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Morning Discussion

by Alice O'Connor, Aug 20, 2009 3:15am PDT

For three days now you have sat huddled in the corner. It is pitch black, your windows boarded from the inside. You are naked, cold and hungry, yet all you do is rock. A concerned neighbour called the old bill on Monday. "Are you... we've had some reports." Through the letter box, you insisted that you were quite alright. You will not leave. They muttered outside your door for some time but eventually left with a sigh. They will see.

Then. Birds scatter from the trees. A dog barks in the distance. Your neighbour's car alarm goes off. Your ears catch a slight rumble. Is that...? The first sirens begin.

BlizzCon is coming.


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  • #5679
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    By: David Craddock x
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    Doom 64

    I missed the boat on this one back in the day, as I'm sure many others have. Not only did it come out in 1997, well after Doom's prime and during the era of Duke and Quake, but I didn't like the minimal amount of controls customization that was available. Post-level saves in lieu of checkpoints were another strike against the game; I hate when consoles pull that crap and am thankful that quick saves are becoming more prolific.

    Fast forward to this past week and lots of time spent with the Doom: Absolution (D64) total conversion for Doom 2. I realize I'm about 12 years late on this one, but I'm having a blast playing through the game, and many factors contribute to that.

    The gameplay is classic Doom, but the graphics give everything a fresh shine and a darker atmosphere than Doom, which was pretty creepy when I was a kiddo. I like the new monster skins: most appear to be iterative updates from the PC games so that you can still tell that an Imp is an Imp, yet appreciate its sleeker, spikier look. The only one I don't like is the Cacodemon: its stick arms make it look like budget and goofy. Shame about the limitations inherent in cartridges caused some monsters to be left out. Fighting Archviles always got me pumped.

    I preferred the low, eerie tunes in Doom/Doom 2 to the faster-paced rock beats, and it seems Doom 64's designers agreed. The haunting melodies and ambient sounds make it the creepiest Doom yet. It takes a strong atmosphere to make me recoil from my screen, and everything comes together nicely for plenty of tense moments.

    Finally, the level design. The terrain deformation really adds a lot. Also, they're levels I've never played before, unlike the dozens upon dozens I've times I've smashed my way through all the PC Dooms.

    Did you guys like Doom 64? Why or why not?
    Aug 20, 2009 7:20pm PDT
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