Doom 64 (Nintendo 64) review "If there's a bad point about Doom, in some people's eyes, it's that the series remains largely unchanged. This game won't change their minds. However, if you have played a Doom game and enjoyed it, then give this one a shot. It's a pretty safe bet that you'll enjoy this one too."

If you're looking for a good first person shooter that won't cost you and arm and a leg, and you already have Goldeneye, Doom 64 is definitely the game you should check out. While it has no multiplayer aspect, it features the most hellish and interesting single player bloodbath.

Doom 64 is not a sequel to early Doom games. It is also not just Ultimate Doom or Doom 2 re-released on a new system. Doom 64 features all new levels, with a new weapon and new enemies. If you liked Doom in past, you'll love this version.

Doom 64 has a rather simplistic story. You're stranded on a military base by yourself. Fellow troops on your base have all mysteriously disappeared, or come back... in pieces. It's your job to try and find the source of this devastation. In this respect, Doom 64 takes a page from almost every alien invasion movie ever made: destroy them, and manage to escape alive. It's you versus them.

And boy, there sure are a LOT of them. Doom 64 is full of nasty nasty monsters that will give you wet dreams for days. They range from the shotgun toting zombies to the fireball spewing Barons to the rocket launching terror known as the Cyberdemon.

The enemies can be a handful. If you're never played a first person shooter before, Doom 64 is not the game to start on. By level three, the action gets fast and hecetic. By level four, the nastier enemies start to come out. By level ten, it's pandemonium, and only the most skilled players will get past levels fifteen and sixteen.

There's a large variety of weaponry that you can use to destroy these baddies though. They range from the mundane (pistol, shotgun) to the exotic (plasma rifle) to the downright nasty (BFG and alien gun). Each weapon has distinctive strengths and weaknesses though. No longer is it the time when you can just go ape with any weapon and still defeat all your enemies. You must carefully use your ammo, unless you want to fight Spiderminds with your fists.

In prior Doom games, the BFG (big f- um, fun gun) would anhilate everything without thinking. Not anymore. Charging full-on into battle with just a BFG is a recipe for hurt, as the power has been scaled back and the enemies are more numerous. Overall, most of the weapons have been reduced in power.

The actual gameplay of Doom has been enhanced upon. All the controls are fully customizable, and the Nintendo 64 gamepad lends itself well to first person shooting action. Complete turns are accomplished quickly with the analog control stick, and allows for a full range of walking and running speeds. The game executes its fast and furious pace well, with no slowdown and no damper on the fun.

The atmosphere in Doom 64 is also, in a word, terrifying. Most areas are illuminated poorly, and the sounds coming from dark alleyways will drive you insane. There is still absolutely nothing more scary then the metallic clank of a Cyberdemon behind you in a dark hallway and realizing you only have ten rockets.

To carry out the atmospheric effects, the graphics in Doom 64 have to be top-notch, and they are. Dark hallways are lit up with blinking and fading lights. Enemies are large, and there's no blurring or pixelation at close distances.

The sounds also contribute largely to the game's appeal. A dark haunting theme is prevalant throughout the game. The effects are critical to listen to. Listening for startled enemies and moving platforms is a crucial element of gameplay, and it does not disappoint.

There is no multiplayer gaming in Doom 64. This could be seen as a defiency, as a multiplayer mode would have been very hectic and fun. However, Doom 64 came out before even Goldeneye, and a multiplayer mode would have delayed the game. This is a first generation Nintendo 64 game, so this oversight can be tolerated.

If there's a bad point about Doom, in some people's eyes, it's that the series remains largely unchanged. This game won't change their minds. However, if you have played a Doom game and enjoyed it, then give this one a shot. It's a pretty safe bet that you'll enjoy this one too.

Community review by sgreenwell (Date unavailable) A bio for this contributor is currently unavailable, but check back soon to see if that changes. If you are the author of this review, you can update your bio from the Settings page.