Doom

"The best DOOM yet."

Intro: Whew! I've basically played DOOM on every platform it was ported to. After playing through the Jaguar version, I thought that the PlayStation version wouldn't be much different, so I didn't even bother considering it. Boy, was I wrong. After playing this I was totally stunned.

Graphics: 9/10

The graphics in this game are a bit outdated, because when you walk up to an enemy or a wall they get very pixelated. But, the cool new ambient lighting effects really make up for it. Your weapon even reflects the surrounding light! The only serious problem you may have with these lighting effects is that your eyes might hurt after a while because there is a red room here and a blue room there. Still, unlike the horrible 3DO and Sega Saturn ports, the PlayStation port clips along at30fps, but the frames drop slightly when the action on the screen gets really intense (when there are more than 20 enemies on the screen). Overall, the graphics, while being a little outdated, are put to good use for the PlayStation's capabilities.

Sound: 8/10

The sound has definitely changed from the original PC version. Like Doom 64 and Quake 64, this port uses ambient music instead of Bobby Prince's music on the PC port. They sound effects are also very frightening. If you really want to be scared out of your pants, I suggest playing this game at night with the lights turned off, the volume set to maximum, and having a clean pair of shorts. :)

Control: 9.5/10

The controls are very good on the PlayStation, but I think that it absolutely needs support for the Dual Shock controller. Extensive controller customizing is allowed, so you can put in your own configuration settings.

Gameplay: 9/10

While there are already better and more sophisticated first person shooters out there at the time of this writing, you must not forget that all that started with Doom (it actually started with Wolfenstein 3D). This port, like the Saturn version, contains a whopping 59 levels, all from the Ultimate Doom and Doom II, and even includes 8 new levels never before seen on the PC version. However, while the Doom II levels have remained intact, the game's Ultimate Doom levels have been simplified (for example, in Level 6, about 1/3 of the level had to be removed when porting it over from the PC). Minor glitches also appear in the game, such as rooms impossible to access, objects blending into the foreground textures, and some items impossible to pick up. But, these glitches are minor and will not affect the gameplay in any way.

Final Rating: (not an average)
10/10

Even if you have played Doom on other platforms, I still advise getting the Custom PlayStation Edition. The PlayStation version beats the crap out of all of the the other ports. It even contains all new eye-candy. Sure, it's not perfect like the PC version and definitely not terrible like the 3DO and the Saturn versions, but it falls in the top tier. This is one of the PlayStation's best and if you can find it for $20 or less, go for it immediately!

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 04/22/01, Updated 04/22/01