Best game ever - no arguments. Find out why...
Doom was of course realesed for the PC in 1993, then Doom 2 in 1994. By 1995, it had been or was about to be ported to most of the popular consoles at the time. Alot of gamers say most ports of Doom to those consoles aren't very good, and they are right. The PC game is probably the best of all, because you can modify it to end, creating levels, etc. BUT... there is one console port that stands out, and is probably still the best Doom you can play if you cant play on it on PC, and thats this version for the Playstation.
Where can I start? Ok first of all this game has nearly 60 levels, thats almost all the levels from Doom 1 and Doom 2. There are even a few new exclusive levels, and they are very good. Incase you're wondering why not every single level from Doom 1 and 2 was in this version, it was because of the Playstation's limited ability. Some levels could just not be included due to technical reasons. But, most of your favorite levels you will find right here, and the new exclusive levels make up for the missing ones.
Talking about missing things, this game includes almost all the monsters from the Doom games. Only the 'Arch-vile' is missing, and the 'Icon of Sin' (boss from Doom 2). Every other monster is present. Interestingly, they have put some monsters from Doom 2 levels in the Doom 1 levels, to mix things up a bit, and it works well.
So, thats the bad out the way - only a few levels and a couple of monsters missing. No wonder the Playstation port is regarded as best - most other console versions are missing ALOT of monsters and levels.
So whats new about this version then? First of all I haver to mention the sound. Words cant descirbe it and I really havent heard anything like it even in the latest games today. They have replaced the PC's cheesy midi tunes with atmospheric backround music. I cant really explain it, you really need to here it for yourself, but its like a mix of ambient, sad, mysterious music with monster sounds echoing in the distance. It suits Doom really well and makes Doom sound like what it really is - a dark, dark game about demons from Hell invading the earth. And the games story is alot more complex than that, you need to read up about, its really interesting actually and not as simple as you think, but I ain't gonna explain it in this review!
Then there is the sound of the monsters themselfs. Most still sound similar to the noises they made in the PC version, but they have changed them slightly, and again, I think better, because they just sound meaner than ever. Also the gunshot sound is different for every gun, not too different from the PC sounds, but again a bit better then them.
The game plays as good as ever. So much fun blasting away with your shotgun, going from level to level, never gets boring. The game doesn't use a memory card, so you cant save it like that, but it does use a password system, which you are given at the completion of each level. Re-entering this password puts you exactly where you left off, with the same health / ammo you had before, so it works well. And once you've played through the game you have written down passwords for almost every level, so you can jump to any level and play through it again. This makes the games replay value excellent.
Graphically, the game does not look good these days but hey come on - its good old Doom! Bottom line is Doom is not only one of the best games ever, this Playstation port is one of the most unique versions ever. The darker sounds and the way they have mixed up things with different enemies in different places in the levels make it so much fun to play, even for the veteran PC player who's looking for something different with the old levels, should definitely check this port out.