We think of video game sequels as something that can outdo the original in most ways, be more of the same, or even hit fans with the heavy hammer of disappointment. That, however, ignores the rare but very real case of sequels that don't necessarily suck but that will baffle fans with their nigh-inexplicable new design choices. We shouldn't forget this class of sequel, it does at least a great job of providing fun to anyone learning about just how absolutely bizarre these games can get.

[caption id="attachment_398483" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Silent Hill: Book Of Memories

Remember how the Silent Hill series managed to make players feel scared and uneasy even when no enemy was on screen? Well, nobody had time for that when they were reinventing the square for the PlayStation Vita with Silent Hill: Book Of Memories.

This one isn't a psychological horror game and barely even a survival horror game. It's a weird attempt at making an isometric action title in the vein of the awesome Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light but in the world of Silent Hill.

Heck, you don’t even have one of the simplest staples of psychological horror that the series had done so well up until this point—like the feeling of loneliness and isolation—as this one is a co-op adventure featuring up to four players. Wild stuff.

[caption id="attachment_398490" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image by Nintendo[/caption]

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

Remember when the original The Legend Of Zelda changed gaming by taking a cue from the top-down perspective of RPGs and re-purposing it for action adventures?  You don't? Well, neither do I because I was too young to play it back then, but that's what the legend of The Legend of Zelda says.

Zelda 2 is definitely not a bad game (if you're looking for a bad Zelda side-scroller, google Zelda CD-I games), but it’s still pretty weird that Nintendo did away with the revolutionary design they’d come up with in the first one to make a more conservative 2D side-scroller. Nintendo already had Mario dominating that field, and there was no shortage of similar side-scrollers from other companies. Luckily, it didn't take Nintendo long to both go back to their revolutionary formula and then try new stuff that further propelled the series into legendary status.

[caption id="attachment_398485" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image by Konami[/caption]

Bomberman Act: Zero

This one was absolutely terrible and also marked an awful tonal shift for a beloved cutesy series that definitely didn't need one. I probably wouldn't have put it on the list because this isn't about straight-up bad sequels, but I like how its poster looks just like Oppenheimer's, so that's some extra bonus points for weirdness.

If you're looking for a wacky fun Bomberman game, then you're much better off playing Saturn Bomberman.

[caption id="attachment_398478" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image by Valve[/caption]

Half-Life 2: Survivor

Remember how the original Half-Life and its sequel each changed the FPS landscape of its time, due to smart gameplay mechanics that forced players to use their brains? Welp, Half-Life 2: Survivor is a bizarre, mostly on-rails arcade version of Half-Life 2 that only came out in Japan.

Do you see that massively busy interface? That's not one of those spoofs of HUD glut that you see all over the Internet—that's the real deal. The reason why anyone would come up with such an antithesis to what made Half-Life 2 great is a mystery, but I'd be lying if I said that I wouldn't spend a few dollars at the arcade to try this mess.

[caption id="attachment_398461" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image by Naughty Dog[/caption]

Jak 2

Ever wondered why the original Jak & Daxter had players happily hopping from platform to platform and then Jak 2 was all about gunning down enemies and driving flying vehicles? Sure, Naughty Dog had also previously equipped Crash with a Bazooka for the third game in the Crash Bandicoot series, but Crash's Bazooka only fired Wumpa fruit, not lethal rounds. What the hell happened there?

Well, it turns out that the sequel to Naughty Dog’s once happy-go-lucky platformer became a shooter because Naughty Dog saw the entire gaming landscape change with the arrival of gritty titles such as Killzone, God Of War, and, most importantly, Grand Theft Auto 3. The team made all the changes to the original that they could to accommodate gameplay elements that played similarly to Rockstar's mega-hit, and the series was never the same again.

In Naughty Dog's defense, however, I have to admit that Jak 2 was pretty damn good.

[caption id="attachment_398509" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image by Nintendo[/caption]

Star Fox Adventures

This is the game that sent the Star Fox series into dormancy and made the titular Fox more recognizable as a top-tier Super Smash Bros. character than as the main character of his own series. Its mistake? It decided to get Fox out of his ship and give him some ground-based missions.

This isn't a new kind of 3D game. This is Zelda with the exception that Zelda games are usually great, and this one is just okay. Star Fox Adventures marks one of the very rare moments in gaming when they would've been much better off just doing an on-rails shooter than a sprawling 3D adventure.

[caption id="attachment_398471" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image by Capcom[/caption]

Dino Crisis 3

Dino Crisis has always been an odd Resident Evil clone, but the rule is that you can only send your series to space after around the 8th entry. Picking space as the setting for your mundane terrestrial series in the third entry is too much—especially when it's a game about pre-historic stuff, the historical opposite of space stuff, I guess. Even Exoprimal feels more grounded than this Chimera.

Also, the first two games in the series came out for the original PlayStation, whereas Dino Crisis 3 landed on Xbox as an exclusive, which might have gotten Xbox fans to believe it has always been in space, thus making it all the more hilariously weird.

[caption id="attachment_398467" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image By Bethesda[/caption]

DOOM RPG

Remember when Doom fans didn't like Doom 3 because it was slower, darker, and spookier? Well, there's an even weirder, blacker sheep in this series: Doom RPG.

For some bonkers reason, Id looked at the "meh" reaction DOOM 3 got and decided to further reduce the amount of action and make a game that was more Final Fantasy than Doom. To Id's credit, however, Doom RPG is pretty decent and was even pretty revolutionary in the mobile gaming scene, as it provided a fully-fledged campaign two years before the iPhone made mobile gaming go big. Did any of the things that you just read entice you to wait for an HD remaster? Well, good luck with that, since Id lost Doom RPG's source code.

[caption id="attachment_398464" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image by Maxis[/caption]

Darkspore

Remember Spore? At some point, it was totally going to be the best game ever made! Sadly, the most fun anyone ever ended up getting out of it came from the game’s extremely advanced creature creator—mostly because they got to create beings that looked awfully phallic.

The people at Maxis looked at the game's lukewarm reception and came to the natural conclusion anyone in the ‘00s would’ve arrived at: it just wasn’t gritty enough. To solve this, they came up with Darkspore, a game that ditched everything from the original except for the creature creator, and then made a gritty action game about a badass creature that went on to battle other gritty, less phallic creatures.

Darkspore wasn’t even bad, but I can’t help but laugh at the very obvious high-speed course correction that was at play here.

The post Here are some of the most bizarre games from otherwise popular franchises appeared first on Destructoid.

Back in the '90s, id Software was the gaming company, responsible for bringing the world Doom and Quake. Two of the founding members of that company were John Carmack and John Romero, both now considered giants in their field.

However, since Romero's departure from id in 1996 (post-Quake 1), the two Johns have never come together to work on another project. And if you were hoping they would reform and create something together, Carmack has pretty much shot that idea down.

https://twitter.com/ID_AA_Carmack/status/1683542191350661120

In a post on his Twitter page recently, the former Doom developer praised Romero on the recent publication of his autobiography Doom Guy: A Life in First Person. Carmack then pre-empted an inevitable question about whether the two programmers would make anything together again.

And never the Johns shall meet

Unfortunately, the answer is no. He pretty much spells it out in black and white: "we aren’t planning to make a new game together." It's said in a good-natured way, though, and there doesn't appear to be any bad blood between the two.

It's possible that many were hopeful that something Doom-esque (or anything from the two legendary developers) would eventually come to fruition, thanks to a recent Reddit AMA from Romero.

In response to one question, Romero says the pair "could have stayed working together if we did things differently at the start of Quake." He also added that he and Carmack have talked about options, which features in his book.

John Romero is still active in the development world (it looks like he's in talks for a new FPS through a major publisher). Conversely, John Carmack has pretty much left video game creation behind, having been a major player at Oculus VR up until 2022, and now works on AGI—artificial general intelligence—under Keen Technologies.

The post Sadly, a new game from Doom’s co-creators is not happening appeared first on Destructoid.

It's gratifying to know that the FPS genre is still going strong. However, these whippersnappers wouldn't be anywhere without the granddaddy of all shooters that is the original Doom from 1993. The following year saw the release of a sequel, Doom II, which was equally impactful. So much so that people are still making mods for the game.

This one from Cheello is rather special indeed. While it's not out yet, their Voxel Doom 2 project is just around the corner. It may not look like much at a cursory glance, but it'll bring a more modern element to the iconic game without losing that original spark.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQK8m41daAk

As the name suggests, this upcoming mod will implement 3D voxels into Doom 2. Specifically, enemies, weapons, and items are being swapped out for three-dimensional models. A recent trailer (with a kickass soundtrack to boot) shows that it's going to be releasing on August 1. You can also check out some additional content on Cheello's Twitter, as well as support them via their Patreon page.

The legacy continues

Look, if you've played Doom, chances are you've come across some mods in the past. Even if you haven't played any of them, you can appreciate that a series almost 30 years old still getting love and attention is quite something.

With the recent Myhouse.wad map craze, not to mention scientists now looking to grow neurons that could potentially play Doom, id Software's iconic FPS is a legendary part of video game history.

No matter which Doom you think is the best, the franchise will stay in the limelight so long as people like Cheello continue to tweak the formula and improve on the OG releases.

The post Doom 2 will be getting a 3D voxel mod in August appeared first on Destructoid.

Will it ever happen?

Older gamers will recall legendary developer John Romero's immortal words when he was promoting his new game (new for 2000, at least) Daikatana. Sadly (or perhaps not), no one was made to feel like the Doom co-creators "bitch," and his first release after leaving id Software proved to be a flop.

Was it the worst game launch in history? It's probably up there, but it's largely been clouded by much more contemporary titles like No Man's Sky, Cyberpunk 2077, and Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition.

https://www.reddit.com/r/pcgaming/comments/15303b5/john_romero_ama_featuring_doom_guy_life_in_first/

However, according to a recent Reddit AMA, Romero would quite happily see Daikatana make a return at some point. In response to a question about the aged FPS, he said he would "support a remake." Replying to a similar question further down, Romero adds that, if it were to be remade, Daikatana "could be an exciting game, [more so] than the original."

A Daikatana remake is just a pipe dream, so far

This doesn't mean a remake or reboot is on the horizon, as far as we know. Plus, Romero did specify that he wouldn't be involved in such a project, though he would possibly be onboard as a consultant of some kind. We already know that he's working on a new FPS with a major publisher, which he restates in the Reddit thread. Pretty much nothing is known about this project, and the man himself even says he can't say anything about it.

John Romero is something of an icon in the video game industry. While he's been making games since the early 80s, it was 1993's Doom that helped set the scene for the early days of the first-person shooter. These days, he is still active in the gaming world, even making some new maps for Doom. As such, it'll be interesting to see what he's currently working on, and whether Daikatana will ever get a second chance.

The post John Romero is not opposed to a Daikatana remake appeared first on Destructoid.

For science!

Ah, Doom. Who knows where we'd be today if it weren't for the innovation that made you the granddaddy of first-person shooters? Probably one of the things that's helping to keep id Software's iconic game alive after all these years is the fact that it can be ported to just about anything. It's even possible to play Doom inside Doom itself.

As you can imagine, many people have attempted to see what crazy methods they can to play this legendary FPS. Now, some scientists are doing something a little different. Namely, they want to see if it's possible to grow their own neurons that can be taught to play games. And yes, they want to see if they will be able to control Doom.

A video from the YouTube channel The Thought Emporium goes into detail about the hypothesis. The basic idea is to be able to hook up some lab-grown rat neurons to a computer that will be able to play Doom, at least in a rudimentary fashion.

https://youtu.be/bEXefdbQDjw

This latest video begins with the initial attempt at growing neurons (did you know you could just buy neurons off the internet?), which are fed specific chemicals in order to keep them healthy. A roadmap shows the steps that need to be taken in order to get this basic brain to play Doom.

How will the neurons know they're playing Doom?

Obviously, this is a very complicated process, and there are multiple steps (and sub-steps) before the desired result can be achieved. It also doesn't sound like it's going to be playing Doom the way you and I would.

In this instance, The Thought Emporium intends to "reward" the grown neurons through sound, as they won't be able to actually see what they're doing in the game. For example, a sound they'll "like" (in the loosest term) will be emitted when they kill a demon or do something they're supposed to do. Conversely, a sound they "dislike" will be emitted if they do something they shouldn't, such as falling into toxic waste and dying.

Back in 2021, another scientist wanted to see if rats could play Doom 2 by controlling a sphere that was hooked up to the game. What this newest experiment does is even more mind-melting. Actually growing neurons in a lab in order to play video games is something only the maddest of scientists with the craziest of hairstyles would ever attempt.

The post Scientists are trying to grow neurons that can play Doom appeared first on Destructoid.

House of Doomed Leaves

If bringing a novel to the big screen is a tough job, then making a movie into a video game tends to spell doom from the get-go. And we don't mean the good kind of Doom. Go ahead, try to think of a film's video game tie-in or even a less rushed adaptation that's even a tad beyond "meh". If it took your mind no more than one second to think of The Chronicles Of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay, then congrats. You win.

But that's an absolute anomaly in the history of video games. We're talking about a tie-in that'd be better than its movie even if the movie were good. Given the adaptation curse that no one can deny, it'd be no surprise if a Doom 2 mod inspired by a novel would result in the ultimate failure. But... it did not.

[caption id="attachment_388168" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Steve "Veddge" Nelson's My House took inspiration from Mark Z. Danielewsky's House Of Leaves. That's a critically acclaimed novel so cryptic many still wonder whether it belongs in the horror or love story category. But the most surprising aspects regarding My House are how it's not only a fantastic mod, but also one of gaming's best literary adaptations ever.

It's worth noting from the off that House Of Leaves is far from your average novel Book-to-film adaptation history is already filled with the corpses of projects declared dead due to "unfilmable material". Such complaints usually stem from attempts at adapting books written in regular prose format. Interesting. House Of Leaves will challenge you because of its meta-textual narrative, yes, but also especially because it seems to physically want you to not understand it.

This is what you can expect from the average page of House Of Leaves:

[caption id="attachment_388162" align="alignnone" width="540"] Image by Mark Z Danielewski[/caption]

Conversely, My House doesn't fall for the trappings of trying to retell the events from House Of Leaves in video game format. Instead, it tells its own story, loosely referencing parts of the novel through its world, narrative, and actions. What it most authentically adapts is the novel's way of subverting all expectations.

Are you expecting to battle demons? Yes, this will happen, but first, you must uncover the secrets of what seems to be just a suburban house. Much like in the novel, the house will reveal itself as a maze of nigh-infinite proportions — one so large that the mod's system file size greatly dwarfs that of Doom 2's original file itself — but this is a maze players/readers can actually solve and get great satisfaction from.

[caption id="attachment_388176" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Myhouse.WAD is still the Doom we all know and love

Oh, and if this article has made this masterful mod appear like it completely foregoes action in favor of its more cerebral elements, then apologies for the deception. Because on top of never really missing a beat in regard to Doom's iconic action elements, the strange endeavor also culminates in one of the biggest battles ever seen in the series. But the details can be left for you to discover yourself.

https://twitter.com/TripleKyun/status/1656123713811804162?s=20

John Romero, Doom's original map designer, recently played My House and only had good things to say about his experience. If he hasn't already, then maybe he should read House Of Leaves.

Wait! Better yet, let's get author Mark Z. Danielewsky to play MyHouse.WAD!

The post Doom’s Myhouse.WAD is one of gaming’s greatest literary adaptations appeared first on Destructoid.

Imagine Doom's creator playing your Doom map

If you haven't been keeping up with the Doom community lately, thenyou may have missed the unsettling .WAD file simply called "MyHouse." This has been doing the rounds on a number of YouTube channels, as fans work their way through this bizarre, unofficial map.

Now, the custom level has found its way to John Romero's computer. As the co-creator of the original Doom and Doom 2, Romero is something of a celebrity in the video game world. Helping to establish the early days of the FPS genre through a young id Software, the designer and programmer is as notable for his contribution to development as he is for his legendary long hair.

https://youtu.be/gIl_TqFJNO8

Seeing Romero play the "MyHouse" WAD file is an interesting spectacle, especially once he gets into the meat of the level. Without spoiling too much, MyHouse.WAD, created by Steve "Veddge" Nelson, is a rather unique take on classic Doom. Beginning as an innocent enough-looking mod that features the original game's iconic monsters, things soon take a bizarre turn.

Throughout the playthrough, which lasts just over an hour, Romero makes a few comments about the map, saying the word "cool" a helluva lot. It takes him a while to get going as he searches the titular house to make sure he's seen everything. Once it all kicks off, he seems very impressed with what Veddge has put together. Romero particularly likes the way the music alters as he progresses through the level.

While you could argue that he hasn't made as much of an impact since the early days of Doom and Quake, John Romero is still making games. In fact, he's still tinkering with Doom, having released the SIGIL episode in 2019 as well as working on SIGIL 2.

You can download MyHouse.WAD from Doom World if you want to try it for yourself (which we recommend you do). Note: you will need GZDoom in order to run it.

The post Doom’s own John Romero plays the infamous ‘MyHouse’ map appeared first on Destructoid.

Time to raise some hell — in Hell

Though it was Wolfenstein 3D that kickstarted the FPS genre, it's Doom that everybody loves the most. Doom's contributions to the gaming world go well beyond it just being an amazing game. It popularized not only 3D in games but also the concepts of shareware and modding. Doom invited everyone to first experience it, then to do better. This approach paved the way for loads of original games and legitimate careers in the games industry. Taking a look back at the early days of Doom is taking a look at a much less cynical time in the history of the gaming industry.

But which game in the Doom series sits atop the throne as the best we've ever seen? It's hard to rank the games of a 30-year-spanning series without causing disagreements between the very different people from very different generations who have played the games. Worry not, though, as our ranking of the Doom games is 100% correct.

[caption id="attachment_260000" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

10. Doom (1993)

The game that started it all (if you forget Wolfenstein 3D). Despite the technical prowess behind it, Doom was simple and efficient. No big plot, just a bunch of beautiful levels where a man faces insurmountable odds while armed solely with an insurmountability-proof arsenal. On top of its single-player campaign, the original Doom also introduced the concept of Deathmatch, paving the way for online gaming.

Though not technically 3D, Doom deserves credit for one of the most important moments in gaming history, the eventual shifting of most of the industry away from 2D. Did we mention that it was and still is a lot of fun?

Please don't feel bad that we're putting it last. It's just a statement regarding the series' continuous evolution.

Strengths: Though severely dated, it's still one hell of a lot of fun.

Weaknesses: We wouldn't dare call anything here a weakness.

[caption id="attachment_238065" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image by Bethesda[/caption]

9. Doom II (1994)

We used to ask a lot less from sequels back in the day. The bad news about Doom II is that it's just the original game with new maps, more enemy variety, and one more gun. The good news is that having a new gun and more stuff to use it on is pretty great when the game in question is already Doom.

The even better news is that the new gun in question is the Super Shotgun, which remains one of the more satisfying weapons we can use to turn demons into soup.

Doom II didn't really revolutionize the world as the first one did. Still, we must ask, could we have handled yet another revolution of such magnitude by then?

Strengths: It has more cool stuff than the original.

Weaknesses: It's basically just Doom, but we're not complaining.

[caption id="attachment_383807" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image by MobyGames[/caption]

8. Final Doom (1996)

Despite its confusing name, Final Doom isn't the definitive version of the original Doom. It's an expansion for Doom II that serves as the culmination of the classic Doom games and feels like a massive treat for the fans of the original two games.

Final Doom adds two new episodes that amount to 32 new levels. It's great, but remember, this isn't your classic stroll through Hell. Final Doom is for Doom veterans, so expect difficulty that comes not just from combat but also from more complex levels.

Strengths: Higher difficulty. This is the perfect culmination for lovers of the two original games.

Weaknesses: Don't play it if you think Doom II feels old—or difficult.

[caption id="attachment_243808" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image by Romero Games[/caption]

7. Sigil (2019)

Sigil is an unofficial expansion containing nine new single-player levels and nine new multiplayer maps. It doesn't count as canon because it's not owned by Bethesda, but it was made by John Romero, the brain behind the original Doom levels, so it counts as canon in our hearts.

Sigil also introduces new weapons and a story with the guts to incorporate a Baphomet glitch into its plot. It's wild. Sigil doesn't revolutionize the Doom experience that we know and love, but its intricate level design highlights the experience John Romero has accumulated over the past 20 years.

Another really cool thing about Sigil is that you can either get it for free or in a luxuriously cool physical format.

Strengths: This is the original Doom II gameplay at its freshest. It's like an unreleased greatest hits album.

Weaknesses: More of the same.

Bonus: And if you're really into John Romero's work, you can buy his newest Doom II level, One Humanity. The money will go towards helping the people of Ukraine, the Red Cross, and the UN Central Emergency Response Fund.

[caption id="attachment_248700" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

6. Doom 64 (1997/2020)

Those who made the strange jump from the PC to the Nintendo 64 back in 1997 found in Doom 64 the graphical improvements that Doom II lacked.

Despite not being an id Software product, Doom 64 is a more than worthy successor to Doom II, a completely new game with a fresh campaign filled with amazing new levels. Anyone interested in this peculiar title will probably enjoy learning that we can finally experience it on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch if you want to be kind of a purist.

And if learning about the re-release gets you excited, we have even better news. Players who beat the campaign will gain access to something called "Lost Levels," an awesome new campaign hidden behind the old one. The new campaign rocks on its own but earns extra points by connecting the events of the older Doom games to the reboot from 2016.

Weirdly enough, though, Doom 64 doesn't feature any multiplayer options.

Strengths: Provides the graphical evolution that Doom II didn't.

Weaknesses: It's hard to forgive a Nintendo 64 game that doesn't feature local multiplayer.

[caption id="attachment_253197" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image by Bethesda[/caption]

5. Doom 3 (2004)

This is easily the most divisive entry in the series, and we understand.

On the one hand, it looked better than everything else on the market when it came out. Yes, younger readers, Doom 3 once blew us away with those weird, oily, and rubbery looks. On the other hand, the once-masterful graphical improvements didn't bring along an equally daunting gameplay upgrade. Doom 3's campaign feels dated when compared to even that of the original Half-Life. It's no wonder it didn't fare too well against Half-Life 2.

Still, we get the sense that Doom 3 gave us exactly what the developers wanted to create, and that was a slower and more intimate descent into Hell. Most don't give it enough credit in that regard, but Doom 3 not only mastered dark and creepy sci-fi environments. It also mastered the art of jump scares. Nobody ever puts Doom 3 in a "best of" horror games list, but it packed some serious scares back in the day—and it still does.

Strengths: It features beautiful environments and interesting reimaginings of classic enemies, and it gets scary as hell.

Weaknesses: Weirdly simplistic gameplay for something that looked so far ahead of its time.

[caption id="attachment_383811" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image by MobyGames[/caption]

4. Doom 3: Resurrection Of Evil

Doom 3's sole expansion successfully dealt with some of the main game's weakest aspects. Resurrection Of Evil added a few new weapons and special abilities that spiced up the otherwise conservative original.

The most interesting addition is the grabber, a weapon that allows players to levitate and throw objects at enemies—or to simply fling their projectiles back at them. Sadly for fans of the evolving FPS genre at the time, however, all the cool new additions serve only combat purposes and don't really take the gameplay in any really imaginative direction.

More cynical minds could accuse Resurrection Of Evil of being no more than an attempt to cash in on the popularity of the gravity gun, but it's more than that. Resurrection Of Evil offers neat gameplay improvements that result in a nice mini-campaign. Also, ROE had to exist because it provides the closure to the story that  Doom 3 lacked.

Strengths: Shows more of Doom 3's beautiful hell realm. A new weapon that allows players to control physics.

Weaknesses: It's very short. Resurrection Of Evil's use of physics pales in comparison to what Valve had achieved with Half-Life 2's gravity gun.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPyq0jFgVjI

3. Brutal Doom (2010)

Disclaimer: We know Brutal Doom isn't an official entry in the series. We also know we would be doing such a mod-friendly series a disservice if we were to ignore its greatest mod. Putting the word Brutal in front of Doom might seem unnecessary, but this mod by Marcos "Sargeant Mark IV" Abenante isn't kidding around.

Brutal Doom doesn't just greatly increase the amount of blood and guts seen in the original Doom. It modernizes its entire gunplay without messing up its beautiful surface. It also adds melee combat, glory-kill animations, stealth elements, and headshots. Don't think this will be a walk in the park, though, as Brutal Doom also makes enemies much faster and more capable.

Strengths: It brings the gameplay of the original Doom to new heights—and speeds.

Weaknesses: It mostly looks like the old Doom if you count that as a problem.

[caption id="attachment_205367" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image by Bethesda[/caption]

2. Doom (2016)

Though Doom 3 hit many of the right beats, it failed to reach the series' full potential in the eyes of fans. The Doom reboot had a long and arduous development cycle, one that nearly ended with it becoming a Call Of Duty clone. Luckily, cooler heads prevailed, and we ended up getting one of the best reboots of all time.

The reboot did away with the slow pace of Doom 3, and with that alone, created a completely new thing. Doom was no longer about scaring the player. It was now about the player making Hell itself feel afraid. How did the devs do that? By empowering the Doom Slayer in all sorts of marvelous ways and thus turning the new Doom into one of the most fast-paced and brutal shooters ever made.

Strengths: Doom redesigned as a series of ever-harder arenas was an ace move. Aside from the pistol, all the weapons are extremely fun to use. The game looks gorgeous and runs very well on weaker hardware.

Weaknesses: The first level of the game only gives players access to the basic pistol. That doesn't do a great job of enticing players for what is to come. We forgive the devs, though, because they give us a Shotgun right at the start of...

[caption id="attachment_258088" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image by Bethesda[/caption]

1. Doom Eternal (2020)

We're not going to hold it against anyone who puts the Doom reboot above Doom Eternal. It comes down to a matter of preference. Gameplay or plot? The reboot features a better plot in the sense the developers understood nobody cares about the plot in these games, so there mostly isn't one. In the reboot, the Doom Slayer actively disregards learning about important story elements, whereas Doom Eternal makes him fully invested in what's happening, down to giving him a backstory. We're not thrilled about that, especially after Doom nailed the character so well.

And yet, like overly nice parents who encourage their kids with treats whenever they want them to study, the developers got our backs. Though they invited us to sit through a bland story, they made up with all kinds of excellent gameplay additions. We got a hook, a shoulder cannon, a dash, an insta-kill sword, and a new replenishment system that made the game more hectic than ever before.

Also, who could forget the Marauder, an enemy in a Doom game that requires players to think? The Marauder rocks, not just because it's the most interesting enemy in the history of Doom but because it might pave the way for sequels filled with way more challenging enemies. Doom might never beat the Half-Life series in terms of level design or puzzle ingenuity, but it could further surpass its rivals in its approach to combat.

And maybe, just maybe, the uninteresting plot isn't the terrible feature we think it is. Maybe it's just the developers' way to make us skip it—just like the real Doom Slayer would.

Strengths: The most refined and hectic gameplay in the entire series. The most fun arsenal and the best enemies to use it on. One of the enemies, the Marauder, provides the most fun challenge we've ever seen in the series. Absolutely glorious soundtrack.

Weaknesses: One of the few instances in which a bigger emphasis on plot and backstory doesn't pay off. A sad mistake after they aced the approach to the plot in Doom (2016).

The post Best Doom games, ranked appeared first on Destructoid.

Cblogs of 12/03 to 12/09/2022

-Chris Bradshaw reflects on his ever-shrinking time in the face of an expanding/disappearing backlog in Xbox Gamepass.

-Jonathan Holmes introduces the latest A Profound Waste of Time magazine edition, which highlights the Sony exclusives of the past, PaRappa the Rapper and The Last Guardian.

-Vadicta reflects on the classic excellence of DOOM 3.

-Lord Spencer continues his Mega Man series retrospective blogs with this blog on Mega Man X, the first game in the X series.

-PhilsPhindings discusses the similarities between the soundtrack of Final Fantasy VI and several music genres.

-Virtua Kazama shares his experience of playing Virtua Fighter online via Fightcade.

-ChronoLynxx opens this week's TGIF community forum for random community discussions.

Thanks for the blogs this week, folks! And thanks to Lord Spencer for the recap. If you wanna join in on the HOT TAKE party, then head on over to the Cblogs section right now. Spill your thoughts on all matters gaming, and you will find yourself recapped on this here front page next week. In addition, we've been informed that there are some issues with the blog editor currently. We will try and get this looked into.

The post How much use did you get out of game streaming services this year? appeared first on Destructoid.

Another chapter, another season of skins to collect

Following yesterday's somewhat longwinded finale to the third chapter of Fortnite, the game is finally back online with Chapter 4 Season 1. At the end of the last chapter, spectators watched as the game's island was destroyed and then slowly reassembled. For Fortnite Chapter 4, that means getting to know this island from scratch once more. What locations are in? Which ones are out? And most importantly, what do I get if I buy the season pass this time?

Some of those questions are answered in the launch trailer below. As teased in the cinematic trailer released on Saturday, Geralt of Rivia from The Witcher is in, as is Doom Guy. My Hero Academia is getting some representation too with Izuku Midoriya. Also, dirt bikes. Lots and lots of dirt bikes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXYxZySYeFU

That map looks like it'll be fun to explore though I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss the days when there was a massive cliffside and waterfall right smack in the middle of it.

As for that season pass, Doom Guy is available starting on page 5 with the rest of the skins for the season belonging to original characters, including The Ageless. Geralt will get his own set of missions that'll unlock later this season.

With the update to Fortnite Chapter 4, current-gen graphics have arrived for the game. Even though I predominantly play on Xbox Series S, I can see some serious changes in how Unreal Engine 5.1 is handling the game. Especially the lighting. The lighting is gorgeous. In fact, I'm tempted to download it to my PS5 to see if there are further improvements my Series S isn't doing.

The post Doom Guy, Geralt, and Izuku Midoriya invade Fortnite Chapter 4 appeared first on Destructoid.

Don't look directly into the trap

I’ve said it before, but I’m a massive fan of Ghostbusters. However, I don’t think you get the whole picture. Back in my teen years, I was an active part of the Ghostbusters fan community on the internet. This was back in ‘01 to maybe ‘04. I made my own costume, discussed the movies and the gear within, and speculated on a possible Ghostbusters 3. I don’t really have any stories of anything bad happening, but I still have a bad taste in my mouth. It’s like, “Ew. I existed when I was a teenager. How horrid!”

It was a different time on the internet, that’s for certain. The dotcom bubble burst, Web 2.0 was starting to swing, and we were about to see the short boom of Livejournal and MySpace before Facebook and Twitter would arrive to homogenize the internet cesspit. Want a taste? This is the website for Ghostbusters Doom 2. That is the good stuff, right there.

It was still a few years before Ghostbusters: The Video Game gave the fandom what we craved. We’d argue what the best game was based on our holy scripture, but the consensus was always that none were particularly great. Meanwhile, Stephen “Scooba Steve” Browning and his group of modders were at work transforming Doom 2 into something wonderful. Then they stopped.

What did you do, Ray?

To be fair, Ghostbusters is a horrible license to try and move into Doom. How are you supposed to render 22 flights of stairs when the engine can’t even do room-over-room? Moreover, the Ghostbusters didn’t just blast ghosts; they lassoed them with science and stuffed them into boxes. It was such a key fact of the universe that the negative impact of destroying ghosts was covered in both The Real Ghostbusters cartoon and IDW’s comic book adaptation.

Despite this glaring inaccuracy (that the team probably knew about), what was finished of Ghostbusters Doom 2 shows a total reverence to the source material, perhaps to the point of being misguided. To wit, the first level has you walk through the New York Public Library to find a single ghost. Accurate? Yes. Fun? Sort of.

Where do these stairs go?

It sometimes feels like Ghostbusters Doom 2 was less about creating an entertaining experience and more about representing scenes from the movies within the confines of the Doom engine. The best level found within is a translation of the courthouse scene from Ghostbusters 2 where you battle against the Scoleri Brothers (of which only one of them has a custom sprite).

The developers really pushed hard to recreate the scene. Most strikingly, there are a lot of invisible objects in the environment that, when hit, turn to flame. This means that as you spray your proton juice around the place, it looks like actual damage is being done. This left such an impression on me as a teen that my biggest wish for Terminal Reality’s Ghostbusters: The Video Game was destructible environments, and they delivered.

If there's a steady paycheck in it, I'll believe anything you say

As I mentioned before, however, the team never finished Ghostbusters Doom 2. I think part of this is because they aimed to make a “total conversion” mod, which is to say that they intended to replace every level in Doom 2. That’s a lot of proton juice to try and get out of two movies that weren’t really action flicks, to begin with.

Browsing through the levels in the last build shows a bit of straining for content. Levels like the Mayor’s Office and the Statue of Liberty were considered and left in the early stages of development. There’s a level where you drive Ecto-1 through the streets of New York, and the only goal is to drive to the Sedgewick Hotel, find that there’s no parking, and then travel to a parking garage.

However, with that said, it still seems as though they were in the process of figuring out what worked and what didn’t. Had development continued, I can easily imagine a cohesive finished product, but they weren’t quite near it yet.

The tools and the talent

What we’re left with, however, is a series of disjointed and unfinished levels. You need the level skip cheat to actually see what’s available, as most of them don’t have proper endings. Some of the levels are quite impressive, such as the rooftop battle against Mr. Staypuft, the aforementioned courtroom scene, and even the all-too-frequent trips to the firehouse. You can easily tell the art that is closer to being finished in comparison to the placeholders. The Ghostbusters are especially fun to see in the game’s art style. You could even rope in other players for co-op.

Then there was the soundtrack. While much of it is still incomplete or drawn from other games, the renditions that were moved over to MIDI sounds showed promise.

The real shame here is that the talent and passion the group brought were visibly on display. Even comparing old screenshots to the “final” product reveals improvements made along the way. It’s entirely possible that they would have eventually met their ambitious goal.

You're really handy, I can tell

Ghostbusters Doom 2 has occupied a space in my mind ever since I first played it. It was at a time when not much was happening with the franchise. Even new merchandise, while plentiful now, was scarce at the time. Every fan’s passion project was looked into and lifted up. Ghostbusters Doom 2 was something to rally around and get excited about.

As it sits, Ghostbusters Doom 2 is mostly a curio. Scuba Steve would move on to find success with Action Doom, and is still a member of the modding community. Newer source ports allow for more to be done with the Doom’s well-aged engine, so the experiments done by the development team are a bit quaint by today’s standards. They were doing things the hard way.

But whenever I find myself playing a game on Id Software’s engine, my mind usually strays back to this ambitious mod. It then also strays to The Battle of Helm’s Deep level, which is still completely rad. Then, usually, it goes to Chex Quest. My point is: I can’t name a fan modification that has left a more lasting impact than this one. I’ll probably be showing it off for decades to come.

For other retro titles you may have missed, click right here!

The post Ghostbusters Doom 2 is an unforgettably unfinished mod appeared first on Destructoid.

Cblogs of 9/24 to 9/30/2022

-ChronoLynxx discusses some lesser-known horror games you should check out this October.

-Kerrik52 is continuing his Legacy of Kain retrospective, now discussing the unique unlikely combination that is responsible for one of his favorite games.

-ReviewWithaMoose does some quick-fire reviews of a couple of games released this year, a movie, and a "classic" game.

-Vadicta didn't like Quake that much despite its technological leaps over DOOM.

-Spazzzh20 severely slams Call of Duty: Vanguard performance at launch.

-PhilsPhindings discusses the similarities between the sounds of Mega Man 2 and Dance/Pop music.

-ChronoLynxx opens this week's TGIF thread for open community discussion.

Thanks for the blogs this week, folks! And thanks to Lord Spencer, as always, for taking the time to provide us with this week’s recap. If you wanna join the HOT TAKE party, then head to the Cblogs section, have your say, and you will find yourself recapped on this here front page next week.

The post Do you have any horror games lined up for this spoopy season? appeared first on Destructoid.

Cblogs of 9/3 to 9/9/2022

-SlimeyBearXXL979990 discusses some cool indie games that are out this September.

-NinjaSpeed shares their hopes for new current-gen exclusives.

-Vadicta sings the praises of the classic DOOM 64.

-Lord Spencer continues his journey through the Mega Man games with this retrospective on Mega Man 9.

-PhilsPhindings discusses the similarities between the soundtrack of Mega Man 2 and Synth Pop, Funk, and Blues music.

-ChronoLynxx opens this week's TGIF community forum for random discussions.

Thanks for the blogs this week, folks. Another slim week but we appreciate each and every one of them regardless. Thanks to Lord Spencer for providing this week's recap. If you wanna join the HOT TAKE party, then head to the Cblogs section, have your say, and you will find yourself recapped on this here front page next week.

The post What games are you looking forward to this fall? appeared first on Destructoid.

Cblogs of 7/16 to 7/22/2022

-Vadicta thinks adventure games suck, and you can't say anything to change his mind.

-Kerrik52 continues their exploration of Blood Omen as part of their greater retrospective of The Legacy of Kain series.

-PhilsPhindings discusses the similarities between the soundtrack of Doom and Mambo music.

-ChronoLynxx opens this week's TGIF forum for random community discussions.

Not so many Cblogs this week, but we appreciate them all the same, so thanks to our dear community, and thanks, as always, to Lord Spencer for providing this week’s recap. If you wanna join the HOT TAKE party, then head to the Cblogs section and have your say. You will find yourself recapped on this here front page next week.

The post What gaming genre continues to elude your interest, year after year? appeared first on Destructoid.

Romero Games is staffing up for an Unreal Engine 5 first-person shooter

Romero Games is currently hiring for a new video game, and while details are light as can be, I'm already intrigued based on who's involved. It's going to be a new FPS from Doom co-creator and industry icon John Romero, in collaboration with a "major publisher."

"Our team is expanding, and we're looking for talented people for all positions and at all experience levels, particularly those with Unreal Engine 5," the studio tweeted.

Based out of Galway, Ireland, Romero Games is looking for a lead level designer, senior multiplayer programmer, and lead character artist, among other roles.

"This is an unprecedented opportunity to join a thriving independent development studio and work on a high-profile title that will be played by millions of gamers worldwide."

"Our team brings decades of experience to the table with significant leadership roles on games like DOOM, Quake, Wolfenstein 3D, SIGIL, Far Cry, Watch Dogs, Forza, Sniper Elite VR, The Division 1 & 2, Crysis, and many others," according to the studio. "We’ve been fortunate to craft genres and create great games, and we have learned powerful lessons from those that didn’t hit the mark, all of which makes us better developers."

[caption id="attachment_335604" align="alignnone" width="2200"] _{Yes, skeletons *are* cool.}[/caption]

A new dawn for Romero Games

You'll surely recognize those games, but SIGIL is worth a special spotlight — it's Romero's unofficial fifth episode of DOOM, and it's available in Megawad form. More recently, in 2020, Romero Games released Empire of Sin — a mobster strategy game designed by Brenda Romero — under Paradox Interactive. That said, it's a "new dawn."

"We are 100% focused on first-person shooters, the foundation that built our careers, our studio, and a genre," the studio's landing page now reads.

The FAQ doesn't have much more to say about the new FPS — "it’s way too early to share any other information on it" — but the page does have some sick skeletons, as shown above. It mostly covers job-related info, including a word about paid internships and not needing a college degree to work at Romero Games. "If you spent all your time coding while others went to college, that’s fine. It’s what John Romero did, too."

The post John Romero’s next FPS will be a new IP with a ‘major publisher’ appeared first on Destructoid.

We heard you like Doom

There's a fascination online with getting classic 1993 FPS Doom running on just about anything. On other consoles, on hardware, on anything that can handle and output data. And now, we've gone one layer deeper, as one modder has put Doom inside Doom.

YouTube modder kgsws uploaded a video titled "You can run Doom inside (DOS) Doom, for real." earlier this week. (Thanks, PCGamesN.) In it, they show the process of using code injection inside the DOS version of Doom.

Now, game and code injection is something they've toyed with before now. But the ultimate execution that leads to Doom running inside Doom is impressive to see.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6hnQ1RKhbo

After a lengthy process, kgsws is able to make a wall as a designated Doom-space. Here, they can watch the attract mode play out, or take over the controls and play themselves.

Eventually, kgsws builds even more. There's a theater for the Doom-ception, but also some additional switches to toggle in-game effects. The modder even puts Heretic, another classic retro shooter, inside Doom.

The ultimate Doom-ception

The quest to make Doom playable on just about anything and everything is, at times, awe-inspiring. It's one thing to get Doom running on a machine meant to play games, like a Game and Watch or something.

But then you have the wilder stuff. People putting Doom in their brand-new Porsche. Doom inside of Twitter, proving the site truly is a hellscape after all. Or Doom inside a pregnancy test, just because we can.

At this point, what's left to get Doom running on? I don't know, and in some ways I'm terrified to find out. But Doom truly is eternal, it seems. Anyways, if you want to play Doom more conventionally, the ports for modern consoles sound like they've got some nice quality-of-life improvements and features.

The post Modder puts Doom inside of Doom appeared first on Destructoid.

The Doom Guy saw his shadow and decided we could have a little treat

Classic Doom with ray tracing is not something I thought I'd wake up to today of all days, but here we are.

Shared on Github by sultim-t, the open mod allows real-time path ray tracing support for the first three episodes of classic Doom, aka Doom 1993. I know, the nomenclature has gotten pretty confusing over the years! Interestingly, this goes deeper than "adding ray tracing" according to the details in the Github code. It has seemingly reworked the lighting effects as a whole, giving it a fuller, more dramatic effect.

How many times will we go back to classic Doom, both in terms of a coverage perspective, and actually playing it ourselves? As many as it takes. I have fond memories of playing this post-Blake Stone/Catacomb-3D and being blown away, and I have the recent experience of playing through the entire series again on Switch. It's one of those things that never goes away or out of style. And a lot of the reason for that is the tireless efforts of the modding community. Thank goodness so many of these games were put out on PC in an accessible state.

Just to be clear, this is a real thing. I know, what timing! But it's real, and you can download it.

Classic Doom with ray tracing gameplay:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2Ld9YNUWls

The post Classic Doom with ray tracing? Sure appeared first on Destructoid.

It's time for Squidward's revenge

Mods are some of the most fun ways for fans to put a new spin on their favorite games, and Doom has one of the most robust modding communities out there. Fans just put out one of my absolute favorites that I've ever seen, though, because user Contrast Saturation just released a SpongeBob-themed mod on a Doom fan site, and it looks insanely fun.

In the mod, known as The Bikini Bottom Massacre, you can play as Squidward, who was just fired from his job at the Krusty Krab and is hell-bent on revenge. "After years of torment from his buffoon neighbors SpongeBob and Patrick, Squidward decides to take his life into his own hands," the website reads.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rod37XUu_I

The mod has thirteen different maps set at different locales that we know and love around Bikini Bottom, like Barg'n-Mart, Jellyfish Fields, and Glove World.

Everything has been reskinned to look like it's straight out of the cartoon, and of course Squidward shoots bubbles rather than bullets. The sprites are super detailed, and the mod's creator divulged in the comments that they would actually trace images straight out of the show, and then create rotated versions, damaged versions, and so on. It was painstaking work, but the final result makes it all worth it, I think.

This isn't the first time we've seen the yellow sponge inspire a video game — in fact, there have been dozens of officially licensed SpongeBob titles since the early 2000s. The most notable of these is the beloved 2003 platformer Battle for Bikini Bottom, which was remade in 2020. The SpongeBob brand has been going strong ever since it was introduced all the way back in 1999, as the show is currently in its thirteenth season, and there are four more movies in the pipeline.

The post This SpongeBob Doom mod takes you on a romp through Bikini Bottom appeared first on Destructoid.

A purchase for the ultimate fan

It seems like there are more Collector's Editions than ever these days. Just in the past few months, I've covered the release of Disco Elysium and Spiritfarer's special editions alone, and there are tons and tons more that seem to be cropping up all the time. This was usually the kind of thing you'd we'd only see with AAA titles, but now our favorite indie games are getting special treatment too, and rightfully so.

If you're buying a physical copy of anything these days, you're usually going out of your way to do so because of how prevalent digital-only sales have become. It can already feel special to have that case sitting on your shelf, but for those diehard fans, the Collector's Edition is the way to go. The price can be a bit of a sticking point, however, because these packages can run hundreds of dollars, depending on the game.

Even if you're a bit skeptical, though, the studios usually always do a really good job of making sure you're getting a good bang for your buck. The contents of these super special (and expensive) releases usually come with a range of all kinds of goodies, from art books to statues to real-life replicas of in-game items. Some of the coolest items I've seen included are to-scale helmets from Doom Eternal or Fallout 4, a mini version of the house from Resident Evil VII, or the replica loot chest that came with the Collector's Edition of Borderlands 2.

Despite how cool some of the goodies are that come along in these editions, I think I'd only be willing to shell out the cash for the games that are most special to me. The only one available right now that's tempting me is indeed Disco Elysium, considering it's in my top three favorite games of all time, but I'm still on the fence about whether I want to spend that money right now.

As we continue to lean into digital-only purchases, it seems that this rise in Collector's Editions is a way to get more players to buy physical copies — and spend more money in the process. I don't have a problem with this at all, especially since studios often make their special editions feel like love letters to fans. However, you also have to be wary of less-than-satisfactory bundles, like that of Fallout 76 or The Witcher 3, for example.

Thankfully disappointing Collector's Editions seem like less common occurrences, but after being burned in the past, I'm definitely skeptical when I'm going to spend that much money. That is why reviews and unboxing videos exist after all, which I have to remind myself before I get consumed by the hype.

So now I arrive at the questions du jour: how much are you willing to dole out for a Collector's Edition? Do you have any, and if so, what was your criteria for the purchase? Did it have to do with the game/property itself, or what items were actually included in the edition?

_{[Image Credit: twistedsymphony]}

The post How much are you willing to drop on Collector’s Editions? appeared first on Destructoid.

Does this mean we're getting a rat pro league?

With access to an endless stream of information and content on the internet, sometimes you think you've seen it all. Thankfully, though, something comes along every once in a while that proves you wrong, and that happened to me today when I found that there's a scientist who taught his rats how to play Doom II. This is so ridiculous, it has to be part of some important project for the good of mankind, right? Oh what's that? Hungarian software engineer and neuroscientist Viktor Tóth just got bored one day and decided he wanted to teach his little furry friends how to play video games?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMNxkQXwykA

Okay so turns out he was actually just curious to learn more about brain computer interfaces, and thought this might be a good way to test them out. But still, it's pretty hilarious that this is how he chose to go about it. His setup includes a large ball made out of a material called polystyrene, a plastic that's often used in food packaging.

To play Doom, the rats were placed on top of the sphere where they could use the pressure from their feet to move around the game's map, while also being fitted into a harness so they don't fall off. Finally, the rats also had a little tube in front of them that would dispense treats when they did something right.

Tóth says he specifically chose the first level of Doom II to train the rats because it was simple, and a large enough area for the rats to walk around and explore. "I was able to scrap the first corridor out of the map and make the doors open on touch when a rat approached it," he said, "there’s no button they need to press or behavior they need to exhibit to actually open doors." Even with these modifications, one of the rats named Romero ended up getting confused when he encountered his first enemy.

Tóth goes on to explain that even when imposing a deadline on himself to get the rats trained up in time, they still have to learn at their own pace.

https://twitter.com/TonyHoWasHere/status/1470450782763950089?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1470450782763950089%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ffuturism.com%2Fviktor-toth-doom-rat

When asked about his plans to create a Twitch channel for the rats, Tóth gave a hesitant yes. "It's a very valid way to monetize a project like this. The only problem is how long the rat can run for," he said.

Well I don't know about you guys, but this is absolutely something that I would tune in to watch. These rats are so adorable, and it's kind of cool that Tóth is spreading the love of gaming to another species. If you're interesting in learning more about the process, too, I recommend reading the full interview on Futurism's website.

The post A scientist might start a Twitch channel for his rats that play Doom appeared first on Destructoid.

There are still more demons to slay

Even for an efficient and capable annihilator of demons like the Doom Slayer, the work is never quite finished. Update 6.66 for Doom Eternal arrives on Oct. 26, bringing with it a Horde Mode, Battlemode 2.0, and two new master levels to rip and tear through.

Earlier this year, id Software confirmed it would be scrapping its planned Invasion Mode for Doom Eternal in favor of a single-player Horde Mode. Executive producer Marty Stratton attributed the change to the impact of the pandemic and remote work, and the enjoyment players found in Doom Eternal's expansions and master levels.

"We’re confident this Horde Mode will offer you more of the diversity and challenge you’re looking for in the game," said Stratton.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoY6CgJjO34

The team is streaming a look at Doom Eternal's Horde Mode tonight on the Bethesda Twitch channel, so you can get a sneak peek ahead of next week's launch.

As well as Horde Mode, the Battlemode 2.0 refresh and two additional master levels will arrive. It's a pretty good post-launch burst of content for Doom Eternal, and hey, who better to fight off a demon horde than the Doom Slayer himself?

Back in 2020, Doom Eternal had the tough job of following up the 2016 revival with even more demons and action, and players have seemed to especially gel with the added challenge of things like the master levels. With Halloween right around the corner and all manner of frights about, now might just be the best time to hop back onto the Doom Eternal train. The Doom Eternal 6.66 update arrives on Oct. 26, 2021.

The post Doom Eternal’s Horde Mode arrives next week in update 6.66 appeared first on Destructoid.

The fan art must flow

The Isabelle and Doom Slayer saga spiraled out of control in the best way possible, and now, with the latest Super Smash Bros. Ultimate update, it feels like we've come full circle.

In a simple but effective brand-synergizing tweet today, the @DOOM account shared a wholesome screenshot of Animal Crossing's Isabelle — and Doom's, err, Doomguy — side by side in Smash Ultimate. It's an unlikely yet beautiful friendship. Two worlds, one family.

https://twitter.com/DOOM/status/1450494190945714178

As much as Doom fans would've liked to see the Doom Slayer as a full-blown roster addition in Smash Ultimate, having this force of nature available in the game as a Mii Fighter costume for the Mii Gunner is the next best thing. The Praetor Suit looks good.

The Animal Crossing x Doom fan-art phenomenon probably doesn't need a boost — it seems like it has enough momentum to be self-sustaining at this point — but it's amusing to see this pairing made "official" again. (Imagine a just-vague-enough Easter egg reference to Isabelle in the next Doom game, whenever that comes. I would die.)

To think, this Isabelle and Doom Slayer (friend)ship went big with a March 20 release shared between these two very different games. It goes to show that there's room in our hearts to grow a laid-back island community and also cut down hordes of demon scum.

Part of me recognizes how not important this is; another part takes pleasure in it for that very reason. If I can't find joy in a heartwarming fan-art craze, what am I even doing?

The post Isabelle and Doom Slayer can rip and tear together in Smash Ultimate appeared first on Destructoid.

Bring on the demon hordes

Id Software announced a change to Doom Eternal's roadmap today regarding its free Invasion Mode update. Rather than Invasion, id Software will be working on a new single-player Horde Mode.

In a letter from executive producer Marty Stratton, he says both the impact of the pandemic and remote working, as well as how players have been enjoying the content of Doom Eternal's expansions and master levels, brought about the decision.

"We're confident this Horde Mode will offer you more of the diversity and challenge you're looking for in the game," said Stratton.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGvnUaiX-Hg

He also confirms that the Doom team is working on a refresh of Battlemode with a more competitive, rank-based structure, some gameplay and balance updates, and a new map. More info will be shared at QuakeCon 2021 in August.

The post Doom Eternal is getting a Horde Mode instead of Invasion Mode appeared first on Destructoid.

Three modes of play, all minimum 60 FPS

[Update: So Bethesda has provided trailers of the game running on Xbox Series X and PS5, as well as highlights from "Update 6," which was released with the upgrades. The gist of the latter is that Doom Eternal now has a new Master Level (Taras Nabad), as well as a new battlemode arena (Corrosion). Bethesda also notes that the battlemode has been improved with new tweaks like bug fixes, balance changes, and "multiple bandwidth optimizations." It's a good day for Doom.]

Bethesda has been saying that Doom Eternal will be getting a next-gen upgrade for a while, but now the time has finally come. That very upgrade is out today on Xbox Series X/S and PS5, as well as by way of a ray-tracing enabled update on PC. Here's the full rundown of the Doom Eternal next-gen upgrade, system by system:

• Performance Mode: 1800p – 120 FPS
• Balanced Mode: 2160p – 60 FPS
• Ray Tracing Mode: 1800p – 60 FPS

• Performance Mode: 1080p – 120 FPS
• Balanced Mode: 1440p – 60 FPS
• Ray Tracing Mode: Not Available

• Performance Mode: 1584p – 120 FPS
• Balanced Mode: 2160p – 60 FPS
• Ray Tracing Mode: 1800p – 60 FPS

Oh yeah, I love seeing 60FPS as the minimum, here: it's a nice break from the last generation! And again, the ray-tracing upgrade on PC is also out today.

As a reminder, the upgrade is free on all platforms, and on Xbox you'll get it automatically as part of Smart Delivery. On PS5, you'll just need to search and find the separate PS5 version and download that. Physical copies are part of the upgrade process too, and Bethesda says there is "no limit" on this upgrade opp, so you don't need to rush to redeem it. All DLC will transfer too if you're signed into the same account that made the DLC purchase.

One more reminder: Doom Eternal is on Game Pass, too!

The post The Doom Eternal next-gen upgrade is out today, here’s what it does on PS5 and Series X appeared first on Destructoid.

More leakage ahead of Microsoft/Bethesda conference

[Update: Microsoft officially revealed the Yakuza: Like a Dragon news during their E3 conference today, as well as the below Bethesda titles, which are available today on Game Pass.]

A quartet of great video game releases are reportedly headed to Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass service in the immediate future. Sega's goofy RPG Yakuza: Like a Dragon is expected to join the paid subscription service soon, alongside Bethesda hits Doom, The Evil Within 2, and the legendary Fallout 3.

The first whispers of Yakuza Like a Dragon's addition came about via a leaked listing on the Xbox Game Pass Brazilian store, which was later corroborated by The Verge's Tom Warren and VentureBeat's Jeff Grubb. Italian snoops over at Aggiornamenti Lumia leaked slides featuring the three Bethesda releases back on June 11. All of the above titles are expected to be officially revealed at today's Microsoft/Bethesda E3 conference, which kicks off in just a few short hours from now.

The Microsoft/Bethesda stream kicks off today at 10:00 PT / 13:00 ET / 18:00 BST. As the first E3 stream since the two companies' mega-merger, Microsoft will no doubt be going all out today to spotlight the Xbox Series X/S hardware, the Xbox Game Pass service, and the various branding opportunities facilitated by the $7 billion acquisition.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uBK1MMC5KQ

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That's the lowest price to date for the Switch version

Doom Eternal is half price ($29.99) on the Nintendo Switch eShop, and that's a solid deal.

Panic Button's well-liked Switch port of Doom Eternal only released digitally, and it's still relatively recent compared to the older PC and other console versions that came out first, so for anyone considering waiting on a "good deal," this is likely your best opportunity for a good long while.

For a tech analysis, I'd turn to Digital Foundry. The Switch edition looks blurry even when you aren't stacking it up side-by-side, but it plays well, and it's a "near locked 30 frames per second experience" in docked play. As for those pesky Marauders, I can't help you there – you're gonna have to practice.

While I'd say Doom Eternal is the focal point here, a few other notable eShop sales are running right now that you can peruse all at once over on Nintendo's sales and deals page. For once, it's not too cramped.

Bethesda has the wider Doom and Wolfenstein series on sale. Everything is half price, which works out pretty well for the classic Doom titles, but not so much for Skyrim, which is still charging $29.99.

The Warner Bros. Games sale is mostly a chance to save on Mortal Kombat 11 ($14.99) and assorted LEGO games, from Jurassic World ($9.99) to Marvel Super Heroes 2 ($7.49) to The Incredibles ($14.99).

Activision Blizzard has titles like Diablo III: Eternal Collection ($29.99), Overwatch ($19.99), Spyro Reignited Trilogy ($19.99), and Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled ($19.99), but those prices aren't as tempting. I'm mostly just mentioning this sale since we're already here and I appreciate those remakes.

These deals will stick around until April 11 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific (Activision Blizzard), April 14 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific (Warner Bros. Games), and April 15 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific (Bethesda). Plenty of time.

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No disk-swapping necessary

For PS4 and Nintendo Switch owners who simply cannot get by without a spot of the old rip 'n' tear, Limited Run Games has announced a new physical release, collating three titles from id Software's game-changing shooter series, Doom.

Doom: The Classics Collection will be made available in three formats. The Standard Edition will include a boxed disc/cartridge containing original releases Doom, Doom II, and Doom 3 and will retail for around $40 USD. A Special Edition also adds numerous bonus items including art prints for all three titles, steelbook casing, a keychain, an 8GB USB device styled after a floppy disk, a metal replica of an in-game keycard, and a reprint of the 1996 Doom comic book. This edition will retail for around $80.

Finally, the Collector's Edition contains all of the above items, but housed in special "shadow box" packaging that now only lights up, but also plays the iconic Doom theme, getting you in the mood for a spot of shotgun pumpin' chainsaw revvin' demon slaying. This premium edition will retail for a hefty $130. Pre-orders for all three editions will go live April 2 at 07:00 PT /10:00 ET, exclusively on the Limited Run Games Store.

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Hope you aren't done Rip 'n' Tearin'

Following its tease earlier this week, Bethesda Softworks has released the full trailer for The Ancient Gods: Part 2, the second DLC expansion for id Software's hellish shooter Doom Eternal.

The new DLC, which drops on PS4, PC, and Xbox One tomorrow, March 18, sees the Doom Slayer and his small army of hellions rise up in battle against his vicious alter-ego, The Dark Lord. (I mean, Doom Slayer is pretty vicious himself but you get what I'm saying. The violent trailer is particularly epic in scale, with an all-out war perhaps beyond anything seen in the legendary franchise to date. 

The Ancient Gods: Part 2 will feature new locations including ancient Sentinel settlements, a devastated Earth city, and finally the intimidating towers of The Dark Lord himself. It'll take all of our hero's might to face down a bastion of new villain variants, including the Stone Imp, the Armored Baron, the Cursed Prowler, and the all-new Screecher, who has the power to buff remaining enemies once killed... Huh, maybe save that dude 'til last.

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Full preview coming March 17

Bethesda has released a trailer for a trailer, (because this is real life now), teasing the arrival of The Ancient Gods: Part 2, the next explosive DLC expansion headed to id Software's Doom Eternal.

The short video, which you can check out below, sees our pal the Doom Slayer rally up with some devastating intergalactic forces, preparing for one hell of an almighty showdown with his villainous alter-ego, The Dark Lord, who shows up to the war rocking some pretty almighty Warhammer-style battle armor. A brief glimpse of action, and we're done, with the full gameplay trailer dropping this Wednesday, March 17.

Doom Eternal, currently available on PS4, PC, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch, is also expected to hit PS5 and Xbox Series X at some point later in 2021. As Doom is one of the properties that now falls under the Microsoft banner, (courtesy of the ZeniMax acquisition) it remains to be seen what the future holds for the franchise from an exclusivity stance.

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Additional Bethesda titles hitting Game Pass this week

This morning, Microsoft officially confirmed that it has completed its $7.5 billion USD acquisition of ZeniMax Media and its subsidiary companies. As of today, Bethesda Softworks, its studios, and range of IPs and licenses are now officially Xbox-owned properties.

"It’s an honor to welcome the eight incredibly talented development studios – Bethesda Game Studios, id Software, ZeniMax Online Studios, Arkane, MachineGames, Tango Gameworks, Alpha Dog, and Roundhouse Studios - and their passionate global communities to the Xbox family," said Xbox head Phil Spencer in a statement. "Our goal is to give these teams the best foundation for doing their greatest work and to learn from them as we continue to build Xbox into an inclusive platform for all players."

"This is the next step in building an industry-leading first party studios team, a commitment we have to our Xbox community. With the addition of the Bethesda creative teams, gamers should know that Xbox consoles, PC, and Game Pass will be the best place to experience new Bethesda games, including some new titles in the future that will be exclusive to Xbox and PC players."

Bethesda's SVP of Marketing, Pete Hines, also offered a statement on behalf of the publisher, whose portfolio is stacked with popular brands such as Doom, The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, and Wolfenstein.

"First, let me say that we’re not making any landmark announcements or changes right now," said Hines. "As we’ve all shared, the expectation is that Bethesda Softworks and our studios will continue as we have in the past, just with more support and resources than we’ve ever had before. Obviously, Game Pass has been an important initiative for Xbox, and we’ll be working on putting even more of our games into Game Pass than ever before. Beyond that? Stay tuned, we’re just getting started together."

Xbox declared that the celebrations will begin later this week, with the arrival of several additional Bethesda releases to the paid subscription service, Xbox Game Pass. Going forward, players can expect game/brand exclusivity to be approached on a "case-by-case" basis. While Microsoft has made it clear in the past that it does not wish to horde all of its new wares for itself - let's face it - they didn't just drop $7.5 billion for nothing.

In the meantime, it's simply a matter of waiting and watching, as only time will tell how this huge merger - one of the biggest in industry history and made at the dawn of a whole new generation of gaming - will play out in the long run.

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