DOOM, set to release in a few weeks, will have a full-fledged multiplayer affair.
Despite the fact that I’ve played DOOM multiplayer before (the Xbox 360 re-release had it), it still feels a bit odd to say. In terms of concept, there’s nothing wrong with this. I thoroughly enjoy running around levels like a madman as I shoot rockets at everything that moves. Yet after my (albeit brief) hands-on time with DOOM at PAX East, I can’t help but wonder if any of this is needed. Or worth the time and effort.
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have fun. Spending fifteen or so minutes with the game was a blast. Demon Powers are an absolute delight, even when you turn the corner and see a larger than life enemy ready to rip you in half. Holding down the trigger as I run for my life was an absolute joy. But this all took part across short periods of time. As a reminder for those that didn’t read my Battlefront review, I enjoyed that take in small doses, but the longer I kept playing the more bored I became. Who’s to say that won’t happen with DOOM?
For an outside perspective, here are some other thoughts from r/Games:
Looks like I’m not alone in this regard.
Maybe DOOM’s multiplayer is meant to be played in small doses. A compliment to its snigle-player campaign. Still, it’s weird to see a Bethesda published game appear to contain a tacked on multiplayer mode when you consider the company’s track record. Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Dishonored, and Wolfenstein: The New Order are all Bethesda published games (only the first two were developed by them, though) without a multiplayer mode.
Maybe id Software really wanted one; RAGE had multiplayer, after all. Whatever the reason, PAX East did very little to win me over, and I’m someone who was upset Wolfenstein didn’t have multiplayer.
We’ll see if the single-player is good enough when DOOM releases May 13th.
