Customer Reviews

Doom 64

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

i dug out my old nintendo 64 this past week, and this humble little cartridge was the first that i pulled out. i've been playing it almost non-stop since. how is it that this game is almost 8 years old? amazingly detailed and jaw-dropping environments, excellent control, totally updated enemies, and a pitch-black ambience flow freely through this game. perhaps the most striking feature is the soundtrack. i remember playing this game when it first came out in 1997. i was still pretty young, and it scared the living hell out of me. playing it now i can understand why; the soundtrack is largely comprised of long, ambient organ swells and industrial sounds. far-off cries of terror and garbled, distorted radio transmissions are mixed with the soundtrack during the second half of the game. in some levels, the effect that this has on you can be too strong and will distract you from the game ("breakdown" and "dark citadel" are probably the best examples). turning out the lights and cranking up the sound is a truly immersive experience that is rarely matched, even with modern games. although some parts of the soundtrack can tend to resemble a broken air-conditioner ("staging area" and "the terraformer" for instance), the effect is well suited to the early levels amid the dreary industrial complexes of the base. the levels in hell are designed with one thing in mind: complete terror. the replay value of this game is beefed up by a plethora of secret levels, hidden exits, easter eggs, and a cheat menu that unlocks three "fun" levels that can't be opened any other way.

another reviewer mentioned how small the levels seemed and how there were no wide open areas. this doesn't make much sense to me; some of the levels in this game are absolutely huge and span an amazingly large amount of space; "pitfalls," "spawned fear," "blood keep," "unholy temple," and "dark citadel" are practically endless. the size of many levels dwarfs those on the PC versions. the lack of wide open space, on the other hand, is very intentional. most of the action in this game involves intense, close quarters fighting. the overbearing, crushing sense of claustrophobia is designed to give the player a feeling of no escape; truly a feeling of doom. this is a goal that is rarely missed.

one thing that is instantly noticeable about this game compared to the "classic" doom is the renewed emphasis on puzzle-solving and brain-teasers rather than constant run and gun carnage. make no mistake about it, there is plenty of action in this game. but some of the puzzles in the later levels ("unholy temple" comes to mind) are maddeningly complex and extremely puzzling. all of the enemies sport new, terrifying models and are often tougher to kill than in the PC versions of yore. the pain elementals now release two noticeably more aggressive lost souls at one time and arachnatrons fire double blasts of plasma. these updated enemies cannot replace the chaingunner, spider mastermind, arch-vile, and revenant that were canceled from this game at the last minute during the development phase, however. even in the words of the developers, most of the classic elements of doom save for the single-player game had to be left out due to cart space issues. i recently read that a multi-player function for doom 64 was dropped at the last possible moment in an interview with the original developers. add a multiplayer mode, and this is a five star game. during the media blitz preceding the release of doom 3, much ado was made over the quantum leap between the carnage of the older dooms and the ambience and atmosphere of doom 3. doom 64 is the underrated, oft-neglected missing link between doom II and doom III. the new generation of doom fans never had the chance to play and experience all three of these as they came out like i did, and unfortunately the impact of those separate revolutions can't be duplicated playing these games today. as it stands, doom 64 is definately an acquired taste. if you're an open-minded doom fan, this one is worth a shot for sure. some hardcores might like it, as well. i'm a long-time fan of the PC doom series, and this one fit me just fine. give it a shot...you can pick up a copy for about $20 at most used/vintage video game specialty stores.

Most people would believe that Doom is dead. I don't think so at all. This game is perhaps the best Doom game to date. I thought it was an awesome edition to the Doom lineup. The only reason in my opinion it didn't get a 5 star rating is because of the fact it has no multiplayer ability what so ever. However, keeping in mind that it is simply one player, it is a very good game. I recommend you buy it if you have always liked the Doom genre. It has everything you could ask for including weapons such as the Super Shotgun, B.F.G. 9000, the Rocket Launcher, and my favorite, the Plasma Rifle. It also has a new weapon, (the laser) which in my opinion can decide the fate of our Hero especially in the harder difficulties. It also has totally redesigned creatures, and 32 brand new levels of chaos. Not a game to play in the dark...

Having read the other reviews on this game, I was forced to give my opinion, having played the original games when they first came out and changed the computer game world.

Doom 64 is a wonderful enhancement to the original DOOM series. With 3D environments, upgraded graphics (nice Cacodemon), better AI (the Lost Souls are no longer "dumb" and on fire, just on fire!), this is a worthy successor to the original ID games. The new laser weapon is actually quite good once you learn to use it correctly (read -- fire a constant stream).

For today's gamers, i.e. those who were raised on Quake or Duke Nukem, this game will not meet their standards for gameplay, level design, or graphics quality. However, for those who want to see the "next generation" of the original DOOM games, this is the best offering (I am not including the so-called DOOM 3 project here).

Level design is improved over the original DOOM series, and the demons are more frightening and intelligent than ever. The puzzles are somewhat harder, and the hidden levels and secrets are much harder to find than in the original. Graphics are well done, and the levels are large and original. However, there are a number of corners that seem to appear that your soldier can get stuck on -- a problem that should not exist for any shooter -- however, this is a minor problem in an otherwise great conversion of DOOM.

If you love FPS games or you just love Doom, you need to check out this version. It's definitely alot better looking than anything that has come before it. But, don't expect it to be Quake or Quake 2 because it isn't by any means. "Why would I be interested in it, then?" you may ask...Well, It's Doom and Id Software made it so you know it has to be good. Anyone who's played Doom knows you're in for some intense gameplay when you play Doom. And this game has it in spades. Trust me, it's a difficult one but if you're a FPS fanatic like me...you'll make it through with only a few scratches. Don't let the majority fool you, there is alot to like about Doom 64. It's not like Quake or Quake 2 but, then again, it's not supposed to be.

What I like most about this game is the new look of the weapons and monsters. This was the first Doom game to really look different. The new weapons and monsters have an awesome design. The only ones that I think looked better in the original are the Lost Souls and Cacodemons. Every other monster is streamlined to look real nice.

The final monster at the end is some kind of big ugly rat thing. An interesting new character.

The levels are pretty darn complicated, I think even moreso than the previous Doom games. It might only be because it's harder to cheat on this game than the computer Doom games.

I thought the music and atmosphere made the game creepy, and the goofy skipped-frame way the monsters moved made the game funny. It's an interesting mix.

This game is fun to play. If you like Doom, you'll like this. There's cool levels and secrets just like in every Doom game.

I am another one that has recently pulled out their old N64 to play. Looking through the bag of games I found Doom 64. My love of Doom began again. I have been a fan of Doom ever since the original came out in 1993 when I was ten years old (22 years old now). This is game is immense fun.

Man, did this bring back old memories. Doom 64 is a then updated version of the classic series. The demons looked better and still had the eeriness the series has always had. This game is also very challenging, I find my self dying every now and then. Luckily I have a N64 memory card that I can load so I don't have to start over without all of the weapons I have picked up along the way.

This game is surprisingly lengthy, hours of game play for the Doom fan that will bring them to a state of heaven.

I recommend this game to anyone who still has an N64 and a video game store near by that sells old/used video games. This is definitely something to pick up. If you are just now discovering the wonderful world of DOOM, this game is for you.

Doom returns in this 64-bit entry of the Doom saga. The gameplay is, basically, Doom, but with 32 new levels, one new weapon (the Laser), and one new enemy type (the final boss, the "Mother of all Demons"). The graphics, with their high resolution textures, are head and shoulders over all the other Doom games before this. The ambient soundtrack and solid sound effects also get high marks.This game is a bit dark (as far as how bright the screen is during gameplay), there's no multiplayer option, and without a controller pak, the passwords are a bit hard to remember. But at the end of the day, this game is still a lot of fun, and is highly recommended.

By all means Doom 64 surpasses all 64bit gaming expectations.....A childhood favorite for sure. I wish that I would have received it from "Samantha's Super Deals" But no....They took my money.....And they ran. Now I have to go through the hassle of Filing a claim with Amazon. DO NOT WASTE TIME ORDERING FROM SAMANTHA'S SUPER DEALS! YOU WON'T GET YOUR ORDER!!

With anticipation of the Nintendo Wii's release, and the subsequent availability of all previous Nintendo platform games, I have been looking through the online archives for some of the games I am looking forward to playing again.
DOOM 64 was by far the most played game on my Nintendo 64. I have not played the game in about 5 years but I remember it fairly well. This review is based on what I do recall. If some details are inacurate, I apologize in advance.
The graphics in this game are clearly outdated by now. But good graphics does not a game make. I played DOOM3 and while it was spectacular to look at and had some genuine scares, it still was lacking something. Perhaps it had too much. It tried to give a story to DOOM. I actually liked the arbitrary action in DOOM 64. You were a Marine and you were fighting hell spawn on the moon of Kronos. Your objective was not to live, but to survive long enough to kill the Mother Alien. You had some puzzle solving and plenty of killing to so. Nice. SImple. Perfect.
What I liked about DOOM 64 was that there were 4 secret levels that contained hidden Pentagrams. Through the course of the game, as you came upon them you weren';t sure what they were for. It wasn't until the final boss battle that you realized just how significant they are to your ultimate success for they are actually locks to portals that prevent infinate legions of demons bearing down on you while you try to destroy the Mother Alien. If you do not have at least two of these locks, then your chances for success are minimal, at best. Finding these pentagrams added a whole new depth and challange to DOOM 64 that was not present in DOOM3.
THat aside, the moody soundtrack and countless jolt scares made it a first of it's kind. It improved on the original PC versions with better graphics and better level designs. Levels would morph right in front of you as you hit switches, sometimes completely changing the layout of a whole level.
Also, sorely missing form DOOM3 were the Cyber Demons and their obliterating rocket launchers. THese beasts were the rare enemy that would consistantly have me running in fear. Barons, you could side step and take down with a few double barrled shotgun blasts. But Cyber Demons required you to use strategy and precision. And they would waste you in a heartbeat if you were not careful. A great adversary to be sure. Just hearing the grinding of their mechanical hooves as they treaded in my direction still gives me semi-chills. Great stuff.
Overall DOOM64 is a great game. What it lacks in graphics and presentation it makes up for in style and attitude. THis was the peak of what DOOM would be until DOOM3 came around 8 years later. I can't wait to play it again in the near future. If you have not played it, and you get a Wii....give it a try. I don't expect many people to connect to it the way I do, but who knows.

Thanks for listening.

I remember freakin out when I got this game back when n64 was "in." The game is so awesome and is the perfection of the original DOOM series. The weapons are nicely redone, as are the demons. It's a little difficult playing a game like DOOM using a controller rather than a keyboard and mouse, but that is a small price to pay for playing a masterpiece like Doom64.

The music is just plain eerie, and the lighting and graphics are pretty good. I was also quite surprised that such a game would be on a console that *mostly* kids used, the n64. But anyways, the game is cool and you should buy it.