4/5 ★ – conmanwilson's review of Doom 64.

One of the least talked-about entries in the Doom franchise also happens to be one of the best. Doom 64 is a change of pace from the first two games, offering more of a dark, atmospheric vibe and an emphasis on puzzles. In some ways this feels more like a true follow-up to Doom than Doom II did. Doom II is great, but I think it’s more of a Mario 2/Lost Levels style sequel, and it might sound sacreligious but I think I actually prefer 64. I’m surprised by how different Doom feels without the heavy metal. The ambient soundtrack and lighting along with the eerie claymation enemy designs make this a nice spooky bridge to the straight-up horror of Doom III. It’s a slower paced Doom game due to its lower enemy count and puzzles, but that’s not a bad thing considering how effectively creepy it is. My one major critique is that the weapon sandbox is unrefined. The super shotgun reloads way too fast, which renders the regular shotgun essentially redundant. Three of the weapons (including the new Unmaker which recently made its way into Doom Eternal) share ammunition, making the plasma gun also pretty redundant. Oh and the stupid Pain Elementals piss me off. All-in-all Doom 64 really is an awesome time, and one that’s readily available across multiple platforms. I played through it on the Nintendo Switch, which also gave me access to gyroscope aiming. I wouldn’t say the gyroscope is essential, but it definitely helped when circle strafing those awful awful Pain Elementals and Lost Souls.