Doom Absolution

For the final level of Doom 64, see MAP28: The Absolution (Doom 64). For the community remake project, see Doom 64: Absolution.

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.

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:

"At that time, as dm purists, most everybody involved thought it silly to play dm split screen, where you could see everybody else. So, we chose not to do it. 007 beat the crap out of Doom 64. Quite a regret."

―Aaron Seeler 

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" 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. The game was meant to take place possibly on the Moon or another planet's surface. The macro scripting system would have been used to an even greater extent than in the first game.

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.

In an interview with Craig Wessel in the 1998 book Quake 64 Authorized Strategy Guide, Aaron Seeler mentioned that the implementation of splitscreen multiplayer for the game was limited to two players, but that he figured four player support would have been technologically feasible if not for the limiting factor of the player's viewport size when restricted to a 4:3 television set.