Wikipedia

Doom 64

Doom 64is a 1997first-person shootervideo gamedeveloped and published byMidway Gamesfor theNintendo 64.It is the second spin-off inid Software'sDoomseriesafterFinal Doom(1996), and the fourth game in the series overall. Aremasterwas developed byNightdive Studiosand published byBethesda SoftworksforNintendo Switch,PlayStation 4,Windows,andXbox Onein March 2020, and forStadiain May 2020.

Doom 64
North American cover art
Developer(s)Midway Studios San Diego[a]
Publisher(s)
[b]
Designer(s)
  • Randy Estrella
  • Timothy Heydelaar
  • Danny Lewis
Programmer(s)Aaron Seeler
Artist(s)Sukru Gilman
Composer(s)Aubrey Hodges
SeriesDoom
EngineDoom engine
Kex Engine (re-release)
Platform(s)
ReleaseNintendo 64
  • NA:April 4, 1997
  • PAL:December 2, 1997
NS, PS4, Win, XBO
  • WW:March 20, 2020
Stadia
  • WW:May 12, 2020
Genre(s)First-person shooter
Mode(s)Single-player

Doom 64was developed from 1994 byMidway Studios San Diegounder supervision ofid Software,the main developer of theDoomfranchise, and was tentatively titledDoom: The Absolution.It has a customized version of theDoomengine,enabling new kinds of level geometry, and dynamic colored lighting. It has newspritegraphics for weapons and monsters.

Doom 64received positive reviews from critics, praising its graphics, level design, soundtrack, and atmosphere, with some criticizing the lack of new gameplay elements compared to the previous games of the series. It gained acult following,with several fan-made PC source ports and mods.

Gameplay

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A demon approaches the chainsaw-wielding player in Staging Area, the first level.

Doom 64's gameplay is similar to that of earlierDoomgames. The player must advance through 28 story levels (and 4 secret levels) by battling demons, collecting weapons and keys, and activating switches to reach the level's exit while surviving deadly ambushes and traps. TheDoomengine and gameplay elements were customized, and all visual assets such as weapon and monster graphics are unique toDoom 64.

Weapons

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All the weapons fromDoom IIare present,[1]but with new sprites and sound effects.[2]Thechainsawhas two blades instead of one, the fists have bloodstained gloves instead ofbrass knuckles,theplasma gunhas an electric core that emits a sparking sound, therocket launcherhas a small kickback, the shotgun's priming handle is at the grip instead of under the barrel, and the double-barreled "Super" shotgun reloads faster and causes kickback.

There is also a new weapon named the Unmaker, which useshitscanbut looks like a projectile weapon. It uses the same cell ammunition as the plasma gun andBFG 9000.It had originated in theDoom Biblein 1992, and was planned for the originalDoomin 1993, but never appeared. Its appearance inDoom 64is its only official appearance prior toDoom Eternal,in which it is spelled "Unmaykr". With the power of three ancient artifacts found throughout the game, it becomes more powerful by shooting three laser beams (at a quicker rate than default) instead of one. The first artifact increases the laser speed, the second artifact adds a second laser, and the third artifact allows the weapon to fire three simultaneous lasers which can automatically aim separately from one another, allowing the weapon to attack three different enemies at once with huge amounts of rapid damage.

Plot

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Following theDoom Marine's success at thwarting Hell inDoom,Doom II: Hell on Earth,and in theFinal Doomstoryline, a planetary policy is established to quarantine the U.A.C. research installations with apocalyptic levels of radiation. For years, the installations stood motionless and abandoned, until a long-forgotten satellite monitoring one of the installations, barely functioning due to years of being subjected to high levels of radiation, sends a message back to Earth.

The message indicates that a singleentity,with vast rejuvenation powers and masked by the extreme radiation levels, escaped detection in its crippled state. This entity systematically altered decaying dead carnage back into corrupted living tissue, resurrecting the demons.

As the only experienced survivor of theDoomepisodes, the Marine is sent in alone to exterminate them. Later, he realizes the demons had planned for this, after he unknowingly allowed himself to be lured back into Hell. The demons are unable to defeat him, and with the Unmaker, he eventually battles and kills the Mother Demon. The game ends with the Marine, no longer capable of having a normal life following his encounters with Hell's forces, deciding to remain in Hell forever to ensure no demon ever rises again.

In theLost Levelsfrom the 2020 remaster, the story continues as the Mother Demon was revealed to have a sister called the "Resurrector". It banishes the Marine back to a UAC base, forcing him to fight his way back to Hell to stop the Demons. It branches the storyline between the original games with the2016 reboot ofDoomandDoom Eternal.

Development

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Doom 64was developed byMidway Gamesat itsSan Diegostudio.id Software,the primary developer of theDoomfranchise, supervised the project.[3]Development began in late 1994.[4]Its tentative title ofThe Absolutionwas changed toDoom 64for brand recognition, and reused as the name of the last level.[citation needed]Midway wanted to include every demon from the original games, and a few extra levels, into the final product, but deadlines and storage size constraints of theNintendo 64 Game Pakcartridges made them exclude the levels and a few demons.[citation needed]Midway stated that amultiplayermode was not included becauseNintendodid not provide the necessary resources for multiplayer programming. Midway justified the decision based on alleged slowdown during split-screen multiplayer in other games on the console and the competitive nature of the mode. A Midway representative stated, "Everyone knows that the best part of playing multiplayer is not knowing where your opponent is and with a four-player split-screen, everyone can easily see where their opponents are."[5]

The environments were built from3-dimensional polygon models,and the enemies were created bypre-renderingspriteswithSGIworkstations.[6]The Nightmare Imp was originally developed for thePlayStationversion ofDoomand appeared in a near-complete beta of the game,[7]but was removed just prior to release for unknown reasons. It debuted inDoom 64instead.[1]

Doom 64was slated to be a North Americanlaunch game,but near the deadline id Software expressed dissatisfaction with many of the level designs, so Midway postponed the game until April 1997 while redesigning the levels.[8]Nintendo's then-recent decision to remove the ability to run over animals from the Nintendo 64 version ofCruis'n USAraised concerns about the possibility of censoringDoom 64,but Midway vice president of software Mike Abbot said Nintendo had not voiced any concerns about the game's violent content. He pointed out thatCruis'n USAwas perceived by the public as a family game, while theDoomseries was targeted towards mature gamers, making violent content less of a concern.[6]

The music and sound effects were composed byAubrey Hodges,who had created the original sound effects and music for the PlayStation version two years earlier. The originalDoom 64team was working on a potential sequel titledDoom Absolutiondesigned only for two-playerdeathmatchessoon after the first game was released, but canceled it.[9]Because id Software was impressed with the team's work onDoom 64,they were assigned to the Nintendo 64 version ofQuakeat this time.[10]

MidwayshippedDoom 64on March 27, 1997, for release on April 4.[11][12]

Reception

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By the timeDoom 64was released, the originalDoomhad been converted to nearly every platform capable of running it. Critics agreed thatDoom 64was by far the best-lookingDoomto date, exceeding even the PC version.[17][18][19][22][26]They were enthusiastic about the level designs, deeming them imaginative and much more challenging than those of the originalDoom.[17][19][22][26]ANext Generationcritic remarked that "even the most skillfulDoomfans will have their hands full. And pushing door switches often causes whole rooms to rearrange and fold out into new shapes. "[22]

However, most reviewers said that the new graphics and levels were not enough to keep the game from feeling like yet another port of the originalDoom.[18][19][22]Peer SchneiderofIGNconcluded, "Make no mistake about it, this is the best update toDoomso far—but if you've played the PC, PSX, SNES, Mac, Saturn, etc versions to death, you can do without this one. "[19]GameProdisagreed with the majority on this point, stating that "Doom 64pumps the tried-and-true corridor-shooter formula full of life, with another challenging, intense experience that showcases the system's capabilities. "They rated it a perfect 5.0 out of 5 in all four categories: graphics, sound, control, and fun factor.[26]Shawn Smith ofElectronic Gaming Monthlyinstead regarded the lack of advancements in the basicDoomgameplay as a positive: "Some of you may want to see your space Marine jumping around or swimming underwater. Purists wouldn't want these features added becauseDoomwasn't about that stuff. I'll have to agree with the purists. "[17]

Most critics praised the game's musical score for its atmospheric effect.[17][18][19][26]Schneider andGameProwere both pleased with how well the analog control works,[19][26]butJeff GerstmannofGameSpotsaid it was off and said of the game overall, "On paper,Doom 64sounds better than the original could ever hope to be, but the end result feels more like a bastardization of the original. "[18]Comparing it to contemporary Nintendo 64 shooterTurok: Dinosaur Hunter,Schneider andGameProboth remarked thatDoom 64has less freedom of exploration and depth of control, but is more intense and "anxiety-filled".[19][26]

Doom 64has garnered acult following,with multiple fan-made PC source ports compatible with PC WAD files. Most prominently,Doom 64 TC(2003) is a massive collaborative PC fan port led by Samuel Vilarreal to add numerous enemy variants and levels; andDoom 64 EX(2008) is a source port to re-create the original experience made by Vilarreal, who had worked onDoom 64 TCand aNintendo DSport ofDoom 64.Patrick Klepek fromKotakudescribed it as the most underratedDoomgame.[27]Others praised the game for some of the best and most unique level designs, and for its darker and more sinister tone in contrast to the intense and aggressive action of the originalDoom.[28]

Remaster

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A remaster ofDoom 64forPC,Nintendo Switch,PlayStation 4,andXbox Oneby Nightdive Studios were released on March 20, 2020, and forStadiaon May 12, 2020.[29]These were included as a bonus for pre-orders ofDoom Eternal,which was released almost simultaneously.

The re-release includesThe Lost Levelsexpansion, additional missions intended "to connect 'old'Doomto 'new'Doom".[30][29]The Doom Marine is forced out of hell by the Resurrector, the Mother Demon's sister, and must fight his way back to hell to slay the creature.[31]

Notes

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  1. ^Remaster developed byNightdive Studios.
  2. ^Remaster published byBethesda Softworks.

References

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  1. ^ab"Doom 64:DoomNever Looked so Doomed Good ".Electronic Gaming Monthly.No. 92.Ziff Davis.March 1997. p. 95.
  2. ^Major Mike (March 1997)."Doom 64:Nothing Can Save You! ".GamePro.No. 102.IDG.pp. 44–45.
  3. ^"Doom 64News ".IGN.November 11, 1996.Archivedfrom the original on November 5, 2014.RetrievedJuly 8,2013.
  4. ^"Williams Makes Jaguar, Ultra 64 Plans"(PDF).GamePro.No. 66.IDG.January 1995. p. 210.
  5. ^"Doom 64Gets the Multiplayer Axe ".IGN.December 29, 1996.Archivedfrom the original on December 29, 2014.RetrievedJuly 8,2013.
  6. ^ab"NG Alphas:Doom 64".Next Generation.No. 26.Imagine Media.February 1997. pp. 81–82.
  7. ^"Doom- The Ultimate Version of the Greatest Gore Blast Ever! ".Maximum: The Video Game Magazine.No. 2.Emap International Limited.November 1995. pp. 56–60.
  8. ^"In the Studio".Next Generation.No. 20.Imagine Media.August 1996. p. 17.
  9. ^"Midway Adds New Sports, Games, to the Fire".IGN.July 10, 1997.
  10. ^"In the Studio".Next Generation.No. 28.Imagine Media.April 1997. p. 19.Impressed by Nintendo 64's conversion ofDoom,id Software immediately granted theQuakeconversion rights to Midway, even requesting that the sameDoomteam be responsible.
  11. ^"EB Industry News -Doom 64".EB World.July 14, 1997. Archived fromthe originalon July 14, 1997.RetrievedOctober 4,2023.
  12. ^"Midway ShipsDoomTomorrow ".IGN.March 28, 1997.
  13. ^"DOOM64 for Nintendo 64 ".GameRankings.CBS Interactive.Archived fromthe originalon December 9, 2019.RetrievedNovember 25,2021.
  14. ^"DOOM 64for Switch Reviews ".Metacritic.Red Ventures.RetrievedNovember 26,2021.
  15. ^"DOOM 64for PlayStation 4 Reviews ".Metacritic.Red Ventures.RetrievedNovember 26,2021.
  16. ^"DOOM 64for Xbox One Reviews ".Metacritic.Red Ventures.RetrievedNovember 26,2021.
  17. ^abcde"Review Crew:Doom 64".Electronic Gaming Monthly.No. 94.Ziff Davis.May 1997. p. 54.
  18. ^abcdeGerstmann, Jeff(April 8, 1997)."Doom 64Review ".GameSpot.RetrievedJuly 25,2018.
  19. ^abcdefghSchneider, Peer(January 28, 1997)."Doom 64Review ".IGN.Archivedfrom the original on July 26, 2018.RetrievedJuly 25,2018.
  20. ^Ashton, James (June 1997)."Doom 64".N64 Magazine.No. 3. Future Publishing. pp. 52–57.
  21. ^Ashton, James (October 1997)."Doom 64".N64 Magazine.No. 7. Future Publishing. pp. 36–43.
  22. ^abcde"Finals:Doom 64".Next Generation.No. 29.Imagine Media.May 1997. p. 142.
  23. ^Reseigh-Lincoln, Dom (March 20, 2020)."Doom64 Review (Switch eShop) ".Nintendo Life.RetrievedApril 9,2020.
  24. ^Rairdin, John (March 24, 2020)."Doom 64(Switch) Review ".Nintendo World Report.RetrievedApril 9,2020.
  25. ^Forster, Winnie (March 19, 2016)."Doom 64– im Klassik-Import-Test (N64) ".MANIAC.de(in German).RetrievedNovember 22,2018.
  26. ^abcdefMajor Mike (April 1997)."Nintendo 64 ProReview:Doom 64".GamePro.No. 103.IDG.pp. 74–75.
  27. ^Klepek, Patrick (June 9, 2016)."Doom 64Is The Most UnderratedDoomGame ".Kotaku.RetrievedOctober 13,2019.
  28. ^Kersting, Erik (January 18, 2021)."The Surreal Beauty ofDOOM 64".The UWM Digital Cultures Collaboratory.RetrievedDecember 20,2023.[...] the colored filters that proliferate the DOOM 64 experience help give the game a much more otherworldly feel compared to the original DOOM games
  29. ^abWales, Matt (March 10, 2020)."Doom 64's upcoming port will add a brand-new post-campaign chapter ".Eurogamer.RetrievedMarch 29,2020.
  30. ^Banas, Graham (March 24, 2020)."Review:DOOM 64- After More Than 20 Years,DOOM's Oft-Forgotten Third Instalment Packs a Punch ".Push Square.
  31. ^Olson, Mathew (March 27, 2020)."HowDoom 64's New 'Lost Levels' Connect toDoom Eternal".USgamer.Archived fromthe originalon March 29, 2020.RetrievedAugust 16,2021.

Further reading

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