First Impressions: Doom Open Beta

So I played a bit of the Doom open beta over the weekend and I found it... All right to be honest. Having not really played the original Doom (got Quake and Wolfenstein instead) I don't really have to much to compare this to but overall I did have a fun time, even if it wasn't quite what I expected

So firstly, the pace of the game. Well, it was fast with continuous movement etc. But I also felt it was quite slow, compared to other shooters at least, due to the fact it has no sprint button and you can't run over the walls like CoD. For a game all about moving to outflank your opponent you'd think this would be the target. 

There were two game modes available in the beta - plain old Team Deathmatch and Warpath where you have to try and control a moving point. Warpath was the most fun out of the two because it forced everyone to move to the same point to try and capture it, keeping the action and pace high unlike in Team Deathmatch where I found myself just trying to find people for half the match.

Revenants are new in this game and seem like a nice change of pace although I have to be honest, I never got to be one! Basically, they are really fast demons who can kill you quite easily and can be used to either bolster your lead or clutch the win.

The weapons were varied although I tended to use ones with a high DPS, for example the Super Shotgun as it allowed you to keep moving at all times. Which is needed, when opponents can kill you in a couple of hits. Medals and commendations are also here and vary from your average K/D ratio to Avenger. It's nice knowing that you were the best in something at the end of the round though, even if it's just that you died the most!

The graphics are very well polished and the settings are nice, if a bit claustrophobic (this worked in the original). There's a lot of customisation for armour, colours etc. but due to this being a beta most weren't unlocked. I went for a blue Marine with purple highlights with lots of battle scarring and dirt for added effect. You know, so that it could wage brutal war on everyone with fancy clothes. 

Conclusion: overall, I did enjoy playing the game and I'm interested in how the finished version will turn out. It will be interesting to see if this beta will allow Bethesda to get the servers in check before release unlike previous releases of this year.

Thanks for reading, Satamer.