Bethesda Game Days revealed some really interesting new content around Fallout 76 upcoming DLC - Wastelanders, ESO Trivia Live Stream testing general knowledge of the fans and most importantly we had loads of new information around Doom Eternal that has truly blown fans minds to say the least!
The various Live Doom Eternal Streams were broken up mainly around the new Battle Mode Multiplayer segment of the game, some new never before seen single player footage and more information around the Master Levels that are being introduced into the game. All the information was provided by DOOM Eternal Director Hugo Martin and Marty Stratton during the event.
Starting with Battle Mode, the main Multiplayer aspect being introduced to the game, is something truly spectacular. I have honestly been waiting for an FPS game to introduce something new and innovative for years and I feel Doom Eternal may have just nailed this. It is a mode that involves one player, being the Slayer, going head on with two other players who take on the roles of Demons. It is really interesting how they have balanced the two parties out so that everything makes sense and just works. The Slayer is really OP and has tons of resources in his arsenal to use against his Demon Foes and his Demon Foes have their own tricks like spawning demons, watching each other backs in unique ways and possessing their own unique abilities to counter act the Slayer.
There was new footage introduced for Battle Mode which really gave a detailed dive into how the mode will work from both the Slayer's perspective and Demon's perspective. Hugo and Marty really broke down the game play and explained the strategy around how to play as both respective parties. It is so interesting how you need to use your environment and how quick the wrong decision will end the round for you. The pace of decision making is beyond crazy let alone trying to keep up with the pace of the mayhem going around you. For example, healing up as a Demon puts you at a huge disadvantage and if the Slayer picks up on this, you are pretty much fried where you stand without warning, so it is very important that you time these events with you partner Demon and environmental distractions before popping off to heal up. This mode is not simply about just trying to run and gun, but rather considering many factors before pulling the trigger which makes the game play so more interesting and this is just the tip of the ice berg of what you can expect from this mode.
Furthermore, Marty and Hugo were joined on stage by Boston Celtics Marcus Smart and Romeo Langford to play some never before seen Single Player Campaign footage of the start of the game. They dived more into the various aspects of the Single player talking about various game play mechanics, map puzzles, weapon mods, glory kills, etc. It gives you an idea of what to expect when the game comes out and the changes they have made from Doom 2016.
The new game play really highlighted what you can expect in the game, especially from what you start off with and how you would need to build on that. One really critical thing for me was that they have decided to leave out the unlimited Pistol from Doom 2016 and to limit the player on Ammo pick ups around the world. This is crazy and adds a whole new dynamic in how you approach each situation and the decisions you make moving forward. Do I Glory kill the Demon for health, as these pick ups are also limited or do I chainsaw them to receive ammo, armor, etc. Also if I do chainsaw them, which enemy is it as it requires specific fuel levels to chainsaw them. This is just some of the questions you need to ask yourself on the fly which really opens up new ways to play the game and then on top of that we add map puzzle sections to consider that work against you. Demons also have vulnerable points on them, which you can shoot at for example, which greatly reduces their abilities and allows you take them out quickly. This really makes a difference when a mob of enemies starts flowing in and allows you to consider which enemies do I target first here.
The introduction of the Master Levels was something really interesting that allows the player to go back and re-play passed levels adding more challenging aspects to the level. Hugo showed off the difference between the standard level 3 area of the campaign and then the Master level 3 area and how the demons had changed. The level become a lot more challenging, minus the fact that he decided to put the difficulty on Nightmare as well.
Hugo also pointed out secrets like Demon figures that would be collected throughout the game and stored in the Slayers man cave along with other collectables. Marty also commented and said that the players wanted a lot of more content for the campaign in Doom 2016 and they have heard them. That is why they are adding so much more to the initial release of the game with future content coming for the single player via DLC and updates.
There was loads of information and especially game play footage that was revealed at Bethesda Game Days around Doom Eternal and what the player can expect, which is an understatement. They have really gone far and beyond to increase the players experience this time round compared to the Doom 2016 release. Back in 2016 we had to Fight like Hell, but now we are going to have to Prepare to Raze Hell in more than one way.
Doom Eternal will be releasing on Steam and Bethesda's own platform, PS4, Xbox One and Strada on March 20th.