You know the Arms area in the status bar? The one that says 2 3 4 5 6 7 and each number is highlighted when you possess a weapon?

In the PC version, it made sense, because it was like you press 2 for pistol, 3 for shotgun, 4 for chaingun etc.

In the console versions, except the Jaguar, there are no 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 buttons. So it's functionality is totally just for show.

But it would have been nice to show, in the XBLA version of Doom II, a mini d-pad in that area so the player might know which direction to press for certain weapons, instead of the 2 3 4 5 6 7 thing.

The important thing to remember is that this really is a port. It's purpose is to allow gamers to remember the old days and play a game they all knew and loved. In keeping with that, it makes sense that they'd keep the graphics all the same, even if there's no num pad on an XBox 360 controller.

not only that, they did it with the SNES port, the 32X port, the Jaguar port, the 3DO port, the Playstation port, the Saturn port.

The only port that makes sense is the Jaguar port, since it has a number pad on the controller.

I agree, it's about being nostalgic.

how is the super nintendo port, which has the same numbering system nostalgic? I don't understand.

No, scratch the super nintendo port, the sega 32X, how is that nostalgic? Man, if you think it is nostalgic after half a year, then I'd say, I'm speechless.

I understand the nostalgia from the 360 ports, but why are they even there in the other ports? The ones I listed? SNES? 32X? Saturn?

IIRC, the SNES port was choppy in performance, it could barely run it.

I'm thinking id Software just didn't want to bother making a new HUD texture with each new port.

That's likely the reason, but dysfunction works both ways. Ports from consoles to PCs can be pretty poor too. Save points FTL.

I totally agree with this comment!

Gah. This is very simple. It's because in the DOOM programming, the entire bar was one entity, and there's not really much else you can put there. The only effective option would be to leave it blank, which would not look very good A, and B would require separating the status bar into two entities.

On top of all that, there's the fact that these are ports, and removing it would be a waste of time.