1997 Greats

Great games from 1997

List items

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  Doom 64

  I never officially finished this on the N64 itself, but I've probably renteded it multiple times.

  It is hard for me to remember if I knew this was a totally new game or a port of the original, but at no time do I ever being disappointed, so I probably read it was a new game at the time.

  The N64 isn't as synonymous for FPS as it was for bright and colorful, family friendly multiplayer titles, but looking back, there were quite a few.

  Doom 64 is one such game. I wonder at the time what made the developer make out of all games, the next official Doom game, an exclusive on a console that some would argue "is just for kids" in comparison to PSX and PC. It would make more sense for this to be a multiplatform title.

  But the limitations of the old school Doom games worked well on the N64, which struggled to have a good frame rate with other shooters of the year. This results in a game that holds up surprisingly well especially in light of the recent appreciation for retro games and nostalgia.

  I remember lazing on Sundays and nights after school, getting stuck in labyrinthian levels with creepy, dark, forbodient ambient music that on the one hand was kinda dull and boring but also made the world feel very unsettling, alien, and mysterious. The game had many rooms with little to low lighting, as well as having more dark colors and shadows in character sprites compared to previous Doom games, giving the world a horrific mood, despite playing alot like the action packed Doom II at the time.

  Doom 64 had an equal mix of combat scenarios and puzzle solving, making the game require a bit more brain matter than previous games, having to hit switches in certain order or timings.

  It wasn't until I replayed the game via Doom 64 EX that I was able to complete it and love it even more. Nostalgia led me back to it, but Doom 64 will always hold up as a good FPS, even if the puzzle and backtracking elements will turn off many players.

  It is awesome it was reported to modern system with the release of Doom Eternal.

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  GoldenEye 007
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  Turok: Dinosaur Hunter