How many Doom 64s have there been?

Modern AAA games are typically ported across several platforms, with increasingly minute differences in visual quality. This is in stark contrast to where in the industry was in the 90s, when hardware differences guaranteed that each port would have its own idiosyncratic look and feel. This is where we get those weird versions of games that have cut or added content, or in the case of Disney's "Aladdin," two similar games released by two entirely different developers.

But with Doom 64, Midway could have easily just released a slightly more optimized version of the PS1 code, and thrown in a few exclusive levels. Instead, the entire game was exclusive. Is this something of an anomaly? It's hard to imagine any other game at the time that, for a particular console's release, featured a unique level set, unique graphics, a unique soundtrack and a highly modified engine. Even Quake 2 for the N64, with its entirely exclusive maps, retained all of the sounds and graphics from the original game.

I see Doom 64 as a new game in the franchise instead of a port, because it is not a port at all. It's how Quake 2 is vastly different to Quake, it's a whole new entry in the franchise and not just "Doom on the N64."

I believe it was somewhat common with NES games for there to be significant differences between the NES and any other version.  Not sure if it was a product of Nintendo's licensing policies or something else.  Examples off the top of my head: Rygar, Ninja Gaiden, Gauntlet.

I just think they wanted to resell the game to people who owned the OG versions. Quake 1 on the n64 was pretty much the same and much less interesting to me for that.

2004's Spider-Man 2 has a rather amusing variant of this. The console release  of the game, developed by Treyarch, was very well received (and apparently still pretty highly regarded nowadays), but for whatever reason, the PC "version" of the game is a completely-different thing done by another developer, and it sucked.

Here, have a video:

On 11/21/2018 at 11:41 PM, GoatLord said:

or in the case of Disney's "Aladdin," two similar games released by two entirely different developers.

Heh. I remember owning the NES version of Aladin. And it was terrible. The sword button and the apple button was the same, so if you wanted to use your sword you had to first waste all of your applies :/

I remember reading that they originally wanted to call it "Doom Absolution", but Nintendo being Nintendo wanted everyone to throw 64 after each name. This made Doom 64 seem like it was a port, when Doom Absolution would have made it seem like a new game in the franchise (kind of like Doom Eternal). I am surprised Midway went all in like this when typically developers don't invest that much into IPs they don't own.

Technically, isn't PS1 Doom this compared to PC Doom?

I mean, different soundtrack, different music, the colored sectors gave maps a different look, they all combined for a different feel, then you throw in some exclusive levels and Doom II enemies in Doom I maps if you played on Ultra-Violence...

Sure the levels were familiar, but it definitely had a significantly different vibe that no other version of the game even scratched at the time. It created a far different experience from PC Doom, despite being superficially similar.

15 hours ago, hardcore_gamer said:

 

Heh. I remember owning the NES version of Aladin. And it was terrible. The sword button and the apple button was the same, so if you wanted to use your sword you had to first waste all of your applies :/

Pretty sure any NES version of Aladdin you would've played was a pirate back-conversion of one of the 16-bit versions (sounds like the Genesis one since you mention using a sword) so no surprise if it was janky.

13 minutes ago, ETTiNGRiNDER said:

Pretty sure any NES version of Aladdin you would've played was a pirate back-conversion of one of the 16-bit versions (sounds like the Genesis one since you mention using a sword) so no surprise if it was janky.

No, it was on a real game my mother got me.

2 minutes ago, hardcore_gamer said:

 

No, it was on a real game my mother got me.

Hmm, apparently is actually was official.  Though being a back-conversion of the Genesis game still appears to be true.