In the Fall of 2011 I decided to revisit one of my old favorites: Doom. I wanted to review all the console versions of the game and update my previous Doom reviews. As I started posting these reviews a reader named Martin began sending me feedback filling me in on the history and technical details of these games. It was very interesting stuff but too much to incorporate into the reviews. I informed Martin that I planned on creating a "Doom Special" which would consolidate all of my Doom reviews into a single page along with his in-depth commentary. It took over a year, but the page is finally complete. My reviews are in yellow, and you'll recognize his expert commentary in white. Enjoy!

If I was overly critical in my original review of this game, it was due to my perception of Doom as being a very basic first-person shooter. I failed to realize that Doom was actually quite demanding for the consoles of its time. After playing several versions of the game I have finally calibrated my expectations properly. This is a respectable port. At the very least you have to give this version credit for making use of the entire screen, as opposed to other versions (3DO, 32X) which crop the display with an ugly border.

Despite some modest slow-down the frame-rate remains decent throughout (unlike the 3DO edition). The game only supports the three-button controller, so you'll need to use the C button to strafe. It's not optimal but the game is certainly playable once you get the hang of it. If you've played other versions of Doom you'll immediately notice the lack of music. While some may consider it superfluous, I always felt that the moody soundtrack added to the intensity.

The sound effects also come across as a little flat compared to other versions. One advantage the Jaguar edition has over the others is its two-player modes (coop and death match). They require you to hook two Jaguars together (a pretty rare occurrence) but from what I hear it actually works pretty well. There are better versions of Doom out there, but this one certainly gets the job done.

As one of the earliest first-person shooters, Doom feels decidedly raw, but that simplicity makes it all the more appealing. I love how you can effortlessly navigate each stage without a run button. You simply walk over items to collect weapons, ammo, armor, and colored keycards. There's no jumping and you don't even have to aim upward to hit enemies on high ledges. Each stage is ideal in size, and your goal is always just to get out alive!

The graphics are good but compromises were made for this 32X edition. Eerie lighting conveys atmosphere, but some wall textures look muddy. Your view is cropped, but you won't notice once you get "in the zone". Monsters are always facing you, but it would have never occurred to me if I wasn't told. The frame rate is quite smooth, but controls do become laggy when things get hectic. Unfortunately, these are the situations when you're frantically trying to escape!

During the early 90's blood was a valuable commodity in video games. Parents hated it so kids loved it! Watching enemies spit up blood makes their death animations all the more satisfying. And when you ignite a barrel, the bloody guts of a nearby imps splatter all over the wall, accompanied by a gross sound effect.

Another thing I love about Doom is its gradual ramping difficulty. Think the imps are bad? Check out these demons! Think it's pretty cool to take out two foes with a single shotgun blast? Wait until you get a chance to mow them down with a chaingun! This game just keeps upping the ante.

The music is sparse at times but conveys the proper sense of urgency. Unnerving snarling and growling (in stereo) gives the impression that monsters are breathing down your neck! Stages become more complex as you progress, but getting lost is not an issue since an overhead map is available at the press of a button. There's no password feature, but you can start on any one of the first 15 stages.

The default skill level "hurt me plenty" is challenging enough, and when you die you restart the current stage stripped of weapons and armor, making it even harder. This is when you realize the beauty of the game, as you must painstakingly ration your items while taking calculated risks, keeping a wary eye on your health. Far more than blood and guts, Doom is a primal, often terrifying exercise in survival.

Of all the versions I've played of Doom (and I've played most of them) this 3DO edition may be the sorriest. I can't get over the fact that the screen is severely cropped, despite screenshots on the box that provide no indication of this "feature"! The lack of full screen support is bad enough but the 3DO even struggles to render the action on the small screen! My friend Scott noted "I'm already seeing slow-down, and there aren't even any monsters yet!" The textures look fine but the uneven frame-rate is enough to make you queasy. When ambushed by a band of imps the game practically comes to a stand-still! Random, intermittent disc accesses also disrupt the flow of the game. I expected the 3DO to excel in terms of control, considering its controllers have shoulder buttons to facilitate strafing. Sadly the controls feel mushy and unresponsive. Certain levels offer high-octane music, but those blazing guitar riffs are more suitable for an 80's rock video. Doom on the 3DO is a lost cause. I find it interesting that a console billed as the "ultimate multi-media player" couldn't even handle the premiere first-person shooter of its time.

Boasting over 50 hellish stages, this is a superb translation of the classic PC title. Doom is first-person shooting at its purest. It's satisfying to shoot demons in the face with a double-barreled shotgun as you navigate multi-tiered fortresses. The antiquated graphics look chunky but the frame-rate keeps pace even when you're being ambushed by a gang of fireball-throwing imps.

Doom conveys a harrowing atmosphere that often borders on terrifying. Its ominous soundtrack makes you wary of impending... uh... doom, and the resonating sound effects are alarming. Colored lighting is used to good effect. Flammable barrels are the equivalent of water coolers in hell, so If you spot several possessed soldiers congregating around one, blast it to splatter their guts all over the floor. Doom is packed with memorable sights and sounds, from an imp spitting up blood, to the digitized mountain backdrops, to a demon snorting his final breath.

As an early PS1 title, the analog controls are not supported, so you'll need to use the D-pad. I'd recommend reconfiguring the controls to use X to shoot instead of triangle. The lack of a jump button is actually refreshing considering jumping always sucks in an FPS. Most stages are relatively short but numerous secret areas add replay value. It's nice how text displays on the screen alerting you to what item you've picked up.

If I have one complaint, it's the inability to save your progress to memory card (the game provides a password instead). Two-player modes are available, but only via the link cable which nobody owns. With its compact stage designs, clever puzzles, and frequent surprises, Doom is more than the sum of its parts. There are plenty of versions of this game available for various consoles, but this is the one you really want.

Final Doom certainly has the look of a money-grab, reprising the original Playstation Doom with a new set of levels. It's targeted at those who played the hell out of first Doom (literally) and crave even more first-person demon-shooting mayhem. I guess Final Doom serves its purpose. Not only does it contain a whole new set of stages, but the difficulty has been ratcheted up to the max!

The levels are jam-packed with enemies and the elaborate stage layouts expose you to constant danger. If you feel like a sitting duck, it's not your imagination. Complicating matters is the fact that armor and health packs are in very low supply. One thing you do have in your favor is firepower. Heck, the chain gun and plasma gun are available in the very first level. You'll need them, because to these demons you're like a walking McRib. Completing any of these levels is a monumental achievement.

Final Doom uses the same graphic engine as the first, and since the action is more intense it sometimes struggles to keep up with the chaos. The mouse controller is supported and a two-player mode is available via the link cable. A password is provided between levels. It's bad enough the first Doom didn't let you save your progress to memory card, but there's absolutely no excuse for it here. Final Doom is a respectable extension to the series but I think its audience is fairly limited.

Doom is a classic first-person shooter that originated on the PC but later appeared on many consoles in the mid-90's. This Saturn edition is seriously weak, especially compared to its Playstation cousin. The graphics look washed out and the sound effects lack punch. Why in the heck does it sound like I'm taking damage when I walk down steps? What really hurts the game however is the lousy frame-rate. After a few levels the slow, jerky visuals can give you a massive headache. And when the frame-rate slows, the controls become sluggish and inexact. Even opening a door looks choppy. The back of the box claims the game is "deathmatch-ready with two-player link capabilities" but as far as I can tell that is completely false. As is often the case, Saturn owners got the short end of the stick.

Trying to play Doom on the SNES is a lot like trying to play Warcraft II on the Saturn. You can do it; it's just not recommended. The screen is cropped, although since the border is black it doesn't stand out as much. The textures look washed out and the monsters exhibit a degree of pixelation on par with the Atari 2600.

The animation is choppy and your movements (especially strafing) tend to lag. It's hard to make out enemies in the distance, so you'll often wonder what's shooting you. Doom probably has no business being on the SNES, but it's still playable. The bleak audio soundtrack is effective and the stereo sound effects are crisp (although slightly delayed).

Between stages there's a nifty "you are here" map screen that you won't find in any other console versions. Did I mention the game comes on a nice shiny red cartridge? A candy-like red cartridge. This is Doom stripped down to its bare essentials, and my friends were fascinated by it. It probably makes a better tech demo than a game, but this is a neat cartridge to have in your collection.

I showed this game to a few friends, and their initial response was always the same: "Wow." Most console versions of Doom are derived from Doom 1 and 2 (PC), but Doom 64 is a whole new animal. You might call it Doom 2.5. By leveraging 64-bit technology it delivers the same style of first person shooting with better graphics and silky smooth animation.

The stages tend to be very elaborate and the monsters have a sharp "clay-mation" look. A few new creeps have been added to the mix including the "pain elemental", and old standbys have been redesigned. Weapons include a double-bladed chainsaw that's not very practical for logging but mauls bloodthirsty demons like a champ. Doom 64's haunting music and echoing sound effects are effective. At first glance Doom 64 seems too good to be true, and it is.

This is an incredibly dark game, and even with the lights out it's a struggle to see the corridors. Every now and then you'll locate a pair of "light amplification goggles" which brighten things up considerably, but the effect is short-lived. Excessive darkness combined with a slew of invisible monsters will result in you wondering why in the heck you're incurring damage. The high-tech stages are maze-like, and you end up moving in circles trying to figure out where to go.

The default controls are unwieldy. Due to the N64 controller design you can't effectively use the trigger to shoot while using the shoulder buttons to strafe. A password is provided after each level, and you can also save your progress to a controller pack. Doom 64 may be a treat for fans looking for a brand new challenge, but casual players will find it more aggravating than fun.

I've been anxiously awaiting Doom 3 since it was released for the PC last summer (2004). I even purchased the Xbox "special edition" which contains Doom I and II. If only its tin gray box didn't look so butt ugly. And while I'm on that subject, there's something fishy about the fact that the "extras" are included on the same disk as the game. If they don't require an extra disk, why not let everyone have them? Oh, because then they couldn't charge an extra ten bucks!

Doom 3's claustrophobically dark environments offer an experience that's like nothing else I've played. You can use a weapon or a flashlight - but not both at the same time. This "feature" has been subject to much controversy, and I still can't decide if it's idiotic or brilliant. Obviously it would be easier to use both at once, but it could be argued that this limitation heightens the tension and encourages a more careful, deliberate approach.

The game is set in an industrial complex on Mars where all hell breaks loose - literally - as demons begin spawning from portals. Is the game scary? Hells' yes! When the lights go out suddenly and you hear a loud crash, you can't help but jump out of your seat. Weird noises that emanate from rooms ahead will make you think twice before entering. Besides the hideous monsters, eerie sights include corpses that suddenly levitate and float out of the room.

Doom 3's controls are crisp and responsive to the highest degree, and I love how the D-pad is used to quickly switch weapons. The weapons themselves are similar to those in past Dooms (chain gun, shotgun, plasma gun, B.F.G.) but their reload times are considerably longer. Doom 3 offers a few "find the key" and interactive puzzles, but for the most part it's either "kill or be killed". One element I'm not crazy about are the "PDAs" you collect from dead soldiers, containing both emails and voice clips. It's tedious to examine their contents, but sometimes necessary to uncover critical clues like lock combinations.

Doom 3's graphics are as good as I've seen in a first-person shooter - even better than Halo 2. I couldn't help but notice some slight pixelation when you're right "up on" the scenery, but the texture mapping and lighting is fantastic. The environments are detailed to an almost photo realistic degree, but there's not much variety. You'll spend most of your time wandering the dark, narrow hallways of industrial facilities with steam pipes and control panels all over the place.

The human characters look good but not remarkable, and their pale skin makes them look like zombies even before they're dead. The surround sound is impressive; the crystal clear moans and footsteps build a sense of paranoia (are those footsteps mine?) There's no auto-save feature, but you can initiate a save at any point, and there's even a handy "quick save" button.

My biggest disappointment came when I attempted to play the much-ballyhooed two-player cooperative mode with a friend. Sadly, there's no split screen version, so you'll need two copies of the game. Otherwise, I really enjoy playing Doom 3. It may lack the variety and long-time play value of Halo, but you can't question Doom 3's sheer intensity and top-notch production values.

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