Doom 64 - Backlog Breakdown

Here's The Scoop

There's a duality to fps game releases. As of now there's a fantastic lineup of new games coming, all whilst older behind-the-gun titles are being re-released and remade. Doom Eternal was released back in march of 2020, a delayed release that I wasn't complaining about. Honestly, who prefers unfinished games? Regardless, we pre-order customers got a remedy to our 'angst' in the form of a free gift, the Night Dive Studios remaster of 1997's Doom 64. I had yet to play both Doom Eternal and Doom 64, so its two games for the price of one, pretty damn good deal from our friends at Id Software. Now, if you're like a lot of gamers and don't know weather or not to play the overshadowed remaster. Is Doom 64 worth playing? 

How does it run

For the sake of context, Night Dive Studios has carved a much needed niche in the videogame market, they remake/remaster older pc and Nintendo 64 titles. yeoman's work. The proprietary Kex engine was originally made with the sole purpose of rendering the old Doom 64 on modern machines, so it fits like a glove in this renderer. The entire playthrough of both the classic campaign and new Lost Levels was smooth as butter. No crashing, freezing or other Canadian road conditions to contend with, Doom 64 ran fine for me on my modern pc. 10/10 for a stable and smooth experience.

What is Doom 64 like to play?

The Midway adaptation of Doom/Doom 2 plays alot like it's predecessors. Essentially the game is just a keycard hunt whilst monsters and demons of all types will lurk and inconveniently spawn to provide the bulk of the gameplay. Occasionally the exit of a level requires certain demons to be killed, but a lot of monsters can be avoided in lieu of saving ammo and health, not that I chose a pacifist playthrough, I'm not that much of a game journalist. Dispatching demons is a function of the most basic gunplay present in the Doom series; point, shoot, repeat! There's no iron-sights or magazine reloads to slow down the action. If you feel a lack of reloads or tacticool gameplay ruins the immersion of Doom 64, then you've missed the point entirely. 

How Hard is Doom 64?

Depends. Doom 64 has four difficulty settings; Be Gentle, Hurt Me Plenty, I own Doom, and Watch Me Die. I chose 'I Own Doom', because that felt like a truthful statement and I've already played some 1990's hell simulator, granted I didn't come in knowing the secret or keycard locations. I'd say that the difficulty felt like medium-hard as opposed to hard, at least for the original set of levels. Once I had shot and chain-sawed my way through the original campaign, it was time for the Lost Levels. Don't let the name fool you, the 'lost levels' are actually a brand-new campaign added just for the 2020 remaster and it shows. I found the Lost Levels to be a multitude harder than the original campaign, though this is fair considering its a much shorter campaign that unlocks after beating the first anyways. If I had to recommend a difficulty, it'd be to play the first campaign on I Own Doom, then Hurt Me Plenty for the second campaign, you won't lose any gamer-cred as far as I'm concerned. 

How Long is Doom 64?

It's embarrassing how long some games take me to finish. Doom 64 has a median length of 7 hours on www.howlongtobeat.com though this is only for the 'main campaign'. The Main plus extras playthrough adds to about 9 hours on average. I racked up a whopping 14 hours of gameplay with both campaigns combined, though that includes about 45 minutes of alt-tabbed time because Handick needs his ramen. If the goal is to rush the game, then a lower difficulty might help to cut down on the deaths and subsequent retries, but a lack of difficulty may prove sleep inducing for such a simple game. your call, Comrade. 

Is Doom 64 worth playing in 2020?

If you're looking to cross a game off the old backlog list, Doom 64 is a simple, playable option. There's no complex puzzles or super hard bosses to dispatch of, just solid, well balanced gameplay spread across 40 or so levels. The originally 1997 release shines as much as it can while maintaining it's original assets. an early 3d game that's a legitimate first person shooter. Even if you didn't score a free copy of Doom 64, I still recommend it as an entry title for the series, either going backwards to the two older games, or easing into the fray that is Doom 2016.

So that sets us up for Doom Eternal, but that one's going to take me a while, until then, Comrades.