Doom

Publisher: Sega Developer: Sega(??) Size: 32 Megs No. of players: 1 Got it for: Free, cart only. Buddy of mine's brother's friend gave this to me along with his 32X instead of throwing it away.
On a moon base, deep in outer space, all Hell has broken loose, literally. The base has been overrun by demons that are threatening to take over the entire galaxy. As the lone, surviving Space Marine it's up to you to force the hordes back into Hell and shut the portal once and for all. What's it all about? It's the granddaddy of them all, the one, the only, Doom: A first person shooter that has you running around the moon base in an attempt to shut the gate to Hell that has been opened. You'll encounter, literally, thousands of enemies during your battle, and with a multitude of weapons like the chaingun, shotgun, plasma rifle, BFG(Big Fucking Gun) and many others, you'll personally destroy each and every one of those demon bastards...
Graphics - For the 32X's resolution, they are quite good. Don't go expecting the PC/Mac version's extremely defined textures and you'll be satisfied. In order to make the game run a bit better, you'll noticed that the developer decided to put quite a border around the actual in-game window...though it's annoying at first, you get used to it. Past that, the only major knock against the graphics is the apparent lack of enemy animations. When they are looking right at you, or attacking you...all is good, they are animated very well...but it's their lack of turning(side), walking away(with their back towards you) and other animations that really give them a very flat, 2D look...
Sound - Wow, the same crappy midi we got on the computer versions is unfortunately, and faithfully reproduced. On a happier note though, all of the grunt and other sound effects made it in, and do a good job of holding up on the 32X's sound chip.
Control - Once you get used to the strafing, it's not bad at all. Sega intelligently used all six of the Fighter Pad's buttons efficiently. About the only sore spot is how the framerate can sometimes hinder the responsiveness of your movements.
AI - It's Doom, so it's pretty cheap...but it's made even cheaper by the 32X version's lack of animation. This is pretty amusing: The enemies in this version don't have animations where their backs are turned to you, so no matter what you do they are always facing you...and in Doom if an enemy sees you, they attack you. There is no more sneaking up on them because of this. It makes the game a lot harder at times.
Replay value - Very high. Trying to get through the entire game without dying is a kick, and if you're a real Doom fan you'll enjoy seeing the redone level designs.
Tips for better gaming experiences: When you die, though you do start at the same level, you have nothing but your pistol and fists...remember that before you go running into a room full of Cacodemons like Billy Badass.
My rating: 80(out of 100) - A solid port, with an acceptable framerate and great gameplay. Had it not of been rushed, I think we really would have seen something truly amazing...
EGM gave it: 9, 8, 8, 8, 9(out of 10) GamePro gave it: 4.0(graphics), 4.5(sound), 5.0(control), 5.0(funfactor) (out of 5)
JD's thoughts on it: Excuses, excuses, excuses. Coulda, woulda, shoulda. Doom on 32X sucks, not as bad as the Saturn and SNES(especially the SNES) versions, but when I can just jump on Bel's iMac, what's the point? I'll pass on this one, thank you...

I'll saw my way into Hell if I have to!	Just like you remember...just lower resolution.

Time for a tasty load of buckshot!	Anyone order some lead?
Interesting Tidbits: The redone level designs from the Jaguar version(the first console port of Doom) were used for every single other console version of Doom.