Now the good news. This is Doom! The control and gameplay have been left simple for a reason, and a damn good one at that - action! Like Tenka on PS, Doom isn't about exploration. Sure, there are some stunning looking environments in there, but they serve as little more then a backdrop for the carnage. Doom is a shoot `em up, pure and simple. The control interface was designed to be as straightforward as possible because you're not supposed to worry about things like jumping and looking. You're supposed to worry about the 40 or so Imps that just came tearing through that door in front of you.
Aesthetically, Doom 64 is a huge leap over both PS and PC Doom, not to mention every other corridor game that isn't Turok. The action runs at a consistently smooth 30 fps, no matter what's on screen, and its when you find yourself swarmed by 60 enemies at once (as opposed to Turok's 3) with no slow down that you realize the benefit of having sprite based enemies instead of polygons.
There's over 30 levels of intense blasting action to enjoy, and each and every one is a work of design art. I've played literally thousands of Doom WADS over the years, and I'm not kidding when I say that these are among the best I've ever seen - and that includes id's own.
The only real disappointment has to be that there is no multiplayer mode. I know Williams argued that a split screen two player mode would ruin the point of Death Match, but I say, to hell with it. If you can do it, do it! Throw it in there and let us decide.
Despite this omission Doom 64 re-awakened all those feelings that I felt playing the PC original four years ago. It's the finest (single player) version of Doom yet, not to mention one of the best console corridor games out there. It may not be as beautiful as Turok, or as intelligent as PowerSlave, but play it loud, with the lights low, and I guarantee you'll feel the fear like never before!
Final Score: 7.5
