I never spent much time playing boomer shooters prior to 2022, but I think you could say I'm pretty well initiated by now. Playing Duke Nukem 3D and PowerSlave nearly back-to-back will do that to you, though Doom - a game I played for the first time last December - has unsurprisingly become the criterion against which I judge other games in the genre. If you asked me a few months ago whether it would be possible for any other boomer shooter to top it, I would've said it was possible but very difficult. Even Doom II, while great, didn't manage to connect with me in the same way as the original, partly due to the uneven nature of its maps, which at times were too labyrinthine and confounding. Sometimes I see Sandy Petersen in my dreams, laughing at me, mocking me.
"Design better levels!" I shout.
"No," he cackles as I dissolve into thousands of cockroaches. I wake up drenched in sweat and tears.
Needless to say, I was not expecting my benchmark to change less than a year after playing Doom, but Doom 64 is good. It's really good.
The switch to fully-3D environments adds so much to the Doom formula. Maps have a greater sense of physicality and scale, and progression feels more complex without ever becoming so obtuse as to require a guide. The puzzle-centric approach of some of Doom II's levels is made more coherent in here, and the ways in which the structure of your surroundings change - whether by pistons beating the ground to open a new path, darts flinging from walls to keep you moving, or the ground dropping out to confine you to a tighter space during a combat encounter - results in levels that are more actively hostile, but never in a way that slaps of being clumsy or mean-spirited.
The rendered nature of these levels also allows for some interesting lighting choices. The desolate UAC facilities that open the game and even Hell itself is characterized by sickly fluorescents and gaudy bright neons, and while Doom 64's lighting effects are of course very rudimentary, it is such a look. The lack of a proper hard rock Doom-ass Doom soundtrack in favor of more ambient music, wails, and demonic groans is another strong choice that helps give Doom 64 a more unique identity. Flipping switches and picking up keys introduces new waves of demons to rooms you and your super shotgun previously made safe just like in the last two games, but the constant growl of demons just beyond your surroundings produces an atmosphere where you know there's always something else out there waiting to throw a fireball at your face.
This version also contains The Lost Levels, which thankfully does not involve replaying the same tight platforming sequences over and over until I scream and get Mad For Real on a voice call. Rather, it's a small set of additional maps that bridges the narrative gap between Doom 64 and 2016's DOOM. If you didn't tell me that and just tacked them onto the end of Doom 64, I probably wouldn't know any better. Their design is so authentic to that of the game they're built off of that it just feels seamless. Romero's bonus episode for the original Doom, Sigil, showed that he clearly still had "the touch" for designing maps, and the same is true of the team that worked on The Lost Levels.
I don't really have anything negative to say about Doom 64. The shotguns could maybe do with like, three or four extra frames of animation, I guess. That's it! This is such an easy 5/5, but at the same time I feel pretty strongly about liking this more than the original Doom, and that's also a 5/5. One way of looking at this is that Id put out some truly impressive games in the 90s. Another is that my entire rating system is fucked and must be thrown out and now I need to relog every single game I have ever played.
"Design better levels!" I shout.
"No," he cackles as I dissolve into thousands of cockroaches. I wake up drenched in sweat and tears.
Needless to say, I was not expecting my benchmark to change less than a year after playing Doom, but Doom 64 is good. It's really good.
The switch to fully-3D environments adds so much to the Doom formula. Maps have a greater sense of physicality and scale, and progression feels more complex without ever becoming so obtuse as to require a guide. The puzzle-centric approach of some of Doom II's levels is made more coherent in here, and the ways in which the structure of your surroundings change - whether by pistons beating the ground to open a new path, darts flinging from walls to keep you moving, or the ground dropping out to confine you to a tighter space during a combat encounter - results in levels that are more actively hostile, but never in a way that slaps of being clumsy or mean-spirited.
The rendered nature of these levels also allows for some interesting lighting choices. The desolate UAC facilities that open the game and even Hell itself is characterized by sickly fluorescents and gaudy bright neons, and while Doom 64's lighting effects are of course very rudimentary, it is such a look. The lack of a proper hard rock Doom-ass Doom soundtrack in favor of more ambient music, wails, and demonic groans is another strong choice that helps give Doom 64 a more unique identity. Flipping switches and picking up keys introduces new waves of demons to rooms you and your super shotgun previously made safe just like in the last two games, but the constant growl of demons just beyond your surroundings produces an atmosphere where you know there's always something else out there waiting to throw a fireball at your face.
This version also contains The Lost Levels, which thankfully does not involve replaying the same tight platforming sequences over and over until I scream and get Mad For Real on a voice call. Rather, it's a small set of additional maps that bridges the narrative gap between Doom 64 and 2016's DOOM. If you didn't tell me that and just tacked them onto the end of Doom 64, I probably wouldn't know any better. Their design is so authentic to that of the game they're built off of that it just feels seamless. Romero's bonus episode for the original Doom, Sigil, showed that he clearly still had "the touch" for designing maps, and the same is true of the team that worked on The Lost Levels.
I don't really have anything negative to say about Doom 64. The shotguns could maybe do with like, three or four extra frames of animation, I guess. That's it! This is such an easy 5/5, but at the same time I feel pretty strongly about liking this more than the original Doom, and that's also a 5/5. One way of looking at this is that Id put out some truly impressive games in the 90s. Another is that my entire rating system is fucked and must be thrown out and now I need to relog every single game I have ever played.
The most fun I had with classic Doom. Every level feels like it was designed to be played with pistol starts if needed.
It is honestly fucked up that this is so good. It's the Doom they made special for Nintendo 64. It has no business kicking this much ass. And yet I remember one fact, hazily, from when I caught part of a speedrun at a GDQ some year. As with any N64 game, if you hold the stick in a direction while powering on the console, intentionally or not, then that direction becomes "neutral" as far as the game is concerned. If you were holding downwards, then the untouched control stick, left in its true neutral position (not accounting for your stick being fucked up from trying to play Mario Party 1) is now up. Holding up, then, becomes interpreted as MORE up, allowing you to run at double speed.
This is the true essence of DOOM.
I didn't play that version, though. I played this newfangled 2020 rerelease on Gamepass. Also, while Doom is fantastic, I'm no True-Doom Murderhead: most of the content past the original release levels of Dooms 1 and 2 are way too tough for me, being designed for the folks who played it on release until they had achieved obscene levels of mastery. What I want from Doom is simple: the sound of an Imp dying as I unload a shotgun into it. Doom 64 delivers this, and more, at a level I can handle on "Bring It On" difficulty.
There are a scant number of additions to the formula here. The enemy graphics are just a little bit more detailed, though this seems to have come at the expense of the Cacodemon's buttholes which I do consider a misstep. There is a single new weapon, which starts pretty bad and becomes very strong IF you visit the secret levels and find the hidden artifacts which provide it with permanent boosts for the rest of the campaign. Those artifacts also make the final boss easier, making it feel a little like doing the superboss before the final boss in a JRPG and getting overleveled you know what I mean? It also uses the energy ammo type which made the other energy weapons feel.... less exciting that they normally would. I did have to use a guide to find those secret levels though so it's not that big a deal.
The subtractions actually loom a little larger in my mind. No archviles and no minigun zombies. Thank god. The regular zombies still keep their hitscan weapons but they're a more reasonable threat. The weak enemies with a dangerous gimmick that you have to watch out for.
And the levels are real good. There's a certain level of Old Shooter Bullshit still present where I ended up getting annoyed and just going for a guide purely because the way forward was a little too obscure, but it was kind of minimal? I've seen so much worse. Mostly, the flow of levels is kept reasonable and intuitive. It's just like a really good wad I guess. Basically. It's good stuff.
Oh, also this all applies to the "Lost Levels" campaign added to the remaster as well, which was actually Doom 2 in Japan. Our Doom 2 was called Doki Doki Panic
This is the true essence of DOOM.
I didn't play that version, though. I played this newfangled 2020 rerelease on Gamepass. Also, while Doom is fantastic, I'm no True-Doom Murderhead: most of the content past the original release levels of Dooms 1 and 2 are way too tough for me, being designed for the folks who played it on release until they had achieved obscene levels of mastery. What I want from Doom is simple: the sound of an Imp dying as I unload a shotgun into it. Doom 64 delivers this, and more, at a level I can handle on "Bring It On" difficulty.
There are a scant number of additions to the formula here. The enemy graphics are just a little bit more detailed, though this seems to have come at the expense of the Cacodemon's buttholes which I do consider a misstep. There is a single new weapon, which starts pretty bad and becomes very strong IF you visit the secret levels and find the hidden artifacts which provide it with permanent boosts for the rest of the campaign. Those artifacts also make the final boss easier, making it feel a little like doing the superboss before the final boss in a JRPG and getting overleveled you know what I mean? It also uses the energy ammo type which made the other energy weapons feel.... less exciting that they normally would. I did have to use a guide to find those secret levels though so it's not that big a deal.
The subtractions actually loom a little larger in my mind. No archviles and no minigun zombies. Thank god. The regular zombies still keep their hitscan weapons but they're a more reasonable threat. The weak enemies with a dangerous gimmick that you have to watch out for.
And the levels are real good. There's a certain level of Old Shooter Bullshit still present where I ended up getting annoyed and just going for a guide purely because the way forward was a little too obscure, but it was kind of minimal? I've seen so much worse. Mostly, the flow of levels is kept reasonable and intuitive. It's just like a really good wad I guess. Basically. It's good stuff.
Oh, also this all applies to the "Lost Levels" campaign added to the remaster as well, which was actually Doom 2 in Japan. Our Doom 2 was called Doki Doki Panic
More like Doom 1.5. They took about half the enemies from II but left almost all the interesting ones out sadly. SSG just seems overkill, so they had to throw a lot of barons all over the levels. Otherwise, the levels were still nice, and the Lost Levels campaign was better than the base game.
Not a review just taking this out of rotation for now. I enjoyed what I played of it, so atmospheric and otherworldly in a way the original Doom games weren't. Enemy variety was kind of lacking. Some of the later levels got a little too heavy with the puzzles. Last one I remember playing had a Shell Game that would spawn in enemies if I picked the wrong one, and I just started quicksaving + quickloading and I still don't think I ever picked the right one so I have to wonder what I was doing wrong. Idk just not the kinda game I want to play at the moment but I love every other Doom game so I'll definitely pick this back up at some point and give a full writeup
DOOM 64 is a good reminder of why the boomer shooter genre continues to be a thing. There's something just so enthralling about speeding around primitive 3D levels (selling them short here, there's actually a lot of depth in how they're all arranged to provide the most visual and gameplay depth using a shoestring amount of resources) mowing down animated sprites. As someone who has only played the OG, 3, and 2016, this one presents as a solid in-between for the first two.
The end of the OG trilogy !
With doom 64 coming to an end comes as well an end to my first playthrough for these classic games. Overall the first 3 doom titles are very fun , peaking with 2 but as well landing with a somewhat goodish landing.
What did I think of 64?
I honestly really loved how the game looked, its colors and enemy models all looked great. Furthermore, the weapons all sounded good and I really liked the edition of the unmaker, it is a very fun weapon to use. The game feels like doom still and that is a good thing since you know you will be getting high action with very tense moments but sadly I do have issues with 64. Overall I enjoyed my time with 64 and feel about the same with this game as I did with 1 which doesn’t really mean that much since I still think both games are good.
What are my issues?
To start the in-game map is horrible, almost making it pointless to look at. To elaborate I loved the map system in doom 1,2 where you would always pop up the map to see where you haven’t gone and where certain color cards would be used.In doom 64 the map just looks terrible and confusing as it doesn’t show these small indications on the map so I barely ended up using it. Furthermore, they took out some enemies which is very disappointing and even more disappointing that they decided to replace them with literal copy cats of other enemies. And just like doom 1 I loved the first half but grew very annoyed with the second half when the game started having stage traps and hell even a final door trap making you just straight up die at the end. In addition the levels of course became more confusing as the levels progressed which I never enjoy lol. All these little nuances were just annoying to deal with but do not overall hinder the experience of the game.
End thoughts.
This game felt like Doom 1.5 with better looking graphics and that is 100% okay with me. I still had an overall good time with this title despiste my issues with it and I very much recommend giving it a playthrough as it's very cheap AND even on gamepass if you have it.
With doom 64 coming to an end comes as well an end to my first playthrough for these classic games. Overall the first 3 doom titles are very fun , peaking with 2 but as well landing with a somewhat goodish landing.
What did I think of 64?
I honestly really loved how the game looked, its colors and enemy models all looked great. Furthermore, the weapons all sounded good and I really liked the edition of the unmaker, it is a very fun weapon to use. The game feels like doom still and that is a good thing since you know you will be getting high action with very tense moments but sadly I do have issues with 64. Overall I enjoyed my time with 64 and feel about the same with this game as I did with 1 which doesn’t really mean that much since I still think both games are good.
What are my issues?
To start the in-game map is horrible, almost making it pointless to look at. To elaborate I loved the map system in doom 1,2 where you would always pop up the map to see where you haven’t gone and where certain color cards would be used.In doom 64 the map just looks terrible and confusing as it doesn’t show these small indications on the map so I barely ended up using it. Furthermore, they took out some enemies which is very disappointing and even more disappointing that they decided to replace them with literal copy cats of other enemies. And just like doom 1 I loved the first half but grew very annoyed with the second half when the game started having stage traps and hell even a final door trap making you just straight up die at the end. In addition the levels of course became more confusing as the levels progressed which I never enjoy lol. All these little nuances were just annoying to deal with but do not overall hinder the experience of the game.
End thoughts.
This game felt like Doom 1.5 with better looking graphics and that is 100% okay with me. I still had an overall good time with this title despiste my issues with it and I very much recommend giving it a playthrough as it's very cheap AND even on gamepass if you have it.
The minimalist ambient soundtrack really diminished my enjoyment of an otherwise excellent Doom levelset.
Gostei, mas é sem dúvida mais fraco dos 3 primeiros, menos empolgante e com um ritmo ritmo lento, a trilha sonora faz falta e o tom mais melancólico e pesado não casa com o gameplay frenético,level designe continua fino,só o boss final que é ridículo.
08/10
08/10
Honestly one of the best games in the Doom franchise. The level design is great and the enemies are the same as Doom 2, except for a new type of imp and the final boss. The arch-viles and chaingunners from Doom 2 are thankfully absent from this game as well. I especially like the secrets in this game, shooting switches and figuring out how to get the demon artifacts was fun. All the weapons are the same as the Doom 2 ones except for the Unmaker which is a cool addition if you can get the demon artifacts to power it up, without those upgrades it kind of sucks though. The music focuses much more on the horror atmosphere, so there aren't any metal tracks sadly, but the music does do a good job at creating a spooky ambience to everything. It's really evident how much more advanced the scripting is in this game's levels compared to the first 2 Doom games, which makes for some really cool moments. Enemies also usually spawn in instead of already being placed in the map, which makes the game feel a lot more tense as you can't be sure if any enemies will spawn in areas you have already been in. I really liked playing this game on the highest difficulty, it made for a good challenge but wasn't too difficult overall, it was especially great when playing through the lost levels, which you unlock after beating the main game. It was also pretty fun to go for all the achievements, they added a little bit more to the game in my opinion. Overall, this game definitely stacks up to the Doom franchise's other games and makes for a really solid entry.
Corto, precoz e intenso, como yo.
Confesso que joguei esse jogo pela platina, mas joguei algumas horas da "campanha", e não achei nada muito incrível comparado aos jogos anteriores. Teve sim uma evolução gráfica, com inimigos novos, entre outros aspectos positivos. Sobretudo, depois de ter jogado os games anteriores, parece que esse jogo "enjoa" rápido. Porém, em relação à esse porte da Bethesda, eu não gostei muito da adaptação dos controles, achei mediana comparado aos portes anteriores, mas como o jogo original (a versão de Nintendo 64) tinha os controles "difíceis", dá para relevar.
Отвратительный дизайн уровней. Я не знаю какой мудак их проектировал, но это просто ужас. Почти в каждом уровне одно и тоже - нажимаешь на кнопку в одном конце локации, чтобы что-то произошло в другом и иди ищи, что поменялось. Иногда изменения происходят блять без твоего ведома и это мне сносит башню от злости даже сейчас. Я уж промолчу про то, что почти все уровни крайне тесные и нередко возникали ситуации, когда пространства для манёвров тупо нет.
Финальный босс - это нахуй пиздец. Он запускает в тебя менструальные чаши от которых нельзя убежать и почти невозможно замансить. Лучше бы двух кибер-демонов выставили. Единственная рабочая страта против него - сохранить пару зарядом для БФГ, встать перед ним в упор и затанчить весь урон от него, с надеждой убить его первым. Тупо рандом.
Враги и оружие по сравнению с предыдущими играми - так себе, но это лично моя проблема. Хотя бы радует атмосфера.
Игра для фанатов. Если это ваш первый "старый дум", то даже не запускайте этот кусок дерьма. Даже для N64 есть шутеры получше (Turok, Golden Eye 007, Perfect Dark).
Финальный босс - это нахуй пиздец. Он запускает в тебя менструальные чаши от которых нельзя убежать и почти невозможно замансить. Лучше бы двух кибер-демонов выставили. Единственная рабочая страта против него - сохранить пару зарядом для БФГ, встать перед ним в упор и затанчить весь урон от него, с надеждой убить его первым. Тупо рандом.
Враги и оружие по сравнению с предыдущими играми - так себе, но это лично моя проблема. Хотя бы радует атмосфера.
Игра для фанатов. Если это ваш первый "старый дум", то даже не запускайте этот кусок дерьма. Даже для N64 есть шутеры получше (Turok, Golden Eye 007, Perfect Dark).
BRONZE PLUS MEDAL (present)
-------------------------------
5 star - diamond medal
4.5 star - platinum medal
4 star - gold medal
3.5 star - silver medal+
3 star - silver medal
2.5 star - bronze medal+
2 star - bronze medal
1.5 star - respect medal+
1 star - respect medal
0.5 star - broken medal
-------------------------------
5 star - diamond medal
4.5 star - platinum medal
4 star - gold medal
3.5 star - silver medal+
3 star - silver medal
2.5 star - bronze medal+
2 star - bronze medal
1.5 star - respect medal+
1 star - respect medal
0.5 star - broken medal
Doom 64 (1997): El patito feo de la saga, a falta de jugar al 3. No es malo, pero desde luego está lejos de lo que hicieron sus hermanos mayores, y los reboots de los últimos años. Más parecido a Quake que a Doom, lógico por fechas, aunque conserva parte de su esencia (5,80)
I’m really glad I came back to finish this; I liked it a lot better the second time around. I think this is a really solid entry that carries forward a lot of what made id’s Dooms great while also carving out its own identity.
The level design is really impressive and the music keeps the atmosphere up. The art style never really grew on me, but it definitely fits with the game’s overall aesthetic.
I’m really stoked that this was ported to modern consoles. It’s a hell of a Doom!
The level design is really impressive and the music keeps the atmosphere up. The art style never really grew on me, but it definitely fits with the game’s overall aesthetic.
I’m really stoked that this was ported to modern consoles. It’s a hell of a Doom!
It reminds me a lot of Castlevania Bloodlines, a new art style for an already established series.
I was excited about the level design, as it was originally made for the Nintendo 64 I imagined it wouldn't have giant labyrinthine scenarios, which fortunately it doesn't.
But it bothered me that I had to take a long and tortuous path because I couldn't climb onto a platform at waist level or I couldn't reach my hand to get a key. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't.
I was excited about the level design, as it was originally made for the Nintendo 64 I imagined it wouldn't have giant labyrinthine scenarios, which fortunately it doesn't.
But it bothered me that I had to take a long and tortuous path because I couldn't climb onto a platform at waist level or I couldn't reach my hand to get a key. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't.
DOOM 64 is often forgotten as the bridge that closes the tonal gap between DOOM II and DOOM 3, as well as the bridge that closes the narrative gap between classic DOOM and the DOOM series as of 2016. I can’t blame people for forgetting it though, the decision alone to put the next mainline DOOM game onto the N64 was an odd one, firstly because of the limitations that going from PC to console brings and secondly because of the family friendly image that Nintendo has always stuck by. Despite that, the game is now accessible on modern consoles, and I knew I couldn’t miss out on it.
Initially, the game’s claymation style enemies drew me in, and I was excited to see new animations for both the enemies and the guns. Playing classic DOOM with a new art style sounded pretty cool, and well, going in as blind as possible, I was both surprised and disappointed by the game’s new aesthetic approach. The animations I looked forward to were pretty bare bones. There’s no reload animation for the super shotgun, no animation for when you stop firing the plasma rifle, and nothing that made the guns feel dynamic in the original two games. As for the enemies, the models that do exist look awesome, but a few enemies like the Arch-vile and the Heavy Weapon Dude have been taken out despite them adding an extra sense of dread and challenge to the game. I don’t think it’s a complete negative though, the games slower pace possibly doesn’t allow for something as challenging as the Arch-vile to be carried over, so I can forgive it for that.
To be completely honest, I didn’t enjoy the first half of the game. The levels were too slow and atmospheric for a chaos filled series usually inspired by metal music. On top of that the overuse of the Hell Knights and the Baron’s of Hell, combined with a limited weapon arsenal early on meant that the combat scenarios consisted of standing in a narrow hallway moving side to side to chip away at bullet sponge enemies. It wasn’t engaging, and the game’s narrow level design felt repetitive and frustrating.
Luckily, when the Unmaker is introduced and you have access to every weapon, the game really picks up. The decision to have the Plasma Rifle, the BFG9000 and the Unmaker all use energy ammo was a good choice, and didn’t make the player feel too overpowered as each weapon worked for different combat scenarios. The return of the Arachnotrons also brought an engagement that I had missed during the early game, with the slow pace and new found freedom of choice leading the player to think strategically, choosing which enemies to take out first to make certain combat scenarios easier. I was even more surprised by the final mission, which assaults you with a rush of challenging enemies only to top it off with a brand new, and frankly great final boss. So far it’s the best final mission in the series, leaving a good taste in my mouth and impacting me positively.
I decided then, that since there weren’t many trophies for the game, I’d 100% it, and surprisingly it was a ton of fun. The Lost Levels were incredibly engaging and felt like the best parts of the game combined into a smaller campaign that lead to DOOM (2016), and the secret level “Hectic” provided a trap filled puzzle that felt satisfying to beat, both because of the immense difficulty and the reward you’re given as a result of it. That combined with it being accessible from the first level felt respectful of the player, instead of punishing them for no reason with difficulty, looking at you E4.
I hated DOOM 64 at first, but as I stuck with it it really started to open up, both in level design and player freedom. Unfortunately, I cant help but imagine what the game would’ve been like if it was made for the PC, but what they were able to make with the console’s setbacks isn’t bad at all. I’m glad that Bethesda also cared enough to port it to newer consoles, as many publishers really don’t care enough about their older games.
Initially, the game’s claymation style enemies drew me in, and I was excited to see new animations for both the enemies and the guns. Playing classic DOOM with a new art style sounded pretty cool, and well, going in as blind as possible, I was both surprised and disappointed by the game’s new aesthetic approach. The animations I looked forward to were pretty bare bones. There’s no reload animation for the super shotgun, no animation for when you stop firing the plasma rifle, and nothing that made the guns feel dynamic in the original two games. As for the enemies, the models that do exist look awesome, but a few enemies like the Arch-vile and the Heavy Weapon Dude have been taken out despite them adding an extra sense of dread and challenge to the game. I don’t think it’s a complete negative though, the games slower pace possibly doesn’t allow for something as challenging as the Arch-vile to be carried over, so I can forgive it for that.
To be completely honest, I didn’t enjoy the first half of the game. The levels were too slow and atmospheric for a chaos filled series usually inspired by metal music. On top of that the overuse of the Hell Knights and the Baron’s of Hell, combined with a limited weapon arsenal early on meant that the combat scenarios consisted of standing in a narrow hallway moving side to side to chip away at bullet sponge enemies. It wasn’t engaging, and the game’s narrow level design felt repetitive and frustrating.
Luckily, when the Unmaker is introduced and you have access to every weapon, the game really picks up. The decision to have the Plasma Rifle, the BFG9000 and the Unmaker all use energy ammo was a good choice, and didn’t make the player feel too overpowered as each weapon worked for different combat scenarios. The return of the Arachnotrons also brought an engagement that I had missed during the early game, with the slow pace and new found freedom of choice leading the player to think strategically, choosing which enemies to take out first to make certain combat scenarios easier. I was even more surprised by the final mission, which assaults you with a rush of challenging enemies only to top it off with a brand new, and frankly great final boss. So far it’s the best final mission in the series, leaving a good taste in my mouth and impacting me positively.
I decided then, that since there weren’t many trophies for the game, I’d 100% it, and surprisingly it was a ton of fun. The Lost Levels were incredibly engaging and felt like the best parts of the game combined into a smaller campaign that lead to DOOM (2016), and the secret level “Hectic” provided a trap filled puzzle that felt satisfying to beat, both because of the immense difficulty and the reward you’re given as a result of it. That combined with it being accessible from the first level felt respectful of the player, instead of punishing them for no reason with difficulty, looking at you E4.
I hated DOOM 64 at first, but as I stuck with it it really started to open up, both in level design and player freedom. Unfortunately, I cant help but imagine what the game would’ve been like if it was made for the PC, but what they were able to make with the console’s setbacks isn’t bad at all. I’m glad that Bethesda also cared enough to port it to newer consoles, as many publishers really don’t care enough about their older games.
Best classic DOOM for me, the atmosphere absolutely drips with dread and I think the level selection is much more consistently solid than DOOM II while having a wayyyy more varied roster than the original DOOM. Soundtrack is also fantastically foreboding, though I do wish it had at least a couple of rock tracks just for the variety.
I should probably get the demon keys when I eventually replay though because fuck the final boss lmfao
I should probably get the demon keys when I eventually replay though because fuck the final boss lmfao
Finally got around to playing through this in full. It's a really weird game to even exist, there were a lot of basic ports of Doom to various consoles, but it's pretty wild how fully new this is. Despite using a lot of the same weapons and enemies, they're all remade from scratch and feel a bit different, alongside an updated engine and a completely new set of levels, this feels more like an alternate reality's version of Doom. I think the feel of the movement and weapons isn't quite as good as the original, but it's certainly not bad (at least playing on pc, can't imagine it's great on an N64 controller). The level design is mostly pretty good, there's a couple I disliked but overall I'd probably put it over Doom 2's levels but below 1's. The updated lighting and different enemies definitely gives it its own style, which I don't think I'd say I like more but it's a nice change of pace. Doesn't really hold a candle to modern WADs but it would definitely be unfair to expect it to, and it's definitely worth playing overall if you're a fan of the series.
The REAL Doom 3, don't ignore this one if you like 1 and 2
This game is alright. It is pretty difficult, however, and I didn't like dying and losing all of my items and ammunition. It was also pretty sparse on story, but that's not really a knock against the game because that's just DOOM. I thought the gameplay was kind of fun but it just didn't feel right all of the time.
Controversial, but this is my favorite Doom.
There's all the aspects of Doom that I love but also a lot that just feels... empty? Idk, it just kind of feels like a map pack, and at this point I think Doomlikes have just evolved so much that I'd rather play something a little more fast-paced
Hands-down the best classic Doom. A mix of creepy atmosphere, fun weapons, and nice levels for the most part. Some BS mazes and traps, but that's par for the course. My go-to recommendation now for classic Doom.
~fps retrospective 12~
It's just some good ol' doom but with a lot of changes. Ofc I can't talk about this game without talking about the change in tone to put my thoughts in short it's pretty cool and looks nice too. The gameplay is the same doom we all know with some of the levels being just so forgettable with some diamonds in the rough. I enjoy using the unmayker tho. Also that writing is so funny it's just sooooooo edgy. Midway did a decent job its just that this game is just kind of there especially when you look at the options you have when you see n64 fps games like Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, and Turok which came like a month after I think.
It's just some good ol' doom but with a lot of changes. Ofc I can't talk about this game without talking about the change in tone to put my thoughts in short it's pretty cool and looks nice too. The gameplay is the same doom we all know with some of the levels being just so forgettable with some diamonds in the rough. I enjoy using the unmayker tho. Also that writing is so funny it's just sooooooo edgy. Midway did a decent job its just that this game is just kind of there especially when you look at the options you have when you see n64 fps games like Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, and Turok which came like a month after I think.
It took me a bit longer to beat this game than I expected, but I liked it quite a bit in many ways.
What I liked about it:
-I'm delighted how much the gameplay mechanics of Doom 1 and 2 are still intact in Doom 64. It made the transition to this game pretty seamless and I didn't have much issue getting used to the game's feel.
-While the game has the same weapons that are already available in Doom 2, I did get a kick out of the Unmaker weapon and I find it especially fun after finding all of the secret amulets.
-For the most part, I find a good chunk of the game's levels to be really solid, what became the highlights for me were the game's "Fun" levels due to them providing a really fun challenge along with the Lost Levels campaign the Remaster provides, which I ended up liking more than the main campaign in all honesty.
What I didn't like:
- While I can appreciate the game for trying to lean toward a more horror tone, and I think it worked better when the game first came out, I'm not exactly sure if it really works for this kind of game these days. I was shooting and killing demons in the same manner as the previous games without issues with ammo or the number of enemies, so I never was exactly terrified of the game's enemies. Along with this, I never really felt disturbed by the game's environments or the soundtrack, in fact, I felt kind of annoyed by how it tries really hard to be scary, but not at the exact same time when looking past the creepy songs and bleak environments.
-While I did enjoy most of the levels, the level design really took a nosedive toward the final part of the game. Many of the endgame levels felt way too confusing and cryptic to traverse through, to the point where I kept using a guide to know where the hell I was supposed to be even going or where to find the next keys, which is not exactly fun to do. It really kind of impacted my enjoyment because of how frustrating those final moments of the game are.
-This is more of a personal thing for me, but I would really advise new players to go out of their way to find the secret levels and acquire the amulets because, without it, I had an incredibly tough time dealing with all of the enemies in the final level for how overwhelming everything was. It especially didn't help that once the final boss showed up, I didn't have enough ammo to take care of it easily, so I had to resort to cheats to even beat it because the only thing I had to fight back was the chainsaw, which didn't really help for how BS some of the attacks were. Though when I replayed the level with the game's really useful password system, things were a lot smoother and felt more satisfied with the ending than I did before.
-The super shotguns reload animation is not as satisfying as in Doom 2's (This makes this game objectively worse because of it)
Overall, despite some of the major issues I have with the game, I still have a pretty good time with it. Even with the game's flaws, it's still very much the classic Doom gameplay I've come to enjoy, just under a new coat of paint and some minor additions included. It's a nice refresher from the setting Doom 1 and 2 provided, while still feeling familiar enough to where I was still able to enjoy it for the most part. I am glad I bought the remaster, only because of the amazing Lost Levels campaign and some other great additions.
What I liked about it:
-I'm delighted how much the gameplay mechanics of Doom 1 and 2 are still intact in Doom 64. It made the transition to this game pretty seamless and I didn't have much issue getting used to the game's feel.
-While the game has the same weapons that are already available in Doom 2, I did get a kick out of the Unmaker weapon and I find it especially fun after finding all of the secret amulets.
-For the most part, I find a good chunk of the game's levels to be really solid, what became the highlights for me were the game's "Fun" levels due to them providing a really fun challenge along with the Lost Levels campaign the Remaster provides, which I ended up liking more than the main campaign in all honesty.
What I didn't like:
- While I can appreciate the game for trying to lean toward a more horror tone, and I think it worked better when the game first came out, I'm not exactly sure if it really works for this kind of game these days. I was shooting and killing demons in the same manner as the previous games without issues with ammo or the number of enemies, so I never was exactly terrified of the game's enemies. Along with this, I never really felt disturbed by the game's environments or the soundtrack, in fact, I felt kind of annoyed by how it tries really hard to be scary, but not at the exact same time when looking past the creepy songs and bleak environments.
-While I did enjoy most of the levels, the level design really took a nosedive toward the final part of the game. Many of the endgame levels felt way too confusing and cryptic to traverse through, to the point where I kept using a guide to know where the hell I was supposed to be even going or where to find the next keys, which is not exactly fun to do. It really kind of impacted my enjoyment because of how frustrating those final moments of the game are.
-This is more of a personal thing for me, but I would really advise new players to go out of their way to find the secret levels and acquire the amulets because, without it, I had an incredibly tough time dealing with all of the enemies in the final level for how overwhelming everything was. It especially didn't help that once the final boss showed up, I didn't have enough ammo to take care of it easily, so I had to resort to cheats to even beat it because the only thing I had to fight back was the chainsaw, which didn't really help for how BS some of the attacks were. Though when I replayed the level with the game's really useful password system, things were a lot smoother and felt more satisfied with the ending than I did before.
-The super shotguns reload animation is not as satisfying as in Doom 2's (This makes this game objectively worse because of it)
Overall, despite some of the major issues I have with the game, I still have a pretty good time with it. Even with the game's flaws, it's still very much the classic Doom gameplay I've come to enjoy, just under a new coat of paint and some minor additions included. It's a nice refresher from the setting Doom 1 and 2 provided, while still feeling familiar enough to where I was still able to enjoy it for the most part. I am glad I bought the remaster, only because of the amazing Lost Levels campaign and some other great additions.
Doom 64 takes most of Doom II's added mechanics—some of its enemies, the super shotgun—and reuses them in a game that hews closer to Doom 1's level design. Tight, packed labyrinths—although smaller ones than in Doom 1—define Doom 64. It's everything a sequel to Doom 1 should be: its level design ideology infused with new enemies, new weapons, and better rendering tech.
Can't believe I skipped this for 20+ years on the mistaken assumption that it was just a port of the original. It's no port; it's the second best Doom game released in the 90s.
Can't believe I skipped this for 20+ years on the mistaken assumption that it was just a port of the original. It's no port; it's the second best Doom game released in the 90s.
I like playing a doom game more than I liked playing doom 64 specifically
Во всем лучше двух предшественников. Особенно дизайн карт. После двух первых частей очень необычно смотреть как одна часть карты на ходу выдалбливает яму в другой части карты.
Кароче незаслуженно забытая часть, увы
Кароче незаслуженно забытая часть, увы