any next-gen system has yet offered.

My New Gun

Doom isn't just a game, it's an experience - a white-knuckle, edge-of-your-seat, sweat-a-thon in which the only object is survival. It's you against them...lots of them!

The other 32-bit versions of Doom were enjoyable, but this one blows them away (pun intended). Doom PlayStation has incredibly smooth scaling, excellent controls, and a knockout soundtrack. In fact, this version of the popular Id title gives even the PC versions a run for their money.

Using a first-person perspective, Doom PlayStation has 50-plus levels filled with nightmare-inducing creatures hell-bent on your demise. No one is on your side. Shoot anything that moves.

Fortunately, several weapons are available to help you blast through the levels. Remember this: The BFG-9000 is your best friend.

Where the other versions basically adopted the levels from the first PC game, Doom PlayStation revs up the original game in an Ultimate mode that has new levels and enemies from Doom II. The second play option, Doom II, also features new levels. These changes intensify the game and add enough new twists and turns to surprise even the most battle-weary Doom player. Cooperative and Death Match modes for two players connected by a Combat Cable add to the fun.

All the Doom That Fits

Doom features superb visuals and audio. The graphics are the most striking element. Walls and other objects are still pixel-ated when you get close, but they appear much clearer than in other versions. The scaling, whether you walk or run, is incredibly smooth. The monsters don't blur together here; all enemies are clearly distinguishable, especially when a giant pack heads your way.

Every stage has a haunting quality, especially those set outdoors, like the flaming sky in Level 23 (the Tower of Babel). It fits in perfectly on this cat-and-mouse stage where your objective is to destroy the most fearsome creature in the game: the Cyberdemon. Kill the lights when you get there!

The sound, which plays a key role in any Doom game, is equally impressive. Every effect is crystal clear - from the ear-piercing shriek of the Barons to the cybernetic legs on the Arachnotrons. This is one game to play loud (crank up the bass on the Barrels of Fun level), especially to catch important audio cues like secret doors opening and closing. The music is perfect with some of the most haunting and chilling tunes on the PlayStation yet.

Un-Doomed Controls

Imprecise controls can ruin a game like this. Fortunately, Doom PlayStation handles flawlessly. One of the advantages of the PlayStation's multibutton controller is the additional functions it allows. You can run, fire, sidestep, strafe, and quickly select from the six-weapon arsenal. Lining up and blowing away nasties is easy, and making jumps, which requires some skill, isn't the guessing game it previously was.

Games of this caliber don't come around often - especially for a system in its infancy like the PlayStation. Crank up the stereo, kill the lights, and grab a controller -this is one gaming experience you're not likely to forget for a long time.

ProTips:

  • Although the double-barreled shotgun is powerful, it takes a bit of time to reload it. Use the pump shotgun in tight situations instead.
  • Level 36 - Just as you reach the bottom In the elevator, push the switch on the wall. It activates the giant crusher that smashes some Barons and an Arachnotron.
  • Level 37 - Don't shoot all the Mancubus. Keep at least one alive until you collect all the items. The moment the last one dies, doors open and the place hoods with Arachnotrons.
  • You can run from the Revenant's missiles, but they follow you. Run by walls and other solid objects to use them as decoys.
  • Level 50 - When you start the stage, run for the exit as fast as you can. Your enemies shoot the barrels, starting a chain reaction of destruction.
  • Level 42 - Arachnotrons are easy to destroy with the shotgun. Stay close, pump relentlessly, and they'll never get a chance to fire.
  • Keep your distance when you Ore the fatal shot at a Pain Elemental. When it dies, Lost Souls swarm you. Don't use the rocket launcher on them - they lunge when it hits, and If they're too close, you take damage.
  • When enemies are near a barrel, shoot It. Barrels are like nitroglycerin - highly volatile.
  • When you see the Baron heads Imprinted on the wall, get ready-a Baron Is In the area.

Getting this game for review was a shocker, thought that id Software would sooner die than have another one of its games appear on the Super NES. Remember how then-wimpy Nintendo forced Imagineer to remove the blood from the SNES version of Wolfenstein 3-D? I guess the guys at id have lightened up since that ugly incident--either that or they got an obscene amount of cash to let Williams port it over. (I have this weird feeling it's the latter.)

I hate to insult your intelligence by describing Doom when I dang well guarantee you've heard of it, but here we go anyway: It's a first-person shoot-'em-up in which you pick up an assortment of weapons (a pistol, a shotgun and a chainsaw, to name three) and use them to blow away various denizens of Hell; from zombie soldiers to horned little imps. The original PC version was (and is) phenomenal, and the Atari Jaguar and Sega 32X conversions were (and are) quite good. So how does the lowly 16-bit SNES handle a 32-bit game? By stripping down the graphics to bare-bones levels, even with an FX2 chip in the cart for added horsepower. There aren't any ceiling or floor textures, the creatures can only be viewed from the front, and the game play screen is a bit smaller than the TV screen. But the all-important gameplay is 100% intact--the weapons, the devious level layouts, the hidden areas and the tricky little puzzles.

There are even a few departments in which the SNES version whups its 32-bit cousins. The SNES version has music, but the Jaguar version doesn't. (A "64-bit" system can't do music, but a 16-bit one can?) The SNES version has 22 levels, while the 32X version only has 15. And the SNES version has the best auto-mapping of the three; you can move around very smoothly and scale in and out to many different levels.

The verdict: Doom for the Super NES ain't pretty, but it's mucho fun to play, and it's an amazing example of how much juice you can still squeeze out of a 16-bit system. If you like first-person shooters, or if you're a postal worker looking for a carnage fix, Doom is the cart for you.

Snapshots and Media

PC Screenshots

Playstation Screenshots

Sega Genesis/Mega Drive Screenshots

SNES/Super Nintendo/Super Famicom Screenshots

GBA Screenshots

3DO Screenshots

See Also

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