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DAXXCALRISSIAN

Doom 64 Thoughts

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I'm a fan of Doom 64 (not as much as the others) but I do like it.
I just feel that the literal darkness of it went way too far because I always hear complaints that people have to turn their tv brightness up to play it which is a legit complaint.
But how do you guys feel about it?

It's pretty decent, the mother demon was an interesting end game boss.
But what's the thoughts of the other doom fanatics like meself?

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Yeah the game was pretty dark, but nothing that maxing-out the gamma couldn't correct.

Doom 64 was a great game. Personally, this game is where the Doom canon ends for me. It's almost romantic that our marine hero willfully remains in hell to fight the demons.

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This is entirely subjective of course, but you asked for it...

My first experience with Doom 64 was all those years ago when it was first released; I never had an N64, so instead I just pissed around playing it at a friend's place. It was fun, but the N64 controller is just fucking horrible for FPS games, especially when they require movement like this does. As such I could never get into it as much as I could compared to the PSX port, which not only controlled better but was equally gritty and dark. With more maps. And Multiplayer. Anyway, Doom 64...

Pros:

  • It's Doom!
  • It has a better finale than another Icon Of Sin.
  • Erm, that's all.
Cons:
  • Art direction - the sprites, while higher-res than the PC, either have this awful 'shiny plastic' or 'cheap plasticine' look about them. Certain monster animations look awkward and/or clumsy (Hellknights/Barons just look fucking drunk when attacking), and some of the monster designs have a 'trying too hard to look scary' (Demons, Cacodemons) appearance.
  • Texture variety is nothing short of woeful; if not for the coloured lighting, it would challenge Quake for bland-looking environments.
  • 'Cut' content - it's missing several enemies that we're all used to and expect, and some of the weapon animations are nothing short of pathetic.
Of course it's much more fun with Doom64EX, mainly because that shitty N64 controller isn't part of the experience anymore. Worth playing? Yeah. Better than the others though? Nah.

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I dunno, map movement to the C-buttons and use those to strafe around while using the analog stick to turn... it's a decent facsimile of modern twin-stick control schemes. Only it's southpaw. And you can't disable using the analog stick to move forward/backward, annoyingly.

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The Gamecube controller is much better than the N64 controller, I wish Kaiser's Doom64EX port was compatible with my tiger usb controller adaptor for gamecube, playstation and xbox 1 controller support but only for the Gamecube controller support.

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You'll have a hard time convincing me the GameCube controller was better when its C stick was such a joke. You couldn't use that thing like you would an analog stick on a PS2/Xbox controller, not comfortably anyway. The N64 controller, in well designed games at least, lets you use whichever thumb you're most comfortable with on the analog stick and digital control for movement, which is all you need. The only thing I dislike about N64 controllers is how fast the stick wears out; there are modern-style replacements, but those come at the cost of the precision the original offers.

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Avoozl said:

The Gamecube controller is much better than the N64 controller, I wish Kaiser's Doom64EX port was compatible with my tiger usb controller adaptor for gamecube, playstation and xbox 1 controller support but only for the Gamecube controller support.


If you've got a few minutes to spare, use JoyToKey to map your controls to keyboard/mouse inputs.

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Mogul said:

HVGN's Doom 64 review. He's pretty gracious. Reminds me I need to play through Absolution again soon!

http://www.gametrailers.com/videos/trxv01/happy-video-game-nerd--doom-64


Is Derek the HVGN on this forum, or any doom related one? He talks about the newly released Doom 64 soundtrack.. I'm sure the word is out there, but it seems to have started here!

I love Doom 64! Nostalgia, cut sprites/frames, and some monsters looking goofy aside, i can always go back and enjoy it! I own 3 copies of it! i just had to relive the euphoria of buying another copy, and oh was it good!:) Well, for 2$ at a thrift store, i couldn't avoid! i figure i will make a custom painted one someday..

Controls...? i understand that the N64 controller is weird, and the way its shaped often has you holding it at an angle, making FPS's kinda weird. It is completely customizable! i agree that using the yellow buttons to control direction, and the joystick to turn, is your best bet. Raising the joystick sensitivity a bit helps, making for much faster response then a d pad. I quite like it personally! Lets see if i can remember how i did mine:

joystick: default, more sensitivity
up yellow: move forward
down yellow: back pedal
left yellow: strafe left
right yellow: strafe right
L: map
R: Speed, Door/Switch open
B: weapon up
A: weapon down
Z: Fire
D Pad: default, (sometimes i would set map to down button, didn't matter really)
Start: Pause Menu

Worked great for me! almost would rather use this with Doom 64 EX then the keyboard, but i havn't tried my n64 controller adapter with it yet..

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I've only played it on emulator and then Doom64EX. So, the controls for me are the same as in every other FPS game...

I like how the weapons are faster, and that the shotguns aren't flying around the view when I shoot them, and there is no delay after firing plasma. The unmaker feels a bit overpowered, especially with the artifacts. So I never use it anymore.

After multiple playthroughs, the game has become quite easy. Of course sometimes I still manage to dodge into every fireball the enemies throw at me. Just recently I played through Spawned Fear and I'm pretty sure I used every health and armor item in the level as I really needed them.

I think there could have been a Shores of Hell type of episode in the middle. And sometimes it feels like the game starts from Even Simpler and the levels before it are like the tutorial/practice levels in some games.

Lost soul attack speed is a bit too much. But I like using the rocket launcher on pain elementals anyway.

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In regards to the N64 controller, it's trumped by the controller required to play Jaguar Doom. Awkward stick and button layouts are one thing, actual physical discomfort is another.

Anyhoo, I've always loved Doom64. In some ways it's my favourite Doom game. I'm massively fond of the darker, gloomier quality of it which doesn't supersede or sacrifice the core gameplay of Doom. But I can see why some people don't care for it; the shift in art style wasn't to everyone's taste, and having no multiplayer was admittedly a con.

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DoomUK said:

the shift in art style wasn't to everyone's taste


I also understand how the game's look might put some people off from it. But all these years later, when I see Doom 64, I feel relief that the texture sets and map themes are so much more cohesive than DOOM II. I think every honest person with a shred of taste in art direction has to admit that DOOM II, in places, is one of the ugliest, most senseless games around, in terms of its look.

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Mogul said:

I think every honest person with a shred of taste in art direction has to admit that DOOM II, in places, is one of the ugliest, most senseless games around, in terms of its look.

Doom II's art direction is a mixed bag, certainly. Though compared to TNT's schizophrenic shifts in themes between levels, it's pretty flawless.

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It's about my favourite Doom that there is. I can overlook the darkness and focus in on the gameplay, it was nice to have a game that involved shooting the bejezus out of demons while also introducing some elements of puzzle solving. The art style, I think, really adds to the game. The only thing that got me was the controls... But Kaiser fixed that issue.

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It's a bit of a mixed bag for me. I really like some of the earlier base style maps, but the later levels (past MAP08 Final Outpost) don't do much for me. The puzzle solving starts to get a bit tedious at that point, and the gameplay gets repetitive and relies too much on scripting to surprise spawn monsters (too much "suddenly hell knights" traps).

Other than that, it feels much more claustrophobic to me than regular Doom because of the darkness, the more muted palette with less saturated colors and less contrast in general, the more constricted architecture with its narrower hallways and lack of airy open areas and finally the ever dark sky.

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I first played it on an emulator from my Xbox (the forgotten original, not the 360 one). At first I really didn't like it because of the shift to a darker atmosphere and sounds, and some monsters looking a bit "plastic", like what BaronOfStuff said. Later on I began embracing it as I beat some levels of it. I later got the Doom 64 EX version for the PC, which I like more.

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BaronOfStuff said:

Texture variety is nothing short of woeful; if not for the coloured lighting, it would challenge Quake for bland-looking environments.

Well, it was designed that way. Everything was made with colored lighting in mind.

Jimi said:

After multiple playthroughs, the game has become quite easy.

Recently, I tried pistol-starting every map by choosing "Restart level" after each exit. It certainly added a new depth to the gameplay.

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I like the fact that Doom got ported to the N64, but other than that I can barely say anything positive about Doom64.
In the end I'm just not feeling it!

Just as BaronOfStuff, I just don't like the art direction and in particular the monster designs.
I also can't understand why a lot of people seem to really like the sound effects from Doom64. To me they sound aweful, not only compared to the original Doom games, but in general. They almost make my ears bleed every time I hear them :P

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Da Werecat said:

Recently, I tried pistol-starting every map by choosing "Restart level" after each exit. It certainly added a new depth to the gameplay.

I've done that twice now... I think it makes the level starts a bit more interesting.. half way through, it's again in the easy area, except some few levels. I also tried respawning monsters and items, but that didn't seem to agree with some of the scripts in the levels. Although it was pretty fun with something going on all the time.

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I'm half and half on the sprites. Some I thought were an improvement (Imps) others not so much (Cacodemon). And yes indeed, some looked like wax models or something, all glossy like.

Lighting... didn't mind it. There were usually markers in the dark and if it was too dark... turn your brightness up.

Nintendo 64 Controllers sucked, DOOM64EX saves the day, but with a mouse and keyboard, this game becomes real easy. I wish the DSi port could be completed, all it seems to lack is save support. If not that, then a Wii or Classic XBOX port would be awesome!

Level design, new lighting effects, mapping features, etc. Awesome all around! A fresh take on DOOM in that respect!

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Mogul said:

I also understand how the game's look might put some people off from it. But all these years later, when I see Doom 64, I feel relief that the texture sets and map themes are so much more cohesive than DOOM II. I think every honest person with a shred of taste in art direction has to admit that DOOM II, in places, is one of the ugliest, most senseless games around, in terms of its look.


Also why i preferred the PSX port of doom as well, i'd rather have a limited amount of textures that actually fit well together than with the pc versions of doom just having a mish mash of stuff.
I love Doom 64: the atmosphere, the music and sound, the extra dark levels, it all comes together to make a unique and chilling experience (And pisses all over Doom 3 atmosphere wise)

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The psx port is just an update to the original game, while doom 64 is a completely new game like a sequal should be.

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DoomUK said:

In regards to the N64 controller, it's trumped by the controller required to play Jaguar Doom. Awkward stick and button layouts are one thing, actual physical discomfort is another.

I seem to remember AVGN's take on that controller was something along the lines of, "What are all these buttons for? Is it a fucking PHONE!?!"

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My Intellivision has a similar controller; it was a controller intended for programs that had numeric choices. Why they put it on a relatively modern system such as the Jaguar is flabbergasting.

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Quasar said:

I seem to remember AVGN's take on that controller was something along the lines of, "What are all these buttons for? Is it a fucking PHONE!?!"

The numpad was a retarded idea, but I have memories of the whole thing feeling cheap and genuinely uncomfortable to use. Maybe the NTSC pad was made with more care or better quality materials than the PAL variation, I don't know.

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I was not a huge fan of my Intellivision controller (US version), at least not in regards to action games, but when it came to playing Dungeons and Dragons, it was a perfect fit! They should have released more RPG type games for that system.

How in the world did Intellivision get brought up anyhow? :)

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There's always the Atari 5200 trackball controller. You would be forgiven upon seeing it for believing it's the console and not the controller for it. It has TWO phone numpads.

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Quasar said:

There's always the Atari 5200 trackball controller. You would be forgiven upon seeing it for believing it's the console and not the controller for it. It has TWO phone numpads.


Those were not half bad at all though, I do have to give Atari credit that, though I can't say I remember using the numeric pads much with those games, maybe except choosing difficulty or something. They basically went wasted. The track ball on the other hand was the bomb, but again, not much took advantage of it. Twas better...

I reiterate, it IS better to skip the 5200 all together, pick up an XL or XE with SDrive Nuxx, expand the ram to at least 320k, add a second Pokey and you are good to go, lots of great releases for those machine, and it's all the same hardware that went into the 5200, only a whole lot more of it!

Shame they never got a port of DOOM ha ha! :)

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