Doom 32X Review - Worst Doom Ever? 

this version is surprisingly playable compared to the 3DO and Saturn versions - which seems so strange to me

Contrary to belief, it was a good version for its time and was positively received. The Jag port was better later on, but no one really cared when it showed up because Jag was dead in the water. It wasn't until the PS1 version that the 32X version was dethroned IMO.

I still had fun with this port on my 32x.

To be fair, being a 10-year old computer geek when Doom came out, I remember that it was nearly unachievable to play it in proper full screen. It would require a 486 DX2 66MHz, but those computers were around the 1500-2000$ mark (with inflation 3000-4000$). If you were lucky to have a PC at home it was probably your parents fairly modern office computer (to work from home) and usually those were in the lines of 386 SX 25MHz. If you ran Doom on those, it had to be low quality settings, and a window size of a postage stamp. Looking at the time frame and what the world looked like, versions like the 32X actually made Doom available to "normal" people. I would say 32X was a "good way" to play doom back in the days... I was lucky, my father just started a new business just around the time when Doom came out, and he bought a 486 DX266 for the household office. I was one of very few in my school that could play the game pleasantly.

The DOS prompt after you beat the game was the strangest thing.

This was also my first version of DOOM that we got for Christmas '94 when I was a kid. I recently resurrected my 32X console back from the dead to see if it still works, and sure does. Replaying it was definitely rough, but I still got a lot of enjoyment out of it. Even the horrendous music is something that brought back fond memories.

I loved 32x doom when it came out! It was awesome to me to be able to play it on a console and not an expensive pc. I didn’t realize it was missing content until much later when games like quake etc came out. Another genesis 1st person shooter that I really loved back then was Zero Tolerance. It’s pretty choppy by today’s standards but back then it was a sci-fi wolfenstein!

The one guy that made the Doom 3DO port should be given more credit

The guy who did the music hands down just winged it

Sega of America was responsible for the music... oh no. SoA sound engineer: "eyyy lemme whip out my fart soundboard real quick WE GOT THIS."

I just picked this up and played through the whole thing (on original hardware, not emulated). Here is my take: 1-Plays surprisingly well. Pretty good and consistent frame rate, and if you have the 6 button controller it is quite easy to control, although I re-arranged the buttons thusly: A is run, B is strafe, and C is shoot. That way the run and strafe buttons were right next to each other. 2-Graphics are actually pretty close to the original, the engine seems to be original engine as opposed to the SNES port. Seems like there is a bit less detail and the lighting is pretty different, though. But it doesn't look bad. 3- The music is pretty bad, that is true. That said, it doesn't completely destroy my enjoyment of the game. I ended up listening to podcasts while playing most of it but with open back headphones so I still heard the music. I would have preferred good music but unfortunately this part of the game was botched. 4- The lack of a full screen size is a bummer, but it's not a game breaker, especially on my big TV (I used an upscaler to play it on a modern TV). After a while I sorta stopped paying attention to the screen border. 5- Yeah, some of the levels are cut down and the game is incomplete. Overall, this is a pretty solid port of doom. For the time it came out, it might have been one of the best ports around. Not a bad way to veg out and play some classic doom really. I like playing it with the 6 button genesis controller, as well. It gets a B- or C+ from me. PC version, which I do have on my comp, is obviously superior.

I wish some modern FPS' had simplified 2D controls like Doom. These games were very arcade-like, and that has always appealed to me over the use-every-button-and-be-realistic-but-not-fun nature the genre took in the late 90's.

Thank God for SLX; dude, you are my anxiety relief. I wish I could chat with you; I have a huge Sega collection, want to take my mind off this year, and you seem like an amazing friend to have

The Saturn travesty takes the prize as the worst version ☹️

Another enjoyable video! (except for the Dark Halls music lol) I think it's fair to say DOOM 32X is better than the SNES port, and perhaps the GBA port, in addition to the Saturn and 3DO.

It’s far from the worst but it’s certainly not the best. TO THIS DAY I am livid that EGM gave it a better review than the FAR SUPERIOR Jaguar version on which the 32x is based. Just goes to show you that the 32x wasn’t totally reviled back then.

I was in the same boat. This was my first experience with a Doom game, and it was simply great at the time. I didn't know about any of the cut content at the time. The one thing that still bothers me to this day is a few levels that I could never get 100% of the secrets. I tried countless times "clicking" on all the walls to no avail.

This was the version I first got. I was crazy about it. I still throw on Knee Deep in the Dead after a bad day or just to veg out. Later I got into the PSX and of course PC versions, but this one still holds a place in my heart.

For the texture issues, I am working on something that will restore them so get ready to throw e-doctor's hack in the trash.

The music is right down there in the basement, with the Sega Saturn version of Resident Evil's basement music.

I love the 32X version for what it is. My favorite to play is the Jaguar version because it's the first console version I played. I was always playing on PC. Then I collected every console port released in the US and the only real regret I have is trying to play the SNES port. It was a miracle of a cart for sure but the game runs like ass and the resolution is sooooooo low it's painful for me.

Well, I was the only kid on my block that had a Sega 32X and a Sega Saturn, in Chicago on the Southside. I wasn't rich, I just didn't get the Sony PlayStation or a Nintendo 64.

I'd played the DOS version of the game on my high school's 486's (so it ran pretty decently)... So I definitely noticed how inferior the 32x version was from the start... But I still adored it. I was finally able to play at home! That being said, I always felt that the 32x version was the worst of the good versions of Doom... I felt vindicated to find out that Digital Foundry feels exactly the same way. Perhaps if the devs had more time and more ROM space, we probably would have gotten something better... But as a 16 year old from a poor family... it was enough that I barely scraped together $150 in the 90's... About a year later, I saved my allowance as well as the money I had from my first job to buy a PS1... I bought it specifically for Doom. Doom was definitely a console mover.

The Sega 32X itself was one of the biggest WTFs of the home video game industry. It violated one of the chief rules of business: "Never compete against yourself."

My first time playing DOOM was on the Super NES, and i loved it.

I never really had an issue with version "despite playing it years later after the ps1 and pc versions" It runs fairly smooth at a semi constant 25-30fps, looks good and the music is also damn good. It begs the question though, what would a 32x/SegaCD combo version of Doom looked/played like.

6:46 That is one depressed sounding chainsaw

Surprised you didnt mention the SNES port. It had more levels and better music, but the visuals render it barely playable.

0:48 damn, they even went as far as hiring Peter Griffin for their Doom ad

32X Doom is enjoyable. To be Honest the music fit it for that version. Adds to the uniqueness of the game just being on Genesis. "With the help of the Mushroom top"

Now go listen to blast processed's rendition of doom tracks. They use the same sound chip the sega genesis uses, though without the limitations the genesis has to work under. It shows just how GOOD the music could have been. Edit: I also wonder if any homebrewers would try making a modern engine port to see if more could be done using the limitations of the 32x.

Brings back so many memories. I was exactly as ignorant as you, SLX. I extracted a lot of value from this game, pretty much the only thing I played on my 32X.

Honestly if they took the time to manually convert the music into tracker tunes like something made in Deflemask (which I know didn't exist at the time but equivalents for the time certainly did) instead of pushing the original .mid files through the GEMs driver I imagine this port would be better regarded. It's certainly a worthy port of Doom, even if it's rough around the edges.

I kind of like the enemies always facing you and never in-fighting. They are after you and only you! The Nightmare option was actually a blast on the 32x because it was Not impossible (no monsters respawning), they fired every chance every second they could, and you could actually use all that to your advantage. It made it to where you had to be fast on your feet but not just race to the exit. Some of the music I enjoyed too. I never knew it was bad since I never saw it on the pc for years. The Playstation though.... I loved that music and sound effects! Multi-player oh my! That was insanely fun!

As a proud owner of Doom for the SNES, I assure you the 32x version is not the worst :)

You should make a video about the 3DO version of Doom and its development.

5:58 you can't make enemy death sounds that accurate without the 32x's PWM hardware sir. In the 32x's defense, it is a sound tool whether it's in a music track or not. That PWM was used for really anything in all 34 games to some degree, otherwise you'd just hear PSG/FM every time you hear an enemy and that would get REALLY annoying.

Yep, Doom on the 32X was my first Doom. Played it to death and no regrets

Yeez, that MIDI chiptune is awful 😬😱

This was also my first taste of Doom. I didn't have a PC or computer for that matter, so this was my first ever game of Doom. I didn't know if anything was missing so it made it a great experience, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. In fact, in the last few days I've started playing Doom (classic) on the Switch to see if I can beat that version. Great memories!

I remember PC gaming in the 90's with the resolution so low and games coming across as a slideshow... those were the compromises you made to enjoy the things you loved. It's easy to wash it away now, but back then you simply did not have the access to powerful hardware you do today.

I love that port. You can pull off so many button combinations.

I only had a 32x for doom and virtua racing. After I got the ps1 version of doom and virtua racing on saturn, i had no reason to keep the 32x.

I think the Genesis soundchip had the potential to do some decent music for Doom.

These poor Doom ports really made Sega look bad. I don't know how even the Saturn version came out as awful as it did.

I completely agree on your opinion. I didn't own a PC back than and quite frankly wasn't interested in having on, because I had my Genesis, Sega-CD, and my brand new 32X in 1994. 32X Doom was the first version of Doom for me too and I absolutely loved it like you. When the first PlayStation gave me an upgraded and tons better version, I completely abandonend the 32X version of course. For its time, it was a brilliant port!

I dunno why but that Slaughterhouse worker advert sickens me more than any glory kill in Doom Eternal...

As later seen from the Doom 32X Resurrection hack, it showed it was more than possible to make a competent 32X Doom port based off the Jaguar version if more time was devoted to programming it. But alas, this got rushed out to market to meet the 32X's release hence only front-facing enemy sprites, less maps than most other console ports of the era, and that grating soundtrack.

My first experience with Doom was on the Atari Jaguar. So I never missed the music. The frame rate was good and the levels weren't cut as much as it was on the 32X.

I had this game on PC and 32X, so I was well aware of what it was missing, but it was still DOOM. When going on family vacation or to a friends, it was easier to bring your console than a whole PC, so it was good enough. The only other console versions at the time this came out were Jaguar and 3DO, which basically no one had and weren't very good anyway. I think I knew one guy that knew a guy that had a Jaguar, and no one had a 3DO, so there you go. Of course, not long after that, there was SNES, Saturn, Playstation, and N64 (whole other story).

This game was my first introduction to Doom and like was mentioned in the video, I did not know what I was missing and had a lot of fun with this game. To me, it played well and it did a great job of creating a creepy atmosphere. I may be alone in this but I actually liked the music in this version of Doom.

I’ll never not love it, it was my first DOOM. It’s flawed for sure, but I’ll take it any day over the snes version

I wish more people like you, people who played these games at release, would share their first hand experiences of day one.

I never had a pc growing up so Doom on 32x was my first time ever playing it and I loved blasting my way through the game.

Perfect timing , just sat down for dinner! Thanks SLX

I had the 32x version as a kid it was great it also let you adjust the viewing size to adjust performance, and with the 6 button controller a strafe button.

It's funny because I tried playing this version of Doom a few days ago and gave up so I tried out Batman on the Genesis. You have footage and music from that Batman game at the end of the video.

I liked that the 32x version tried its best despite being an old console! I felt like it gave its all and did what it could! Awesome video SLX!

I can’t believe Doom on the 32X was better than the Saturn version... how does that even happen when the Saturn was the next big thing after the Genesis?

Another thing worth mentioning about this port. You can turn the music off. Being able to excise the robot farts makes Doom 32X a lot more enjoyable to play.

I had already played the pc version by the time I rented this game on 32x, but I still enjoyed it. To me the difference of playing with a controller, playing on a TV [that was way bigger than our 15" monitor] made it a more enjoyable experience. I still play 32x doom here and there even now. I do own doom on ps1, steam, and xbox360, but I like the controls on the Genesis a lot still. The frame rate is plenty smooth and the difficulty levels seem to be perfect too [i can't get far but I do enjoy bumping up to ultra violence at times]

Sega really did everything wrong. If Sega knew FPS is important, and strongly promote Doom in 32x, why Saturn had no this kind of game when launch?

Don't have to worry about music copyright... it's unrecognizable 😆. Notable all console ports are based on the Jaguar port which Carmack worked on. Nice video man. I have a soft spot for these 4.5 gen consoles. My PC ran Doom pretty crappy back in the day. Also, needed a Sound Blaster or sound was way worse than 32X.

Ok, I'm definitely an odd case when it comes to this.... I was born in 92 so I was a little late to be able to experience this in it's prime. The funny thing is I never saw or played Doom until my buddy had this 32X version in 2009. Yes I said 2009. So this port was my 1st time playing Doom. So I didn't know about the complaints. I still enjoy this version to this day and is one of my regular games to grab if I wanna play 32X. I'm quite aware of the other ports and actually own some, but I still really enjoy this particular version.

On the Hunt should be the soundtrack to Pacman:)

First Doom I ever owned/played. Loved it. I don’t think it looks that bad. Back in 1994, as a teenager, letting rip with the shotgun, was satisfying enough.

That Dishonor for the worst DOOM port goes to the Saturn port.

Runs fine, plays fine, sound effects sound crisp and surprisingly high quality... far from the worst port.

Did not understand sound problem. It sounds cool, much much better than what I was hearing first time playing Doom - PC Speaker shit.

in case anyone is wondering WHY he waited to play Doom on a console, its because at the time many people could not or did not want to afford the kind of computer that could play Doom well. I started with a 386 and it looked horrible and ran poorly. When we got a 486 it became much better, also we got a nicer video card (1 meg trident VESA card, I think) then we got a Pentium and it was wonderful. But that stuff costs real money.

Way I remember it is that Doom was outdated and considered old by the time the ps1 version came out. Still like to play it on 32x to see how impressive it is to run on this hardware.

I always played the game with sfx only after the music started to annoy me. My first Doom experience was on the 32x, and I loved every second of it.

This was my 1st console port of Doom & i still play it to this day. 2nd was PSX and it's still GOAT'd

This was the first place I saw and played doom when it came out. Definitely an exciting experience at the time.

Military Base is also a secret level in the PC version

I think the 32X version of Dark Halls is actually amazing, technical inferiority be damned. Something about that track in particular just takes me back to the feeling of being so completely immersed in the game, before playing the PC original.

At least it had music unlike some others

Doom as well as some pc ports of classic Sega titles like Virtua Cop, Sega Rally, Panzer Dragoon and House of the Dead almost ruined console gaming for me in the early 90's. As someone who didn't own a Saturn until fairly late in its life cycle, I can't express how happy I was to see some of its best games released on the pc.

Ah. Early FPS on consoles. My brother, father and I used to play the hell out of Zero Tolerance on the Genesis.

We began with Wolfenstein 3d..then DOOM for PC...as kids. I begged my parents for 32X and never got one, turns out they were more knowledgeable than I was in the gaming world.

I don't think people really understand how doom was a technological spectacle. I had on the super Nintendo,and had know idea about the other monsters. Wasn't until the Xbox I realized just how big and epic it truly is.

I noticed they also seem to have omitted any decorative textures with alpha - the fencing to the left and right in the last room of the first level, in the center of the secret level on the first episode etc. and a lot of decorative objects (skull candles, bodies etc.) seem to be missing.

SNES version? To be fair had more. But crashed when you tried to unlock certain level skip features. Because the programming for the level was cut so you had to hit reset.

Like you, This was my first port of Doom I played and it got me into the franchise. For that, I liked it despite it's short comings. I played more superior ports afterwards. Not the best version, but it's playable.

32X version was my first Doom experience as well. I too wasn't aware of what I was missing until years later. I did enjoy this version though. I guess it was kind of a demo of better versions to come. I will always remember me laughing my ass off finding the chainsaw for the first time. My brother in law told me about it who played it on pc. I laughed my ass off sawing demons into parts as my brother in law kind of just looked at me. I will also remember the famed chain gun cha cha as its called when shooting imps with the chain gun. Lol great times were had with Doom on the 32x. Obviously i prefer to play it elsewhere today but will always be grateful to that fun intro.

I'm just playing it now on a real 32X (having played the DOS version with general midi audio last night) and it's a very decent conversion, especially considering this is a glorified Mega Drive. Very playable with the Mega Drive controller and looks decent enough despite the frame rate.

Another aspect of this version (though not sure if other ports do the same), the enemy sprites omit side and rear facing versions, meaning enemies always face you. So enemies are never in idle state if you are nearby.

Turn your drill off when recording Dark Halls and reupload 😅

Mother of God. It's all toilet sounds!

From people that didn't know better....it was indeed a great port.... I am still waiting to play a version with graphical improvements, all the content and PC soundtrack.....😀

I have always wondered what the games would look like if they really pushed the hardware including the mega cd addon with the 32x and I don't mean a FMV game

I thought that the Sega Saturn port of Doom was the worst one.

I think it was 1994 here and I heard that Doom was the game of the year in Edge magazine ever since I heard that i wanted to play Doom my first experience of Doom was also on the 32x and I thought it was pretty good too at the time.

I put doom 93 on all the computers in my class in middle school with 2 3 1/2 floppies. I was 10 and double promoted to 7th grade.

To be honest, the Sega 32x version of Doom is actually pretty good. Sure, is missing a lot of content, but the core of the game remains intact and the framerate is decent. If you compare it to other ports, this one is playable and a good experience. Fun Fact: John Carmack was directly involved in the development of this port. Here is a quote from Scot Bayless, Senior Producer at Sega of America: _I spent weeks working with Id Software’s John Carmack, who literally camped out at the Sega of America building in Redwood City trying to get Doom ported. That guy worked his ass off and he still had to cut a third of the levels to get it done in time. What amazes me now is that with all that going on, nobody at Sega was willing to say "Wait a minute, what are we doing? Why don’t we just stop?" Sega should have killed the 32X in the spring of 1994, but we didn’t. We stormed the hill, and when we got to the top we realized it was the wrong damn hill._ Obviously, the port was rushed to match with the 32X addon launch date. There are also a few builds/prototypes that were dated after the port official release. Maybe Sega considered making some sort of revision that was latter scrapped.

The Jaguar version having no music is an absolute deal breaker to me so that makes it the worst version to me. It's either a romping fun thrash through Hell with the original soundtrack or a horror experience with the PS1 soundtrack.

Good or bad it’s what hooked me on the franchise for ever. We ended up getting a 32x for free with a bunch of games. Doom being one of them. I was sucked in the moment I played.

This was the first DOOM game I owned and played. I never got into it. More recently I played the PC port from the Xbox 360 compilation and enjoyed that alot more. Still not a favorite of mine but if I started with the PC version I would have appreciated it more.

Umm... Military Base is, and always has been, a secret level in Doom.

actually, sega did use the 32x's extra sound hardware in this game...for the soune effects.