The beleaguered 3DO port of id Software‘s classic Doom is often referred to as “the worst port of Doom” by fans of the game, but it’s actually not a bad conversion at all. Yes: it is relatively slow, compared to other Doom ports, and yes: the game runs in a reduced-size window, but it still plays pretty well and does have its plus points.

3DO Doom was developed by Logicware and published by Art Data Interactive in 1996. The level set is identical to that of the Atari Jaguar version, although – unlike the Jaguar version – Spectres are included. This version is also single-player only and doesn’t have a multiplayer component.

As far as the game window is concerned: it is possible to increase the size of it above the default setting, but only by using cheat codes. Doing this will affect the frame rate, though.

The game includes an autosave feature, which allows the player to start at any previously reached level, and it retains all the sound and graphics settings of the original. Par times are missing from completion screens, as are the “you are here” intermissions.

One major plus point of 3DO Doom is the updated soundtrack, which was re-recorded by a band of musicians and streams from the CD. These enhanced/remixed versions of Robert Prince‘s classic Doom tracks really are excellent, and some of the tracks sound a bit like the classic Italian band, Goblin (who created a number of famous film soundtracks, such as Dario Argento‘s Suspiria and George A. Romero‘s Dawn of the Dead), which is a good thing.

Although Doom on the 3DO does tend to get a raw deal from fans who scoff at it, it is still worth a play now. There’s even been an enhanced remake of it, called Phoenix Doom, that has ironed-out a number of its flaws, while at the same time keeping the structure and soundtrack of the game intact.

More: Doom on Wikipedia
More: 3DO Doom on fandom.com
More: 3DO Doom on github.com
More: Phoenix Doom on github.com