Skip to main content

Doom 64 - a classic N64 shooter gets a top-tier port for current-gen systems

And it's the first Xbox One S game to break the 1080p barrier.

Perhaps a little overlooked back in the day, Doom 64 stands as one of my favorite installments in the series. With its reworked art, atmospheric score, solid frame-rate and foreboding environments, it's an N64 game that still holds up beautifully today - 23 years after its initial release. However, for those without retro Nintendo hardware, it's a slice of Doom history inaccessible to many - a situation that changed for the better with the recent release of Doom 64 for all current-gen platforms, developed by Nightdive Studios.

We can't think of any developer better suited to the task. Nightdive specialises in sympathetically restoring classic games for today's hardware and has delivered superb work in the form of Turok: Dinosaur Hunter and its sequel, Forsaken, Blood and other. Lead Engine Developer Sam Villarreal is also responsible Doom 64 EX and Doom 64 Absolution - two earlier attempts at bringing the classic original to PC but this official port goes further, seeking to replicate the game with extreme accuracy.

Doom 64 EX was an attempt to implement N64's extra functionality and bespoke assets into a version of the game playable on modern PCs. The new game sees Doom 64 itself more thoroughly reverse-engineered and then re-coded into Nightdive's own KEX engine (more accurately, a frame-work - it has no renderer) and supports higher resolutions and 60fps. This process brought about near-perfect accuracy and for the first time, the in-game demos would run just as they should - a factor of Doom 64's object motion and collision detection being correctly modelled for the first time.

But what makes porting Doom 64 a worthwhile exercise? The original was created through a partnership between id Software and Midway - and yes, John Carmack himself was partially involved in the project. Although core coding is based on Carmack's original Jaguar version of the original, Doom 64 is the first in the series to offer 3D hardware-accelerated visuals, enabling a range of techniques that elevate the game beyond the original software renderer. All of the artwork was created from scratch for this version complete with new 3D rendered models that were used as the basis for the sprites, which were themselves of a higher resolution than the PC original's.

DF Retro speaks with key Nightdive Studios staff, getting a better understanding of how the excellent Doom 64 port was delivered.Watch on YouTube

An increased colour depth is immediately apparent when you sit down with Doom 64. Walls now feature smooth gradients where the top and bottom of a wall can utilise different shades leading to dramatic effects. Sprites, textures and the skybox are all more nuanced than the original game with more colors used in each them. Even in-game water rendering gets a substantial revamp over prior Doom titles, looking significantly smoother.

Other details include the addition of fog in certain stages and the use of N64's native texture filtering, smoothing out surfaces in the process - a key feature at the time. Nintendo's implementation of texture filtering uses three samples rather than the four typically used in the PC space - and Nightdive's solution was simple: emulate the Nintendo approach via shaders, an example of how committed the developer was in delivering as accurate a port as possible.

Performance was impressive too. Doom 64's careful utilisation of the Nintendo 64 hardware saw frame-rates mostly lock to 30 frames per second - so users enjoyed the smoothest console performance of the period, paired with all of those impressive graphical upgrades. Naturally, for the current-gen console ports, Nightdive bumps all systems up to 60 frames per second, running at native resolution. PS4 and the original Xbox One render at 1080p, as does the docked Switch version (mobile renders at screen-native 720p). Meanwhile, the enhanced consoles deliver native 3840x2160 output. Naturally, ultra-wide and unlocked frame-rates are supported on PC.

There is an interesting outlier here: Xbox One S. During development, Nightdive discovered that the Xbox One GPU was barely hitting 20 per cent utilisation. Xbox One S has an HDMI 2.0-capable display controller, meaning that users running in 4K output mode can enjoy native 1440p rendering. We believe that this is the only title running on Xbox One S to deliver resolution higher than 1080p. Switch the S to 1080p output mode and you'll get a super-sampling effect - something that caused artefacts on the UI on the standard Xbox, so Nightdive elected to make it an S-only feature.

PS4 Pro
Nintendo 64
The new version of Doom 64 perfectly captures the rendering features of the original Nintendo 64 release but adds widescreen support and higher resolution output.
PS4 Pro
Nintendo 64
There is a subtle difference in the darkness and fog fall-off between the two versions but it's otherwise very close.
New Conversion on PC
Nintendo 64
Doom 64 EX
The three-point texture filtering inherent to the N64 hardware is simulated via a shader in the new release of Doom 64. Doom 64 EX, however, uses traditional four-point filtering so artwork doesn't look quite right up close.
Xbox One X
Xbox One S
Doom 64 is the first game we're aware of to run above 1080p on Xbox One S. When the console is set to 4K output, you get a 1440p image. The Xbox One X here is native 4K in comparison.

All versions allow for controls to be remapped and field-of-view is adjustable, but the Xbox consoles also enjoy another nice benefit - keyboard and mouse support is integrated, allowing users to get a slice of the PC experience on their consoles. Some thought is put into using all of a specific console's features: the PS4 trackpad can be used to navigate the automap, with the Switch's touchscreen delivering the same effect in mobile mode. HD rumble is also supported on Switch, and here we learn that the tech is accessed essentially via a form of audio playback. The same audio files are filtered differently and deployed on PS4 and Xbox for rumble there.

Available as a pre-order bonus for Doom Eternal, Nightdive Studios' conversion of Doom 64 is also available as a standalone game on all systems. Typically priced at £3.99/$4.99, we'd highly recommend it. For starters, beyond the technological improvements it enjoyed at the time, you're getting different Doom content - in its day, its levels were brand new and this new conversion features an entirely new episode as well. Secondly, you're seeing an evolved version of the game - 3D acceleration, more colours, better sprites, plus Doom tricks and tweaks unseen in the original id games (traversal bridges, for example). But then on top of that, there's the level of care and attention Nightdive has poured into the port. There's no need for later patches or revamped code to correct flaws or improve performance - the studio got everything right out of the gate.

And if you're an Xbox One S user hooked up to a 4K screen? Well, it's the only game we're aware of that'll actually push beyond 1080p rendering - not just icing on the cake for this particular version, but also an example of the kind of across-the-board attention to detail that is the signature of this extremely impressive conversion.

Read this next

seductrice.net
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
prowp.net
webmanicura.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
mfhoudan.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
kftz5k.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
casino-natali.com
iprofit-internet.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
healthandfitnesslives.com
androidnews-jp.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
britsmile.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
kakakpintar.com
jerusalemdispatch.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
rajasthancarservices.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
hemendekor.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
worldhealthstory.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
techguroh.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com