Final Doom

"A brief tour of three Doom level collections, but does it hold up to the first PS1 Doom?"

As you can tell in my glowing review of it, I loved the first Doom for the PlayStation. That was, of course, The Ultimate Doom, Doom II, and a handful of original levels all rolled up into one package. Now, Final Doom sounds great on paper, although it's a bit deceptive in it's advertising. First of all, Final Doom was originally two separate thirty-two level Doom adventures. That's sixty-four levels total, alright? The Master Levels, a collection of (I do believe) twenty-one levels from mappers id recruited to make a Doom II expansion. That's a pool of eighty-five levels. Eighty-five! There's thirty in Final Doom, which falsely claims there's over thirty on the back of the case. And just one more thing, there's between twelve and fifteen levels from The Master Levels, about the same amount from TNT, but Plutonia, the last part of Final Doom (Also the most difficult) only has a measly six levels. Talk about short-changed. Alright, complaining aside, let's get down to brass tacks and take a look at this game.

Graphics: 8/10

The graphics of Final Doom are identical to the other PlayStation version. That is, they look good, though a bit pixelated. Unfortunately, whereas overly complex levels were dumbed down in the other version, they're left intact in Final Doom. This sounds like a good thing, and in the more claustrophobic levels, things are fine. But in levels with wide-open spaces, the game bogs down. A lot. It renders the game almost unplayable sometimes, which is sad, especially considering a lot of the eighty-five possible levels would've fared better.

There's also some startling stylistic differences. This is to be expected, since this is a mish-mash of three un-related level packs, but it's still jarring. The Master Levels are all varied in style, while the TNT levels are all futuristic in a way. (Like military bases or quarries.) The Plutonia levels (all six of them) have a bit of a jungle theme. At least they're all well-detailed.

Sound: 9/10

The sounds are the same as the other PlayStation version, of course... (What did you expect?) I'd like to say that I love them. They're more realistic and frankly more satisfying than the PC original sound effects.

Music: 10/10

I love the ambient music this game has. Like the other Doom for the PlayStation, this has many of the same tracks, along with a few (very creepy) new ones. The music adds a level of tension that rock and roll MIDIs can't, and that's why I feel the PlayStation (And Nintendo 64) versions of Doom are more frightening.

Controls: 9/10

Although I believe the DualShock controller was introduced by this game's release, there was no support added for it, which is a shame. (Damn quick 'n dirty ports.) Still, playing with the D-pad isn't so bad, and at least you have the shoulder buttons to strafe with. If you played the other PlayStation Doom, you won't have any problems at all playing this. (It's a good thing the controls are so precise, given the horrendous lag at times...)

Game Play: 8/10

Despite my complaints about so few levels, lag, and a lack of analog controls, this is still a fun challenge, although only Doom nuts (cough, me, cough) really need apply. You run around, you kill monsters, you collect keys, and you kill more monsters until you find the exit. A lot of these levels are quite long, and since you can't save except between levels (And you don't really save; passwords, ick. Memory cards, don't they know what they are!?) you might find yourself dying and getting frustrated. I know it happened to me a few times.

Story: N/A

The Master Levels had no story, and neither did Plutonia. They were all about the challenge. TNT had a story, but it's lost in translation here. There's not even (or barely) half the original levels, and the intermissions are removed. (Instead, you get patted on the back for completing each episode... It's just not the same, though.)

Multiplayer: N/A

I've never played Final Doom's multiplayer, and I doubt I ever will. It requires you to link two original PlayStations. That about sums it up. Nowadays, does anybody even own a PlayStation anymore?

Overall: 7/10

So, only thirty levels out of eighty-five, (it could be more, I forget how many Master Levels there originally were) bad lag at times, defunct multiplayer, and a chopped up story... Also, the price of this game is outrageous. (I saw a new copy on Amazon for ninety dollars; mine, which had the case and booklet, was 25!) That more or less puts it in the collector's category, considering that you can get Final Doom for the PC, in it's un-cut, un-laggy glory for the PC for much less than that. And the Master Levels? I'll let you in on a secret, they were originally, and still are today, free online. It's funny how that works out... (Team TNT, the company who made TNT and Plutonia, sold out to id, as well... Hmm.) Anyway, enough history.

In a nutshell? Final Doom for the PS1 isn't worth buying unless you're a hardcore collector.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 09/26/08

Game Release: Final Doom (US, 10/01/96)