Doom is reborn on the Playstation.
Good: Includes both Doom and Doom 2, has improved lighting and sounds/music, best console version of Doom.
Bad: Controlls are worse then on the PC, framerate and draw distance is not always good, uses a password system with no ability to save the game like on the PC, no local multiplayer without a link cable.
Most people who played the original and its sequel Doom 2 in the 90's probably remember walking through tech corridors and hellish landscapes on the PC, blasting demons and lost souls with their good old shotgun and BFG 9000.
However, one thing that a lot of people no doubt missed out on was the fantastic Playstation version of the game, as well as the Playstation version of the expansion pack: Final Doom.
Being a massive Doom fan, I could not resist but taking these 2 games for a spin to see how they compare with the original PC versions and if or not they are worth the time of Doom fans (and anyone who enjoys old school video games).
We will start with the original Playstation (PSX) Doom.
One of its biggest good features is that it includes BOTH the original Doom (plus its fourth episode which wasn't included in the PC version until later in a re-release called "The Ultimate Doom") as well as Doom 2, which means you are actually getting 2 games in 1. The second big good feature is the fact that it has colored lighting. Combine that with the fact that all of the sounds and original music from the PC version have been replaced with much darker, scarier effects and the PSX version of Doom both sounds and feels much darker and more immersive then the PC version.
However, not all of the graphical aspects of this version of Doom are so great. While this is easily the best looking of any console version of Doom, there are still some shortcomings. Sometimes when a lot is going on there can be framerate drops that are very noticeable, and in addition to that the textures are also of lower quality then they are in the PC version. Perhaps worst of all though is the fact that the draw distance isn't so great compared to the PC version, while this rarely matters that much since most of the levels don't feature large open areas it can be a slight problem during some of the levels.
In addition, some of the original levels from the PC versions have been either edited or removed completely as a result of the technical limitations of the Playstation. That said, many of the levels that were removed were kind of mediocre in the first place, so its not really that big of a loss anyways. Basically, you are getting the best levels more or less even in spite of this.
Levels aren't the only thing that are missing either, since the archvile monster (basically a demonic wizzard that can bring other monsters you killed back to life and set you on fire) is also missing. Though seeing as this monster was very tough on the PC, not having to fight him with the PSX controller might not be such a bad thing.
Perhaps worst of all however is that there is no safe function. This game was released before memory cards were common on the playstation, which means you have to rely on passwords. At the end of each level you are given a password, so if you want to stop playing and resume play later then you have to write the whole thing down and then type them into a password menu latter. This is annoying, but not a dealbreaker.
The biggest difference in terms of gameplay however is the fact that this means you cannot save during the middle of a level like you can in the PC version. Die, and you have to start the whole level from scratch. Thankfully, the developers were smart enough to make some changes because of this to make it easier to win, like by making monsters inflict somewhat less damage while making some of your own weapons better. Thankfully if you die during a level you can restart it with all your weapons and items that you had before without having to re-type the whole password, so re-typing passworlds is only needed when loading a saved game after the console has been started.
Speaking of controls, this is probably the game's biggest shortcoming besides the framerate, draw distance and lack of a save function. While the controls are by no means terrible, using them well will take some practice. You need to remember that this was before analog sticks were common on the playstation controllers, and thus you have to use the arrow buttons to walk and aim instead of analog sticks. Since you can only look side to side and not up and down this is not as hard as it sounds though. I personally got use to the controls fairly quickly.
But what about gameplay? Is this still the good old same Doom? Basically yes.
You still travel through maze like tech bases and hellish landscapes, blasting demons and monsters while collecting key cards and pressing switches to unlock new doors and areas. Its not a very mixed game (you do basically the same thing in every level) but seeing as how fun it is to play a game where you do literally nothing but blasting everything to **** (think of a non-linear Painkiller game with key card and switch puzzles) I am personally not complaining. Fight can become very hectic, but large numbers of enemies on screen at once and lots of gore flying around on the screen, Doom is still an extremely violent game after all of these years, and its awesome.
One noteworthy change is the fact that there is no nightmare difficulty mode in the PSX version. Basically a super hard, almost impossible difficulty mode that was later added into the PC version, this mode is not found in the PSX version. Though to be honest nobody would be able to beat it with the PSX controls and the lack of in-game saving. So it makes no real difference.
The original Ultimate Doom combined with Doom 2 means you will have roughly something around 60 or so levels to beat. While this may sound like a lot many levels can often be beaten in less then about 10 min or so, and thus you are probably looking at something like 8-12 hours worth of gameplay depending on your skill.
Overall, the playstation version of Doom is an awesome deal and worthy of the Doom name.
Score: 90%
Recommendation: If you are a Doom fan or like old school FPS games where sprites were stil the norm rather then 3D models, then it doesn't get any better then this. Easily recommended.