A couple of months ago, I published a review note on the reboot of the excellent shooter Doom, released in 2016. After that, I was going to immediately start playing through its sequel Doom Ethernal. But, for various reasons, I was able to do this only recently. That’s why I’m writing this review a little later than I planned. This concludes the introduction and moves on to the game itself.

Doom 2016 is an example of a great reboot. And from the continuation I expected something like that, plus or minus. The first showing of gameplay at Quake Con 2018 created a sensation among the public, but at the same time, it also raised some questions.

In this, as in later gameplay displays, the most complaints were about the colorfulness of what was happening, turning into a cartoonishness, which, let’s say, does not go well with a gloomy shooter about shooting the demons of Hell. This applies to a greater extent to any items that are picked up and resources that fall from defeated enemies.

By the way, in my opinion, claims to colorfulness are somewhat far-fetched. The first and second parts were by no means dark games. Quite the contrary. It was in the third part that the creators changed the tone of the game. And in Doom 2016, perhaps, they returned closer to their roots. And here, therefore, even closer to the roots.

However, representatives of the developers claimed that they understood the claims, but this color scheme was chosen deliberately. It is due to the fact that the pace of the game has significantly increased and this allows the player to better navigate what is happening around. In addition, we paid attention to the fact that it will be possible to fine-tune the color scheme to suit your needs. And to some extent, you can really adjust the colors to suit yourself (although I haven’t used it).

Well, the gameplay of Doom Ethernal is indeed much faster and more dynamic than the gameplay of Doom 2016. So, from this position, the above statements of the developers were completely justified.

The gameplay itself has become faster and more dynamic not only due to the increased speed, but also due to the fact that opponents have become much more dangerous and you have to constantly and actively move around the arenas, dodging enemy attacks. The arenas themselves have become more spacious and have much more vertical gameplay (in other words, battles often take place in arenas with several floors), which also adds dynamics. Active movement around the arena is one of the main keys to successful survival, since the Executioner can be killed in the blink of an eye, regardless of the number of accumulated health points and armor. But the Executioner also has more means to deal with demons.

In general, the arsenal of weapons itself remained approximately the same as it was in 2016. Perhaps the starting pistol was considered useless and thrown in the trash. And the rest of the weapons and the enemies to whom these weapons will have to be used were redesigned in such a way that each type of weapon was in demand depending on the situation.

In addition to the weapons themselves, auxiliary equipment was added to the executioner’s arsenal: a shoulder-mounted flamethrower and a grenade launcher with two types of grenades – regular and freezing. This also includes the ability to deliver powerful “bloody blows” that knock off the armor of particularly strong opponents, and destroy weaker ones on the spot. Naturally, we will not be allowed to constantly destroy opponents with our fists – a “bloody blow” requires charging, which is carried out mainly with the help of brutal finishing off of opponents. These finishing moves have also been slightly improved and their animations now look faster. Because of this, they don’t look as juicy, but they disrupt the pace of the game much less than they did in Doom 2016. But if even this speed of finishing moves is not enough for you, you can activate a rune that will speed them up even more.

And with all your rich arsenal you will have to frantically rush around the arenas, dodging the attacks of demons and methodically shooting them at the same time.

I have already mentioned that demons can destroy all the armor and health points of an unwary player in the blink of an eye. But you can restore lost health and armor quite quickly. And we’re not talking about the fact that there are heaps of first aid kits and armor scattered around the locations. Of course they are there, but in moderation. The main way to restore health and armor is to directly exterminate demons in various ways.

For example, a brutal murder restores health points. Moreover, the less health the Executioner has at the time of the brutal murder, the more health he can restore with this murder. Healing capsules also fall from enemies frozen by a cryogrenade. If you set enemies on fire with a shoulder-mounted flamethrower, while they are burning, armor will fall out of them when damaged. In a similar way, you can get armor by shooting at the enemy immediately after being pulled towards him with the hook of a double-barreled shotgun. Most of the above require appropriate upgrades, but getting them is not at all difficult.

Ammunition also mostly has to be obtained in battle, rather than scouring the battlefield in search of ammo. A chainsaw is mainly used for this. As soon as you see that the ammunition is running out (and it is quite limited here), you immediately saw the nearest zombie or imp into pieces and get a replenishment of ammunition for the entire arsenal except for special types of weapons, like the BFG, the laser blade-forge or the chainsaw itself. Something similar happened in the previous part of the game. It’s just that here it has become the main way to obtain ammunition, while the ammo reserves scattered throughout the locations are rather a pleasant bonus.

Thus, in your opponents you see not just cannon fodder, but an inexhaustible supply of ammunition, first aid kits and armor, which itself goes into your hands. Naturally, this applies to a greater extent to basic enemies like gargoyles, imps and possessed ones, since adversaries of a more serious rank can often be sawed apart. This requires a full supply of fuel for the chainsaw, and it is rarely possible to replenish it to the maximum. Well, there’s no point in trying to cut the toughest opponents in half with a chainsaw.

The list of enemies, over the past 4 years since the release of the previous part, has been significantly expanded. In addition to the demons already familiar from the expanses of Mars, arachnotrons, enraging whips, prowlers and carcasses, as well as pain elementals will try to kill us. Not to mention such serious opponents as Archvile, who strengthens other demons and summons new ones, as well as Doom Hunter and Tyrant, who rain rockets on the battlefield.

Well, the Marauders – those who renounced their oath, former warriors of the guards, and now knights of Hell, driven by a single goal: to hunt down and kill the Executioner. These guys are so serious that they are not even affected by weapons like the BFG or the Crucible Blade.

In addition to the above, sometimes a totem of cruelty may be present on the battlefield. Similar to Archvile, it strengthens all opponents. Moreover, until it is destroyed, they will continue to respawn. So, it is highly advisable to start the battle by finding and destroying this totem, and dealing with the rest of the opponents after that.

There are more bosses compared to Doom 2016. But I can’t say that the battles with them are very impressive and memorable. And in some cases, they are rather infuriating due to their complexity or lengthiness (we are talking about DLC, but more on that below). But in general, the bosses are average.

Most demons can be unlocked with a key that makes them easier to destroy. So, for example, by shooting a grenade from a starting shotgun into the gaping mouth of a cacodemon, you can immediately transfer it to the finishing phase. Another easy way to deal with a cacodemon is to hit it with a charged arcballista shot. Some kind of kick – armored in front, but practically defenseless from the back. By shooting off the arachnotron’s cannon, you can make it much less dangerous and leave it for later, focusing on dealing with opponents who currently pose a greater threat. Similarly, you can shoot revenant rocket launchers and mancubi guns.

You can learn about the strengths and weaknesses of each demon from the in-game bestiary of the codex. There you can also find descriptions of game locations and weapons. Well, code pages that reveal the lore of the in-game world also fit in there.

By the way, the lore here has much more meaning than in the previous part. The plot of the game has been significantly expanded and, although it lacks stars from the sky, it is quite interesting to follow it. Not to say that this takes Doom to a new level, but now it can be of interest not only to fans of meat shooters, but also to those who want the game to tell a story that logically and clearly explains the mess that is happening.

Unfortunately, I can’t say that everything is perfect with the narrative side of the game. If, for example, descriptions of demons, locations and weapons look quite organic and appropriate on the pages of the in-game “Code”, then the walls of text describing the game’s lore look much less organic. Personally, when playing a whirlwind, spinal shooter, I don’t want to go deep into reading walls of text. Was it really impossible to present this information in audio-visual form?? Moreover, this is also in the game. There are audio diaries of a scientist studying the Doom Slayer. There are monologues by Vega, Hayden and Kahn the Creator addressed to the Executioner. There are also video clips that reveal the plot. So why couldn’t we do without walls of text in the Codex??

Moreover, there are quite enough moments in the game, the time of which could be used for the narrative part. We’re talking about in-game platforming, which, in my opinion, isn’t really needed here. Doom Eternal has entire sections with platforming. There are walls that you can climb along, beams that allow you to overcome long distances in the air, collapsing platforms, etc.d. etc.n.

Moreover, sometimes these platforming sections are quite complex. But I don’t really understand why they are here at all? That is, I understand that, in this way, the developers give the player a break after another shootout with demons. And I understand that this allows you to slightly learn how to use such elements during battles with enemies.

But firstly, during battles most of the platforming elements are simply absent. The same walls that you can climb on would be a great way to commit suicide, as they deprive the player of the ability to maneuver. And you often grab the beams rather by accident, when you want to perform a completely different action, and thus they more often hinder than help (here I speak personally for myself and my crooked hands).

And secondly, it would be possible to distract and give a break after battles with video inserts that reveal the lore and plot of the game.

So, from my point of view, the above is a drawback of the game. This drawback is minor, but still. It would be much better if he wasn’t there.

As in the previous game in the series, there are elements of character leveling.

The most common thing is upgrading an armored suit with guardian crystals. Installing each such crystal increases the maximum ammo, health points or armor points.

Somewhat more interesting is the ability to add additional properties to the shoulder grenade launcher, so that you can, for example, launch two grenades in a row or replenish health points by shooting at enemies frozen by a cryogrenade. Here you can speed up switching between weapon modifications and movement in general.

And the most interesting thing is the runes, which have various interesting properties. For example, one of the runes significantly increases controllability in flight. The other makes it possible to briefly slow down time in flight, which can be useful for precise aiming, in order to hit vulnerable points, and so on. There are 9 runes in total, but you can activate only 3 of them at a time, the ones that best suit your play style. Plus, 3 more runes were added to the DLC, of ​​which you can keep one active.

Just like in the previous part, you can upgrade weapons, which (except for the double-barreled shotgun) still have two branches of modifications. The starting shotgun in one of the upgrade branches can receive an under-barrel grenade launcher, and in the second it will fire in bursts, which can also be extremely effective. The ballista (a reinterpretation of the rail gun) in one of the improvement branches can shoot charged shots that tear apart the victim from the inside, and in the second – a sickle, which is effective for destroying clusters of demons. And so on.

Items needed to level up various elements can be obtained in various ways. Some of them are located in locations, including in secret places. Part is earned for exploring locations (finding all the secrets), completing all battles, including special optional battles and completing tests given out at the location. Another part can be found in the Doomhold.

By the way, this very Stronghold of Doom is, in fact, a separate location, with its own secrets. This is where we end up during breaks between missions. Here you can listen to classic tracks from other id Software games, admire the collection of gaming figurines of monsters and the Executioner himself (if you found all this in the secrets of the main locations). Also, in the Stronghold you can practice fighting demons, for which there is a special arena. Well, as I wrote just above, there are items for upgrades that are located in locked rooms. And these rooms need to be opened by batteries of Guardians, who also gather at the main locations. In addition to all of the above, there is a bonus upgrade for one of the guns. But you can open it only if you have completed all the “Executioner’s Gates”.

These same “Executioner’s Gates” are optional, bonus battles. Some of them are very complex, and the keys that open access to these battles are located in secret places not far from the Gates.

By the way, most secrets in Doom Ethernal are quite easy to find. Their location is visible on the location map, and even if, while going through a location, you missed something somewhere, it doesn’t matter, at the end of each level you have access to fast travel to different parts of the locations and you can safely go in search of missed secrets. I’m sure many hardcore players weren’t very happy about this casualness. But personally, I’m quite happy with this approach. If the secrets were hidden like in Doom 1 and 2, then I simply wouldn’t purposefully look for them.

In terms of graphics and visuals in general, Doom Ethernal is simply gorgeous. Despite the fact that the graphics in the game are not some super fancy, the picture is presented to us in such a way that it is constantly pleasing to the eye. Perhaps the only thing that looks pretty mediocre are the human character models. They’re pretty simple. Otherwise, everything is great. The landscapes of the game amaze with their beauty and epicness. The design of the locations is also very attractive. Moreover, here they completely corrected what many criticized Doom 2016 for, which was red-gray for half the game, and gray-red for the second half. Now the locations are very diverse both in terms of colors and in terms of architecture and content in general. And of course, this is very pleasing.

Also, damage effects displayed on opponents can be added to the visual component of the game. If you shoot the adversary properly, you can shoot off entire sections of his godless carcass. It looks very impressive.

In addition, despite the fact that Doom Ethernal looks gorgeous, it is also perfectly optimized in technical terms and can produce a completely acceptable number of frames per second even on not the most modern systems.

The sound design is also good. We are still accompanied by killer music tracks from Mick Gordon. As with the previous game in the series, I personally am unlikely to listen to most of the tracks separately from the game, but they fit perfectly with the whirlwind gameplay. The weapon sounds rich and pleasant. Battles with enemies don’t become a sonic mess. And even the voice acting of the Russian localization does not infuriate us at all, rather, on the contrary, it makes us happy (however, this is also true for Doom 2016).

Regarding the minuses, as I already wrote, in my opinion, the platforming could be removed from the game and instead, the battles could be diluted by expanding the story narrative with video inserts.

Another one, not exactly a minus, but… damn it, I just don’t understand why the hell this element was added to the game. It’s about extra lives.

This feature comes from games of the 90s and its essence is that if you are killed, then you are immediately reborn on the spot with full health and can continue the battle. The problem is that if you play well, you don’t really need those extra lives. Moreover, they are more likely to annoy you, since they influence the game. If you play, let’s say, not very well, then most likely these additional. you will lose lives quite quickly and in really difficult battles they most likely will not help you.

In my opinion, the only thing for which it would be reasonable to use these additional. life is a PVP element with invasions of other players in the form of monsters. Such invasions were shown at Quake Con 2018, but in the end they were abandoned and a separate PVP mode was made (which, however, was not particularly popular with players). So, if the number of these additional. lives were limited, for example, to two and if they were spent exclusively on deaths during invasions of other players, then their presence in the game would be justified. But, in the form in which they are present in the game, it creates the impression of an element added to the game simply for the sake of it being..

And there are a couple more moments of the game that some write down as a big minus for the game.

The first is healing and Nonukcasinosites.co.uk/review/royal-oak-casino/ replenishing ammunition for kills, and not in the classic way. Personally, I don’t see anything wrong with this. It is clear that the outrage stems from the fact that there was nothing like this in the classic Doom of the 90s. Well, now, here we are. New Doom – new rules. Either you accept them or play Doom 1 and 2.

The second is that it is more effective to use specific weapons against certain opponents. And for the most part I don’t agree with this either.

Firstly, it adds dynamics, forcing you to adapt more to the current situation on the battlefield. Secondly, as a rule, there are at least several optimal barrels or their modifications for killing specific types of opponents. Well, thirdly, no one bothers you to water your adversaries with your most beloved guns and this will also work. Personally, when playing on the “ultra-cruelty” difficulty, I switched weapons quite actively, but I still noticed that the most preferable and universal for me, in almost any situation, is a double-barreled shotgun. However, I don’t consider myself such a skilled player at all.

But I don’t agree with this claim precisely for the most part. If we take the main game, then these claims are not very justified. But the DLC actually introduces enemies that can only be killed in specific ways.

In the first DLC these are possessed demons. These demons themselves can be killed as desired, although they are not subject to the weaknesses of the regular versions of the same demons. They cannot be weakened by shooting off their guns, frozen or stunned. But the most unpleasant thing is that after killing them, a spirit remains that must be quickly destroyed, or it will move into another demon, strengthening it and… “our song is good, start over”. The trick is that this “spirit” can only be destroyed by modifying the “magnetron” plasma gun.

So to speak, feel like a ghost hunter. Only now, killing takes time, during which the player is quite limited in movement. In my opinion, these perfumes bring a serious imbalance to the game. In any case, in the first DLC, which overall seemed to me the most unbalanced in terms of difficulty.

Another similar opponent is the bloody creator. He is only vulnerable when preparing for a powerful attack. At this point, he can be instantly killed by a hit to the head with a precision arrow, sticky bomb, or arcballista. But if you miss, his powerful attack will slow down the Executioner, which in some cases can be a death sentence.

And both of these opponents are key elements of the final boss of The Ancient Gods DLC. Part 1″. What makes it unbearable, in terms of imbalance in relation to the rest of the game.

You can also recall the turret, which it is advisable to shoot with either an accurate arrow or a ballista. But it causes far fewer problems and does not create an imbalance.

In the DLC “The Ancient Gods”. Part 2″ such opponents include stone imps and cursed prowlers. But here they have worked out the balance much better and do not abuse it by releasing more infuriating enemies against the player.

Stone imps can only be shot with an auto-shotgun, but they can also be easily taken out by the Guardian’s hammer.

But the damned prowler is a much more infuriating creature. Any hit by a cursed prowler curses the Executioner and he begins to take constant damage. To get rid of the curse you need to find this bastard and kill him with a “bloody blow”. The problem is that, in addition to constant damage, the curse also deprives the Executioner of the ability to make dashes, which greatly slows him down, and the prowler every now and then tries to get away, which greatly complicates the task. Luckily, it’s quite easy to kill this bastard before he can do any harm. Moreover, his appearance in the arena is accompanied by a characteristic sound, which makes it possible to prepare. Plus, he only appears a few times throughout the DLC.

As for the DLC in general, the first one seemed to me rather unbalanced in terms of difficulty. In some battles I even lowered the difficulty to medium. Of the new abilities, the Executioner has only 3 new runes, as I wrote about above. There aren’t enough breaks in the Doomhold between missions. It would be cool if they added new areas for exploration to the Stronghold. Well, the final boss of the DLC seemed to me extremely infuriating and difficult due to the reasons that I wrote about just above.

But the second DLC is much better balanced. In addition, here we are given a Guardian hammer, which replaces the sword from the main game. I think many will agree with me that this hammer brings a real twist to the gameplay. It simultaneously heals the Executioner and cripples opponents. In addition, it provides a noticeable window for dealing damage to especially dangerous opponents.

Another cool feature of the second DLC is two-stage skirmishes. Where for completing the first (mandatory) stage they give out an improvement for the hammer. And for the second (optional) you can get additional skins.

Unfortunately, I can’t say anything particularly good about the final boss, the Dark Lord. The fight with him, despite the epic nature, is complicated not so much due to the interesting and complex moveset of the boss himself, but due to the fact that he has the most unpleasant property of restoring his health with successful attacks and summons ghostly demons with which he distracts attention from himself. Because of this, the fight with him can drag on for a very long time. The final boss is probably the worst part of the DLC.

By the way, there is one more point that I forgot to mention. If playing through the main game and DLC wasn’t enough for you. The developers have prepared several master levels for you. Essentially, these are locations from the main game, but with a different arrangement of enemies. They are much more complicated and their additional feature is the ability to start each such level with only a starting shotgun, and find the rest of the weapons and modifications for them directly on the location. As such, master levels can challenge even seasoned players.

To summarize, if in 2016 id Software released one of the best dynamic and meaty shooters in the AAA segment, then Doom Ethernal, despite some rough edges and a certain imbalance of the first DLC, surpassed it in literally everything!

Personally, I was very pleased with the game. It’s even difficult to say which of the more or less modern shooters can give similar sensations, if we talk about the high-budget gaming segment. If we lower the bar slightly to medium budgets, then we can recall Serious Sam 4, although even it, perhaps, does not reach the level of dynamics and sharpness. You can also mention Shadow Warrior, but I haven’t played it, so I’d better say nothing here. Also, I heard a lot of good things about the indie shooter Dusk, which I just can’t get my hands on.

I really hope that the next game that id Software revives will be Quake.

Well, as in the note about Doom 2016, for a snack I leave a musical composition based on Miracle of Sound.

That’s all. Thank you for your attention.

Best comments

I generally liked Doom, but how exhausting it is! The average fight lasts 5-7 minutes. At the same time, you need to keep a bunch of things in your head: monitor armor, health, grenades, chainsaw, pyro… In the end, all this turns into some kind of e-sports discipline. It’s like you were thrown into some kind of tournament with a bunch of bots instead of players. By the middle of the game I wanted to demolish Doom because I was tired of him.

Excuse me, but the slow Doom 3, hated by everyone, reminds me more of the game than Doom Eternal (yes, I saw the BULZHAD video about ATMOSPHERE, don’t throw it at me. BULZHAD has the right to his opinion, I have the right to mine).

Plus, exploiting enemy weaknesses turned out to be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, the authors made all weapons useful. On the other hand, the game has become methodical. You just repeat the same thing over and over again – you kill demons with strictly defined weapons.

I completely agree. Somehow you don’t get pleasure from shooting and exterminating demons. You are constantly calculating who to shoot what at, you are distracted by running around for ammo around the location while they are shooting at you (a chainsaw doesn’t always save you), by collecting healing solutions and other things. Well, yes, destroying demons is becoming a chore. The missions also feel like they are very drawn out (mainly because of the fighting, yes). Running for 2 and a half hours and destroying enemies in the same way – that’s what it’s like. I liked the recent Necromunda (for all its crookedness and budget) much more as a shooter. You shoot as you want and with what you want, and don’t blindly follow the manual. Fast, fun, driving. This was the case in the previous Doom (well, maybe a little slower than in Necromunda). Eternal somehow lost all the buzz from doom 2016. At least for me personally.

I couldn’t run with one weapon, since the effectiveness of using the “wrong” weapon was greatly reduced. You could shoot the cacodemon with 200 rounds from a machine gun or shoot him once with a grenade from a shotgun grenade launcher, and then finish him off in hand-to-hand combat. Efficiencies are not comparable.

I first tried to play Doom Eternal like Doom 2016 – that is, shoot with the weapons I liked, and not with the ones the developer pointed me to. As a result, I either died quickly (because there were more enemies and they became angrier), or I constantly ran without ammo. That is, it’s probably technically possible to play like this, but it’s difficult. The game itself pushes you to play it “correctly”.

You could shoot the cacodemon with 200 rounds from a machine gun or shoot him once with a grenade from a shotgun grenade launcher, and then finish him off in hand-to-hand combat

Again. I agree that the game pushes for the most optimal option for passing.

But that doesn’t mean it’s the only correct one. The same cacodemon can be optimally one-shotted from an arcballista with a charged shot.

But I repeatedly shot them with a double-barreled shotgun, a rocket launcher or a minigun (or combinations thereof). There were times when I ran without ammo (mostly for a shotgun or rocket launcher), but this was very quickly corrected with a chainsaw. Its cooldown is quite enough not to have problems with ammunition.

The most controversial (from the main game) mob is the Marauder. He somewhat breaks the dynamics of the game, because if he spawns with other strong mobs, he forces you to either quickly finish them off and then switch to him, or vice versa, neglect everyone and focus on him. And although he can also be killed in different ways, the optimal thing is to stun him with a double-barreled shotgun at the right moment, then shoot with a ballista, repeat until victory. Alternatively, you can shoot him behind his back with a remote detonation of a rocket launcher. Or, after the stun, shoot with a minigun.

The not very large layer can be judged by sales and reviews, at least in the same incentive

Most Eternal lick because it’s doom. I’ve often seen reviews of people who give him almost 10 out of 10 simply because “this is an old-school joker, and there are almost no such people now” (which is not true on the network) and “well, kamon, guys. This is doom». Well, by definition, a group of hardcore players/cyber players/those who like to sweat cannot be large. Especially among players in a series where this has never happened before.

Well, I guess you can lower the difficulty and feel super cool?

It is forbidden. Some problems arise precisely from gameplay mechanics, and with complexity they cannot be removed or changed. The game is simply tailor-made for a specific playing style and all its mechanics work to the very roots specifically for this style.

There’s no need to shoot them at all.

In a crowd of enemies (and they really get attacked a lot more) it’s quite necessary. Because it can be quite painful to shoot while you are dancing with change.

In general, we have different views on the game.

In general, I don’t argue with the fact that your view has a right to life. Moreover, from the point of view of the groups of players indicated at the beginning, it is quite correct and fair. I’m just looking at the game from the point of view of the average player, who expected from the new Doom the development of the ideas of Doom 2016, and not leaps in a completely different direction. This is where the problems (which for some turn into advantages) of the latest doom stem from. He’s just different. It’s as if the new scrolls were turned into a soulslake (a normal soulslake, and not a crooked, terrible something – just imagine that it wasn’t a gazebo that made it). Some would have liked the soulslick and the emotions it gives, while others would have been perplexed and did not understand because they expected the series to be the same as it was before. And, in fact, everything you write is exactly as true as everything I write. Such things. Such an ambiguous Eternal. Probably if there had not been a 2016 Duma, there would not have been such a polarity of opinions.

At one time I really liked the game Blade of Darkness (the re-release of which will be released soon and I’m really looking forward to it). I was looking for something like this for a very long time (only Dark Messiah of Might and Magic gave me similar sensations) and finally found it in the Souls series. She literally forced me to wade through its complexity until I mastered it. Without exaggeration, I died dozens of times at certain moments until I learned to play it tolerably. But overcoming difficulties gives a really pleasant feeling.

The Souls series actually popularized this genre and its fans are not as few as it might seem. The new (not entirely new) Doom gives sensations somewhat similar to the games in the souls series.

Perhaps you will mutate into a cyber cutlet

If yes, then it turns out I’m frankly so-so. 🙂

Well, Eternal is not a bad game. It just offers a specific experience that not everyone likes, yes.

I think that’s what this entire debate is about. 🙂

Well, I beg to differ.

There are priorities about who to shoot what at, but they are rather arbitrary. I noticed myself that although I switched quite actively between different weapons and modifications, I mostly ran with a shotgun. At the same time, on the ultra-viloense difficulty, most of the time, I felt relatively comfortable.

As for me, the developers made a bet on making the player run like he was stung. Personally I really liked it. But yes, I agree that not everyone will like it.

As for Necromunda, I just disagree. Despite the good shooting mechanics, it is extremely dull and drawn out. If you already give an example, then the same Serious Sam 4 is much more suitable here. Here it is, really much closer to classic shooters. But, again, for me personally, the new Doom turned out to be more interesting. Although in the sense that it is exhausting, perhaps yes. I agree with this. That’s why I wrote that the DLC lacks the Stronghold of Doom where one could relax.

In short, I understand your arguments. But this still depends on individual perception. I have this, and you have another. As they say, it depends on the taste and color… 🙂

Anyway. Thanks for your feedback.

There are priorities about who to shoot what at, but they are rather arbitrary.

They are not conventional. There, literally in the codes they indicate who should be fired at and with what. If you fire at the enemy from the wrong weapon, you will simply waste a decent amount of ammunition, which is always in short supply anyway. Cacodemons, for example, generally need to be killed in only two ways – either a shoulder grenade into the mouth, or a sticky grenade from a shotgun into the mouth (and even then the game does not always calculate the hit correctly and sometimes you can shoot into the enemy’s seemingly open mouth, but in reality it is considered closed). Of course, you can shoot them with a machine gun/shotgun, but it will take so long that you will either use up the ammo faster, or other demons will eat you in the process. And the game often puts you in situations where you really need to quickly do everything according to the manual, or you simply won’t pass this battle. With the same cacodemons, there is a moment in one of the first missions where you are standing on a small rock/arena (literally a circle about 10 meters in diameter) and you need to kill these two assholes very quickly, otherwise they will throw you into the lava. And there is literally only one way to kill them – if you immediately manage to throw grenades into their mouths (shoulder grenades and sticky grenades from a shotgun) and carry out finishing moves (they also need to be right next to each other, otherwise you can fall down after the first finishing move). Otherwise, you simply won’t get out of the lava (because they block the jumppad that pushes you to the top with their body). If you jumped into this arena not with the required shotgun module in your hands, then while you change it, they will also throw it off. And the game throws up such small moments in abundance.

actively switched between different weapons and modifications

This, by the way, is also actually a problem because it prolongs the battles. You are almost forced to quickly (although I wouldn’t call these animations particularly fast) switch in the middle of the battle to the “sniper” mode of the machine gun in order to quickly shoot the turret of the robotic brain. Of course, you can shoot with another weapon, but again, during this time they will chew your ass off and you will also be left without ammunition. I can’t complete more than one mission a day because all the battles are drawn out. It just exhausts you and discourages you from playing further. At the same time, in the Duma of 2016, I could binge run 3-4 times.

the developers made a bet on making the player run like he was stung

That’s the problem. The previous doom was completely different. And why it was necessary to change course towards the default of a not very large layer of players (who enjoy this kind of thing) is unclear. I would understand if they allocated a separate difficulty for this.

And Doomguy himself is perceived as some kind of wimp now. If earlier he confidently walked through the arenas and broke faces, now he is constantly jumping around the arena like someone stung in search of healing solutions. Melee combat has now become completely useless (until you receive a special glove). They can’t even put ordinary zombies into a finishing state like before. Yes, they quickly give you an ability with a glove, but it’s really funny when the executioner of doom in the first mission cannot kill a pathetic zombie with his fist. I deliberately beat him for probably a minute and almost other zombies didn’t eat me. All the pathos and epicness simply fall to zero.

As for Necromunda, I just disagree. Despite the good shooting mechanics, it is extremely dull and drawn out.

And what is it tightening with?? There story missions take 15-20 minutes to complete. Sides generally cost 5. There the spawn of enemies is endless and sometimes crooked – yes. The plot is chaotic. But it goes by very quickly. Where in Eternal I will only complete one mission, in Necromunda I will complete 3 story missions and 4 secondary ones for farming. There, it’s simply not always necessary to exterminate enemies at the root, because in many missions they don’t end at all. I defeated Necromunda in about 15 hours with leveling up everything (both myself and the mastiff). I beat Doom 2016 twice in 20 hours (and a couple of them were in multiplayer). In Eternal, I only completed mission 3 in 5 hours (yes, I vacuumed locations, but I vacuumed them both in Necromunda and in Doom 2016).

Z.Y. The only thing in Eternal that is head and shoulders above the doom of 2016 is the design. The locations look epic and there are often nice and cool places. It’s not in vain that Id’s visual designers eat their own bread. You can’t touch them at all. What can’t be said about level designers?.

I say it again. I can understand your complaints. But I have a diametrically opposite attitude towards the nuances described.

why it was necessary to change course towards the default of a not very large layer of players (who enjoy this kind of thing) is unclear

The not very large layer can be judged by sales and reviews, at least in the same incentive. There are technically more reviews on Doom Ethernal, despite the time difference.

Personally, it took me 18+ hours to complete Doom 2016. Doom Ethernal has 2 times more (including DLC). During this time, only some moments (and mobs) of the first DLC and the final boss seemed particularly imbalanced to me (purely due to the length).

I would understand if they allocated a separate difficulty for this.

Well, I guess you can lower the difficulty and feel super cool?

The locations look epic and there are often nice and cool places.

In some places it’s just a treat for the eyes. 🙂

You are almost forced to quickly (although I wouldn’t call these animations particularly fast) switch in the middle of the battle to the “sniper” mode of the machine gun in order to quickly shoot the turret of the robotic brain

There’s no need to shoot them at all. In addition, this can be done with a ballista or sticky grenade. Sometimes the game really puts the player in uncomfortable conditions, depriving him of the opportunity to maneuver. But most of these moments are optional battles and they are just fleeting.

In general, we have different views on the game. At this point we are unlikely to convince each other. 🙂

a group of hardcore players/cybercutlets/those who like to sweat, by definition, cannot be large

The popularity of the Souls-likes you mentioned suggests the opposite.

Some problems arise precisely from gameplay mechanics, and with complexity they cannot be removed or changed

Why, quite. If you receive significantly less damage, you will feel much more confident.

In a crowd of enemies (and they really get attacked a lot more) it’s quite necessary. Because it can be quite painful to shoot while you are dancing with change.

Specific examples are probably not entirely correct. But personally, in many (really many) cases, that’s exactly what I didn’t shoot (especially among the revenants). It’s often easier and faster to kill them than to aim at fast-moving targets. And situations when space is limited are quite rare, so, usually, you can quite calmly run away somewhere around the corner, quickly bring some zombie/imp to the finishing state and heal. At the same time, I personally, again, am far from being a cyber-athlete and in general I rate my gaming abilities quite modestly.

I look at the game from the point of view of the average player

I would venture to guess that I am the same average player. In many games, I don’t like to test my strength, but rather to be led by the hand. In others, it’s the other way around. I played the same Doom 2016 on normal difficulty. Here, I decided to inflate it a little. What also influenced the different transit times?.

Still, in my opinion, the new Doom is precisely the development of the ideas of the old, but taken to a new level. It is clear that not everyone liked it. But many still got it.

The popularity of the Souls-likes you mentioned suggests the opposite.

Sauces are a niche genre. Contour maps are also popular (they come out more often than rts). Memes from the same Crusader Kings constantly pop up, for example. But we understand that there are more fans of the same RTS (and even more fans of shooters). It’s just that souls are more popular due to the fact that streamers use them more often as content. They have become a trend. What happened to horror films back in the day?. But in reality, we will find many more people who pass by souls because they don’t like its “genre” features. Many people find them more interesting to watch (along with the reactions of their favorite streamer) than to play.

that I didn’t shoot (especially at the revenants

Yes, the revenants do. You won’t hit them with a weapon, so it’s easier to just shoot them with plasma.

I would venture to guess that I am the same average player.

Perhaps you will mutate into a cyber cutlet. But jokes aside, it’s probably good if Eternal gave you a completely new experience that turned out to be to your liking.

It is clear that not everyone liked it. But many still got it.

Well, Eternal is not a bad game. It just offers a specific experience that not everyone likes, yes.

Just now I noticed that I write my answers not as answers, but as separate comments. I’m sorry.