Doom

The Good
The Good:
+ One of the best versions of the Doom soundtrack
+ Coincidentally the most faithful version to the PC
+ Comes in a badass-looking blood-red cartridge
+ Death doesn't come with a hefty penalty


The Bad
The Bad:
- A save or password function would've been nice
- Sluggish framerate yields sluggish, delayed controls
- No circle-strafing


The Bottom Line
Presentation/Story: 70/100
It's Doom. Doom wasn't well known for its story, so after the title screen it just throws you right into the first level.

Graphics: 65/100
As far as Super Nintendo goes, the game doesn't look that bad. Sure, the textures on floors and ceilings are solid colors, but the levels are not based off of the Jaguar version, it's based off of the PC version instead. The framerate is pretty inconsistent, but it's rather understandable. If it wasn't for the Super FX Chip, Doom wouldn't be able to run on the SNES at all.

Audio: 85/100
The SNES version of Doom is well known for it's soundtrack and almost everyone considers it as great as the PC version, if not better. The sound effects on the other hand, is rather limited and muffled. Along with the inconsistent framerate, the sound effects would sometimes desync with what's happening on-screen.

Controls: 65/100
In terms of button layout, it's passable. L and R strafes, X switches your weapon, Y fires your gun, A opens doors and activates switches and B runs. The problem with the controls is the input lag, meaning that there would be a split-second delay between pressing a button and your character responding to the command. Some people may get used to this, others not. The most jarring thing about the controls is that there's no circle-strafing, which is rather strange considering that you're using the shoulder buttons to strafe.

Difficulty: Easier in some places, harder in some others
Doom on the SNES seems to have a strange restriction depending on the difficulty you selected. If you select "I'm too young to die" or "Hey, not too rough", you can only play Episode 1. If you select "Hurt me plenty", you have access to Episode 1 and 2. On "Ultra-Violence" and "Nightmare", You have access to all 3 episodes. The enemies are one-sided, meaning that they will always face you, but they cannot hear gunshots, which you may take advantage of. On the other versions of Doom, if you die, you usually have to start the level all over again with your inventory reset to just a pistol with 50 rounds. The SNES version on the other hand, while throws you back to the start of the level, it lets you keep the weapons you entered the level with. That's a plus.

Gameplay: 75/100
Doom on the Super Nintendo has been criticised for clunky, awkward gameplay, mostly because of the controls and framerate. While the gameplay is clunky, it's still rather playable. If you were to compare this version to the 32X version, you'd notice that the SNES version had a little more effort put in, containing 22 levels instead of 17, containing PC-designed levels instead of the Jaguar-based levels and squeezed as much as possible inside of an SNES cartridge. That's one hell of a technical achievement. Unfortunately, SNES Doom has no way to keep progress, so you can't save or use passwords. So if want to beat Doom, plan for a marathon.

Lasting Value: 70/100
Despite the flaws that the Super Nintendo version of Doom has, it's still playable and fun to play. I actually like Doom on the SNES. SNES Doom is sold in a red cartridge that's pretty cool to have in your collection. There's also multiplayer with the help of the XBAND modem, if you want to try that.

Score: 72/100