Released: 8 August 2024
Developer: id Software, the DOOM modding community
Editor: Bethesda, a subsidiary of Zenimax, a subsidiary of Microsoft
Systems: PC, PS5, Switch, Xbox X/S (tested)
I just accidentally overwrote my entire save in TNT: Evilution with REKKR because you don’t get a warning when you overwrite your file after switching games. In a really annoyed mood, I suddenly want to write a review for DOOM + DOOM 2, another remake of the classic shooters.
You might want to blame me for not being more careful with my saves, and all I can say is that ADHD is fun! What is not it’s fun to redo most of the Black Tower map.
My personal grudges unfortunately pale in comparison to the other problems this package has. From questionable to unforgivable, what should have been an easy win for Bethesd-id Software was a shitshow, and now I feel compelled to write about a bunch of decades-old games that claim to be “definitive” and “newly improved.”
I didn’t really intend to, but the software just annoyed me too many times. On a petty level, I’m also amused by the fact that when I made a factual error while reviewing the 2019 re-release of Doom, the marketing guy at Bethesda immediately gave me a long lecture about how I screwed up.
Well, at least I’m not so incompetent that I managed to mess up the release Downfall of all things.
The games themselves are as great as ever and the epitome of “groundbreaking” in the medium of computer gaming. I grew up with Doom and Doom II: Hell on Earth and will rarely turn down an excuse to play them again. In fact, I’ve been glued to this latest release for about two weeks. I can’t say I care enough about most modern games to the point where I’d literally play them until dawn.
Basically, this should be a incredible offer. Alongside Doom and its sequel, you get all the official PC additions to the series, an entirely new campaign, and access to an updated mod stream. Playing this version on a console in particular is a brilliant thing, as you’ll be able to access ways to play Doom that you never had if you weren’t into PC gaming.
In any case, the software crashes if you press the L1 key on the pause screen. There are Your console version.
This is a pretty consistent occurrence whether playing with mods or base games, and it’s 100% reproducible everywhere. One accidental key press and you can say goodbye to what you did.
Even if you’re careful not to accidentally hit the crash button, it can still happen on DOOM + DOOM 2. I’m highly baffled that games that run on calculators and toothbrushes are so unstable on an Xbox Series X, but I’m not a developer so maybe I’m just naive.
If you ignore these problems, the games themselves run really well, but they should do because it is damned Downfall.
As for official content, there’s quite a lot: Doom, Doom II, Master Levels, both parts of Final Doom, No Rest for the Living, Sigil, and Legacy of Rust. In addition, a number of mods have been officially curated, including classics like Harmony, Tetanus, and my personal favorite, Scientist.
Now we’ve come to the most controversial topic of the re-release, so let’s talk about these mods.
If you’ve heard of DOOM + DOOM II in any form, chances are you’ve also heard about the chaos that was caused by the WAD integration.
The Mod Browser is so poorly moderated that it almost seems like there has been no review at all. The current state is atrocious. It’s a minefield of copyright violations, stolen credits, and content that just doesn’t work. The utter ineptitude on display here is hilarious and infuriating in equal measure, and at the time of writing, nothing seems to have been done to improve the situation.
There are four Companies involved in this circus – Microsoft, Zenimax, Bethesda, and id Software. Within this obscene chain of companies, there are absolutely enough resources to handle mods in a professional manner, as opposed to this amateur crap. That a company that can spend billions to take over Activision Blizzard can’t be made to at least ensure that Doom WADs work properly is an indictment of the highest order.
Anyone can upload whatever they want to DOOM + DOOM II’s mod browser, and the results are downright offensive. The work of respected creators of popular maps is uploaded without their consent or even their name. Any uploader can claim credit, and even those who state in the description that the work is not theirs often don’t bother to say so. whose It is.
There’s also a ton of content that I sincerely hope gets Microzenibethesdid in trouble. One mod uses Mr. T’s likeness and voice. Others use elements from titles like The Simpsons, Mario, and Fist of the North Star. I have to say, I like that I’ve found cute MIDI versions of hit songs for a few games – Ironic and Self Control in particular – but something tells me they’re unlicensed.
We also have mods that don’t work at all. The horror map “My House” has been uploaded to the browser at least half a dozen times and not a single version can be run – “My House” requires the GZ Doom source port, which is not the case with DOOM + DOOM II. I’ve also come across at least one WAD that can’t functionally save progress – the mod is treated as uninstalled when trying to load a file.
All of these oversights are so damn ignorant that it’s hard not to see them as malicious, a deliberate attempt to muddy the waters when it comes to claiming ownership of game modifications. It wouldn’t be the first time Bethesda or id have crudely attempted to gain control of user content. Frankly, I don’t know if ignorance or malice would be worse in this case.
However, the reason for this is almost certainly ignorance.
I’m just waiting for some really Horrible ones are cropping up. So far, at least, there seems to be enough oversight to stop the horribly racist or queerphobic creations, but there won’t be a finger strong enough to stand the level of pointing and laughing I’ll be showing at the companies responsible if one of these slips through.
The browser itself is a masterpiece of inadequacy. WADs are displayed on a simple screen that currently has over 70 pages of content, with no search function whatsoever and only a handful of basic filters. If you select a mod and then go back, you’ll be pushed back to page one, even if you’ve already dug dozens of pages deep. The rudimentary filter you applied will also be removed.
In addition, only one of the five filters is an actual filter. The others just sort the mods by category. They didn’t even get the definition of filters right.
By the way, you can’t play your mods directly in the browser, as that would be too convenient. You have a separate menu with plain text for all the mods you have downloaded. Unfortunately, you can’t delete your mods from this mod menu… you have to go back to the mod browser to do that.
Would this pack be worth it if the whole list of issues wasn’t a factor? Console gamers will probably get a lot more out of it than PC users, since the latter can get as many WADs as they want, with better vetting and discoverability than the “pros” here provide.
The brand new Legacy of Rust isn’t really essential for anyone but diehard fans. Whether it’s fun, however, depends on the type of Doom maps you prefer – if you like overwhelming numbers of enemies, massive ambushes, and sprawling environments that require puzzle-solving and platforming gameplay, then Rust is for you.
This style of play has its fans, but I find that the new campaign takes it too far to the point of desensitization. You can only be “surprised” by Revenants so many times before you get tired of them, and some levels are really convoluted.
The new enemies are cool, even if two of them are just variants of Lost Souls and the Banshee constantly makes a painful noise. I really like the Incinerator weapon with its risky gimmick of dealing sustained area damage to enemies and players. even. It replaces the plasma rifle entirely, while the BFG gets its own fiery replacement that spreads a giant wave of flames across the screen. It’s pretty sweet!
I certainly don’t hate Legacy of Rust. Some of the big maps are really cool, it’s visually interesting throughout, and the new demons with goat skulls are superbly designed. At the same time, I find some of the maps too long-winded to remain exciting.
As entertaining as you may find it, Legacy of Rust is not enough to make you forget the absurdity of this version’s shortcomings.
It should be nearly impossible to screw up the release of Doom at this point, but trust this collection of absolute clowns to deliver not just one, but several ways to do this. DOOM + DOOM II oozes carelessness and ineptitude, all wrapped up in an attitude of obvious contempt.
Nevertheless, the remixed soundtracks are absolutely amazing.
