What is your favorite (and/or least favorite) Doom console port?

[Koko Ricky]

You have to be kidding about the 32X's music, @Guydoom. The devs didn't understand how to properly utilize its soundchip and as a result it actually sounds significantly worse than the Genesis, which has a really nice buzz to its synth, perfect for low-fidelity guitars. The 32x version is a poo orchestra.

[MrDeAD1313]

Favorite and least favorite in order has to be

 

-PlayStation

-SNES

 

I can't stand the snes port. The PlayStation port is gold :)

 

The GBA ports are great too. I remember finding them randomly in a mall back in high school and grabbing both from FYE and loving them to death for the portability. Played the hell out of those! But PSX for the atmosphere all day as far as ports go.

[Devils950003]

For several years, it was PSX Doom for me, because I started with the no-music, too-much-removed Jag version, and the PSX variant absolutely blew it away.  Loved the awesome Aubrey Hodges soundtrack (still holds up to this very day, and his 20th anniversary release of an even BETTER version of that soundtrack (with bonus tracks to boot) makes what was already damned near perfect even more so).  And of course the added lighting effects and other goodies.  

 

I never once played Doom on a PC, but finally got into the Xbox Live 360 version a couple of years ago (after having downloaded it some time before)...it took a little getting used to after so many years with PSX Doom, but to me, the 360 is the definitive console version...clean and smooth as could be, no downgraded or missing textures, everything is there...my only issue is with the original Bobby Prince tunes...they're just too cartoony and primitive to take seriously.  I turn that music off and play the Hodges PSX Anniversary Edition through my laptop...problem solved, feels quite natural and makes a world of difference.   

 

That being said, there's still aspects of PSX Doom that I like better.  The sound effects, for one (especially the Barons of Hell, Hell Knights, and Cacodemons, but just about every sound effect in PSX Doom trump the original's).  And certain levels are much creepier and have a much darker (read:  more fitting) atmosphere...PSX Tower of Babel is so much more intense than the 360 Tower of Babel...the PSX version has Mancubi in that level (on Ultraviolence), and the animated flames just add so much more to the whole experience.  I also liked that some PSX levels (like the Containment Area and Spawning Vats) were truncated and whittled down...there is such a thing as "more is more", and some of the original E2 levels really drag on a bit too long.  PSX's Spawning Vats' "castle" textures were also pretty cool and gave that level a very unique feel.

 

360 Doom is definitely more challenging from E2 on (due to not being able to keep your weapons), so I like that.  It's fun to crank through the PSX's levels loaded for bear though, even if some levels are not as tough as they were intended to be as a result. 

 

But anyway:

 

Favorite:  360 Doom w/PSX 20th Anniversary Soundtrack.  PSX Sound Effects would make this even better.

 

Favorite for Portable:  PSX Doom on a PSOne.  Small PSONE LED screen helps offset the downgrade in textures.  Inconsistent framerate and lesser variety in textures is a little harder to look past one you get used to the never-stutters, silky-smooth 360 version, but it's still fun.  The best way to play Doom on the go, as long as you've got 120VAC nearby.

 

Least favorite(s):  3DO version is obviously a trainwreck (but the Prince remixes are very well done), SNES version is kinda-sorta impressive considering that it was even possible, but that doesn't mean it was a good idea.  Tried the GBA versions and they didn't take at all. 

 

 

 

[Impie]

The ports I played were as follows:

 

SNES. My first time playing Doom. Never played anything like it, and loved it instantly. Scared the shit out of me.

32X. Fewer levels and not as nice looking, but it was smoother and gorier, so that was okay. Still fun even if it felt half-finished. Music indeed sounded like farts.

PS1. Amazing atmosphere and sound. Wasn't keen on Doom and Doom 2 being mixed together, nor some monsters being nerfed or left out, but definitely played this port the most.

3DO. WHY. CAN'T. YOU. HIT. ANYTHING. FUCKING. AUTOAIM.

[Devils950003]

14 hours ago, Impie said:

The ports I played were as follows:

 

SNES. My first time playing Doom. Never played anything like it, and loved it instantly. Scared the shit out of me.

32X. Fewer levels and not as nice looking, but it was smoother and gorier, so that was okay. Still fun even if it felt half-finished. Music indeed sounded like farts.

PS1. Amazing atmosphere and sound. Wasn't keen on Doom and Doom 2 being mixed together, nor some monsters being nerfed or left out, but definitely played this port the most.

3DO. WHY. CAN'T. YOU. HIT. ANYTHING. FUCKING. AUTOAIM.

 

I played the PSX port a ton too, but now I think if I ever tried to bury myself back in it, right from The Hangar I'd be noticing everything that was scaled back and/or is now missing (not to mention the frame rate, which really chugs on some of the E4 missions).  Some levels retain just about all of their original layout, but there's a lot of concessions made.   

 

3DO actually had a full-screen mode (accessible by code)...I've heard the frame rate in that mode was usually stuck in the single digits...basically EVERY level played like parts of PSX's Perfect Hatred.

[crazyflyingdonut]

43 minutes ago, Devils950003 said:

3DO actually had a full-screen mode (accessible by code).

 

You are right. There's actually a reason for this. The reason it was like that is because the 3DO was supposed to have a sequel console called the Panasonic M2. But the M2 got cancelled. What does this have to do with DOOM? Well, they put the 2 biggest screen sizes behind a cheat code so that the game itself would look better on the Panasonic M2.

[Impie]

1 hour ago, Devils950003 said:

3DO actually had a full-screen mode (accessible by code)...I've heard the frame rate in that mode was usually stuck in the single digits...basically EVERY level played like parts of PSX's Perfect Hatred.

I don't remember having much trouble with the framerate, just couldn't hit anything cos auto aim was so poorly coded.

 

What I really wish is that they'd made all the game assets FMV style like Killing Time, since it was made in the FMV era. They originally planned to have terrible FMV cutscenes added to the game, but taking it a step further woulda made it a lot more interesting and helped it stand out as a port.

[Devils950003]

1 hour ago, crazyflyingdonut said:

 

You are right. There's actually a reason for this. The reason it was like that is because the 3DO was supposed to have a sequel console called the Panasonic M2. But the M2 got cancelled. What does this have to do with DOOM? Well, they put the 2 biggest screen sizes behind a cheat code so that the game itself would look better on the Panasonic M2.

 

Yep I remember that.  And how the woman who programmed it was given very little time to finish it. 

 

Even though I prefer the Hodges soundtrack, the remixed Prince tunes from the 3DO version are really quite good...the redone Hanger tune makes you want to storm the place and immediately kill every last thing you see.  I may try a few 360 levels with those tunes playing in the background for the hell of it some time. 

 

Was pretty amazing that the NES managed to port in many (maybe all?) of the wall textures, considering all of the versions that were nerfed from that standpoint. 

[Jon]

On 12/3/2018 at 6:47 PM, Devils950003 said:

For several years, it was PSX Doom for me

 

I just wanted to say, since your take is almost the exact inverse of mine, that it's great that the world is rich enough in pleasures for both of us ;-)

[Koko Ricky]

Nothing beats the story of the 3D0 port. I'd love to know more about how Art Data formed, why in the world a bunch of Christians took on porting Doom, and how—even considering the era—they had what no clue what programming entailed. These goobers threw Doom's source code on a disk and thought that was that, while teasing new content they had no plans on actually implementing. It astonishes me how a video game software company could possess so little knowledge on either video games or software in general. It's really quite the miracle that Rebecca Heineman managed to code the game together in a matter of weeks, in addition to getting a surprisingly badass soundtrack out of the process, as one of the Art Data members happened to be in a rock band. Learn more about the story on YouTube:

 

[Devils950003]

4 hours ago, Jon said:

I just wanted to say, since your take is almost the exact inverse of mine, that it's great that the world is rich enough in pleasures for both of us ;-)

 

I actually bought a GBA strictly to play Doom on...I guess I was just too used to the PSX version to really be able to "feel" GBA Doom (and that screen is SO small)...but having watched a bit of a youtube video of a GBA Doom playthrough, I gotta admit, what is there was done pretty well, all things considered.  But no REAL Tower of Babel, no Cyberdemon...deal-breakers for me.

 

The 360 version definitely changed how I approach PSX Doom (not ever having played the original PC Doom helped to give PSX Doom a lot of longevity, as I didn't truly know what I was missing, though I'd seen playthroughs here and there)...PSX Doom is now more of a portable-only experience, where the concessions feel more acceptable (which is the way I've been playing it for many years now anyway - on a PSOne screen - but when I can throw on even better versions of Hodges' PSX music on my laptop, and play the levels with ALL of the textures and areas intact, playing PSX Doom at home doesn't really work for me anymore, when I have a largely better option so readily available). 

 

PSX Doom obviously does have some things going for it...some levels do "feel" better than the original for sure, even stripped down and simplified...and that soundtrack is one for the ages.  But the last few times I really sunk into it (before I got into the 360 Doom), I stopped at Perfect Hatred...I can clear it, but the sub-20 fps rate for too much of that level really hurts the game...kinda takes me out of it.  And unfortunately it's more of the same during Sever The Wicked. 

 

 

Edited December 5, 2018 by Devils950003

[Kellson]

Fav : Maybe PSX Doom solely because of the ambience, can't say I am a fan of the new sounds though.

 

Least fav : Doom featured in Doom 3 for the original Xbox. This version just feels sluggish as far as I remember.