Pros:
+Weapon load-outs take away the need for hunting down basic weapons, leaving only power weapons to be found via pick-ups.
+The verticality in maps allow for players to traverse into combat how they please.
+Demon rune changes the entire approach to combat that players may have.
+Maps variate between UAC themed and Hell themed while some use both in “Unto the Evil” DLC pack.
Cons:
–Intermittent lag issues can cause some to be deterred from playing.
–Connecting issues can cause some frustration when connecting to the servers.
Editor’s Note: Our review for the multiplayer portion of DOOM features Unto the Evil DLC content. The content is now available for 14.99 USD or through the Season Pass for Season Pass holders.
Heralding in the multiplayer genre via LAN or Online; DOOM as a franchise has remained at large as one of the greatest arena style shooting games of all time. In the recent years, we’ve seen a decline in games that follow the idea of fast momentum, no camping, and constant blood bathing as foes are turned into masses of viscera.
Something that DOOM has always been known for is its constant push for fast movement speeds, shotguns, blood, and a constant need for fragging enemy players. With a smash-hit campaign, DOOM‘s multiplayer is just as strong as its single player campaign in its own creative rights. So much so, that we decided to give the game its own individual review from the rest of the game. While the formula changes from being a badass taking on Hell to badass Space Marines chasing other badass Space Marines in order to see who can acquire the most objectives completed. This renders the game rather different from the singleplayer experience. While it’s damning to say, the game feels more like Unreal than it does DOOM or Quake.
This isn’t because the game is actually bad; instead, it makes since with the recently announced Quake Champions seeking to fill the arena shooter aspect of the game. With loadouts in the game, DOOM seeks to fill those familiar spots with random pick-ups such as speed boosts, demon runes, invisibility, and even things such as regenerative health. Even weapons such as the Gauss Rifle (railgun renamed), and even the BFG have made sporadic appearances through ever game mode in timed intervals.
While sniper weapons like the vortex rifle remain useful, they aren’t mainstay weapons like one would hope, which leaves them as weapons that could potentially be hyper lethal almost useful. Their diluted usefulness is mostly due to weapons such as the rocket launcher, lightning gun, and even the chaingun as weapons that can be placed in player loadouts from the get-go. This even has something to do with the fact the game’s doublejump from the campaign has made its way into the multiplayer, which eliminates camping from the game overall. If you aren’t used to this style games? Weapons such as the Vortex Rifle and the Stasis Rifle can dish out some heavy amounts of damage in a short few seconds.
Along with virtually every gun being able to be used in loadouts, there are a few new additions as well such as hack mods that will allow players to gain unique advantages in combat such as shared XP with the Osmosis perk, Bloodtrail, which allows players to hunt down enemies as they run away during combat. While these are usable for those instances, accessories have also made their new debut. These little tools include things such as the personal teleporter that allow players to move through combat in an instant while putting out as much damage as possible. Accessories such as the kinetic mines allow players to set lethal traps for their enemies while maneuvering throughout the battlefield. A long with these comes weapons such as the Siphon Grenade that allow players to regain health while damaging enemies as much as possible.
The most unique change to combat isn’t necessarily just the games hack mods, but also a few disgruntlement’s that also lie within the game. First and foremost is the fact that most alternate fire modes are limited to the games overall progression. Players are limited to the combat shotguns grenade round, the heavy assault rifles scoped mode, the rocket launchers remote detonation, and the plasma rifles heatblast that allows for players to cover an area in heated plasma in order to take out enemies. Even weapons such as
While I’d have loved to have seen all the modes stripped away all together, DOOM does offer a clean and unique vision of what the multiplayer should be like. Unfortunately, the reason behind why some of these may not be possible? Is because things such as the Heavy Assault Rifles rocket rounds may not be all that favorable with the games netcode. That or just the fact it could quite possibly do too much damage in the short term. If anything, it does leave room for glory kills to remain satisfying as players take one another out in rapid combat while smashing each others skulls in. The netcode issue shows true as it won’t be uncommon to see players connections drop from 3-4 bars ping only to hit yellow or red for the rest of the match. However, this is infrequent, and shouldn’t take away from the games overall enjoyment.
Overall, DOOM’s multiplayer offers a unique vision of what a game could possibly do in the near by future with game modes such as Team Death Match, Soul Harvest (kill confirmed for those who have played Call of Duty), Warpath (King of the Hill with a moving objective), Freeze Tag, and a few others. Each of the modes offer a unique blend of variation while keeping players amused and combative against one another while completing their objectives. Game modes such as Exodus (Capture the Flag), which force players to cooperate while locking down a traveling turn-in point.
Final Score: 8 out of 10
About the Writer:
Dustin is our native console gamer, PlayStation and Nintendo reviewer who has an appetite for anything that crosses the boarders from across the big pond. His interest in JRPG’s, Anime, Handheld Gaming, and Pizza is insatiable. His elitist attitude gives him direction, want, and a need for the hardest difficulties in games, which is fun to watch, and hilarity at its finest. You can find him over on Twitter, Google+, and or you can find him on PSN with RaivynLyken.