The ‘Doom’ franchise is an odd one for me. I first played ‘Doom (2016)’ in 2017, which was a solid 4/6. I then played ‘Doom (1993)’ and was pleasantly surprised at how much I ended up enjoying it. ‘Doom (1993)’ is an old game from the year 1993. Good video games from 1993, aside from ‘Doom (1993)’, include ‘The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening’, ‘Mega Man X’, ‘Kirby’s Adventure’, and nothing else. Most games from this year are bad, and all of them are old. ‘Doom (1993)’ is not bad, and it does not show it’s age in anything beyond the literal joke of a soundtrack you listen to as you murder demons. I then moved on to ‘Doom II: Hell on Earth’ and hated it. I played no other ‘Doom’ games until ‘Doom Eternal’ soon after it’s 2020 release. When I initially built my 2020 GotY list,, I had it scored as a 3/6 and ranked fourteenth. Evidently, something has shifted since my initial playthrough of ‘Doom Eternal’.
Sometime around early April of 2020, the original ‘Doom’ trilogy went on sale on the Nintendo Switch eShop. Because I simped for the Nintendo Switch at the time, and because I had an odd craving to play ‘Doom (1993)’ again, it seemed an opportune moment to replay ‘Doom (1993)’. It still held up, and I feel fully comfortable stating it is one of the best first-person shooters ever made, even removed from the cultural and technical significance it holds. I then played ‘Doom II: Hell on Earth’ on that very same Nintendo Switch, and came to the realization my past self was an absolute moron. ‘Doom II: Hell on Earth’ is just ‘Doom (1993)’ but better. I then attempted to play the bonus packs included within these Nintendo Switch versions of Doom, and I did not get very far before realizing this was a waste of time. Then came ‘Doom 64’ and ‘Doom 64: The Lost Levels’, which I already wrote about in the past, and refuse to write about again for at least 15 more years. After this came ‘Doom 3’ on the Nintendo Switch, which is as much a ‘Doom’ game as I am an intellectual. Meaning we pretend, though it is impossible to hide the reality of such falsehood. On my own personal list of every video game I’ve ever played, which is a secret that you are not yet powerful enough to understand, I gave each game the following scores:
Doom (1993) — 4/6
Doom II: Hell on Earth — 5/6
TNT: Evilution — 2/6
The Plutonia Experiment — 2/6
Doom 64–4/6
Doom 64: The Lost Levels — 4/6
Doom 3–3/6
It took twelve years following the release of ‘Doom 3’ to receive a fully realized, completely new ‘Doom’ project. That project culminated in one of the more innovative first-person shooters to come out from the previous console generation, ‘Doom (2016)’. I replayed ‘Doom (2016)’ and realized it was the best ‘Doom’ game I had played at that point. My first playthrough of the game was fun, but having an entire catalogue of ‘Doom’ games under my belt, as well as having just completed the notably subdued ‘Doom 3’, ‘Doom (2016)’ cracked my ass like a whip to the ass. ‘Doom (2016)’ is one of the most impressive shooters ever created on both a technical and philosophical level. It has an abundance of ideas presented through combat and level design, never appearing to fail in any of it’s ventures. I can’t name a single moment during ‘Doom (2016)’ where I remember feeling underwhelmed. It comes supremely close to perfecting itself in one of the most beautiful ways possible. ‘Doom (2016)’ is the type of game that led me to utilize a 6-point scale rather than a 5-point scale. I feel five points does too little to allow for the best of the best to separate themselves from the games which are merely of high quality. Games that go the extra mile to either ensure a high level of quality, or appeal to a very specific love of mine, deserve to be treated on a separate level. ‘Doom (2016)’ is a 6/6 video game.
‘Doom Eternal’ is not ‘Doom (2016)’. In fact, it isn’t even close to ‘Doom (2016)’. The aesthetic is there, the weaponry is there, the gore is there, but it revamps the combat and level design entirely to fit to it’s new mechanics. It took massive testicles to make the decision to shift away from the critically and commercially successful power fantasy of ‘Doom (2016)’ into a skills-based cooldown-focused style of game that is ‘Doom Eternal’. When I first started ‘Doom Eternal’, I was bad at ‘Doom’ games. I had only played ‘Doom (2016)’, ‘Doom (1993)’, and ‘Doom II: Hell on Earth’ one time each, all on the easiest difficulty setting available. Because I have issues coming to terms with my masculinity, I decided I would play ‘Doom Eternal’ on the normal difficulty. I did this for most of the game and did not have fun. When I did move to the easiest difficulty some time in the latter half, I had more fun, but I had been having so little fun prior that the pace of my play had extended past two months, and I felt quite ready to remove myself from gaming with ‘Doom Eternal’ specifically. When I finally finished ‘Doom Eternal’, I had determined it to be a restrictive experience as opposed to the freeing sensation ‘Doom (2016)’ presented through it’s 10+-hour campaign. It was difficult for me to wrap my head around just how much the game forces you to utilize very specific mechanics in order to survive even the smallest of encounters. My first playthrough was spent constantly running out of ammunition and basically never remembering to use the Flame Belch. I spent a majority of my time on critical health, trying to forage around like I would in ‘Doom (2016)’, and doing so unsuccessfully because this is ‘Doom Eternal’. I wanted to utilize the Super Shotgun in at least 95% of my encounters, as I deemed it the most fun weapon and I became annoyed when I no longer could use it after a few shots. I hated the enemies which required me to “counter” their attacks because I just wanted to fire away with no interruption. It is abundantly clear to me, now, that what I wanted to do was to play ‘Doom (2016)’
When I made my return to ‘Doom Eternal’, it came immediately after another foray into ‘Doom (2016)’. There was no longer a 3-year gap between my experience with a 6/6 video game and an experience I assumed would be similar. I, as well, was not necessarily in the mood to play something which needed as much attention and focus as ‘Doom Eternal’. I think I played it around the same time as I played ‘Tomb Raider (1996)’ for the first time, which was a slow and methodical experience that I loved. On my return to ‘Doom Eternal’, I had become full on the stress-free shooting from the games ‘Doom (1993)’, ‘Doom II: Hell on Earth’, ‘Doom 64’, ‘Doom 3’, and ‘Doom (2016)’. I wasn’t experiencing the same craving I had earlier in the year during my initial playthrough of ‘Doom Eternal’. In short, I actually engaged ‘Doom Eternal’ as it was designed to be engaged on my second time around. And that engagement made it my favorite game of 2020.
There are few gaming experiences I’ve had which have been more satisfying than mastering a single combat encounter with ‘Doom Eternal’. I’ve heard detractors state that ‘Doom Eternal’ asks the player to specifically do too many things to the point of not being fun. I agreed with this argument when I was bad at ‘Doom Eternal’. But ‘Doom Eternal’ is not asking you to do specific things, it merely requires you to meet a standard criteria of actions during each battle. How you go about performing those actions is where one can express their freedoms. In my second playthrough of ‘Doom Eternal’, I wasn’t forcefully restricting myself to the Super Shotgun, nor was I ignoring the less immediately gratifying mechanics such as the Flame Belch or ice grenades. ‘Doom Eternal’ needs the player to think actively about how each tool can be used, not only to be enjoyable, but to present itself as the masterpiece it actually is. Utilizing your weaponry in successful combos to maintain full health and full ammo as you are slaughtering dozens of powerful enemies creates a special kind of gratification I have never had before. Weak points were added to many of the stronger enemies, making battles become even more mentally involving. The combat in ‘Doom Eternal’ is always asking you to think and act quickly and intelligently, and it is always a blast. Even the Marauder, an enemy that not even ‘Doom Eternal’ simps tend to defend, became fun for me when I realized how many ways a single Marauder can shake up one’s playstyle and encourage on-the-fly adaptation.
There is not a single moment in ‘Doom Eternal’ that isn’t fun. Much like ‘Hades’ from the same year, game designers should be ashamed of themselves for being unable to create something this good. There may be some tonal problems with ‘Doom Eternal’ such as how arcade-y pickups and environments are and how overly serious the story is in comparison. However, this is also hilarious. ‘Doom Eternal’ is the gold standard of 2020 video games, and I am an embarrassment of a human being for almost failing to see this.
Sometime around early April of 2020, the original ‘Doom’ trilogy went on sale on the Nintendo Switch eShop. Because I simped for the Nintendo Switch at the time, and because I had an odd craving to play ‘Doom (1993)’ again, it seemed an opportune moment to replay ‘Doom (1993)’. It still held up, and I feel fully comfortable stating it is one of the best first-person shooters ever made, even removed from the cultural and technical significance it holds. I then played ‘Doom II: Hell on Earth’ on that very same Nintendo Switch, and came to the realization my past self was an absolute moron. ‘Doom II: Hell on Earth’ is just ‘Doom (1993)’ but better. I then attempted to play the bonus packs included within these Nintendo Switch versions of Doom, and I did not get very far before realizing this was a waste of time. Then came ‘Doom 64’ and ‘Doom 64: The Lost Levels’, which I already wrote about in the past, and refuse to write about again for at least 15 more years. After this came ‘Doom 3’ on the Nintendo Switch, which is as much a ‘Doom’ game as I am an intellectual. Meaning we pretend, though it is impossible to hide the reality of such falsehood. On my own personal list of every video game I’ve ever played, which is a secret that you are not yet powerful enough to understand, I gave each game the following scores:
Doom (1993) — 4/6
Doom II: Hell on Earth — 5/6
TNT: Evilution — 2/6
The Plutonia Experiment — 2/6
Doom 64–4/6
Doom 64: The Lost Levels — 4/6
Doom 3–3/6
It took twelve years following the release of ‘Doom 3’ to receive a fully realized, completely new ‘Doom’ project. That project culminated in one of the more innovative first-person shooters to come out from the previous console generation, ‘Doom (2016)’. I replayed ‘Doom (2016)’ and realized it was the best ‘Doom’ game I had played at that point. My first playthrough of the game was fun, but having an entire catalogue of ‘Doom’ games under my belt, as well as having just completed the notably subdued ‘Doom 3’, ‘Doom (2016)’ cracked my ass like a whip to the ass. ‘Doom (2016)’ is one of the most impressive shooters ever created on both a technical and philosophical level. It has an abundance of ideas presented through combat and level design, never appearing to fail in any of it’s ventures. I can’t name a single moment during ‘Doom (2016)’ where I remember feeling underwhelmed. It comes supremely close to perfecting itself in one of the most beautiful ways possible. ‘Doom (2016)’ is the type of game that led me to utilize a 6-point scale rather than a 5-point scale. I feel five points does too little to allow for the best of the best to separate themselves from the games which are merely of high quality. Games that go the extra mile to either ensure a high level of quality, or appeal to a very specific love of mine, deserve to be treated on a separate level. ‘Doom (2016)’ is a 6/6 video game.
‘Doom Eternal’ is not ‘Doom (2016)’. In fact, it isn’t even close to ‘Doom (2016)’. The aesthetic is there, the weaponry is there, the gore is there, but it revamps the combat and level design entirely to fit to it’s new mechanics. It took massive testicles to make the decision to shift away from the critically and commercially successful power fantasy of ‘Doom (2016)’ into a skills-based cooldown-focused style of game that is ‘Doom Eternal’. When I first started ‘Doom Eternal’, I was bad at ‘Doom’ games. I had only played ‘Doom (2016)’, ‘Doom (1993)’, and ‘Doom II: Hell on Earth’ one time each, all on the easiest difficulty setting available. Because I have issues coming to terms with my masculinity, I decided I would play ‘Doom Eternal’ on the normal difficulty. I did this for most of the game and did not have fun. When I did move to the easiest difficulty some time in the latter half, I had more fun, but I had been having so little fun prior that the pace of my play had extended past two months, and I felt quite ready to remove myself from gaming with ‘Doom Eternal’ specifically. When I finally finished ‘Doom Eternal’, I had determined it to be a restrictive experience as opposed to the freeing sensation ‘Doom (2016)’ presented through it’s 10+-hour campaign. It was difficult for me to wrap my head around just how much the game forces you to utilize very specific mechanics in order to survive even the smallest of encounters. My first playthrough was spent constantly running out of ammunition and basically never remembering to use the Flame Belch. I spent a majority of my time on critical health, trying to forage around like I would in ‘Doom (2016)’, and doing so unsuccessfully because this is ‘Doom Eternal’. I wanted to utilize the Super Shotgun in at least 95% of my encounters, as I deemed it the most fun weapon and I became annoyed when I no longer could use it after a few shots. I hated the enemies which required me to “counter” their attacks because I just wanted to fire away with no interruption. It is abundantly clear to me, now, that what I wanted to do was to play ‘Doom (2016)’
When I made my return to ‘Doom Eternal’, it came immediately after another foray into ‘Doom (2016)’. There was no longer a 3-year gap between my experience with a 6/6 video game and an experience I assumed would be similar. I, as well, was not necessarily in the mood to play something which needed as much attention and focus as ‘Doom Eternal’. I think I played it around the same time as I played ‘Tomb Raider (1996)’ for the first time, which was a slow and methodical experience that I loved. On my return to ‘Doom Eternal’, I had become full on the stress-free shooting from the games ‘Doom (1993)’, ‘Doom II: Hell on Earth’, ‘Doom 64’, ‘Doom 3’, and ‘Doom (2016)’. I wasn’t experiencing the same craving I had earlier in the year during my initial playthrough of ‘Doom Eternal’. In short, I actually engaged ‘Doom Eternal’ as it was designed to be engaged on my second time around. And that engagement made it my favorite game of 2020.
There are few gaming experiences I’ve had which have been more satisfying than mastering a single combat encounter with ‘Doom Eternal’. I’ve heard detractors state that ‘Doom Eternal’ asks the player to specifically do too many things to the point of not being fun. I agreed with this argument when I was bad at ‘Doom Eternal’. But ‘Doom Eternal’ is not asking you to do specific things, it merely requires you to meet a standard criteria of actions during each battle. How you go about performing those actions is where one can express their freedoms. In my second playthrough of ‘Doom Eternal’, I wasn’t forcefully restricting myself to the Super Shotgun, nor was I ignoring the less immediately gratifying mechanics such as the Flame Belch or ice grenades. ‘Doom Eternal’ needs the player to think actively about how each tool can be used, not only to be enjoyable, but to present itself as the masterpiece it actually is. Utilizing your weaponry in successful combos to maintain full health and full ammo as you are slaughtering dozens of powerful enemies creates a special kind of gratification I have never had before. Weak points were added to many of the stronger enemies, making battles become even more mentally involving. The combat in ‘Doom Eternal’ is always asking you to think and act quickly and intelligently, and it is always a blast. Even the Marauder, an enemy that not even ‘Doom Eternal’ simps tend to defend, became fun for me when I realized how many ways a single Marauder can shake up one’s playstyle and encourage on-the-fly adaptation.
There is not a single moment in ‘Doom Eternal’ that isn’t fun. Much like ‘Hades’ from the same year, game designers should be ashamed of themselves for being unable to create something this good. There may be some tonal problems with ‘Doom Eternal’ such as how arcade-y pickups and environments are and how overly serious the story is in comparison. However, this is also hilarious. ‘Doom Eternal’ is the gold standard of 2020 video games, and I am an embarrassment of a human being for almost failing to see this.