When I was a kid, I thought DOOM 64 was an N64 port of the original DOOM, or maybe both DOOM and DOOM II. Part of that was because he had only played the first two DOOM games at friends' houses. The other part was that DOOM was moving to all platforms that could run it, and it was difficult to get reliable information on video games unless you read it in a game magazine. Above all, you learned when you entered a Blockbuster or a retail store that sold games and designed one that had a cool box. That strategy served me well when I was a child, so I did what most people I knew did: I assumed it was like StarCraft 64 or Quake 64 (a port of a PC game for the N64, which was not uncommon), and keep going. Also, when DOOM 64 was released in 1997, the world already had Quake, and GoldenEye 007 was a few months away. Half-Life and Starsiege: The tribes will launch the following year. DOOM was great, but it was old news. And I didn't need to play a game that I had played on PC on my N64.
Turns out, I wasn't the only person who made this mistake. Many people did not know what exactly DOOM 64 was, and despite the mental cast, many of its major releases still occupy, and the importance of those games, the Nintendo 64 was not a popular console. Many people simply did not play the game. It was not officially re-released either, although people have made admirable efforts to recreate it. As a result, DOOM 64 became a kind of cult classic. Few people had played it, and it was difficult to acquire. Thanks to an excellent upgraded port from Nightdive Studios, that's no longer the case. The only question now is this: DOOM 64 hold up?
Before talking about what DOOM 64 is, let's take a look at what it is not: it is not a DOOM port, but a sequel that takes place after DOOM II and Final DOOM. Despite the fact that Doom Marine devastated Hell the last time, a powerful entity with the ability to rejuvenate fallen demons survived. They sent him back to Mars to finish the job, but surprise surprise, it's all a trap, and you'll have to fight to get out. This means DOOM 64 is essentially DOOM 3 before DOOM 3 was DOOM 3. DOOM 64 is also one of the only games in the series not developed by id Software. Instead, it was developed internally by Midway under the supervision of id. Do you have all that? Good.
"In terms of gameplay, DOOM 64 is a lot like DOOM. There's no time wasted in the story or setting; DOOM 64 drops you straight into the action, hands you a shotgun almost immediately, and kicks you off to smash your heart contained. "Let's get the basics out of the way: Nightdive Studios has done an excellent job remastering DOOM 64. The game's graphics have been updated, it supports modern widescreen resolutions and smoothing, and it all looks very sharp. Everything is still a bit blocked, but that's the result of what DOOM 64 looks like, not a problem with Nightdive's work. The game looks very, very good, and works even better. DOOM 64 runs at 60 smooth frames, and I never noticed any slowdown.
Still, there are problems. DOOM 64 is how dark it is, and I don't mean its content. This game is dark, from its settings to its menus, which means it can be very difficult to see the menu options or certain settings. The most obvious example came on a level where a cheat platform dropped me onto the floor of a large room. In the default setting, it was completely black, and I couldn't see anything, including the Invisible Specters that were chewing on me. The only way to solve this problem was to increase the brightness of the game. It is a solution, but it is a pity that it was necessary.
In terms of gameplay, DOOM 64 is a lot like DOOM. There is no time wasted in history or settings; DOOM 64 drops you straight into the action, hands you a shotgun almost immediately, and blows you up to rip the contents out of your heart. DOOM's appeal is simple, and the Midway team understood it and didn't stray too far from what made DOOM and DOOM II two of the best games ever created. This game doesn't reinvent the wheel, and while the hat made DOOM 64 feel dated in 1997, it actually helps you today. This game feels like a true sequel to DOOM II, and just like DOOM and DOOM II, DOOM 64 actually holds up better than many of the popular 3D shooters of the time, like Turok or GoldenEye.
"The DOOM 64 engine is more advanced than the DOOM or DOOM II engine, allowing for more visual variety, better lighting, and better scripting, allowing encounters you just wouldn't see in the original games." Be it DOOM 64 to the games that inspired it, it is different in remarkable ways. The first is graphic. All DOOM 64 daemons look different than their DOOM and DOOM II counterparts, inasmuch as the DOOM 64 designs are obvious influences on several of the "new" daemons appearing in DOOM Eternal, though they maintain enough visual style original. Here you can say what is what. In the same vein, the DOOM 64 engine is more advanced than the DOOM or DOOM II engine, allowing for greater visual variety, better lighting, and better scripting, allowing encounters you simply wouldn't see in the original games.
However, not everything is an improvement. The animations for your weapons, for example, are not as detailed. You will not see the DOOM Marine shotgun with your shotgun after firing each round, and there is no animation to reload the super shotgun after firing. Mainly, the weapons move from one side to the other, and the excellent sound effects of the game do the rest. You can hear, for example, that worn out super shotgun shells are ejected and hit the ground, and the sound as new ones are loaded, even if you can't see it. This is very useful, but visual degradation is still impossible to ignore. Along the same lines, you don't see the animated face of the Doom Marine like you did in DOOM and DOOM II, which is a bummer. Revenants, Arch-viles, and Chaingun zombies are also not featured. The end result is a game that for the most part, but not always, looks better than its predecessors.
DOOM 64 makes up for these shortcomings with some new editions. The largest is Unmaker, which also appears in DOOM Eternal. A super powerful laser weapon, the Unmaker shares ammo with the plasma rifle and BFG, and can be enhanced by finding demon keys scattered throughout the levels. There are also two new demons. The other big difference is the music in the game. The heavy metal-inspired tracks from previous games are gone, replaced by a more ambient soundtrack that makes things feel really creepy.
However, DOOM 64's greatest achievement is its level design. The levels are varied, both visually and in terms of gameplay, and in the traditional fashion of DOOM, packed with secrets, whether you're at the abandoned base. beginning of the game or deeper levels of hell. "However, DOOM 64's greatest achievement is its level design. The levels are varied, both visually and in game terms, and in the traditional DOOM form, packed with secrets, whether you're in the abandoned base at the start of the game or in the deeper levels of Hell. DOOM 64 has one of the best maps a DOOM game has ever had, a result that is only reinforced by the inclusion of the re-release of various "missing levels" and a new final level that ties in with DOOM Eternal. My only complaint is that certain levels are overly dependent on timed switches, and it can be irritating to do certain sections multiple times because you weren't fast enough. When you are and are not, it feels remarkably arbitrary, and makes certain sections much more irritating than they should be. This isn't aided by the game's floating and momentum-based movement, and you'll probably fall for things you didn't want to say a few times because of that. Overall, however, DOOM 64 levels are excellent. They may not reach the highs of the best work of John Romero, who is still the best level designer who has worked in the series, but they avoid the unfortunate excesses of the worst levels of DOOM and DOOM II, making it an experience More consistent overall, even if you don't reach the same maximums.
For better or for worse, DOOM 64 is a classic DOOM game and one that is still a pleasure to play several years later. This is not a modern shooter. There is not much argument, the levels are expanding exercises with multiple levels and many hidden things, and it is very fast and very violent. If those things don't appeal to you, you won't like DOOM 64. But if they do, you will like them a lot.
It doesn't have multiplayer yet, and I wish Nightdive had added a co-op mode, but this is an excellent port for a game that was lost earlier in time, and still deserves to be played. I think I would have liked DOOM 64 if I had realized what it was like when I was a kid. I imagine myself staying up late with my friends, running a controller from one side to the other, each of us glued to the television. I can't go back and tell that guy to pull DOOM 64 off the wall at his local Blockbuster and give it a try. But I can give him the attention he deserves now, because DOOM is eternal, and those demons won't kill themselves.This game was reviewed on PC.
THE GOOD
An excellent remaster that works smoothly and looks great. New levels The game is still fun. Varied environments. Great art design. Excellent level design. Many secrets to find. Creepy ambient soundtrack.
THE BAD
Movement is a bit buoyant. Time switches can be annoying. It is very dark. Not multiplayer or cooperative. Simplified weapon animations. Some DOOM II daemons are missing.
Final verdict
Despite a few minor bugs, DOOM 64 is still excellent 20 years later, and Nightdive's excellent port adds additional content to an already worthwhile game.
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