Difference between revisions of "Doom Absolution"

Revision as of 15:15, 8 August 2021

Doom Absolution, also referred to informally in periodicals as Doom 64 2, was a planned sequel to Doom 64, announced as a project for the Nintendo 64 game console by Midway Games in cooperation with id Software shortly after the release of the first game. It was intended to be multiplayer-oriented, possibly excluding any single player elements altogether. It was officially canceled in July 1997.^[1]

Inspiration

In a discussion with Doom Depot contributor FirebrandX, Doom 64 programmer Aaron Seeler alluded to the removal of the briefly considered multiplayer feature from Doom 64, indicating that it was a major blow to the game in the eyes of many critics and players when held in comparison to its chief contemporary competitors and that it was regretted by the developers:^[2]

The new game would have followed in the footsteps of the critically acclaimed Goldeneye 007 and the then upcoming Turok: Rage Wars as part of a second wave of Nintendo 64 games with a strong deathmatch element.

Most sources, including interviews with the various developers, indicate that the primary reason for the game's cancellation was a perception that "Doom had seen its prime"^[2] and that its engine was too dated compared to rivals which featured advancements such as three-dimensional character models.

Development

According to Midway level designer Tim Heydelaar, a "fair number" of levels were completed for the project with a top priority on the multiplayer experience, which was already complete and playable.^[4] The game was meant to take place possibly on the Moon or another planet's surface.^[4] The macro scripting system would have been used to an even greater extent than in the first game.^[4]

Also according to Heydelaar, corporate politics played a key role in the project's cancellation, as the already in-progress Quake 64 was expected to out-perform a sequel to Doom 64 despite the former game's strong commercial performance.^[4]

References

1. ↑ IGN staff (10 July 1997). "Midway Adds New Sports, Games, to the Fire." IGN. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} FirebrandX. "Interview with Tim Heydelaar and Randy Estrella." Doom Depot. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
3. ↑ FirebrandX (29 October 2002). "I talked to Aaron Seeler!!" Doom Depot/Castlevania Treasury Forums. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3} Heydelaar, Tim (18 January 2019). "Early and unused DOOM 64 Level Designs." Doomworld Forums. Retrieved 22 January 2019.

Williams Entertainment • Midway Games v ·  t ·  e
	Employees Randy Estrella • Tim Heydelaar • Aubrey Hodges • Danny Lewis • Aaron Seeler • Harry Teasley
	Games Doom for Sony PlayStation • Final Doom for Sony PlayStation • Doom 64 • Super NES (publisher) Canceled: Doom Absolution