Doom 64 was released for the Nintendo 64 in early 1997. It was one of the first FPS games for the system, along with Turok. The game had stunning hi-resolution graphics, new enemies, a new weapon, and item designs, and a whole new look. The game was still in actuality Doom, in fact using the very same engine (but slightly modified), but a new feel and look for a new generation of Doom.
For those who haven't played the game before, you might wonder what's so special about Doom 64. The game, first of all, had a whole new look, with larger sprites, pseudo 3D (using a glitch in the game's code, it's not true 3D like most people think), new textures, scrolling skies, and more. The game had custom scripting which is unbelievable what can be done with such an old game. The enviornments morphed, enemies faded in from thin air, waves of enemies come at you, and items spawn. The best mappers that could be found were hired by Midway for this incarnation of new levels. The levels are some of the best Doom levels ever.
A new weapon has been added this time. The long-forgotten Unmaker from the original Doom Bible is finally presented, a laser weapon that's fully upgradable. Also, two new enemies were added. The Nightmare Imp is a faster, purple, translucent version of the original enemy. Also, a new final boss was added. The Mother Demon is a boss with many attacks, including guided missiles and spewing flames across the ground. Old enemies have been spiced up a bit. Arachnotrons now fire 2 plasma shots, Pain Elementals now shoot 2 Lost Souls at once, and the Lost Souls themselves are much more aggressive.
The game had sounds from the PSX version of Doom, which are crisper, and with much more bass (pump up the volume!). The music is ambient by the genius behind PSX Doom's ambient music, Aubrey Hodges. Playing this game in the dark with the music blaring will freak you out for sure.
Doom 64, however, wasn't well recieved by the Doom community for many reasons. First of all, the style is different. Lovers of the original style might not like the darker feel, the new enemy models, and such. Obviously mouse control is gone. Multiplayer was ditched at the last moment. But the big loss is the things that got dropped due to the cartridge size being so low compared to a CD. Enemies were missing, including the Commando, Arch-Vile, Revenant, and Spider Mastermind. There's a mere 32 levels, a decent amount, though nothing compared to the 56 levels of the PSX verison. The final nail in the coffin was the controller isn't that well used. The digital control, which most are used to playing console Dooms with, turns way too slow, forcing you to get accustomed to the analog stick to play the game at it's full potential.
Still, even with the low points, I can't recommend Doom 64 more. I say you try it for yourself and see what you think. I personally love the style, and can live with the changes. If you can find it, pick this gem up, even after the TC is released.
