Genre: First-Person Shooter
Developer: Midway
Publisher: Midway

This reviewer has been playing classic id titles like "Wolfenstein 3D" and "Doom" since those were brand new releases-- so seeing something akin to a "total conversion" mod running on the Nintendo 64 hardware is astonishing. The sprites and stage art are completely re-drawn, and they look bafflingly high resolution. The levels aren't as colorful as those in the original game, but that's ok as the more serious, more muted look is a refreshing change. What's especially incredible is that, using smoke and mirrors, several of the levels contain what look like fully-functional floors-above-floors!

While the original Bobby Prince Doom soundtrack is one of the best sets of video game music ever composed, witnessed by how iconic and remixed it is to this day, Doom 64-- just like the PSX Doom port before it, also done by the same people at Midway-- uses what sounds like DSP music filled with ambient noises. Just like the re-drawn graphics, it's a really neat alternative take for those who have completely mastered the original DOS titles. Many of the sound effects have been resampled or replaced, and the hardware echo effect applied to them matches the title's slower, more claustrophobic pace.

Each time the game is started, re-assign the buttons to be something like this: C-up as run; C-down as open; C-left and C-right for strafing; L as the map button, ala "Turok". In this way the game can be played just like a modern first-person shooter, circle-strafing and all. The levels are one hundred percent replaced from the original Doom, custom-made for console hardware limitations. They may be smaller, but they are very clever in how they unlock and open up upon themselves-- sometimes too clever, as switch flips aren't sign-posted very well as to what they actually changed.

Between the smaller more puzzle-like and claustrophobic levels, and the echoey sound effects and ambient music, Doom 64 almost has survival-horror vibes. As something akin to a Doom "total conversion", it's really neat to see something that is simultaneously scaled back for the hardware and pushing that hardware all at the same time. It will never replace the original Doom and Doom II releases, but as a complementary piece to those classics it's hard to beat. It even supports saving in between stages via a "controller pak", which is a nice touch.