This caught me by complete surprise today. I got home as fast as I could, and checked out the new update for the rerelease of the original DOOM. BACKGROUND:
DOOM is a game that needs no introduction. The original game from 1993 made the FPS genre popular with its vicious demon-slaying, hell-raising, frenetic gameplay. I haven't played every game in the franchise, but I am quite familiar with the classics, and I've also beaten DOOM 2016. I would argue that the original DOOM is a gaming essential, and must be played at least once by everyone. I bought this rerelease of the classic DOOM sometime last year (when they put out the original trilogy on every console), but skipped out on talking about it because there wasn't much to say. If you've played the original one, this version is not much different (apart from the controversial Bethesda.net integration, which forces you to make an account that you likely won't use). Now that there's an update, I can talk about the Switch version a little bit. The rerelease is pretty much the Ultimate DOOM version of DOOM; that is, it contains the three campaigns (called "episodes") of the original, plus a fourth episode called Thy Flesh Consumed, which is ridiculously difficult compared to the original episodes. Each episode consists of eight levels (nine in the case of Thy Flesh Consumed), all of which are decently sized, contain a ton of secrets, and provide you with a whole bunch of enemies to slaughter. You can play the levels pretty much however you want, thanks to multiple difficulty settings and the ability to toggle cheats right from the pause menu. It's more or less the definitive way to play the classic DOOM, so if you haven't played it yet, go check out this version. And if the single player somehow isn't enough, this has split-screen multiplayer. WHAT'S NEW: The biggest addition in this new update is the ability to download and play "Add-ons." These are essentially fan-made episodes from back in the day that id Software eventually recognized . There are three episodes currently available: TNT Evilution and The Plutonian Experiment (two DOOM II mods that was released together in retail as Final DOOM), and Sigil, which was made by John Romero (one of the co-founders id Software) to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the series last year. The best part? Downloading all these add-ons is completely free. These are all pretty lengthy episodes, each containing levels with elaborate layouts, unique aesthetics, and feature quite the difficulty spike compared to the vanilla levels. I've been having fun ripping and tearing through some of the levels in short bursts so far, but I suppose that's DOOM in a nutshell. While the base game was pretty robust (for 1993, anyway) and had more than enough replay value, the prospect of getting more fan-made levels is exciting to me. DOOM rarely ever gets old whenever I replay it, and having new levels to tear through is something that will get me to keep coming back for more. I hope id Software updates the Add-on selection as often as they can. The rest of the update is some much-appreciated quality-of-life improvements. One such improvement is the level select, allowing you to select an individual level of a given episode at your leisure. It's great if you want to practice a level in preparation for a full playthrough, or you just want to mess around in your favorite level without having to go through the entire game. Another addition is the ability to quicksave and quickload. While the base game already had normal save/load features, these quicker options allow you to create a save state on a whim, and load it just as quick. It's great if you're a speedrunner who's out to practice a specific section of a level, or if you're trying to inch forward in a particularly difficult level. Improvements to the weapon select have also been made. You can now cycle through your arsenal much faster, and if that's not enough, the D-Pad serves as weapon shortcuts. This is quite helpful when you're in a tight spot and you need to bust out the chainsaw. The rest of the changes are graphical improvements, such as the ability to change aspect ratios, adjust brightness, and supporting 60 FPS gameplay. I'm no stickler for graphics, but this is great. VERDICT: Bethesda.net shenanigans aside, the 25th anniversary rerelease of DOOM is the best way to experience/relive one of the most monumental titles in gaming history. And with this new update smoothing out some kinks and opening the floodgates for even more content outside that of the base game, a true-blue classic is made new again. What are you waiting for? Go rip and tear some motherfuckers! This version of DOOM is available on every current-gen console, and it's $5 a pop, so there really isn't a lot stopping you from picking it up. From what I understand, the PC version has only just come out along with this update, but it seems to only be accessible via Bethesda.net (goddamn it). The original DOOM does exist on Steam (here), but it's not this version, so take away what you will from that. - end -
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June 2024
Derryck
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