Really not all that fun compared to 2016. Way too arcadey and you have next to no freedom in how you approach the combat. In the old games and 2016, you could use basically any weapons whenever, and they'd be viable.

Here, it's like "oh, look. An arachnotron. Time to get the explosive shotgun." and so on. You are locked into playing the game exactly how it tells you to play it, because there's really no freedom in its combat.

There are tutorials everywhere, constantly patronizing you with instructions in the vain of "here's the one way in which you should approach this situation". You play on the game's terms alone. You don't get to choose how you play. Your choice is to either convince yourself you are having fun because the devs allowed you to do so, or stop lying to yourself and exit the game.

Unpopular opinion incoming... I'll start this review off saying that this was super unexpected coming from me. After loving DOOM 2016, and hearing the rave reviews for Eternal, I was more than prepared to RIP & TEAR everything in sight! I was pumped and ready to crank up the Mick Gordon tunes to 11!

But sadly, while Mick Gordon may have at least delivered, the game itself just didn't do it for me... and based on critical reception, it truly makes me feel like I'm a severe outlier. Like am I taking crazy pills here?!

So, just up front, take what I say with a grain of salt, and by all means try it for yourself... but in my opinion, I was not a fan. I thought they literally took everything that made DOOM 2016 great and switched it up. The definition of trying to fix what was NOT broken. Every Single Change, I took exception with... where some saw it as being an evolution in the Doom formula, I saw it as a huge step back, with so many unnecessary and poor design decisions.

Firstly, I hated how disconnected it felt from 2016 - I swear, it felt like I missed a game in between or something... the serious/dark tone replaced by a much sillier, over-the-top, arcade game. The graphics and enemy designs look worse here and seem much more cartoony than its predecessor. It truly felt like a downgrade to me in more ways than one...

As for its story? Laughable. Its campaign fell flat and felt utterly ridiculous too. I mean, is this some kind of self-parody? Did I miss the joke somewhere? They went all in on the memes here too... it truly felt like they were trying too hard. The developers shoving in your face: "look how cool Doomguy is" vs him being more natural in his badassery.

Lastly, and most importantly, there is the gameplay - I could forgive everything else, if they at least nailed this part and I enjoyed the gunplay... but I don't...and in fact, this is where I had the most issues with it!

2016 was a love letter to the franchise. Bringing Doom back from the brink of hell itself, and restoring glory to its good name after a long slumber and the weird attempt into survival horror with Doom 3... Eternal though? Damn, where do I even start?! I hated pretty much all of the changes they made here. To me, this doesn't even really feel like an FPS game - more like an "arcadey", puzzle game with a bunch of platforming thrown into the mix, forcing you down a very singular path in how it wants you to play it.

Limiting ammunition so you are forced into this constant cycle of weaponry rather than allowing the player their freedom in how to tackle enemies and certain situations... no, here you are forced to confront situations and defeat enemies using the same tactics every time... rinse and repeat.

What they did to the chainsaw, should be considered a crime against humanity... I just couldn't stand this gameplay loop and got tired of it real quick. And did I mention, I hate the hub world...

By the time I was at the halfway point, I just wanted it all to be over... but this game is long, and it feels even longer, especially when you are forced into these abysmal platforming sections. There is absolutely no way I will be playing the DLC to this... and I fear with this game's popularity, I may just not be the target audience for the next Doom unless they revert back closer to their 2016 iteration. I'm not holding out much hope...
 
Easily the most disappointed I've been with a game since perhaps Mass Effect 3's original release on the Xbox 360...

A perfect game, no notes. But seriously, I'm trying to think of anything I would change about the game and I'm coming up empty. The music and atmosphere is incredible, the R-rated high fantasy cartoon lore is exactly my speed, and the visuals and environment design are on point. And that's all just set dressing for the finely tuned combat loop that is the perfect mix between mindless flow state and split-second decision making. The power you have to manage your own resources and source ammo, health, or armor at any time really makes it feel like you are in control of how effective you are at any given time. The diversity of enemy types helps this and ensures you're always trying to prioritize the biggest threat in a combat space at any given time. When you're in the groove it turns into a first-person character action game, something like Bayonetta. Until the Marauders show up, then it's Sekiro. All I can think about right now is going back and replaying levels where I missed secrets and collectibles and trying to 100% my save file.