Doom reviews from the old days

[Koko Ricky]

Anyone know where I can find any? Doesn't matter which version, though I'd prefer Doom, Doom 2 or PSX/N64 Doom. I'm just really curious about reviews from when the games were released (from sources other than IGN and Gamespot).

[pritch]

I have scans of a CVG magazine review of Doom 2 from 1994 if interested including them hilariously confusing the chainsaw with the chaingun. I won't be able to upload them for a few days though.

[ReFracture]

Ohh, I'd like to see those as well.

[BaronOfStuff]

I have an ancient review for PSX Doom somewhere, from the 1999 PSM UK 'Horror Special'. I bought the magazine specifically to play the demo, despite already having the game on PSX and PC; I just wanted more Doom.

[vdgg]

http://www.doomworld.com/vb/doom-general/59394-an-old-polish-article-from-94/

[Doomkid]

This isn't a review of DOOM specifically, but of the Dwango service. It's definitely from the old days, though - You might find it interesting: http://www.doomworld.com/vb/doom-general/70474-interesting-article-dwango95/

[GreyGhost]

GoatLord said:

Anyone know where I can find any?

There's a few in the archive

[durian]

Not a review, but a neat article, that also discusses aspects of editing:

The DOOM Phenomenon (PC Mag, Nov '94)

And some bonus content from the same issue:

An article on violence in video games which discusses DOOM. There are some mildly amusing readers' letters a couple of months later, which disagree with the article's conclusion.

DOOM II ad

[Olroda]

I have no review to show, unfortunately, but I remember reading one for DooM all those years ago. Possibly on the (back?)cover of a magazine. I'm unsure of what IWAD it was about, but it's unlikely to be the first one. I have a hunch that it might have been Final DooM.

Anyway, it had a picture of a pinky demon and the player had just taken damage (or maybe gone berserk), so the screen was red. If I should guess, it was taken in the final room of MAP06: The Crusher. You know, the one with the teleporters. Some text near the picture said:

"Shoot the ugly, and the area turns red!"

...It isn't much, but I just thought that it has some relevance, regarding the topic and all.


Edit: Found another article. Be warned, huge images ahead!

http://dl.pcgamer.com/pcgarchive/DoomSpread1.jpg
http://dl.pcgamer.com/pcgarchive/DoomSpread2.jpg

[Waffenak]

Original doom tv review should have quality of degraded vhs, big mullets, hosts on ecstasy, funny one liners uttered when showing gameplay footage like:" That's gotta hurt"= zombieman gibbed, all those wacky elements that 90's videogame shows used to have.

[Maes]

I went through the pain of translating this for you last year, but no love :-(

Which was really a pity, since that 1994 review from an obscure insert of a Greek PC magazine really nailed down some points that still spark endless debates today: why is Doom so enjoyable to play, why is Doom so flexible, what keeps players coming back to it etc.

Due to the poor feedback, I didn't bother translating the rest of the review, which was more technical. To be fair, I should do this justice and set up a proper website for it, with my comments as footnotes, rather than inline.

The links to the original scans have expired, too, so I gotta reupload them at some point.

[Pirx]

Maes said:

I went through the pain of translating this for you last year, but no love :-(

Which was really a pity, since that 1994 review from an obscure insert of a Greek PC magazine really nailed down some points that still spark endless debates today: why is Doom so enjoyable to play, why is Doom so flexible, what keeps players coming back to it etc.

Due to the poor feedback, I didn't bother translating the rest of the review, which was more technical. To be fair, I should do this justice and set up a proper website for it, with my comments as footnotes, rather than inline.

The links to the original scans have expired, too, so I gotta reupload them at some point.

hey, i was going to link your greek review as my answer to this topic, but you were quicker.

i'm surprised about that review getting little attention, as it was imo the best old doom review i have read, for the reasons you state above. it was more thorough than the usual praise for graphics never seen before.

tbh i looked up your translation a few months ago, still waiting for you to complete it. that stuff deserves its places on a proper website. i have saved the translation on my disk back then, possibly also the original scans.

durian said:

Not a review, but a neat article, that also discusses aspects of editing:

The DOOM Phenomenon (PC Mag, Nov '94)

And some bonus content from the same issue:

An article on violence in video games which discusses DOOM. There are some mildly amusing readers' letters a couple of months later, which disagree with the article's conclusion.

DOOM II ad

is there a convenient way to save these to the hdd? save page as yields only a blank page with a bit of text, so taking a screeshot of the area of interest seems the only option.

[FireFish]

Firefox with a screenshot plugin. There are a few good ones, and a few bad ones.. I used one half a year ago which saved an entire website in PNG form.

I can also deeplink to the exact jpegs for pages on a google books scan (a.t.m) but that might not be allowed on this forum, or could be questionable in terms of what google allows you to do...

[Pirx]

ok thanks then i found my ways ;)

edit: i'm a bit obsessed with saving every snippet of interest for the simple reason that websites and links can go offline... cloud or not, what you save stays.

[ETTiNGRiNDER]

I think it was more of a strategy tips thing than a review, but does anyone know of the magazine article on Doom that referred to the cyberdemon as a "Greater Baron of Hell"?

While not 100% sure, I believe the same issue of said magazine also came with a Super Metroid poster with a big picture of Samus on one side and a map of the game on the other, if that helps.

[FireFish]

Definitive doom ; a guide of some sort...
http://www.ibiblio.org/GameBytes/issue20/misc/defdoom.html

I think i posted this one before : hell on earth preview.
http://www.ibiblio.org/GameBytes/issue20/flooks/doom2.html

[VGA]

Maes said:

I went through the pain of translating this for you last year, but no love :-(

Which was really a pity, since that 1994 review from an obscure insert of a Greek PC magazine really nailed down some points that still spark endless debates today: why is Doom so enjoyable to play, why is Doom so flexible, what keeps players coming back to it etc.

Due to the poor feedback, I didn't bother translating the rest of the review, which was more technical. To be fair, I should do this justice and set up a proper website for it, with my comments as footnotes, rather than inline.

The links to the original scans have expired, too, so I gotta reupload them at some point.

Please reupload it!

[Nuxius]

Yeah, I have a few reviews from old magazines.



IIRC, reviews of Doom I have:

- Videogames Magazine - Jaguar, 32X and SNES.
- GamePro Magazine - PlayStation.
- GamePlayers - PlayStation
- Ultra Gamer - PlayStation
- GameFan - SNES


Reviews of Final Doom (PlayStation) I have:

- GameFan


I probably have more, but those are what I can remember off the top of my head. I seem to remember having some Doom 64 reviews as well, but I can't think of any specific ones off the top of my head right now.

It will take me a bit (I have to find them first), but I'll try to get them all scanned in and uploaded as soon as I can.

[cyberreality]

well, in case you're just curious and you don't care about the language, you can visit my server, there you can find most reviews of id tech1 games from czech and slovak magazines ...

10/1993 Joystick 08 - Doom Preview
12/1993 Excalibur 21 - Doom Preview
02/1994 Excalibur 23 - Doom
03/1994 Score 3 - Doom
04/1994 Bit 4/94 - Doom
04/1994 A Radio 4/94 - Doom
10/1994 Riki 2 - Doom
10/1994 Score 10 - Doom II Preview 1/2
10/1994 Score 10 - Doom II Preview 2/2
11/1994 Excalibur 35 - Doom II
11/1994 Score 11 - Doom II
01/1995 Score 13 - Doom for Jaguar
01/1995 Score 13 - Doom for Sega 32-X
01/1995 Score 13 - Heretic
02/1995 Excalibur 40 - Heretic
02/1995 Level 2 - Heretic 1/2
02/1995 Level 2 - Heretic 2/2
03/1995 Riki 7 - Heretic
05/1995 TV Tyden 19/95 - Doom
06/1995 Excalibur 45 - Doom for Jaguar
06/1995 Level 5 - Doom Inside 1/2
06/1995 Level 5 - Doom Inside 2/2
08/1995 Level 8 - Doom II over Network
11/1995 Score 23 - Hexen 1/2
11/1995 Score 23 - Hexen 2/2
12/1995 Level 11 - Hexen
01/1996 Score 25 - Doom - Network games
02/1996 Riki 17 - Hexen
06/1996 Level 17 - Doom for 3DO
06/1996 Level 17 - Doom for SNES
06/1996 Level 17 - Strife 1/2
06/1996 Level 17 - Strife 2/2
06/1996 Score 30 - Strife 1/2
06/1996 Score 30 - Strife 2/2
11/1196 Score 35 - Final Doom 1/2
11/1996 Score 35 - Final Doom 2/2
11/1996 Score 35 - Final Doom for PSX
01/1998 Score 49 - Doom and others 1/4
01/1998 Score 49 - Doom and others 2/4
01/1998 Score 49 - Doom and others 3/4
01/1998 Score 49 - Doom and others 4/4