he team at Id did
something few studios
have managed in recent
years. They took an old,
beloved franchise, and
they reimagined it for the modern age,
with 2016’s Doom reboot. Now the
team are back with a new Doom that
makes that previous entry look like the
adventures of an elderly gentleman
going for a gentle stroll through a
windy park in Coventry.
Doom Eternal brings new enemy
types, new weapons, and a new
design for the Slayer, our protagonist.
Let’s start with the enemies, as there
are plenty to discuss. Zombiemen
make a welcome return, and spew
armour as you shoot them. The
arachnotron from Doom 2 is back,
packing a huge gun. And there are
some new baddies, too – like the
Marauder, which looks suspiciously
like the Slayer himself...
These enemies are all destructible,
which means as you batter them with
shotguns, plasma rifles and rocket
launchers, chunks of them will fall off.
By the time you’ve finished with them
(or, more accurately, performed a gory
finish-er on them) they’ll just be a red
fleshy mess. Lovely.
Doom guy, more spry
To counter these many fearsome foes
are some smart new weapons, along
with some updates to the old
favourites, such as a grappling hook
attachment to your shotgun, that will
help you to cross seemingly huge
distances quickly.
It all makes for some frenetic
gameplay. You’ll be zooming across
the map, leaping between platforms
and swinging across beams to reach
new areas (yep, that’s new too). It’s
bringing serious platforming to
Doom for the first time, and when
it’s done like this that’s no bad
thing. The weapons are still meaty,
the enemies are still fierce, but now
you can end their pitiful existences
while punching them in mid-air.
What’s not to love? Q
T
“By the time you’ve finished
with your enemies they’ll just
be a red fleshy mess. Lovely”
ABOVE Some
classic Doom
enemies have been
reimagined for
the new title.
LEFT Is that a
sword I see
before me? Yeah!BC 2019 PUBLISHER BETHESDA DEVELOPER ID SOFTWAREOur favourite new
addition to the
Slayer’s arsenal is
the meat hook. This
grappling hook-like
attachment sits
under the double
barrels of your
super shotgun.
Point it at a hell
beastie and you zip
your way straight
towards them –
even over huge
distances. This
means you can
cross huge chasms
in a few seconds,
and when you
arrive your enemy
will be gagging on
the wrong end of
your shotgun.MEATY
TREATY
OH HELL YES
More Xbox news at gamesradar.com/oxm THE OFFICIAL XBOX MAGAZINE 0252019 PREVIEW
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