Wow. Nightdive Studios cannot fail at this point.
I’ve played their updates for Quake, and Quake II and enjoyed them. My most recent journey into the foggy recesses of my early twenties comes in the form of the 2020 update to the underappreciated-in-its-day, but now totally appreciated, Doom 64.
Originally created for the Nintendo 64 in the mid-1990s, Doom 64 was a literal follow-up to the first two milestone first-person-shooters in the franchise. The N64 version featured, full 3-D environments, revamped weapon designs, new monster designs, but a truncated enemy roster. The soundtrack featured more ambient soundscapes rather than the late 1980s thrash metal of its PC predecessors.
Much has already been written and reviewed about this game. However, from an aging gamer’s perspective, this is what I took away from it after completion.
- Save states. Save state often. No longer ashamed of them. Need them more than ever. I have too many responsibilities and not enough years left to keep starting over from the beginning when I get fragged off the map.
- Doom 64 has way too many “F–k you” moments. The first two had its share of inescapable traps, but the 3-D game engine gave the level designers license to create situations that can only be conquered through trial-and-error.
- Walkthroughs. The internet is a gift that barely existed when this game first released. I unabashedly used online guides to help me find the secret levels with items that would make the last level as easy as possible.
- I don’t think I need to play this one again. Unless Nightdive releases another chapter as they did with Quake and Quake II, I think I can leave this one behind.
- Still pretty fun. The plasma rifle redesign was one of the best in the series.
- Oh wait…there was a new chapter added? *cracks knuckles audibly*
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