Tbh, I accidentally came across the news for this awhile prior to today even though I really try to avoid potential leaks now, and it still appears to be a prequel like the earlier rumored Doom Year Zero, so my reaction was still the same; lukewarm.
And maybe it's because of some years feel like they go by faster than others now, but Doom Eternal still didn't feel like it was that long ago for me. May have not helped that I burned myself out from it with not only the DLC but final content updates (harder versions of the regular campaign maps, horde mode, etc), playing it awhile even after having all the achievements, so I didn't get that break time from Doom like I otherwise would've.
Regardless, don't feel in a hurry for this, in addition to the shenanigans with modern gaming (waiting for bugs to be patched out, etc). Since it's clear how they intend to milk Doom, franchise fatigue as a fan will eventually follow I fear.
Still, Dark Ages looks good for what it is. Just wonder who they have doing the music now after how they screwed over Mick Gordon during Eternal. The game's soundtrack suffered during the DLC phase because of that shit.
On a side note, never thought I'd be glad to not have multiplayer come back, but after how the one in Eternal was handled, all I can say is good riddance. They had the right idea with Doom 2016's multiplayer I felt, but with the taste the last one left in people's mouths, the thought of multiplayer in any form again will be lukewarm at best in discussions.
Also, this game's campaign is said to have around twice as many levels as the last couple games. Is what happens when you put all your resources into single player and none for a multiplayer that may or may not pay off.
Yeah, the Imp looks nice too. So... While I managed to snatch this on day one, a lot of life related things had led to me putting the game off. With how my schedule looks now, will be ready to start The Dark Ages in roughly a couple weeks.
That said, was interesting finding out earlier that Eternal fans were doing to Dark Ages what they complained of Doom 2016 fans doing to Eternal; trashing it. The cdtm cycle continues I guess.
I know I'm gonna miss the meathook attachment of the super shotgun when playing this game, but it's a prequel, so I realize Doomguy may not be as evolved in some areas and gotta be fair to it.
Its because of the flipping and dipping fast pace Eternal had going for it, Not alot of people liked it and then along comes Doom: Dark Ages where its more tone down and now people are complaining because its now slow.
To say that "not a lot of people" liked Doom Eternal's combat is such a bald-faced mistruth it borders on delusional. It was one of the most played games on release, sold like gangbusters, and even now like four or five years later it has almost as many concurrent players on Steam as Doom: Dark Ages.
Hm. In any case... Finally got around to finishing this the past week or so, will say the occasional level where you pilot the Atlan mech to fight Titan demons sure was a treat.
I should've guessed that the shield in this game shines most when you parry with it. Throwing shield as a strong projectile once it gets the upgrades is also nice, although I came to really like the basic shield bash too. The mountable dragon combat and gameplay exceeded my expectations also; not bad for a first aerial combat attempt in a Doom game, and still takes certain timing and precision to kill things.
Far as favorite weapons, it would have to be the Cycler out of the new ones; basically a super plasma rifle. While its firing speed is more moderate compared to the regular version, is worth it for the damage output. The super shotgun is still nice too despite the lack of meathook attachment to it now, allowing me to two-shot any Mancubus that's without armor. The Belmont esque flail melee weapon was pretty sweet too, dealing nice damage to armored enemies.
The story was up there with Doom 2016 and Eternal I guess. If there's one thing this game beats the other two out on though, it's the freshness with the new weapons, the uniqueness of which could only be had with the prequel setting it has.
And the gameplay is fine honestly. People that were harping on it just became too accustomed to the double jumping and air dashes that were in Eternal, while not adapting with the strengths of Dark Ages like the shield and melee weapons.
I'm less about making it which game is worse/better and more just appreciating how we got such a solid trilogy with modern Doom, which is a rare achievement for any game franchise now. Look forward to whatever tweaks and future content this game gets.
KMC Community Forums
Jun 9th, 2024 10:03 PM
