Doom 64 Review
Doom 64 is a bare bones corridor shooter that plays almost exactly like Doom I & II, but with updated enemy sprites and weapon animations. There’s a welcomed added layer of horror with its dimly lit environment and jump scaring demons and zombies. Doom has always been a pioneer with first person shooters and this one is no different. Doom 64 review. Doom Eternal may be getting all of the attention from franchise fans right now, but it's not the only Doom game to get a release.
THEn together with Doom Eternal, the last chapter of the saga, Doom 64 has also arrived and now we will analyze it in this review
These days, in addition to the long-awaited Doom Eternal, of which you can read ours reviews related to single player and multiplayer, the remaster of Doom 64. The title released in the now distant 1997 for Nintendo 64 relives today in a new light. Long exclusive Nintendo, today it can be played by all fans of the saga on any platform. But let's see in more detail in this review what Doom 64 looks like today.
It has aged like good wine – Review Doom 64
For the many who don't know the title, Doom 64 saw the light in 1997 and is the latest sequel to the “classic series” of Doom. Made specifically for the Nintendo 64, thanks to the potential of the GPU, it turned out to be “superior” compared to the old games for MS-DOS and Windows thanks to texture filtering and anti-aliasing. Surely today as today these seem obvious things, but for the time it was really a big news.
Today the title has also landed on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, ensuring that anyone can experience the magic of that game. Just like back then, when it came to Doom and Doom II we found ourselves with the pad in hand, if you played it on your PlayStation, on the bed of our bedroom to live this adventure in one breath. Everything is unchanged, from models of various demons to gameplay.
Change with respect for the past – Review Doom 64
Yet just one glance is enough to understand that this title it has a completely new look. In addition to the different resolution, what is striking is the definition of demons, their ranged attacks and whatever else is in the game. It is as if the developers of id Software is Nightdive Studiosthey had taken a picture and given light to the colors that have faded over time. Everything has a new life, making it almost a different game while remaining the same over time.
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The new graphics, however, although it manages to give a more accurate, clear, precise and sometimes brighter vision than the previous one, however, it will not make life less difficult for us. It will not be possible to look up or down, just as it was not possible to do it 23 years ago. Not even jumping will be allowed, “limiting ”the game to what were the mechanics of its classic version.
The codes, such as the level 4 code that allowed us to reach a secret area, they are not changed nor the passwords that allowed us to reach the desired level with the equipment with which we had started it the first time. However we will also save our progress in the appropriate save slots, but we will have to do it manually every time. Strikers 1945 ii.
Let's exterminate them all once again
We have come to the end of this review on Doom 64 and it is therefore time to sum up a bit. As was to be expected, this new version is only a remaster of what was the old chapter. In short, rather than wanting to innovate the game, the developers seem to have wanted to revive nostalgic and not only the adventure of 23 years ago. Certainly remembering all the secret rooms by heart will not be easy, but with a minimum of effort you will succeed in your intent to complete it at 100%.
So this game is aimed at fans of the saga who can not help but replay it but also to new users who want to try their hand at History. All in all the developers have done a good job making it such an old title is well usable. Not only the graphics have improved and the graphics quality of the game has been high, but there are no frame drops even in the most excited actions as maybe it could have happened previously.
In short, growing old for such a title has never been so productive. That's all for this Doom 64 review. I remind you that the title is available for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam at the recommended price of € 4.99. In order not to miss further news regarding the gaming world and beyond, continue to follow the pages of Playerzdominiance!
Points in favor
- New graphic design
- Solid frame rate
- A nice dive into the past …
Published by Bethesda – Developed by Nightdive Studios/id Software/Midway – Out Now on PC, PS4, Switch (version tested) & Xbox One – 1 PlayerDoom is often cited as the genesis of the first person shooter. The benchmark of the genre that went on to spawn a seemingly infinite number of imitators. However, in a time when innovators like Goldeneye and Turok Dinosaur Hunter were all the rage, Doom 64 was destined to be the underdog.
The mid to late 90’s were all about having the best graphics and trying to be as ‘realistic’ as possible. The only popular games that didn’t do polygons, were games with gimmicks, like Duke Nukem, and obviously fighting games were an exception to this rule. This meant that Doom 64 never really found a broad audience, which is a damn shame, as it is now widely available on all current formats, we are only just discovering that Doom 64, is arguably the greatest moment in the series’ history. Although it looks like Doom 64 has been released to herald in the new Doom Eternal, which itself has received suitable praise, it seems to have been overshadowed by the arrival of a 4 quid curiosity from over 20 years ago.The game’s look is very similar to the original Doom’s with the centralised weapon sprites, and enemy sprites standing out from the 3D rendered environments.
Like the original, the animation is pretty low-tech, with each baddie only having a few frames to try and take you down. But they look so much better in this sequel, using all of that N64 power. The demons have much more detail to them and have that mid 90’s silicone look that was popular at the time. The gameplay is fast and furious, with so much going on at any one time. The maze like levels are quite challenging, requiring you to figure out puzzles, often involving switches, keys and secret doors. The lighting in this installment is much darker, adding to its hellish atmosphere, which up to this point wasn’t really present. Yes the previous Doom’s were all set in hell, but the lighting and atmosphere were hardly geared towards the horrors you’re facing.
This goes a whole lot further in Doom 3, and you can’t help but feel this game bridges that divide between the earlier Doom’s and the third, fully 3D survival horror. Despite its spooky dark atmosphere, the contrast was a bit of a problem playing in handheld mode. Light reflecting on the screen meant it was difficult to see a good portion of what was going on, so whenever playing away from the big telly, it was vital to crank up the games brightness. However, playing on the TV posed no issues whatsoever.The sound design in Doom 64 is stellar. Everything from the unsettling music, to the extremely satisfying weapon and death noises.
The super shotgun is one of the best weapons in any video game, and has such a meaty feel to it, you really do get a sense of being unstoppable when mowing down hoards of demons. There’s a satisfying crunch when you take down the enemies too, ending up in a visceral pile of gore (which at the time was quite the surprise for an N64 title, as Nintendo were very family friendly back then). As with most games, it gets much more difficult the further you progress, but you figure out what weapons are best suited to which hell beast and how to take them down effectively. However it is difficult to imagine making progress in this using the awful N64 controller without getting frustrated. The game plays beautifully using the Switch’s Pro Controller, but even then, some of the levels are punishing.Doom 64 has plenty of extras, including the Lost Levels, which were cut from the original Doom 64 but are available to play as a smaller game, which itself is quite difficult. There are bonus hidden levels as well, although don’t expect to find these without a guide, as the key to unlocking them is very specific.
Doom 64 feels like a long lost secret, finally unveiled to the rest of the world. Despite it being released some 20 plus years ago, it is seldom mentioned in console or era retrospectives unless you are specifically looking for it. The fact it’s taken this long for a remaster/rerelease is criminal, but its budget price more than makes up for that.
Not only is it a brilliant installment in the series, it’s arguably one of the best first person shooters ever made. If remasters can qualify, this is a contender for game of the year.Rating.