Doom Eternal: Rip and Tear

An eternal addition to the classic franchise

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RJ Hartsoe, Staff Writer

7/10

Platforms: Reviewed on PC Version; also available on Stadia, Xbox ONE and PS4; Nintendo Switch Release TBD
If you liked Doom 2016, you will love “Doom Eternal” because the makers returned to the run and gun style of the original games.
The 2016 version returned to the old run and gun arcade style that first made it famous in the 1990s after a more horror survival tone with the games between the early 2000s and early 2010s. “Doom Eternal” is a mixture of the survival style and the arcade-style. At its core, it is the same run and gun gameplay but it brilliantly adds the strategy elements of “Doom 3,” and the more industrial elements of “Doom 64.” Doom 2016 was arcade-like with similar gameplay elements to the classics. However, in “Doom Eternal” you can’t just run around and kill- this game makes you think about your actions.
The story is classic Doom and everything we know and love about Doom.
Dooms lore is simple, you are a marine in space and you kill demons. The makers really stepped up the campaign this time regarding its depth and collectible including Easter eggs to memes and fans like the top hat and cancer sign as a reference to the game reviewer, Total Biscuit.
An average run of this story mode can get you about 20-25 hours, which, for a first-person shooter (FPS) game, is a very good length.
As for the multiplayer version, it is different from the classic, but it feels fresh. Gone is the classic team deathmatch. Taking its place is a team-based objective, rather than kill for the score. It adds a lot to the franchise, but I do question the motivation behind removing the entirety of team deathmatches. This was the feature that popularized the model in the first place so long ago.
The reviewed copy played on PC, runs great, but Bethesda doesn’t know how to make a PC game. For example, in 2016 and Eternal, the settings menu is in the campaign, as in you have to boot into the game before you can change the settings. The issue with this is, if it won’t run right on your machine, you must let it lag and run bad until you get in-game to change it. Based on your machine, it may not even be possible. This is a decision I still question years after it was introduced.
There are a lot of little things and unusual things about this game that take some getting used to compared to other FPS games like Halo Master Chief Collection, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege, Call of Duty, Battlefield and more. This is not a deal breaker but certainly, something to note if you are coming to this game from other FPS games.
This is a classic move by Bethesda, use non-standards when making a PC game – though luckily on the PC you can customize any weird controls to standard, making it feel normal while still being Doom at its core. Doom PC controls have an issue of being different enough it takes a
Bit to get used to but once you do, its fine and It does not take a long time.
Overall, “Doom Eternal” will go down as a classic entry in the Doom series over time. It is a truly timeless game and deserves all the praise. The name “Doom Eternal” is a fitting name as this game is going to go down as an eternal member of the Doom family.