The Saturn finally has its own version of Doom, and not only is it about two years too late, but it's also completely worthless. You know the story: Space Marine discovers his platoon has been wiped out, Space Marine gets pistol, Space Marine opens a can of whoop-ass on an almost infinite number of demons. Saturn Doom contains all the Ultimate Doom and Doom II levels for a grand total of sixty, which by now most of you should be able to complete on the hardest setting with one arm tied behind your back.
Doom for the PlayStation and N64 hold their own against the original PC version. Doom on the Saturn, on the other hand, is very similar to playing on a 286; the frame rate is incredibly low, especially when entering a large room. The game's sound is also drab, and while the original music has been replaced, it will have you longing for the original MIDI in no time. If this is the best the Saturn can do, you might as well dismantle it with a sledgehammer, glue the remains together, and recoup your costs by selling it as modern sculpture.
The control in this Doom for the Saturn is on par with the dismal 32X port. You can do everything you could in the PC version; the execution is just nowhere near as smooth (everything feels jerky). Also lacking is a save game option - the Saturn has a built-in memory, but the game relies on a password-based system. And while the back of the box claims that this version of Doom is "Deathmatch-ready with two-player link capabilities," it's a flat-out lie. There is NO multiplayer option in this version. These drawbacks, combined with the game's poor look, make it a wonder that this game got past Sega and onto shelves.
Doom for the Saturn is to be avoided at all costs. If you've never seen Doom before, check out the original on the PC. But if you're like me and have suffered through numerous versions, you've probably had enough already. If I see one more Doom game released on any platform, I'm going to hunt down the people responsible and kill them slowly.
