Multiplat DOOM: The Dark Ages

[KaNesDeath]

I’m still not getting the sluggish comments. I’m running, jumping, flying all over the battlefields. You feel the weight but it moves effortlessly.

Maps are open plain designed. Close proximity peripheral reference points dont exist relaying speed. Necessity use of the parry system with its bullet time like slowmo helps break this further.

 

[Dizzy]

Maps are open plain designed. Close proximity peripheral reference points dont exist relaying speed. Necessity use of the parry system with its bullet time like slowmo helps break this further.

More so to people who are playing the game. I can understand watching gameplay clips and thinking it moves slowly.

 

[KidBaize]

About 6-7 levels in now. At first I wasn't crazy about the gameplay but it's really grown on me as I've gotten used to the mechanics and combat loop.

It's definitely fast and you have a fair amount of mobility. You can even sort of bunnyhop. The fights are quite hectic although definitely easier than the last two games. I've gone back and forth between UV and NM and they're both pretty manageable.

I do have one huge complaint though. There are too many hitstops and they're way too long. You don't need one on every parry and melee strike, just keep them to the finishing kick or glory strike. Getting these long ass slowmo animations every few seconds is driving me crazy. If they fix this one issue in a patch I'll probably end up liking the game as much as 2016 and Eternal.

 

[KidBaize]

Personally I find the game to be a cross between classic Doom, Returnal and Serious Sam. That's good company.

 

[KidBaize]

Oh and the performance on my pc has been fantastic. I'm getting a pretty stable 120 fps at 1080p on high settings. At 1440p I think it was 60-90 fps and at 4k around 30 fps... but my tv has a native 120 hz display and my eyes kinda suck these days so I'll take the higher frames. No crashes and the load times on my nvme ssd are instantaneous.

 

[The Clark]

Didn't realize it was unlocked for Game Pass Ultimate today. About to try it out.

 

[HereticBD]

Didn't realize it was unlocked for Game Pass Ultimate today. About to try it out.

Oh' cool! I can realize how bad I suck at these games all over again.

 

[Zazen]

I'm really digging this game now. I got a huge session in today. My kid wouldn't nap so she crashed early and I got several hours in. Made it to the beginning of the siege and had to call it quits. I don't know how the fuck these YouTubers like Moist critical or whatever his name is are finishing it so fast. I'm hearing clearing times of 11 hours, 12 hours, etc. They must just be flying through it. It took me the last 3 hours to beat the last two levels. I have all the collectables from each stage, 100% gold on all but one and I think only one missing secret. Probably looking at 25 hours or so to finish.

 

[Slobodan]

Woot! Just redeemed the Deluxe edition!



@Valhoven

 

[The Clark]

Thoughts after two levels:
The movement and combat are definitely fast. Still getting used to the different shield mechanics. The parry window for the projectiles is so early it feels awkward. But I am always late on the melee parries.
Complaints:
I don't care at all about the story, and even after skipping the cutscenes, I have to listen to the radio chatter through the whole level. I hate it.
I guess all the people complaining about Eternal's aesthetics are happy now. All color and contrast have been removed from the game, resulting in a boring brown sludge. It is just so ugly. 2016 and especially Eternal did such a great job of communicating information through visuals. This is a huge step back.

 

[deviake]

Thoughts after two levels:
The movement and combat are definitely fast. Still getting used to the different shield mechanics. The parry window for the projectiles is so early it feels awkward. But I am always late on the melee parries.
Complaints:
I don't care at all about the story, and even after skipping the cutscenes, I have to listen to the radio chatter through the whole level. I hate it.
I guess all the people complaining about Eternal's aesthetics are happy now. All color and contrast have been removed from the game, resulting in a boring brown sludge. It is just so ugly. 2016 and especially Eternal did such a great job of communicating information through visuals. This is a huge step back.

It... doesn't look like it's gonna have a lot staying power to me. You echoed my overall sentiments from reviews I've read and watched. It looks watered down; bland.

 

[TheMaster]

I'm really digging this game now. I got a huge session in today. My kid wouldn't nap so she crashed early and I got several hours in. Made it to the beginning of the siege and had to call it quits. I don't know how the fuck these YouTubers like Moist critical or whatever his name is are finishing it so fast. I'm hearing clearing times of 11 hours, 12 hours, etc. They must just be flying through it. It took me the last 3 hours to beat the last two levels. I have all the collectables from each stage, 100% gold on all but one and I think only one missing secret. Probably looking at 25 hours or so to finish.

Quite meaningless to just run through it and try to brag lol. They should try on nightmare with speed at 200% and increased enemy aggression and projectile damage and reduced parry window. Lots of room there for high precision tweaking and skill development.

From what I have seen, it is less complex and more accessible so will appeal to the less hardcore gamers. Very different in style but similar to 2016 in the way it can be picked up by a larger playerbase.

For those seeking Eternal 2...they will have to wait for Eternal 2 which will probably be the next one.
As one reviewer put it "in Eternal, the constant slayer vulnerability meant that your arsenal and your movement was your shield."

If you are looking for more of the exact same then play the Eternal DLC's on Ultra Nightmare. If seen on its own terms this looks very well done but it was never going to be able to match its predecessor that was clear.

 

[HereticBD]

Tried it out. I can't say I'm a DOOM super fan or anything, but this one just feels odd. Not bad, just different. For one, it seems a LOT easier. I'm not playing on Nightmare or anything, but I'm judging it on par with the other games at the same level, and so far it doesn't have the same "enemy around every corner" type vibe as the previous installments. A lot of wide open flat planes with cannon fodder to obliterate, where maneuverability is not hampered by any tight spaces. The shield and melee attacks also feel a bit OP. Parrying is almost too easy(at least on the level I'm playing on). Seems like you can parry shit from like ten feet away. I figure if you're in a bind with those types of projectiles coming at you, you could just spam parry and be fine.

That said, it is a power fantasy, and it doesn't fail on that aspect. The weapons are great and all have a unique feel to them, and the game does force you to mix and match with different enemy types, so you don't get too reliant on one or the other. The results of your blasting and punching never fail to impress, with it's spectacular gore effects and 'splosions. The story is whatever, but they seem to put more emphasis on it this time out, where it can start to feel a bit like COD where you go from shooting gallery to cutscene.

Anyways, I'm probably not the best judge on these games, but that's what I've experienced so far.

 

[Satur9]

Only played for an hour, but I like it. Different than what I am used to, or even prefer in an FPS, though it is fun. Easy to come to grips with the gameplay loop so far. Shield stuff is more fun than I thought it would be.

I will say this about the story, and I will try to be gentle since I love Doom. The story feels like hot garbage. I hope they retcon the story from these games and go back to it being just man and demons. I just cannot get behind the night sentinel stuff, and the other alien race. Just feels uber-meh. Might change as the game goes on, but as it stands now, I really do not like it at all. The other two had a silly story also, but this one has even more of it... Sometimes less is more, folks.

 

[Dizzy]

Finished a massive level last night and I could see where people might get frustrated with the flow. I personally love filling up a blank map and looking for items and there were enough skirmishes and full scale arena areas to keep me wanting to explore.

Thankfully they’re thoughtful in their approach and the next level was a much smaller, corridor/arena focused stage which broke it up nicely. Going from one huge stage to another would pry start to feel tedious.

For game length I’m 7 hours in and up to stage 8 which is still less than halfway through the game. I’ve 100%’ed every stage though so I’m definitely looking under every nook and cranny. Haven’t actually died and had to restart many encounters but I’m using my extra lives sparingly so it does happen from time to time.

 

[KaNesDeath]

More so to people who are playing the game. I can understand watching gameplay clips and thinking it moves slowly.

It has a independent game speed slider option.

 

[Concrete]

Maybe it's too early to know, but I wonder how the speedrunning community is going to handle all of those sliders. It sounds like pretty much everyone can make their own WR run.

 

[Dizzy]

It has an independent game speed slider option.

Yes it does, people could be playing on lower difficulties as well.

 

[Satur9]

Maybe it's too early to know, but I wonder how the speedrunning community is going to handle all of those sliders. It sounds like pretty much everyone can make their own WR run

They give you a lot of options in this game, that's for sure. I like the extra graphical settings. Like 7 or something for each category. Gives people with older pcs to decide where they want to take some hits. Running well for me.

 

[KaNesDeath]

Yes it does, people could be playing on lower difficulties as well.

Previous game iterations didnt work like this. AI aggression, but most importantly AI damage output was used in difficulty settings. Character speed that the player could achieve wasnt dependent on game difficulty setting or a game speed slider.

Im fine with general accessibility options for those with conditions. This however screams lack of game design leadership and overall vision. id Software appear lost on who their target demographic is.