DOOM Multiplayer First Impressions + OPEN BETA!

–UPDATE– Just announced! An open beta for the DOOM multiplayer will be available from April 15th-17th, with pre-load available starting April 12th. Beta is open to PS4, Xbox One, and Steam – No code needed!

This past weekend Bethesda released the Doom multiplayer beta, closed to those who have already preordered the game or had registered well in advance. My mom and I decided to give it a try (video after the cut) and I was pleasantly surprised by what they\’ve shown us so far.

There were two game modes available during the testing period, a team death match and a mode called warpath.

The team death match is what you would expect it to be with one major exception. At various points of the match, a demon rune will be released, which allows one player to transform into one of the demons of the game in order to reap as much havoc as humanly possible (more like inhumanly possible, amiright????? high five). This adds a pretty fun element into the match, and makes tensions run pretty high – the demon is pretty overpowered – so it\’s really important to stay as far from that player as possible. In addition, it seems that in the full version there will be many demons you can change into for you to unlock, since they have you choose your preferred spawn of hell in the beginning of the match.

Warpath plays similarly, but instead of a team free-for-all death match, it plays like king of the hill with a capture point that maneuvers around the map. At the same time that a capture point drops, a demon rune will also spawn, so any player is able to transform into their demon. Points in this game mode are based on the amount of time the capture point is held, instead of kills.

THE GOOD:

• Doesn\’t shy away from its old school roots. There is definitely plenty of updates and new content, but at its core it still feels like the Doom I grew up loving, from the way the pickups look to the exploding gore of a kill. The monsters look badass, the design familiar, and the guns look deadlier than ever.
• Solid character customization, way more than your average multiplayer fps. Custom armor colors and patterns, armor styles, and gun colors.
• Unique Medal buff system, collect medals in order to respawn with buffs and power ups for your character
• Every level up gets you random loot that can be new weapons, cosmetic modifications and medals
• Weapon controls feel pretty solid, and the feel of this shooter is great. If this is close to how the single player campaign will look and feel, I can\’t wait to play it.

THE NOT SO GOOD

• Your movements in game feel a bit heavy and clunky, especially when compared to other modern shooters like Destiny, CSGO, or battlefield. Not as much maneuverability as I\’d prefer.
• If the full release of the game doesn\’t include a lot more game modes and maps, the multiplayer aspect will get very tiring very fast. The beta included two game modes and two maps, and after a few hours of play, it felt like too much of the same.

All in all, everything I\’ve played from the DOOM multiplayer beta is making me hungry to play the full game – especially the single player campaign. If the badassery we\’ve seen in the trailers translates into the main story, DOOM is gonna be an epic guns blazing adventure. We will let you know if all this promise translates into something great after it releases on May 13th. For now, sit back and enjoy my mother and I taking the multiplayer for a spin!

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_SEqzG0U-g&w=560&h=315]