In case you couldn’t tell by my obsessive comparison of Doom editions last year, I enjoy that game very much. It turned 30 today, so I figured I’d write a follow-up post. You can interpret it as a “how to claim I beat Nightmare Mode in Doom without really trying”, because not all ports treat it equally. Let’s take a look.
What Is Nightmare Mode?
It’s the hardest difficulty in the game. It was absent from early releases, and put in entirely as a joke after some players claimed the PC version was too easy. It’s basically a modification of the next-lower difficulty, but where ammo items give double, enemies attack faster, some enemies move faster, and enemies respawn. Rather, that’s how it’s supposed to be in the PC version, but the console and handheld ports from the game’s first 10 years (ok, it’s really the initial batch of console ports from the first two years plus the GBA port 8 years later) do something different. I managed to get to the third level in the PC version before calling it quits- but speaking of dying, in the PC version when you die and start the level over you get 100 health and 50 bullets for your pistol but that’s it.
Game Boy Advance
Monsters don't respawn, monsters are deaf (meaning that if you fire a shot, they won't hear it, in the PC version most of the time they will hear it and come for you) ammo doesn't give you double, and the monsters don't move fast. When you die, you restart the level with just the pistol, and when you die the level restarts like the PC version- this doesn't matter as much as other ports because you can save the game when you beat a level.
This was the first one I beat on Nightmare. I think this game’s “Nightmare” is just the next-lower difficulty mode. The very one that was not hard enough for some players which led Id Software to create Nightmare mode. Oh, the irony. But this is the easiest way to be able to say you beat Doom on “Nightmare”. The rest of the ports increase the difficulty on you.
SNES
Monsters don't respawn, monsters are deaf, ammo doesn't give you double, individual health/armor pickups don't give double, and monsters move fast. When you die, you restart the level with everything you came in with except your health and armor cap at 100.
This and the GBA version are the only ones I’ve beaten on Nightmare. I like to think of the SNES version as being a nearsightedness simulator. If an enemy is too far away, it’s just a couple of pixels that you can’t discern unlike in other ports. Textures and items similarly are rendered to tiny pixels the farther you are away. Now while this is true on every version of the game, the SNES version’s resolution and level of visible detail is lower even than the Game Boy Advance’s. Plus it runs pretty clunky, there is a noticeable delay between input on the controller and action on the screen, and just a light tap of the button is enough to send you flying in that direction as the framerate chugs along. To me it’s tolerable at lower difficulties because this was the copy of the game I played the most as a teenager, but when the monsters start moving extra fast these issues become very noticeable, even to me. Also, unlike the other console ports, the small health and armor pickups give what the PC version’s give- the other ports here double it.
Sega 32X
Monsters don't respawn, monsters are deaf, ammo doesn't give you double, and the monsters don't move fast (actually they might move fast, but I had a hard time telling because the game couldn't maintain a stable framerate). Monsters become more aggressive and more accurate. When you die, the level restarts like the PC version.
It took like 5 tries but I finally beat it; it was definitely harder than the SNES port because basically if you die you might as well restart the whole 16 level series (or 17 but I skipped the bonus stage). In the SNES port when you die, you restart the level with whatever guns and ammo you had when you entered. On the 32X release you restart with the pistol and 50 bullets, which disappear very quickly at the start of the 7th map. Like in the SNES version, all the monsters face forward all the time because those are the only spirtes- the full 360 degree view was cut for cartridge space- so the only way they attack each other is by getting into each other’s line of fire (the PC release had it so that if a monster shoots another monster they fight).
I noticed something too about this port. The architecture is slightly different than the 3DO and Jaguar ports, in addition to the enemy placement that I mentioned in the bigger comparison post. Aside from lacking the easy trick to end the 4th level that was in the GBA and 3DO versions, they made some doorways tighter. Oh, and last time I mentioned that the teleport sound was missing in this one. That’s not entirely true. Somehow the cue for it gets overwritten easily, but it’s there until you pickup a gun.
Panasonic 3DO
Monsters don't respawn, monsters aren't deaf, only the smallest ammo pickups give you double (ones that weren't dropped by an enemy), and the monsters shoot fast. When you die, the level restarts like the PC version. Transparent enemies are rendered transparent (this and the PlayStation/Saturn ports are the only 90s console/2000s handheld ports that do that).
I got only 9 levels in (skipping the first bonus level) before I was clobbered, like I did on the Jaguar system. For the 3DO, Jaguar, and 32X versions I kept hitting a roadblock at the 7th map (skipping the bonus). Like, many times on each system this was the level that I was stopped at. Something about that map seems to be my make-or-break point- with the 32X port I just could not get past it but when I did I went all the way to the end, while on the Jaguar and 3DO I at least made it to the 9th level, although I know I wouldn’t have been able to get much farther.
Anyway, the basic zombie enemy that fires one shot became a little dangerous, with a blast that can do some damage and a little more rapidity thanks to this being in Nightmare. It’s not that the monsters are more accurate (though it seems that way, so maybe they are), rather there are usually enough of them firing at once that somebody’s bound to hit or catch you in a crossfire. I also think your accuracy is a little off and the auto-aim isn’t as generous as in other ports. Good luck surprising the monsters too- I think there is exactly one instance where you can sneak up behind an enemy, at least in the first 7 stages. There seems to be a much smaller window for sneaking up on them than on the PC version, it’s so bad that I actually thought for a while that the backsides of the monsters weren’t even included! Also I’ve mentioned it with the 32X and will say it again with the Jaguar, but often (especially in larger rooms) the pink demons are moving fast but you can’t tell because the game slows down.
Oh by the way, it runs smoother than the SNES version contrary to stereotypes., and the controls are more responsive than on the Jaguar port
Atari Jaguar
Monsters don't respawn, monsters aren't deaf, only the smallest ammo pickups give you double (ones that weren't dropped by an enemy), and the monsters shoot fast. When you die, the level restarts like the PC version.
The input lag I was having issues with last time was still here this time, even more pronounced when the framerate dropped. The framerate is not as bad as the 3DO or SNES, but it was such that I couldn’t tell if one of the monsters was going at double its normal speed. As it turns out, the pink demons do run fast like in other versions but because often when you see them the framerate drops you don’t notice. This makes the rare times where there is enough processing power to render them at full speed even more jarring. It also means you might not be expecting them to bite through your chainsaw (at regular speed, using a chainsaw on the pink demons interrupts their attack pattern, but at twice the speed the attack so fast that this isn’t reliable).
I did find this version more difficult than other versions, and only made it to the 9th level (skipping the first bonus stage) before getting clobbered (I got pinned trying get the plasma gun). Believe it or not, that is a huge improvement over many attempts over the previous few months where I only got to level 7, and even still over a few months prior where I only made it to the third level, and at the onset it had taken me three tries to get through the first level.
I will also add that this version looks nicer somehow than the 32X or 3DO versions, like it looks like you see more details in the textures and sprites. Maybe the 3DO port looks better when you aren’t running it in a small screen so that you get a good framerate? The lighting effects and levels also seem to differ among home ports.
Sega Saturn And PlayStation (And Final Doom on the PlayStation)
There is no Nightmare mode, not even a fake one like in the GBA port.
Ultra-Violence seemed way easier than Nightmare on the other systems, except the GBA, but the Saturn/PlayStation version of Doom is actually a continuous playthrough of Doom and Doom 2 (with Final Doom being a grab-bag of misc levels), so I didn’t care to try my hand at all those maps on Ultra-Violence. When you die, you restart the stage with the usual 100 health and 50 pistol rounds but hey at least all the small health and armor pickups give you double. Oh, and they move some Doom 2 enemies into Doom 1 stages.
Ultra-Violence+
I only recently found this mode because I didn’t know to look for it. When I got Doom 2016 on the Nintendo Switch, it was the copy that came with Doom, Doom 2, Doom 3, and Doom 64. In this release, there is a mode for Doom called “Ultra-Violence+” that can be accessed from the Level Select menu. If you don’t have any of the above consoles or copies of Doom, this is pretty close to the experience. Ammo and health don’t give you double, and because there is no slowdown from the console trying to process the advanced graphics and engine the pink demons are faster than they mostly are in the console releases (except maybe the SNES version), but the monsters attack at the same increased rate. It’s a more difficult experience because in the other ports levels are either removed or cut down and monsters are removed or in different spots or are in fewer numbers. So it’s a good thing that it comes with a save feature. I think the most notable change ended up being to E2M6 (Halls of the Damned), which was pretty easy on Nightmare on the other systems but is a real struggle for me on Ultra-Violence+ (I did impose the limit on myself that I’d only save at the start of levels like the GBA and effectively the SNES versions so that I could make this a more accurate comparison, so that is not letting me game the Switch port to its full potential). Even the SNES port of the game, which was largely faithful to the original, was somehow easier.
My Opinion
The GBA port was hands down the easiest to beat on Nightmare, followed by the SNES port and then the 32X port. Since I didn’t beat the 3DO and Jaguar ports (despite the fact that in the 3DO port on the 4th map you can skip the yellow key and run right across to the exit, a quirk that was still in the GBA version. Of the Jaguar and 3DO ports, I think 3DO is easiest… right up until the 6th map.
And for my money, E2M7 is the map that had the most changes from port to port, whether being excluded entirely or reworked significantly from a brutal ride in the PC version to a 3 second speedrun on home ports that included it (the 90s console/2000s handheld, naturally starting with the mid-2000s console ports everything was included).
Doom was one of the launch titles for the Sega 32X. Since this is the first one of these posts on 32X games, I guess it’s appropriate I start with a launch title. It’s also appropriate that I introduce the 32X before I get into the game (it’s also also appropriate that I did this 2 years after covering a couple of Sega CD games, since in North America the 32X was released 2 years after the Sega CD). On the other hand given the background of the 32X, it is ironic that it took me several years to get around to making this.
In 1994, 32-bit video game systems were becoming all the rage. The Atari Jaguar and its 32-bit tech were concerning to Sega who wanted to get something out to market quick to compete. They had the Sega Saturn in development, but wanted something out sooner than that. So after first considering a new console that was basically a cheapass refit of the Sega Genesis, they settled on something you plug into the Genesis’ cartridge slot that made it more powerful. The idea was that it would extend the life of the Genesis- and extend customer loyalty- until the Sega Saturn came out.
This was a stupid idea and a waste of money that contributed to Sega going bankrupt a few years later. What ended up happening was Sega released the Sega Saturn in North America months in advance with the 32X only having been on the market for a couple of months by then, while in Japan the Saturn was released a week EARLIER than the 32X that was supposed to hold consumers over until its release and be a cheaper alternative until they could afford to upgrade. Third-party game developers knew what the 32X was intended for and decided not to waste their time with it, and consumers who might’ve bought a 32X went for the Saturn instead because Sega was basically competing with itself, so very quickly Sega abandoned the 32X and lost money. Then after only like three years they abandoned the Saturn to focus on the Dreamcast, which led customers (and developers) to think Sega wasn’t good at supporting its consoles since this was the second time they ditched one way earlier than the competition ditched theirs. In truth, Sega was just flat out of money and it was either ditch the Saturn for the Dreamcast or leave the Saturn as their last console. This is also why the Dreamcast was released without DVD-compatibility: Sega was out of money.
Arguably if the 32X hadn’t been released or if they’d just waited a year to release the Saturn like they originally planned (they moved the Saturn’s launch date up and lowered the price in order to compete with the PlayStation), Sega would’ve stayed competitive for longer and at the very least might’ve had money to make the Dreamcast a DVD player too, something which combined with it beating the other 128-bit consoles to market by a year and a half in Japan and a year in North America would’ve kept Sega going for a few more years.
In other words: their handling of the 32X DOOMed them.
The In-Game Story (Spoilers, Duh)
This is kinda needed to explain design issues with the Atari Jaguar port and others derived from it, which I’ll get to after this.
You’re a Space Marine on Mars handling security for a government contractor running teleportation experiments on Mars’ moons. This is set sometime in the future, not really defined (except in the SNES version which gives the date as March 24, 2022)… set in the future on Martian moonbases. Keep that in mind for later. Anyway, the teleporters actually are gateways to Hell and demons overrun the moonbases. You start on Mars’ moon Phobos which is just beginning to be invaded, then teleport to Deimos which has been fully invaded and is being transitioned into part of Hell, then head down to Hell itself.
Oh, and spoilers from Doom Eternal: the subsequent games turn out not to entirely be remakes afterall. Rather, they are just parallel universes, with Hell’s universe actually being the same place visited in all games. And the Marine you play as here and in Doom 2 and Doom 64 becomes a legendary demon slayer referenced in Doom 3 and who you play as again in Doom 2016 and Doom Eternal, after many years of busting demons (hot take- in order from favorite to least favorite I’d say the original, Doom 3 (Switch port), Doom 64, Doom 2016, Doom 2, Doom Eternal. This was derived after spending two months playing all of them back-to-back… and this does NOT take into account ports and variants because that would take way too long to list out and there’d be versions of the original Doom, Doom 2, Doom 3, and Final Doom all over the place in that list).
And apparently in at least 3 dimensions a company named UAC opens portals to Hell while in at least 2 dimensions there are 22nd century arcade machines for Super Turbo Turkey Puncher 3. So watch out for those things in our dimension, maybe stock up some ammo if they come into existence.
The Real-World Story
Same room, same angle, 32X on the Left, Switch on the right. The Switch version is a full port of the PC version, so I used that for these comparisons. Aside from the pictures of the GBA and Switch versions, all gameplay pictures were taken off the same TV, though the brightness of the camera may have varied a little.
In 1994 there was a rush to get Doom out on home consoles after it revolutionized first person shooters and its popular multiplayer capability crashed a few office intranet systems. The Atari Jaguar was the first console it was ported to with the Sega 32X, PlayStation, Sega Saturn, Game Boy Advance, and Panasonic 3DO versions being derivatives of it. Despite being derived from the Jaguar version (they started trying to make a unique port, but I guess the fact they had only two months before its release date to work on it compelled them to use the Jaguar port that was already in progress. This was the theme around the 32X and Sega Saturn to follow- rushed out to market.), the Sega 32X was the first console that got a port to market. And it shows!
Firstly, what I mean by “derivatives” is that to get the game onto the Atari Jaguar content was cut, all levels had changes made, many graphics were cut to the point where some levels that originally looked like the futuristic moonbases they are supposed to be now look like medieval castles (and because of the many graphics cut they ALL look very bland until pools of lava and blood add some color, otherwise it’s all on the spectrum of gray, black, brown, and olive drab with textures repeated much more- the wider and more colorful variety of textures in the original PC version was not ported to the Jaguar derivatives), some levels were axed altogether while others had big sections cut out, and a number of enemies were cut (with these enemies re-inserted into the PlayStation and Saturn versions, whereas the graphics and most cut levels were not). One of the traps where the ceiling comes down to crush you is not in the Jaguar-derived ports (except in the stages from the second Doom game that are in the PlayStation/Saturn ports) but is in the SNES version. The version for the Jaguar was what the 32X, Game Boy Advance, PlayStation, Sega Saturn, and Panasonic 3DO ports of the game were based on. Instead of porting the PC version, they ported the Jaguar version to other consoles.
Same room, same angle. Clockwise from top left it’s the 32X, Jaguar, Switch, and PlayStation versions. The PlayStation version had a lighting effect in the alcove with the demon carving that made it yellow.
Same room, same angle. Clockwise from top left is the GBA version, SNES version, 3DO version in the window size that worked best for me, and the 3DO version in the largest window size you could select without cheating.
Secondly, the SNES version deserves special mention (and gets any mention at all only because I draw comparisons to it later). Its framerate was just a little bit worse than the Jaguar port, its controls were a little more sluggish, and the enemies only ever faced in your direction and were almost unrecognizable and invisible at a distance because of the low resolution, but the architecture of the levels was actually faithful to that of the PC, they had a wider variety of textures (at the expense of floors and ceilings only displaying one color sort of indicative of the original graphic that covered them… yet still this one-color approach seemed to be more colorful than the other console ports), and they even had enemies that the more powerful consoles couldn’t handle. I think the music in that one is the best, though that is the one I grew up with so I am biased.
One thing that’s undeniable though is the SNES version maintains the story. The PC version was set in 3 segments of 9 levels each, with intermission text between them explaining the story and where you were and distinct styles between the segments. The SNES version keeps that (though it’s in 3 segments of 8, 6, and 8 levels) while the other ports discussed here remove the separation, intermission text, and most of the stylistic differences. Because of the many missing textures and lack of separation and story, aside from the level names you can hardly tell where you’re supposed to be in the other console ports. There’s just a gradual transition from bland industrial to bland castle, which is kind of why I didn’t like Doom 2 all that much- too bland with hardly a transition between bland areas. Saying it’s a console limitation doesn’t hold water either- the SNES was the weakest of the systems this was ported to with the lowest memory in its cartridges yet it managed to maintain the same diversity of environments as the PC port.
A minor example of what I mean by more colorful despite the floors just showing a single color. Top left is GBA, top right is SNES, and the bottom is the Switch.
As to reconciling this with the plot of being in the futuristic moonbases that are pretty bland and technologically challenged compared to the PC and SNES ports (the idea that demonic corruption turned the later stages into castles is sort of part of the plot on the original game, but it’s not to the degree you see here and the distinction between tech, corrupted tech, and Hell was strong), the 3DO version sort of makes it make sense by not giving too much of a story to the game, but the 32X version (and the Jaguar and the Saturn and probably the PlayStation and Game Boy Advance too) gives the PC plot, which is everything I said earlier about Mars/Deimos/Phobos (but no mention of actually being in Hell). As far as you can tell from the Jaguar release, the entire adventure is all on the moonbases (the level names at least indicate a change in location, and in the case of the 32X version all 17 levels actually are supposed to be on the moonbases), and for some reason wood and stone was favored as a construction material for the Deimos moonbase, with nary a computer in sight. I guess the UAC ran out of money. The PlayStation and Sega Saturn versions do have some intermission text on occasion, but it looks like a little different story than the PC release to the point where you might never actually have been in Hell. However, those two ports also feature most of the levels from Doom 2 and can be played almost as a continuous campaign with the levels from the first game so it makes sense the story might be adjusted a bit.
Same room, same angle. 32X top left, PlayStation top right, Switch bottom.
But how does the 32X version stack up in other areas?
Let’s start with the awful.
The music. Even though the 32X is supposed to allow better music, and even though the Genesis is perfectly capable of producing good music, this did not happen. The difference between even the PC MIDI music and the 32X port is so much of a downgrade it’s almost as bad as the difference between the music on the SNES and PC versions of Mega Man X(just plugging a previous post). There are also only 9 music tracks, compared to 19 in the PC version (but at least it plays over the level, unlike the Jaguar version it was derived from where there exist only a couple remixed tunes that play in between levels only because the Jaguar port couldn’t play music during gameplay).
While most of the sounds are there, they did mess one up. The teleporter uses the sound of the shotgun pumping. Speaking of teleporters, one of them doesn’t work, but at least it’s not an important one.
Now let’s do the glitchyness. Oh boy does it like to glitch! Every so often during a playthrough your game might freeze with an error code displayed in the top left. This has been going on the entire 14 year period I’ve owned this game. However, during one of my most recent playthroughs I think I should have seen this coming because the floor would occasionally- for a half second- turn into a bunch of garbled pixels. I had forgotten about its tendency to do this, and how some playthroughs were interrupted like this. The easiest glitch to access since you only have to play one level to see it is that when you beat level 15 (there is a secret level you access from level 3 that’s called level 17, but level 16 is the true final level) after having used the level select feature to skip any of the levels in the game, you are greeted with a command line prompt. Why? Because the game was supposed to restart, but they didn’t do that right so it just prints a command line prompt that kinda makes it look like they ported Dosbox to the 32X.
Speaking of levels, the Jaguar version this is based off of featured 24. As mentioned parenthetically earlier, the 32X version has only 17.
One issue it inherited from the Jaguar release that no other release had- not even the other releases based on the Jaguar version- is that when you collect the chainsaw, you no longer can use your fists. There is a powerup that makes your punches super strong for the rest of a level, but in this and the Jaguar versions if you switch away from your fists then you can’t use them anymore unless there happens to be another such powerup laying around. Not that you’d want this powerup- it blinds you for a few seconds when you pick it up. This powerup does not blind you in the PC or SNES version, but does in most of the Jaguar-derivatives to varying degrees. The 32X though was one of the worst.
The most powerful weapon of the game is missing from the 32X version unless you use a cheat code. It is not available to be picked up anywhere in this game. Compared to the SNES or PC versions this is not strange as this weapon is only available in the last third of the game, but on all the other Jaguar-derived ports this weapon is available in one of the levels that the 32X version features. This makes it kind of weird that it would be missing since it comes from the same stock. But the 32X version might’ve been based on an earlier stage in the Jaguar porting process before they put the weapon in- afterall, in the stage before this weapon should be available there is a wall texture missing that is present in every other port. It wasn’t replaced by anything, it’s flat out gone, causing a big graphical glitch. There are also other textures that are misaligned (most notably an exit switch that’s almost entirely under the floor).
The misaligned switch. Same room, same angle. Top left 32X, top right Jaguar, bottom Switch (and yes you pervert I know what a bottom switch is! You know that’s not what I meant!).
Oh, and remember how I mentioned the PC port’s multiplayer was popular? This is one of the few ports that has no such capability.
Same room, same angle, 32X on left and Jaguar on right. You can see that the graphical glitch caused by the missing wall graphic extends to more than just the wall that’s missing the graphic. You can also see how the colors on the Jaguar version appear a little darker than the 32X version (and darker than other ports).
Now for the neutral.
The controls fall in this category. The buttons seem more responsive and your movement can have more nuance than in the Atari Jaguar port or the Panasonic 3DO port. Sometimes they feel jerky, but that coincides with when the game itself slows down, whereas on the aforementioned consoles they were always jerky. And I think on the Jaguar version I needed to push the buttons harder. The SNES port had worse controls too, but as slow and unyielding as they were it actually worked given the game’s framerate. What makes this neutral though is the button configuration, though taken in tandem with other limitations it’s sort of acceptable.
One such limitation is that the monsters can only face you. Normally that’s a bad thing, but somehow it seemed to cancel out the two issues with the controls. When you strafe, you have to hold a button down and then press left or right. You can’t strafe in an arc with this configuration. You can only strafe immediately left or immediately right. The running button is separate from the strafing button, so if you were to strafe/run/fire you need to be pressing 4 buttons on a controller designed with only using your thumbs in mind which means that 3 of those buttons need to be pressed by one thumb. Somehow though because the monsters can only face you, and the two strongest monsters from the PC port are missing, this strafing issue not present in some other ports doesn’t really seem to be as bad.
Speaking of one-sided sprites, the rockets only have one sprite- the front. So when you fire it, the front of the rocket faces you. This would make since if the monster that shot rockets was in this game, at that point it’d be a coin toss on if the developers wanted your rockets coming at you or the enemy’s flying at it. But that monster is not present. Contrast this to the SNES version which did the same thing, but made the logical choice the 32X developers should have made and used the rocket’s rear sprite.
Some monsters move faster than in other ports. One of the floating monsters moves almost as fast as in the Game Boy Advance port. This is faster than the PC version. There is also a non-flying monster that attacks by running at you who seems to run a little faster in this than other ports and the original.
The monsters are deaf, meaning they have to see you to become active. Because of this, firing your gun in one area won’t send in a horde of monsters from another area. I think the PlayStation and Saturn versions were the only ones that didn’t do this. It’s bad that it had to be done but also good because it helps keep too many monsters from appearing on the screen and slowing the framerate down. While we’re talking about framerate, I’ll also mention that to help keep it high the game plays inside of a window on your TV screen, the part displaying the environment and monsters covers a smaller part of the screen than other ports. That’s a neutral because while it is a limitation, it also keeps the framerate at an acceptable level, and the window isn’t too much smaller than what you’d get playing other versions.
Just some unique things, but the music track that this one and the SNES port use for the first stage set on the Deimos moon base are the same- the music for the first bonus level. No other port, nor the original, do that. Also, some items and monsters seem slightly misplaced compared to other versions, like they’re a little to the left or right of where they are supposed to be, even compared to other Jaguar-derived ports.
And the good?
The framerate- it goes pretty decently, seemingly better than the Jaguar version on average and only slightly worse than the Jaguar’s average when there were a lot of enemies on the screen or if the section of the level you are in is too big (a problem that also plagued the 3DO port). Actually, the game speed in general is pretty good and everything looks smooth compared to most of the other ports, even ones that had longer development times and appeared on more powerful systems.
The graphics for your guns are displayed a little lower than in some of the other ports so that you can see more of the viewing area. When standing on a ledge this gives you more visibility in the area under you.
The verdict?
It depends on what you want.
Console
Pros Over 32X
Cons Over 32X
Jaguar
Takes up more of the screen, more levels, better music, enemies fight each other and you can sneak up on them, takes up more of the TV screen
Clunky controls, movement controls make precision movements impossible (such as lining up a shot), music only plays in between levels, image output is darker and less colorful
3DO
more levels, better music, you can change between fists and chainsaw, enemies fight each other and you can sneak up on them, their button configuration allows for easier strafing, they implemented invisibility for you (and the enemies), brightness of sprites changes depending on lighting, better lighting effects
lower framerate (if you lower the in-game screen size this is less of a problem, and a smaller in-game screen is less of a problem with bigger TV screens these days, but then the graphics appear pixelated), controls are clunkier but not Jaguar bad. Strangely, in the 4th map you can run between two ledges and skip a chunk of the stage- there was no geography change to allow this.
GBA
more levels, better music, controls are smooth as the PC version, you can change between fists and chainsaw, enemies fight each other and you can sneak up on them, their button configuration allows for easier strafing
teensy screen unless you’re playing it on your TV but this obviously means more pixelation, plus all the blood is now green, the bodies of dead enemies vanish to keep the game running smoothly. Enemies don’t explode if you overkill them. Strangely, in the 4th map you can run between two ledges and skip a chunk of the stage- there was no geography change to allow this. In my opinion, the music is worse than the 32X version- the tracks here sound like if you hummed the PC version’s music to someone from memory and they made a 20sec clip from that using the original Game Boy’s sound system.
PlayStation
Many more levels plus some exclusive to this and the Saturn release, better music, you can change between fists and chainsaw, enemies fight each other and you can sneak up on them, their button configuration allows for easier strafing, colored lighting effects (this and the atmospheric items mentioned in the next column make it feel more like Doom 64 than the PC Doom, easier to believe with all the PC elements that were removed!), has the missing monsters kinda, has one of the missing levels, brightness of sprites changes depending on lighting, gameplay takes up more of the TV screen. Introduces a “new” enemy that is just a tougher/different colored version of an old one, and also some Doom 2 enemies appear in Doom 1 levels on higher difficulty settings.
some areas you need to progress through that are full of monsters are pitch black so they can see you but you have to fire blind (at least that’s a con for me- I play games, not podcasts!), the controls are a hair slower. Neutral but most of the sound effects and all the music was replaced to achieve a different atmosphere,- love it or hate it… or hate it because now the doors and elevators you open by stepping in a particular spot farther away are whisper quiet which makes it hard to hear when a secret one moves and sometimes even harder to run to it because the well-lit area it was in is now pitch black. Due to graphical limitations some rooms are not as tall as in other ports.
Saturn
Many more levels plus some exclusive to this and the PlayStation release, better music, you can change between fists and chainsaw, enemies fight each other and you can sneak up on them, their button configuration allows for easier strafing, has the missing monsters kinda, has one of the missing levels, brightness of sprites changes depending on lighting, gameplay takes up more of the TV screen. Introduces a “new” enemy that is just a tougher version of an old one, and also some Doom 2 enemies appear in Doom 1 levels on higher difficulty settings.
lower framerate, clunkier controls (handles almost like the 3DO version), graphical glitches where enemies can do anything from half disappear to appear to be right in front of you despite being on the other side of a wall. Neutral but most of the sound effects and all the music was replaced to achieve a different atmosphere except like the PlayStation version it means some secret doors and elevators triggered by stepping on a particular spot farther away are whisper quiet. It doesn’t have the lighting effects or absolute darkness of the PlayStation version or as many music tracks- almost feels like a beta of the PlayStation port! Due to graphical limitations some rooms are not as tall as in other ports. Strangely, in the 4th map you can run between two ledges and skip a chunk of the stage- there was no geography change to allow this. This game is also at like twice the speed of the other ports, but the framerate is so low that you can’t tell except that you fire your weapons faster. The “new” enemy is almost indistinguishable from the other version because they don’t implement the recolorization properly, though sometimes it looks a hair bluer.
SNES
more levels (some from the PC version that only appear in this port), more colorful (because more of the PC textures are here), better music, you can change between fists and chainsaw, their button configuration allows for easier strafing, brightness of sprites changes depending on lighting, better lighting effects, gameplay takes up slightly more of the TV screen, and probably the most faithful to the architecture of the PC version’s levels
lower framerate, clunkier controls, no textures on the floors and ceilings (unless the sky is visible), everything looks like it was rendered smaller so it’s all more pixelated, not all levels are accessible on every difficulty- you can only get to later stages on higher difficulties. Enemies don’t explode if you overkill them.
See all them factors? I have no idea which one is important to you, and they might even change depending on what game you plan to play after (for example, if you intended to play Doom 64 after playing Doom and Doom 2 you’d do well picking the PlayStation port as a prelude, given that the added lighting effects and changed music and sound effects mentioned above make its style the closest- Doom 64 was actually a heavily modified version of this port). As for me, if I’m short on time then it’s the 32X version, but if I have a while it’s the SNES version. The other ones I break out only every so often. I think it might’ve been 4 years since I played the 3DO and Jaguar versions, and I’m pretty sure until now I hadn’t touched the Saturn version since Obama’s first term.
Same room, same angle, Saturn on the left, PlayStation on the right. This is what I mean by lighting effects- the PlayStation changed the tint to blue for most of the room but yellow on the platform. This is not a feature that the original game could pull off and is only present in the PlayStation port.
Luckily if you just want the PC experience on a console they ported that to the Xbox 360 and PS3 years ago, and it’s even officially been ported to the Switch (plus the PS4 and Xbox One). But if you have none of those or somehow read this anytime before 2012 and want a console port then this is probably useful.
In case you couldn’t tell, I enjoy this game. Each version is a unique experience. But don’t think this is my favorite game series, my favorite is Mega Man X and I have 100% done comparisons like this for it. Trouble is that those versions of the game are all much closer than the Doom ports… for whatever reason. It’s almost as if porting a revolutionary “3D” first person shooter was much harder than porting a 2D sidescroller.
Did anyone test if the Sega Genesis’ keyboard could work with this DOS prompt?
Third year in a row doing this, so next year you ought to expect a football game review the week before the Super Bowl. Regardless of the NFL’s politics and if I’ll even remember to watch the game, I’ve just GOT to jump at the excuse to play a football game. Like liver, it’s something I abhor most of the time but annually get a craving for. I jumped at the excuse early on this one though and had this post ready to go January 6. I hadn’t touched it since.
Confirmation screen for the settings you input. From left to right: Jaguar, SNES, and Genesis. Yes, the SNES and Genesis are almost identical. Yes, this is my Super Ball prediction.
Though, to be fair re: the aforementioned relation between me and football, last year I made great strides and attended 2/3 of the home games played by the Washington Football Team.
Oh, you thought I meant the ex-Redskins? Nope, I meant the DC Defenders! I attended their first game (the first XFL game of the renewed brand) and the last game before COVID stopped all XFL games. The following night I attended the last Monday Night Raw to have an in-person audience, so there is a nonzero chance I contracted COVID (asymptomatic of course) while fattening Vince McMahon’s wallet.
Deterioration of the endzone graphics from left to right: Jaguar with the Bills helmet and font, SNES with the helmet and the wrong font and a BS call by the ref because that was an f’in’ touchdown, and Genesis with nothing but a red patch for its endzone.
It is a standard football game. You set the teams and fields, you play on a field, you select plays and can pick who you toss the ball to. The same formula you’d find in a modern NFL game. One thing you can do that I hadn’t seen/looked for in its contemporaries is that at the beginning of a game and during halftime you can adjust the salaries of your players. I didn’t fiddle with it, but I assume more money meant better stats and vice versa.
Atari Jaguar
This version did have the best graphics… but not by the margin Atari would have you think. And while in the commercial they badmouth the 3DO you might recall from my review that it looked waaaaay better even though it came out the same year as this game.
It played pretty good. I assume that brand new it would’ve come with a little overlay for the controller’s keypad since according to the manual (I had to find one online) some of the buttons down there are used. I didn’t miss out on not knowing these keys though; the buttons on top did everything I needed. The graphics were… well, it looked like it belonged on the SNES. It was done by Williams/Midway (complicated story, but at least at that time they were the same company and subsidiaries of Atari), who would also do the way inferior Genesis port… which probably explains why it was way inferior, at least to the sorts of losers that trust no one, especially people with lovely goodies. Or losers like me, who lost 7-14.
Notice the nice big logo in the middle of the field. Genesis did not have that.
Super Nintendo
I think this was the best version. The player sprites were worse than the Jaguar, but the field looked better. You could actually tell it was muddy. Very slight edge in the sound department too, but only because they have music playing over the title screen. Sorry Atari, I did the math and this copy won out. Speaking of winning, that’s totally what I did on this game. 7-3.
Sega Genesis
I give much credit for how they did the field, since the Genesis wasn’t designed for 3D.
This one is the worst of them all. Bad graphics, bad sound effects. I do like how they did the field though, a bit better than its contemporary Madden 94 on the Genesis. Just glancing real quick at online videos of Madden 94 on the Genesis since I don’t have my copy on hand, I’d say that this game edges out that one a little bit. So it’s not so bad for the Sega.
I first tried to play the usual Bills v. Packers, and was 8-0 because of an accident when trying to score the extra point. The graphic for kick strength appeared, I set it, but then instead of kicking it went to a two-point conversion. A play or two later the game blacked out when transitioning screens, so that ended that.
I went back though and tried one of the other play modes available: coaching. In that mode, you decide the plays and decide when your team starts action on the field, but otherwise you have no control over anything. This game ended 0-0. There was no overtime, and when the clock ran out I was probably just two plays away from a touchdown. Oh well.
Conclusion
I don’t think I ever threw an interception on the Genesis version, I threw one or two on the Jaguar version, while on the pictured SNES version I threw two or three at least, basically in back to back to back possessions, all in the second half. I played the game on the hardest difficulty on each system.
My Super Bowl prediction is obviously Bills v. Packers, and it seems from my simulations that the Bills will win (I’m counting the Sega Genesis rounds as a single win). The last two years I used kind of what I’d absorbed about football goings on from my family, but this year I flat out cheated and checked the division standings.
As for the games… if you want a traditional football game on the Atari Jaguar (thanks to the dub of Godzilla vs. Megalon I BADLY want to call this the “Atari Jagyoo-ar”), this is it. I mean it is the ONLY traditional football game on the console. There is one other football game, but apparently it’s a caricature of football and more arcade-style. But the best out of the bunch is the SNES version.
C-Gaymer 