(Played on Xbox Series S)

idk, maybe its cause i played with a controller (which was probably the intended way to play doom 64) but i never felt so much tension playing doom before. a lot of the level design is a little too cryptic but its one of the first few "official" doom WADs that make you feel like you're trying to survive rather than this untouchable super hero. you feel like a soldier fighting for your life through hell (literally). combined with the wonderful ambient soundtrack by Aubrey Hodges and the art design, this is slowly becoming one of my favourite doom games

DOOMATHON entry #4/20
List: https://www.backloggd.com/u/Mariofan717/list/doom--quake-campaigns-ranked/

I'm years overdue to have played the classic Doom games, but it's a good thing I chose now as the time to marathon both Doom and Quake, as not only was I just in time for the release of Sigil II - if not for Nightdive Studios' excellent remaster of Doom 64, I may very well have overlooked what I can safely declare to be my favorite classic entry.

Doom 64's core gameplay is unchanged from its predecessors, but features a variety of much appreciated balancing tweaks that maintains the first game's mechanical purity as well of the best of the the sequel's additions; the lack of certain enemies may have been due to the N64's limitations, but it worked out for the better alongside the aspect of this game that most separates it from what came before - the thick, ominous atmosphere courtesy of Aubrey Hodges' dread-inducing ambient soundtrack and the frequent, striking use of colored lighting not possible in the original Doom engine.

The rip-roaring heavy metal mood of the first two games suits them perfectly and is essential to the series' identity, but the drastically different tone present here was essential in preventing me from ever totally tiring of its particularly labyrinthine later levels. I still was still frustrated at times when unsure where to go next and the map design doesn't quite reach the creative heights of Doom 2, but this was by far the most consistent experience I've had with a Doom game yet. This is a must play for any fan of the series that happened to miss out on it in the many years prior to its widespread accessibility.

Cross-posted on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mariofan717/status/1743865936816513456

A name like DOOM 64 gives the impression that this is a port of the popular DOOM – especially as the original game did get a lot of ports. However, this is a sequel to the first two DOOM games, featuring completely new models. I played the very faithful remaster from Nightdrive (it doesn’t add any gameplay features, just some optional extra levels), along with a mod that restored a few more minor things from the N64 game.

As far as DOOM goes, this is considered to be a great version, with some refined gameplay and graphics. The levels focus more on puzzles and horror, although the “horror” is more just really dark levels (I ended up turning up the brightness to see) and the puzzles are a lot of pressing buttons and trying to figure out what part of the level changed. The soundtrack was also changed to a more ambient sound, so it lacks the rocking soundtrack of the original games.

If this was a launch title on the N64, it would have been even more impressive. However, Turok beat this to be the first FPS on the N64 and DOOM 64 feels very flat in comparison. Very low walls blocking the player now seem much more ridiculous and it seems like you’re still playing on a 2D plane, even when some stuff is higher – you can’t look up or down, but bullets will automatically move upwards.

For fans of DOOM, this version is definitely worth playing. However, the genre had evolved by the time it was released and this doesn’t do much to update the gameplay of DOOM.

Played on Linux PC

It's DOOM but with a irresistible haunting atmosphere and more maze-like level design.

It's all good and fun, except I easily get lost and the puzzles are not well communicated sometimes. This just made me quit, despite it otherwise being a good game. It's another form of DOOM, not by necessity worse or better, if you enjoy mazes or figure things out better than me.

Very unique take on the classic DOOM formula, leaning heavily into the atmosphere and horror DOOM3 tried to capture. The Aubrey Hodges soundtrack adds so much to the mood of the game, and the colored lighting and mapwork are extremely well done, adding to the demonic setting the game conveys. Maps are mostly well done, though throughout the game and especially at the later half there are some frustrating puzzles and I had lots of points where I just didn't know what to do to continue a level. Art design is good as well, with enemy sprites looking less exaggerated and more fear-inducing. I absolutely think any DOOM fan should at least play this, as it has a very distinct style that none of the other games really capture, besides Quake 1 and 2. The Lost Levels are great as well, they serve as a good companion piece to DOOM Eternal if you plan to play that.

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

So this was originally on the Nintendo 64, eh? Curious how well the hyper fast combat of oldschool DOOM translated to that console with the kind esoteric controller it has (still love that system regardless).

Glad this game got a proper official port onto PC. Before people had to resort to N64 ROMhacks if they wanted to play it with a keyboard and mouse. Of course I didn't touch the original console version nor the ROMhacks, so my only impression of DOOM 64 is through this PC port.

Gameplay wise it doesn't spew as many demons at you as DOOM and DOOM 2, which I think was due to the memory limit of the original console it ran on. Still felt fun despite that, and the difficulty felt right all the way through (Always play on Ultra-Violence). Enemy variety and behaviour is pretty much the same as previous classic DOOMs, but the Revenant, Cacodemon, and Archvile aren't present. There's the Specter version of the Imp though.

What makes this version of DOOM unique in comparison to other versions of DOOM is not only the unique artstyle, soundscape, and level design, but also an original unlockable weapon called the Unmakyr (Replaces the BFG and makes an reappearance in DOOM Eternal) and a final boss named the Mother Demon.

The Unmakyr can be upgraded throughout the game by finding Demon Keys hidden in various levels, eventually turning into a souped-up plasma gun. The Demon Keys also act as locks for the final boss level, making the fight slightly easier to get through, which I find to be lovely incentive to explore each level for secrets.

Really enjoyed the unique artstyle and sound design of DOOM 64. It helped to make this game feel distinct from the other DOOMs. Level design is similar to DOOM and DOOM 2 in which everything could be made in its engine, but DOOM 64 made interesting use of enemy layout and rising and falling platforms not seen in the OGs. Gets my respect for that.

Had a blast playing all 39 levels this re-release had to offer. Played it blind the first time without finding any Demon Keys, so the final boss was quite a pain to beat alongside the horde of demons that spawned alongside it. Had to look up a walkthrough to find them on my 2nd playthrough as well as the secret levels. So if you're looking to scratch that classic DOOM itch with new visuals and levels; this is it.

The best of the classic dooms in my opinion.

Excellent level design, creepy atmosphere as a result of the less toony looking artstyle and the really tense music.

I just genuinely adore this game, Absolutely worth a playthrough for anyone even mildly interested in Doom.

DOOM 64 is often assumed to be a simple port such as, DOOM 32X, DOOM jaguar and DOOM PS1. DOOM 64 is a third entry in the series, taking place after DOOM 2 and before DOOM 2016, a more horror focused entry like the other "DOOM 3" without a rock soundtrack instead, it has a atmospheric soundtrack, with all new levels and its own new enemies, moving into a more power age the enemies are still pre-rendered but this time as computer models and not clay models using higher quality textures and sprites, the game also uses colored lighting, unfortunately this is mostly the end of the praise. the movement feels a lot slower than DOOM 1 & 2, the sound design is far more muffled and less punchy, due to the limited size of the game means a lot of animation frames are missing so no more cocking your shotgun or reloading your SSG. the final boss is overly difficult if you haven't gone for all 3 demon keys but if you do it takes a lot longer. i think the game needed more time to cook and be polished but still a wonderful doom game