Doom 64

"Doom 64 is nothing but more of the same... but that's a good thing!"

Well, I just love Doom. Doom has always been a great pioneering and Doom 64 only adds to what is already great about this series. It's not going to blow you away graphically (obviously), but it is a definite upgrade from the PC original and Doom II. If you just want some new Doom taste, consider this a sweet desert.

The story of Doom 64 is the same as it always has been on every other system and in every other version of Doom that has been made; kill the demons and stop Hell from taking over. Not much there but hey has there ever been? What you do get here is a heaping helping of classic Doom gameplay with a few upgrades.

The graphics are a nice update while still retaining that classic Doom look. All of the sprites have been re-rendered and look much sharper than its PC (PSone, 32X, 3DO, Saturn, Gameboy Advance, SNES, Atari Jaguar...) counterpart(s). It's so great to see all the baddies you know and love re-done to look a little better. When you first see Pinky, you will have mixed feelings of nostalgia and renewal at the same time. Also, this was the first version in the series to use true 3D, so the level design is better as you can actually be on floors that overlap lower floors in each level. The animations are archaic, but work well and keep the classic Doom feel. Everything is really dark and the lighting is done surprisingly well for such an old system. Will it blow you away like Doom 3? No. But it still looks nice the way a classic Vette looks next to a new Z06.

One thing I truly love is the music. It is the same music from the PSone version of the game which was much better than the silly PC music. It's dark and scary music and really adds to the atmosphere of the game. You can also tell that this was the music that inspired the ambient sounds and echoes for Doom 3 on PC and XBox.

Finally, the controls; they are really nice. If you liked Goldeneye because of its control scheme, then you will have no trouble going back and playing this game. It was the first Doom to feature analog control for your character, which is a big help. Of course, many people still prefer the point and click of a mouse, but if you are a console gamer then you should feel right at home playing this game with the N64 controller.

I thought this game was great. Sure it's old and primitive and wasn't very big when it came out, but if you are like me and can't get enough Doom, Doom 64 is worth checking out. It might be hard to find now, but if you are looking for some classic Doom gameplay with a twist, this title is for you and it's worth tracking down a copy. So go out and get a used copy of Doom 64 and dust off your N64 for more classic Doom love. In the end, Doom 64 is nothing but more of the same... but that's a good thing!

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 08/14/06