Does anyone think that DOOM 64 sucks?

[A Nobody]

8 hours ago, Boaby Kenobi said:

 

I think the game was released at a time where most people were not too interested in Doom anymore. That plus Goldeneye 007 was the biggest game on N64 that year, and Final Fantasy VII on PlayStation. Then of course in 1998 Metal Gear Solid was released and that game made severe ripples in the gaming pond.

I always remember a friend of mine who borrowed his cousin's N64 in early 2000 and he was astonished, saying to me, hey this isn't just Doom on N64, it's a completely different game, and I was like, yes, I know, been playing the game for the past couple of years.

 

I can't really speak for other countries but here in the UK the Nintendo 64 was regarded as a "toy", and even though you could say that about every games console, the N64 seemed to be associated more with children, whereas the PlayStation was more for adults and this I think is another reason why Doom 64 passed by a lot of gamers at the time.

 

I myself also was used to Doom only on PlayStation, I didn't get into PC gaming until the late 90s, so Doom 64 didn't seem like a major departure from the PC games like it might have been if you were used to the PC originals only. Took me a while to get used to the PC music actually. It seemed silly at first, but now I love it.

No.

[VGA]

Chads bought a Playstation, not a N64 ...

 

:D

[Dark Pulse]

Read this thread. Immediately thought of this little bit from a video of another game I play (helpfully cued up in the embed below). Lower the volume a bit to prevent ears bleeding.

 

 

In short: No, Doom 64 may be the best console Doom of them all. PSX Doom is certainly great too for many of the same reasons.

[pointerzz]

well, i played Doom 64 and, for me it was pretty bland. the sprites of the weapons arent THAT good, it looks boring and the story changes everything.

[Redneckerz]

2 hours ago, PointersDoom said:

well, i played Doom 64 and, for me it was pretty bland. the sprites of the weapons arent THAT good, it looks boring and the story changes everything.

To what other game are you comparing Doom 64 to arrive at these conclusions?

[Chip]

2 hours ago, Redneckerz said:

To what other game are you comparing Doom 64 to arrive at these conclusions?

maybe Far Cry 5 or Assasins Creed: Odyssey. 

[Devils950003]

6 hours ago, PointersDoom said:

well, i played Doom 64 and, for me it was pretty bland. the sprites of the weapons arent THAT good, it looks boring and the story changes everything.

 

How far did you play into it?  The earlier levels look nice, but can be a bit bland...especially the very first one.  

 

Later levels are better, though some can look similar to others, and there's one or two too many "moat" levels.  Quite a few of D64's levels are plenty easy on the eyes though.

[Zeddy Ryan]

removed

Edited January 25 by Zeddy Ryan

[pointerzz]

On 5/12/2020 at 12:20 PM, Redneckerz said:

To what other game are you comparing Doom 64 to arrive at these conclusions?

 

I was quoting it to the original Doom and Doom 2, for me it´s not the same

[Redneckerz]

1 hour ago, PointersDoom said:

 

I was quoting it to the original Doom and Doom 2, for me it´s not the same

Well... that's because its a different game entirely???

[vanilla_d00m]

On 3/9/2020 at 10:54 AM, speed_your_feed said:

Now, to be honest, I hate DOOM 64. I think that Midway Games didn't need to change the whole story, the sprites AND the soundtrack. That soundtrack... for me is disappointing. Aubrey Hodges made the soundtrack more scary than metal. In some songs you can even hear babies crying! I expected the same game, just ported to the N64. I prefer to play the PSX version. Lemme know your opinion!

 

They have babies crying in diablo 1 too.. so does the second and third MK games from the 1990s if you finish you're opponent off with a babality.  I know it's to make the game scarier but for me it just made the game silly.  For MK it was to show that you didn't block once during the round (MK3) or you didn't use punches at all (MK2) this is the only way to get those babalities to work on the finishing round.

 

I prefer the PSX one over the N64 one by a long shot but only because the PSX one gave me less motion sickness then the N64 one. But I did get far in it when I use to rent it on my N64 which i still have and works surprisingly (it's still sitting in the same spot in this one cabinet I left it in 1999.. the zelda ocarina of time cartridge is still inserted and has been that way for years, it's probably stuck)

 

The mancubus looks nice on N64.

Edited May 14, 2020 by vanilla_d00m

[jazzmaster9]

On 5/14/2020 at 9:50 PM, PointersDoom said:

for me it´s not the same

It's not suppose to be the same...

[Scrabbs]

On 3/9/2020 at 2:59 PM, Edward850 said:

Hey Linguica, how do I delete other people's threads? 

FPBP

[AtimZarr1]

I just finished it and the Lost Levels recently and overall I liked it much better than the first time I played it many years ago. At its core, it plays a lot like typical Classic Doom gameplay but with more puzzle-focused gameplay. The moody atmosphere, set by the ambient soundtrack and darker visuals, works really well in creating an inviting and foreboding setting for the player to explore the levels and fight enemies throughout. Like a compulsion to get into the root of the latest level's evils, hiding in whatever corners they are in. It sometimes feels like an evil presence lurks across the levels, especially when objects or the world is manipulated subtly (like a keycard being teleported around a room before you finally are able to pick it up). The innocuous and more subtle teleport sound effect works effectively for this.

 

It's a bit of shame there's no inclusion of Chaingunners, Revenants, Archviles, or Spiderdemons in this entry. Would've loved to see a 64-style interpretation of those monsters. Similarly, no reload animation for the two shotguns takes a bit of getting used to. Zombieman and Shotgunners appearing mostly identical is also off-putting. In regards of the new, I do wish there were more newer enemies and weapons included. It feels a bit odd that the only new enemies are just the Nightmare Imp and Mother Demon. I wonder if the Nightmare Spectre from PSX Doom was considered during development.

 

I like the music and sound design of the game as well. There was a certain track that stuck in my mind but now I can't remember which map it was on. Listening to some on YouTube, I think it may have been Map 20's Breakdown. Although my favourite track would have to be the main menu track, I really love that theme and it's essentially the same as the PSX Doom opening too. Speaking of the same as the PSX version, the monster sounds are also great as well. I might even like them more than the classic sounds from the first two Dooms.

 

Completing the puzzles this time around was much easier since I vaguely remembered the general steps needed to progress. Even then though, I didn't really enjoy many of those segments. Or having to figure out what switch activated what where. Switch hunting exploration isn't really for me, though I understand there's an investigative appeal to it. Most of the time, you can count on having newly-spawned monsters in the general direction you're meant to go. It's mainly the puzzles that might leave some players searching for an online guide (like I did when I first played the game years ago). I do like some of the other puzzles though, like in "Watch Your Step".

 

Most of the weapons function similarly as their Classic Doom counterparts. I hardly used the Fists or Pistol past the first few levels. Shotgun, Super Shotgun, Chaingun, Plasma Gun, and Rocket Launcher were used throughout and intermixed fairly often. I found the BFG to be a bit underwhelming this time around, maybe I'm not using it properly. I also missed out on the demon keys needed to upgrade the Unmaker, so my uses of that weapon were a bit more limited. Most of the demons function similarly to their Classic Doom counterparts as well, though the Lost Souls and Pain Elementals stand out as being seemingly more aggressive this time around. The Mother Demon seemed a lot tougher than I remembered, but I was out of energy cells so that might've been why. From the Lost Levels, having a fully upgraded Unmaker really helps.

 

I enjoyed the newly added Lost Levels as well. Because it had fewer maps, the pace felt a lot more hurried in a good way. I don't know if locking the Lost Levels was necessary - but I suppose it serves as a skill check before allowing players to tackle the newer maps. A bit personally biased, but I was hoping for some of the Lost Levels to further evoke aesthetics of the newer Doom's worlds. The gargoyle statue props or some of the castle-looking levels in the main campaign reminded me of Argent D'Nur design in some ways. I half-expected the Lost Levels to have Doomguy reach the outskirts of Argent D'Nur at the very end after killing the Sister Resurrector. But then again, those were my own biased expectations. Just on gameplay, I think the Lost Levels are a nice way to quickly play Doom 64 in the future - a bit like quickly playing Classic Doom by re-running Knee Deep in the Dead.

 

I always liked the idea that the Mother Demon's necromantic magic (along with Phobos' excess radiation levels) is the reason why the demons in 64 look different from their Classic counterparts. I also like that the majority of the campaign takes place in Hell - which is refreshing compared to many other Doom games. The story being told seemed a lot more darker in tone than what came before. Doomguy's apparently been seeing doctors before the events of the game. He cackles as he teleports back into Hell. You can't even see his face on the HUD anymore. Even the ending is dark while also being heroic - Doomguy choosing to remain in Hell to ensure the demons never invade mankind ever again. It's a long way from seeing a bunny's head on a stick or wondering where bad folks will go now. Working effectively with the tone and atmosphere, the story feels quite tragic in a way.

 

I enjoyed replaying Doom 64 much more than I thought I would. The game has an amazing atmosphere, especially contributed by effective use of lighting and sound. Its emphasis on puzzles/switches on some levels is a bit off-putting for casual replays and the game is unfortunately held back by the restrictions of the console it originally came out on. That being said, I think it's an enjoyable experience overall that offers a more darker interpretation of the Doom universe while maintaining a more classic pure gameplay, for those put off by the changes in Doom 3.

[BasmhurTabs]

I had never played DOOM 64 up until this year (I had an N64 but my mother was a little bit overprotective) and I have to say I've ended up with a real soft spot for it. The atmosphere, the new sprites (while a little off at times) and especially the soundtrack are pretty comfy. I like some of the tricks and traps the levels use too, they're pretty clever.

[magicsofa]

On 3/9/2020 at 6:15 PM, jamondemarnatural said:

Does anyone think Doom 2 sucks?

Does anyone here even like Doom at all? I mean it's obviously inferior to Quake. Y'all are stuck in the past because you like the comfort of something you already know, and you're too lazy to learn real 3D mapping. Saying you like Doom just because it's retro and cool... what a bunch of hipsters

[vanilla_d00m]

I like doom because it's retro and cool.  I did beat ultimate doom (all eps) so I can back it up now.  I use to only beat episode 1 without ever trying the other eps and leave it at that so that wasn't good I guess. 

 

I find DOOM 64 a little more scary then the playstation one, maybe because the levels are different.  I remember that 1 map called cat and mouse.  I will have to try this doom 64 once again after i get down finishing doom 2 someday as i still have my n64 from th 1990s.  Yes its still working.

 

 

Edited June 4, 2020 by vanilla_d00m

[frag enabler]

Second favorite game in the franchise. Finished it a few weeks ago for the first time, my only gripes being its difficulty (felt a bit too easy even on the highest setting) and "stand on this particular elevated platform to shoot a switch that opens something somewhere".

Oh and the plasma gun looks and sounds absolutely fantastic, and pain elementals can die in a fire. Easily the biggest threat you'll ever face.

Edited June 7, 2020 by SuperchargedEuthanasiaDiv

[Boaby Kenobi]

On 6/8/2020 at 12:31 AM, SuperchargedEuthanasiaDiv said:

my only gripes being its difficulty (felt a bit too easy even on the highest setting)

 

It didn't feel as easy back in the late 90s when you had to use the N64 controller.

[frag enabler]

4 hours ago, Boaby Kenobi said:

 

It didn't feel as easy back in the late 90s when you had to use the N64 controller.

Fair enough, but I reckon the lower difficulty can be mostly attributed to the lack of Agitated Skeletons, Archies, Spiderdemons and HWDudes. Makes up for it with the final boss if you only have the base Unmaker, though...

Might replay it with an x360 controller just for the hell of it (no pun intended).

[rabidrage]

I'm glad that this thread got away from debating where the game sits in continuity.  As we all know, John Carmack likened plot in a video game to ploy in porn films.  So, at best, they care without caring.

 

I bought Doom on the SNES first because a friend had shown me the game on PC and it blew my mind.  I thought I basically had the same game until he told me how awful it looked.  So I set out discovering all the advantages and disadvantages between the two.  SNES had better music and transluscency for the weapons when you got the invisibility powerup, and you could pause the game to change weapons...but it was still hard to compete.

 

Within the next few years I got 32X Doom, then JagDoom.  Eventually I got Doom for PSX, Saturn, N64 and GBA.  Not sure what order.  But I do recall playing Doom 64 for the first time and showing it off.  I can honestly say that, despite how similar they might seem now, having come out within 3 years of each other almost 30 years ago, at the time there was a world of difference.  Doom 64 made the original sprites and sounds seem cartoonish.  I'm sure they look cartoonish now as well, but at the time...it was a leap forward.  And yeah, Quake was out in its own shiny new engine, but we're talking about blocky first-generation models vs. sprites at a time when spriting was established and good designers could make some pretty awesome sprites.  It's kind of like a racehorse vs. a Model T.

 

I've gone into this before, but I'll do it again.  Doom 64 is, to me, the pinnacle of 90s Doom development.  JagDoom was based on Doom 1.2, featuring edited Doom 1 levels with some Doom 2 textures, and 2 console-exclusive levels.  SNES Doom was built on a custom engine and releasd by Midway.  PSX Doom was also developed by Midway, incorporating the JagDoom code (with additions and tweaks) and levels along with Thy Flesh Consumed and Doom 2.  Midway took some cues from SNES Doom, it seems, in improving the music and adding transluscency (though perhaps this is just my preferred perspective).  It also added new sfx, reverb, a creepy soundtrack and colored lighting, as well as the Nightmare Spectre.

 

Well, then you have Doom 64.  Again, Midway developed it.  They used the same sfx as PSX Doom, the colored lighting and the same kind of soundtrack.  But this port added newer sprites and two new monsters (albeit cutting out others).  It further modified the code for more versatility, and had nothing but new levels.

 

Of course, I sucked at the game, but I still loved it.  And while I like exploring, I'm not a fan of puzzles and especially not ones where you have to time things.  I still laud the game and its level design.

 

Honestly, the pinnacle of Doom evolution for me might be The Outcast Levels (with Kaiser's added content, not the Retribution version) or BD64.  I just wish BD64 had a conversion of Outcast.

 

Sometimes I wish I could be in an alternate universe where the Doom engine was professionally updated forever, rather than Id moving on to a new engine.  Between Id, modders and console ports, we would truly have the ultimate Doom experience.