Doom 64 is a good game. The level design is generally pretty good, certainly much better than Final Doom's. The aesthetics are pretty damn interesting; the game absolutely nails the dark and gloomy atmosphere it's going for. I was especially impressed with how the hellish levels towards the end felt more like Hell than almost anything in Doom 2. The soundtrack isn't the best dark ambient I've heard, but it sets a tone of dread well. Maybe a little too well...even the more action-packed arena levels are still comprised of low, rumbling tones instead of something that would elevate the action.
Some of the mazes are pretty lame. When the levels are intuitive and I don't get stuck in a cumbersome switch-hunt to progress, they can be great fun. But every five or so levels, I found myself getting hit with some bullshit as the game likes to hide this switch behind pressing this other switch there then moving over to this area really quick. I found myself hugging walls more than Doom 1 and 2 ever did. That was the worst part of those games and it was even worse here.
Another thing: the game's lighting and sound and creepier monster designs are all very well presented...but by 1997, I expect a game to at least have an actual ending cutscene. On that note, aside from the graphics this doesn't really feel like much of an advance from Doom 2 despite coming out 3 years later. I get that it was a side game made by Midway and as such, sure, it's understandable that it wouldn't be as polished as a full-on third game. But it would've been nice to feel a little more of an advancement than just the visuals and less cliché sound effects.
But it's still good old classic Doom, which means it's still inherently enjoyable to play. It's Doom at its scariest, which is an interesting choice that sets it apart from the loud, colorful classics. It's also definitely one of the better third-party games on the N64, though I played the PC remaster. The newer PC release is good, but I wish they added the ability to mouselook up and down like in GZDoom. That's all it's missing for me though.
Some of the mazes are pretty lame. When the levels are intuitive and I don't get stuck in a cumbersome switch-hunt to progress, they can be great fun. But every five or so levels, I found myself getting hit with some bullshit as the game likes to hide this switch behind pressing this other switch there then moving over to this area really quick. I found myself hugging walls more than Doom 1 and 2 ever did. That was the worst part of those games and it was even worse here.
Another thing: the game's lighting and sound and creepier monster designs are all very well presented...but by 1997, I expect a game to at least have an actual ending cutscene. On that note, aside from the graphics this doesn't really feel like much of an advance from Doom 2 despite coming out 3 years later. I get that it was a side game made by Midway and as such, sure, it's understandable that it wouldn't be as polished as a full-on third game. But it would've been nice to feel a little more of an advancement than just the visuals and less cliché sound effects.
But it's still good old classic Doom, which means it's still inherently enjoyable to play. It's Doom at its scariest, which is an interesting choice that sets it apart from the loud, colorful classics. It's also definitely one of the better third-party games on the N64, though I played the PC remaster. The newer PC release is good, but I wish they added the ability to mouselook up and down like in GZDoom. That's all it's missing for me though.