Doom 64 Ported to the SEGA Dreamcast!

Released back in 1997, Doom 64 brought a levelled up spin-off of the game-changing PC first-person shooter to the Nintendo 64. Since its release, the game has garnered a cult following, thanks in part to its atmosphere, with some even calling the game "terrifying". While Doom 64 saw some great ports to modern consoles in 2020, perhaps more interesting are the various homebrew ports, whether that be converting Doom 64's exclusive content to work with Doom source ports or even a port to the Nintendo DS.

Well, on July 16th 2024, the SEGA Dreamcast got added to that list of things Doom 64 has been ported to, and you’re probably wondering if it’s any good. Hell yes, it is. What the extremely talented Jnmartin84 has created here is equal to that of a AAA port and runs flawlessly. Plus, you can actually see what's going on in this version compared to the original! Doom 64 has definitely found itself a new forever home on the Dreamcast. To see this port in action (with commentary), definitely check out this new video from our pal (and previous guest on our podcast) Video Game Esoterica.

Now that you've watched that delightful footage, to actually play Doom 64 on your Dreamcast (or even an emulator), is a little bit more complicated. Presumably to avoid legal trouble, Jnmartin84 has released the source code for the port on GitHub, along with the tools that you'll need to build and play the game. Obviously you can follow the instructions in the ReadMe there, but it's mighty complicated, so perhaps seek out the .cdi, which I'm sure you'll find if you search around long enough. Does the legality really matter to you if the end result is a guaranteed trip to hell anyway?

Will you be playing Doom 64 for Dreamcast? How do you think it compares to the Nintendo 64 original? Let us know in the comments below, of via one of our social media channels.

After The Fall: A New First Person Shooter For Dreamcast

If you're the type of gamer who prefers a mouse and keyboard to a controller, you're probably pretty au fait with the modding scene. And by extension, you're probably pretty familiar with the Quake engine and the notion of the 'total conversion.' For those not in the know, a total conversion is when you take the base engine of a particular title, and apply a whole new set of graphics over the top. Add new story elements, enemies, weapons and bespoke levels...and you have yourself a brand new adventure to enjoy.

After The Fall is one such example of this, and while the original game was released for the PC way back in 1997, the long mooted Dreamcast port drifted into message board obscurity. The good news is that After The Fall for Dreamcast is back with a bang, with technical obstacles removed and a full on release planned for the near future. The screens in this article are all taken from the Dreamcast version of After The Fall, and were supplied by Pip Nayler, the talented indie developer who has resurrected this long forgotten project.

The initial problem with getting After The Fall to run successfully on Dreamcast hardware came down to an issue with getting the game to fit into the console's RAM. However with work, Nayler has successfully managed to reduce the technical requirements and has the entire game now running on Sega's old warhorse. We spoke to Pip and asked what we can expect from this 'new to us' first person adventure:

"After The Fall is a total conversion of Quake that was originally released way back in 1997. It's been mentioned on Dreamcast message boards before, but nobody has ever really played it on the console as it doesn't fit in to the Dreamcast's RAM without modification. Also, the Quake community largely considers ATF fun, but hampered by bugs and some low quality artwork. My goal is to help the game gain some new recognition and give the Dreamcast community something new to play, whilst also also allowing me to get reacquainted with Quake modding.


"Lowering the texture resolution has allowed me to fit the game in to memory, and it is now playable from start to finish, but my aim is to build upon the original game and make it something really special for the community. As such, I'll be replacing some of the assets from the original game, bug fixing where possible, writing a new backstory for it, and creating some all new levels to help tell the story and make the game feel more connected."

- Pip Nayler, After The Fall Dreamcast developer

It's worth noting that like Rizzo Island, this Dreamcast port wouldn't be possible without the Makaqu engine from mankrip. From the screens we've seen so far, After The Fall looks like it's shaping up to be a pretty interesting shooter, and Pip has hinted that there could also be some online multiplayer aspects built in to the game. What's also worth noting is that After The Fall will be released for free, along with cover art mimicking all three of the main Dreamcast regions.

It's still relatively early days, but we're quite optimistic about this one, especially as the whole game is successfully running on the Dreamcast. As ever, we'll be keeping a close eye on After The Fall and when the time comes for us to take a look at a preview build, we'll let you know how it plays. You can find Pip Nayler on Twitter, so if you'd like to keep abreast of development, drop him a follow.

Does the thought of a new first person shooter for Dreamcast excite you as much as it does us? Let us know your thoughts in the comments, on Twitter or in our Facebook group.