These levels are definitely fun but – literally one puzzle aside – they are very similar in design to the type of “traditional” levels you’d expect to find in something like “Final Doom” (1996) or a modern “Doom II” WAD. Interestingly, this modern PC port also includes a six-level expansion called “The Lost Levels”. Still, in a cool touch, not only does the PC port of this game have the “Duke Nukem 3D” (1996) style option of switching between a textured and wire-frame map screen, but – like in that game – you can also occasionally find CCTV monitors that show you other parts of the level. I couldn’t find a “zoom out” button – meaning that it isn’t as useful as you might think. It looks a lot more “zoomed in” than you might expect if you play modern source ports on the PC. Literally my only major criticism of “console limitations” here is the game’s map screen. However, don’t let the game lull you into a false sense of security… Seriously, you’ll blaze through the first few levels relatively quickly and start to worry that you should have chosen a higher difficulty setting. Plus, on the normal difficulty setting (“ Bring It On“), the game has a reasonably decent difficulty curve too – gradually becoming more of a challenge than you might initially expect □ It also makes the game feel a bit more like a classic “Build Engine” game from the 1990s than you might expect too. Whilst I got “stuck” a few times – and even had to check a walkthrough twice – this added complexity really helps to make the levels feel more substantial than you might expect. Plus, the game occasionally breaks up a run of complicated puzzle/maze levels with a more mindlessly enjoyable arena-like level too. Again, the game feels a bit like “HeXen” (1995) in terms of puzzles – albeit mildly more forgiving thanks to the smaller levels. These are dense intricate levels where you sometimes have to search carefully for switches and even solve actual puzzles too. Instead of adding more size to the levels, they added more complexity. The designers actually worked with these limitations rather than against them. And, surprisingly, it is actually a good thing here. This was probably due to the limits of the Nintendo 64. The new levels, whilst occasionally inspired by the classic levels, often seemed slightly smaller than I’d expected. Talking of limitations, one of the interesting things about “Doom 64” is its level design. The game itself contains a PHOTOSENSITIVTY WARNING (due to occasional rapidly-flickering lights).Īgain, the whole game is designed around these limitations well enough that you won’t even notice the lack of jumping or vertical aiming after a while. Not an issue for me now, but I imagine that this would have utterly infuriated me back when I was using an old Windows XP PC during most of the 2010s….Īnyway, let’s take a look at “Doom 64”. Interestingly though, the port itself – since it uses Nightdive Studios’ “Kex Engine”, rather than a modern Doom source port – seems to require Windows 10. The actual game is a lot more fast-paced and action-packed than these screenshots make it look. So, I had to take screenshots when there wasn’t much going on, since it’d give me time to sort out the inevitable glitches ( by switching to windowed mode and de-activating Xbox Game Bar). I should probably apologise for the slightly lifeless screenshots in this review though – the game does not like Windows 10’s built-in screenshot tools when running in fullscreen mode. However, when checking GOG during the summer sale in June, I was astonished to find that a DRM-free edition of the official PC port of this game from 2020 was not only on the front page of the site, but had been reduced to just 99p as well □ Still, I didn’t ever expect to play the actual game. Likewise, quite a few years ago, I tried playing a WAD – either from the creator of “ Brutal Doom” and/or inspired by it – that aimed to re-create this game too. Yes, I had a Nintendo 64 when I was younger ( albeit slightly after the console’s heyday) – but “Doom 64” (1997) wasn’t one of the few games I had for it. Although I had planned to review a “Doom II” WAD, I ended up finding something that interested me even more – a classic official “Doom” game which I hadn’t played before □
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