The formula may be dated, but it's still Doom, and it's still fun!
Doom 64 takes the tried-and-true formula of previous installments (find and eliminate the source of evil), trying to fit in as many classic monsters from their earlier games as possible. Some monsters and levels didn't make it (Arch-Vile, Revenant, Spider Mastermind) due to deadlines and the cost of higher capacity Nintendo 64 cartridges.
For those new to Doom, your typical game consists of a first-person shooter, where you see the current gun you are using protruding from the bottom of your screen. Health, armour, and ammo are also part of the heads-up display. This game is no different. You progress through a series of levels, each ending when you reach a certain location, or when you flick a certain switch, usually with an EXIT sign nearby.
The level variety alone makes this game worthy of a play-through. Sure, many levels are heavily dependent on the retrieval of keys for you to get anywhere, but the variety of locations and environments, combined with an excellent variety of enemy encounters, more than makes up for this. Some of my favourites:
~ Navigating tight passageways, only to flick a switch to remove the majority of the walls, quickly filling up with demons via teleport.
~ Pitfalls, a later level. Claustrophobia combines with eerie, vast chasms and a maze of corridors. Add a healthy dose of distant and melee fighting with all manner of enemies great and small, and you have a winner.
~ Watch Your Step: A level of large open areas and halls, filled with tripwires and trapped floor plates. The place probably starts off empty for all I know, and every enemy you see is your own fault.
~ Panic levels, such as Even Simpler, where you are constantly surrounded and fighting against hordes of enemies. Just when you think you got them all, the outer walls collapse and more lumber in!
~ Dark Entries: A personal favourite, if only for its unique trapped entry hall - homing missile platforms hang from the ceiling that activate when you step inside. As if the enemies weren't enough to deal with!
Demons tend to be predictable chaps, which can make them easy to deal with, unfortunately. They have little or no AI apart from 'seek and destroy'. But then again, what do you expect from monsters? The only thing I found annoying about them was their corpses, which somehow looked the same no matter how you looked at it. Freaky!
In addition to the levels you are guaranteed to find, there are three secret levels, and one (what I like to call) über-powered level. The difference with these secret levels is related to a new weapon. I can't say anything more other than have fun trying to get these three. It'll be the difference between an easy end boss, or a hard one. As for the über level ... first you have to find it. Then, even if you do, you will wish you didn't!
The music is more ambience than anything. But don't be discouraged by this - the ambience consists of some of the most sinister, eerie, and demonic sounds you are ever likely to hear, short of Trent Reznor's Quake soundtrack. In among the discord and operatic airs you will hear demons moaning, hunting. This is done subtly - some tracks even have stretches of no sound or music at all - a bold move.
It comes down to one thing: either you like it or you don't. Doom isn't for everyone - in many ways Quake can seem superior, or preferential. But for classic FPS action, Doom 64 creates an atmosphere that other sci-fi shooters can't match. I don't mean to say it's better than others, not at all, the graphics are all dull textures and right angles - but with the sheer volume of games available today, Doom 64 stands on its own two feet and is a welcome addition to anyone's collection.