Doom Eternal

[AndyKurosaki]

I can guarantee, fighting a Marauder with other enemies is most definitely a different kettle of fish. Try dealing with him when being bombarded with attacks from Mancubus, Cacodemons, Revanants, or those bastard snake things. You’ll find tactics go flying out the window, and your health/ammo/armour get pissed away.

 

Its by far the worst part of the entire game, dealing with that all at once. I’d certainly not attempt higher difficulties, due to bullshit like that.

[DisturbedSwan]

Fair enough @one-armed dwarf. I'm always manoeuvring away from enemies and trying to put distance between me and them all the time so it's easy for me whilst I'm getting away from them to spot a glowing tower in the ground. It doesn't really stop me from doing anything because I'm already jumping all round the map really.

[mfnick]

I’m in the final stretch of this now. I’ve only come across the totems 2 more times and to be fair they have been a hell of a lot easier to find, the first level they appear seems to be the worst. I’m actually hating the enemy who can spawn and buff other enemies far, far more now. Not only do you have to find him but he’s very powerful, takes a lot to kill, has a fucking shield and can teleport. I fucking hate that guy! In fact I hate him more than the Marauder. I’ve faced the Marauder a few times now including against a time limit during one of those secret fights, and he’s not actually been to bad. He doesn’t usually appear until you’ve killed all the other enemies and I’m assuming he has less health because he’s not causing me many problems. The fact he can completely block the sword is bullshit though when it’s supposed to be the most powerful weapon ever. 
 

Ive been really enjoying the lore surprisingly. I’ve actually been reading the codex entries regarding the Slayers origin and the Sentinels etc. 

[mfnick]

Now completed. Overall I absolutely loved it. When it’s at its best there’s very very few games that get the adrenaline going and make you feel like the “best gamer ever” like this can at times. I actually liked the story, I loved the environment design (at some points in reminded me of a FPS God of War) it felt even more satisfying than last time to play. Swapping between weapons while flying about arenas blowing chunks of flesh out of enemies then slicing another’s head off while icons spew out everywhere never lost its appeal. No game makes me want to use all weapons and equipment at my disposal like this does. Everything is just so clear and well designed too, from the 3D map to all the upgrade trees which I never got confused about. I loved the fact it lets you unlock cheats too, such a undervalued thing these days, I used to love just being a overpowered god using cheats after completing games in the past and this has that option to just go and have a bit of fun and let off some steam with unlimited ammo, health etc. Huge plus from me that is.

 

It does have its issues though. A few times frustration started to outweigh enjoyment. It throws some unfair battles at you which I think the developers kind of knew otherwise the extra lives wouldn’t have been included. As I’ve mentioned some of the enemies go against how the rest of the game wants you to play and stop it being fun - the Marauder and Archville in particular just aren’t fun and ruin any battle they’re in IMO. I also didn’t like the Totems although after their first appearance they’re actually not too bad.
 

I actually enjoyed the platforming too and thought it broke up the combat perfectly and for the majority of the time it’s easy and feels good. However some areas towards the end just throw too many of these bits in and increase the complexity just a bit too much to where it too got frustrating, on one point I fell so much I lost full armour and a 1/4 of health trying to pass it. Fucking bullshit. However this was a relatively small section and didn’t hurt the overall experience.

 

Compared to the last one? I think this was better than 2016. Just. It had a few far more frustrating sections but overall I think the visual design, extra abilities and when it all clicks the highs were much higher even if the low points are far lower than 2016 ever got. But put it this way I don’t think I could go back now. 
 

Highly, highly recommended. 
 

9/10

[DisturbedSwan]

Had a great session on this last night and reached Mission 10.

 

I think the game has really hit its stride now with me, I really couldn’t put it down and haven’t stopped thinking about it all day. Its now easily surpassed 2016 in my view, the variety of levels along with the increased focus on Story through the last few levels has elevated it above the previous game.

 

The Mars Core mission was such a departure and a fantastic use of the games new platforming mechanics, Sentinel Prime was just not what I expected at all really and a bit strange

Spoiler

that you weren’t really fighting anything throughout, just collecting stuff but I absolutely adored the deep dive into Doomguy’s origins

and was lapping up every second, going around and looking and the amazing environs.

Tabas Nabad I’d been a bit wary of because people don’t speak highly of it on ERA but I thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s a truly massive level, I enjoyed collecting all the bits and pieces as usual but I think the story aspect and incredible art design really elevated it again for me. The toxic water bits do indeed suck but they ever really went on long enough to be anything other than a mild annoyance.

 

The increased emphasis on story and the magnificent art and level design has elevated it way above 2016 for me. I ended up loving 2016 but it was a slow burn and the levels themselves were very similar to one another and a little tired in the art design aspect at times. Here every mission is different and the art design is so much more ambitious at every turn, it keeps you guessing about what you’re going to experience next and what magnificent vista you’re going to see before you. Completely agree with the FPS God of War analogy @mfnick as well, some of the level and art design aspects are incredibly similar. 

 

I won’t say too much more about the combat as I’ve already extolled it’s virtues enough but yeah, now I’ve unlocked all the weapons I’m having an absolute ball. It is just so fucking good. 
 

Captured a couple of vids last night, one of me taking down a Marauder and the other of the final Slayer Gate.

 

 

Lots more pics too:

 

Spoiler

 

 

[one-armed dwarf]

The Mars Core level is great. Lots of very airborne fights. The Tabas level you mention is where I kind of burned out tho. But I might try and beat this before RemakeVII comes out or it will never happen.

 

The slayer gates are the best part I reckon. I captured one a few pages ago (it's the one that had a minor spoiler, but it is from a much earlier chapter).

 

I kind of want to get a high framerate monitor to check how this looks on it. Pretty fucking great I'd imagine.

[mfnick]

Glad you’re enjoying it as much if not more than I did @DisturbedSwan. Fantastic game and been a bit disappointed hearing all the indifference in podcasts I’ve been listening too. I had my wobble where I was worried as you know but it soon passed and for the most part agree with you regarding my initial reservations. Im totally with you regarding the story and Sentinel Prime bit too. Loved that. Can’t remember when I last read the full codex stuff In a game, and its in Doom of all.. madness. 
 

I’ve just completed a Master level tonight, was great fun. Really emphasises the excellent combat. Pretty cool flying through a level guns blazing when you’ve got everything unlocked with extra challenge. I’m hoping later master levels add some variety and restrictions in future though. Like not being able to use glory kills or something like that just to mix it up -  similar to the Famine achievement. This was literally just throwing later type encounters with all enemies into a early level - The Arc level to be exact where you first face the Marader (whos included in normal fights during the master version) Funny thing is, when you get used to fighting the Marauder in normal fights he’s a piece of piss when he’s just a boss. Felt awesome just absolutely destroying him without worrying about other enemies. Just shows how much you improve without realising. He’s still wank though. 
 

 

[DisturbedSwan]

I’d definitely recommend going back and finishing it @one-armed dwarf, it’s a bit of a rollercoaster as soon as you’ve finished Tabas Nabad. 
 

Finished it today. No idea how long it took me but probably 20ish hours as I took my time and got all the collectibles. 
 

Absolutely adored it from start to finish, I’d say it’s definitely the best FPS I’ve played recently and maybe one of the best I’ve ever played, it is truly an absolutely phenomenal game. 
 

I loved pretty much everything about it from start to finish and only really disliked one level (Arc Complex). I loved the platforming - aside from 1 small section in the penultimate level - I loved facing the Maurader, I loved the bosses, I loved the art design, the level design and boy did I fucking adore the combat. 
 

For me, it shits all over 2016. I ended up loving 2016 but it was a slow burn to me and I only really loved it towards the end of the game, the level design and somewhat dull locales were the low points for me. Here they fix all those issues, make the combat even better and there’s just more innovation, variety, challenge and fun teeming through its veins. Eternal is the better game in every way for me.

 

It would’ve gotten a 10 if it wasn’t for some minor annoyances along the way. The toxic water was just never really fun, it didn’t frustrate me as much as others but I still never really enjoyed navigating water throughout. Whilst I loved the platforming overall there was one small section in the penultimate level that was surprisingly tough and annoyed me a bit. 
 

I’ve said enough about the combat but it really is the star of the show. From the end of the Tabas Nabad mission it was almost a non stop rollercoaster ride filled with tons of incredible fights with the full cast of Demons. I loved every second of it, it’s just such an intelligent, unique system that puts faith in the players own intelligence and skillset to overcome the odds. 
 

A lot has been said about the Mauraders but I loved them. For me this game is all about getting you outside your comfort zone, every time a new enemy is introduced or enters a stage you need to think and react to their threat. The Maurader is no different, he’s meant to be a spanner in the works to stop you from going through each combat encounter on autopilot. You’ve got the toolset and technique at your disposal to easily dispose of him - even with hordes of other demons around - you just have to put it into practice.

 

I didn’t have many problems with the final two bosses either. The penultimate one took me 5-10 tries but once I started headshotting the enemies around the arena as soon as they spawn I found it relatively simple. The final boss was a classic old school FPS type boss really and I really enjoyed the intensity of it, this was definitely easier than the previous and took me a couple of tries before I got my technique down. Both bosses got the adrenaline pumping and were a decent challenge, I never needed the Sentinel Armour or to drop the difficulty for both encounters thankfully, just persevered until I beat them. 
 

So yeah, for me it’s one of the most intelligent, engaging, intense, challenging and heart pounding FPS’ I’ve ever played. The incredible combat combined with the amazing level and art design create such a captivating thrill ride of a game. I can’t recommend it enough.

 

More pics:

 

 

Spoiler

 

 

[Maf]

Jack Black plays Doom Eternal with his kids

 

 

“I am in so much trouble when your mother sees this”

[AndyKurosaki]

I’ve never seen any other person say they love Mauraders. Guess someone had to ?

 

To each their own, but I  hate them. And I can’t agree with your “you’ve got the toolset” opinion. Because you haven’t. The vast majority of your most powerful weapons do fuck all to them. So you’re restricted to a handful of weapons such as the shotgun and Ballista, because the rest of your gear is useless. 
 

When you’ve got a ton of other enemies hassling you at the same time, they’re not a “spanner in the works”, they’re a fucking chore. 
 

Wherever the next game goes, I strongly hope we never see them ever again.

[one-armed dwarf]

I agree, the game is like all you can eat buffet of violence except for that one enemy

 

Someone mentioned colour coded enemies from DmC, reminds me of that.

[DisturbedSwan]

Quite a few on ResetEra like them too @AndyKurosaki ?‍♀️
 

You say you don’t agree with my ‘you’ve got the toolset’ sentence but then go on to say you use the Ballista and Super Shotty against them. Each enemy has a weapon they’re weak too, it’s no different with the Maurader. It’s weak to the SSG and Ballista.

 

They were only ever a spanner in the works for me. The combat is all about making you adapt and think on the fly, the Mauraders are meant to be a fly in the ointment, make you react and combat their threat.

 

I hope they’re back and even more powerful in the next game ?

 

 

[one-armed dwarf]

I mean I dont know I agree that every enemy has a weapon weakness, other than that one on the trolley and its plasma gun weakness. Felt more to me that each weapon has properties for different situations rather than enemies.

 

Eg, ballista can recoil you across the map, SSG makes you a Tarzan. Chain gun is high DPS low mobility etc etc. There is a big emphasis on pulling the different parts together into your own unique solution for a combat puzzle.

 

But Marauder funnels you into a single playstyle, which is why a lot of people (including some on resetera, if that even matters) dont feel the enemy fits in well

[mfnick]

The Dwarf has put it as well as I ever could. 
I know what Swan means regarding having the tools to deal with him - you do - but my issue is with how he changes the entire dynamic of the game - for the worse. & while some weapons are better than others against specific enemies you never have to use a particular weapon for any others. And the distance just seems so inconsistent to get him to do the green eye thing. Even if you could save ammo and use the BFG or Sword on him it would have made it more bearable and even though it doesn’t matter, it’d actually make sense within the game universe. I can kill a titan with the sword but not a little mini boss? Seems a bit off.

 

Its not that he’s even that hard, by the end I could quite easily batter him one on one. I actually found the Archville to be much harder and in some cases worse. But at least you can fight him like a normal enemy. Its just how the Marauder changes the gameplay. It’s shit, pure and simple. IMO of course. 
 

Fucking brilliant game still. Just have to emphasise that because everything I see lately just seems to slag it off for some reason ?. 

[AndyKurosaki]

Don’t know what ResetEra is, to be honest. 
 

Toolset to me suggests multiple weapons. Being restricted to only two weapons that are any good against them to me, is the antithesis of fun combat. You go from an arsenal of weapons, to going “Oh for fuck’s sake” and having to deal with the Marauder. And when you’re getting bombarded by attacks from Revenants, Arch Viles, and god knows what else, it’s absolutely frustrating. 
 

Sure, there are two weapons that are decent against them. And with practice you can kind of suss out the distance to keep. But doing that while under attack from other enemies, is 100% not fun. At all.

 

Fuck Marauders. They’re total cunts. 

[one-armed dwarf]

1 hour ago, mfnick said:

The Dwarf has put it as well as I ever could. 
I know what Swan means regarding having the tools to deal with him - you do - but my issue is with how he changes the entire dynamic of the game - for the worse. & while some weapons are better than others against specific enemies you never have to use a particular weapon for any others. And the distance just seems so inconsistent to get him to do the green eye thing. Even if you could save ammo and use the BFG or Sword on him it would have made it more bearable and even though it doesn’t matter, it’d actually make sense within the game universe. I can kill a titan with the sword but not a little mini boss? Seems a bit off.

 

Its not that he’s even that hard, by the end I could quite easily batter him one on one. I actually found the Archville to be much harder and in some cases worse. But at least you can fight him like a normal enemy. Its just how the Marauder changes the gameplay. It’s shit, pure and simple. IMO of course. 
 

Fucking brilliant game still. Just have to emphasise that because everything I see lately just seems to slag it off for some reason ?. 

Yes, Archville is a tougher enemy that ruins your day more often but your're still stuck in that classic DOOM loop. 

 

Tbf a lot of big stylish action games (which I compare Eternal to) also have an enemy like Marauder which ruins the combat loop. Any DMC game, or Bayonetta (tbf Bayo enemy design is better than DMC most cases). Ninja Gaiden has those shit ghost fish. It's not just a problem with this game, but it is a problem.

[DisturbedSwan]

16 hours ago, one-armed dwarf said:

I mean I dont know I agree that every enemy has a weapon weakness, other than that one on the trolley and its plasma gun weakness. Felt more to me that each weapon has properties for different situations rather than enemies.

 

Eg, ballista can recoil you across the map, SSG makes you a Tarzan. Chain gun is high DPS low mobility etc etc. There is a big emphasis on pulling the different parts together into your own unique solution for a combat puzzle.

 

But Marauder funnels you into a single playstyle, which is why a lot of people (including some on resetera, if that even matters) dont feel the enemy fits in well

I believe every enemies weakness is listed in the Codex, I’ve sold the game now so can’t be 100% sure but from memory I’m sure every one had some kind of weapon weakness. But yeah each weapon has different properties for dealing with different enemies as well I agree.
 

I didn’t even know the Ballista can do that to be honest ?. I also agree that it’s one big combat puzzle (that you need to crack whilst moving at 100mph around an arena whilst everything's trying to kill you) too.

 

Well yes, which is why they’re a great fly in the ointment and make you adapt, think and react to their threat instead of just going through the motions. They’re meant to upset you, they’re meant to annoy you and push you to your limit, that’s what they’re for. You need to react to them and change gears or you’ll be dead very quickly.

 

15 hours ago, AndyKurosaki said:

Don’t know what ResetEra is, to be honest. 
 

Toolset to me suggests multiple weapons. Being restricted to only two weapons that are any good against them to me, is the antithesis of fun combat. You go from an arsenal of weapons, to going “Oh for fuck’s sake” and having to deal with the Marauder. And when you’re getting bombarded by attacks from Revenants, Arch Viles, and god knows what else, it’s absolutely frustrating. 
 

Sure, there are two weapons that are decent against them. And with practice you can kind of suss out the distance to keep. But doing that while under attack from other enemies, is 100% not fun. At all.

 

Fuck Marauders. They’re total cunts. 

Biggest gaming forum on the net, formed in 2017 after NeoGaf went to shit. Just mentioned it as I’ve seen many on there enjoy the Mauraders like me, whereas everyone on here seems to dislike them. But they’re divisive, that much is true, many dislike them on there too. It’s fine to like them, it’s fine to hate them. I’m not suggesting anyone is ‘wrong’ for disliking them and I do see the reasons why you’d think that but I grew to love them because they offer something different than all the other enemies in the game. 
 

You can defeat him with a whole host of weapons, it’s just the Ballista and SSG are the most effective and put him down the quickest. I never found it frustrating, it’s just about prioritising different enemies first and making space so you can then face the Maurader 1 on 1.
 

Well I disagree, I had a tremendous amount of fun putting them down time and time again. He gets a little more tricky to deal with when there’s a host of enemies around you for sure, but that’s his job, to be an annoyance and throw you out your comfort zone. You have a sure fire technique and an arsenal to deal with him, it’s just about putting that into practice in the heat of the moment. 
 

Love Mauraders, total legends. Hope there’s more and a Cyber/Super Maurader in the next game. 

[mmmark]

The only thing I know about this game is that every enemy has a weapon weakness and I’ve not played it for a second. It’s a gripe for some and reason they love it for others.

 

I think I’d not like that tbh. Doom is about simplicity in its combat not memorising and strategising before digging in. 

[one-armed dwarf]

It's not true that every enemy has a weapon weakness, what they have are weak spots you can break off but generally the game is "use what you want".

 

If that is in the codex then I dont know but almost every weapon has something to bring to a fight.

 

But yea the combat loop is very busy for a Doom game.

[mfnick]

2 hours ago, one-armed dwarf said:

It's not true that every enemy has a weapon weakness, what they have are weak spots you can break off but generally the game is "use what you want".

This.

People have been blowing the weapon weakness out of proportion IMO, especially the staff at GB. It’s nowhere near essential as people like him say. Some weapons can break off enemy weapons to make them less of a threat easier than other. But there’s still nothing to stop you getting in there face with the double barrel,  or firing a rocket barrage off from a mile away. It works just as well. There’s just the option there to disable or reduce the effectiveness of enemy weapons if you want. Which I hardly did and didn’t really struggle anymore than if I did shoot them off. The only enemy where this is diffuser that is the Marauder or those flying eye things (forgot the name). The flying eyes are definitely a shed load easier to kill with the grenade attachment.
 

You do have to strategise though just because of the armour, ammo and health drop system. Enemy weakness stuff is not at all essential though. I also find it works well on a controller still regardless of what you may have heard too. If you are deciding to blow weapons off I noticed a generous auto aim in the heat of combat. If I was trying to shoot a weak spot really fast even if my aim wasn’t bang on the game knew for the most part when I was trying to do it and would give a helping hand. Not in a intrusive way though.