Doom
Reviewed by David Ruocco
It's been a long wait, but Super Nintendo owners can now finally prepare to meet
thy Doom. And the good news is that SNES Doom is an excellent conversion.
If you've somehow missed the hype, Doom is one of the biggest PC games ever.
It is a first-person shoot-'em-up that has more blood and guts than a Friday
the 13th movie. It’s a riot.
You are a lone marine thrown into a maze-like 3D virtual world, complete
with lots of weapons to play with and a host of ugly demons and psychopathic
ex-marines to kill.
You start off with just your fists and a puny pistol, which won't help much.
You must try and find the exit to each level and make it out alive, using all
the gadgets and weapons you can find along the way, such as shotguns, chainsaws,
rocket launchers and plasma rifles.
All the monsters, weapons, bosses and secrets from the original PC game have
been included, and there’s 22 levels to scream through.
The game uses the Super FX chip and the Super Nintendo handles the game
surprisingly well. The action isn’t anywhere near as detailed as on the PC and is
displayed in a window, but the speed is pretty good.
The sound is good too, with great atmosphere generated from the demonic roars
and frantic soundtrack. The sound of footsteps, gunshots and screams coming
towards you is genuinely unnerving.
Controls are perfect, with the left and right front buttons used to strafe
sideways for precise shooting and dodging.
The only disappointment is the absence of a save feature, making the game far
more frustrating than it should be. You can replay a level as many times as you
wish, but that’s little comfort on the latter levels. Surely a battery back-up
wouldn't have been too much to ask for.
Doom on the SNES can’t compare to the PC version, but it’s still a mighty effort.