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Unpopular opinion (?): Doom Eternal is much less fun than 2016

Mr Reasonable

Completely Unreasonable
I wouldn't know. I owned a copy for three years and I didn't launch the game once.
I keep saying "I'll finish Doom 2016 first" but I'm starting to come to terms with the fact that it may never happen.

This should tell you all you need to know. You're not Doom 2016. You are Doom Eternal.
 

Dacvak

No one shall be brought before our LORD David Bowie without the true and secret knowledge of the Photoshop. For in that time, so shall He appear.
Eternal is great, but it felt overcomplicated. Not in execution (it’s still a fairly straightforward design), but in comparison to how streamlined and simple 2016 was. DOOM 2016 truly felt like a classic Doom game in the modern era, whereas Eternal felt like a more modernized version of that concept.

Both have a place, but I much prefer 2016.
 

Danknugz

Member
hated both of them due to the arena style fighting. 2016 also had the cringe "cool guy rave" soundtrack but doesn't quite match the mindless rehash that doom eternal was. I still have more fun playing Doom 1 in 2.5D quite honestly.
 

cash_longfellow

Gold Member
Definitely not wrong…but super unpopular opinion here, I personally don’t think either were very good. Not bad, just not good to me.
 

Xellos

Member
I liked the platforming. I did not like the armor/ammo management using the flame belcher and chainsaw. Melee/health restore from 2016 was enough and Eternal overcomplicated it. It wasn't difficult, but it wasn't fun either. Game was still pretty good overall.
 

AV

We ain't outta here in ten minutes, we won't need no rocket to fly through space
It's total marmite, and I completely understand the argument.

That said, I really wasn't clicking with it at first to the point where I felt like refunding it. Bit my tongue, knuckled down, got 3 or 4 levels in and once I got a few more guns, and used to the cycle, I couldn't put it down. Finished it at like 3am after a huge binge and couldn't sleep 'til 5. Once you get in the rhythm, it's a real ballet of destruction, and would've been my GOTY if Ori 2 didn't come out the same year.

It's a VERY different animal from 2016 - which I loved too - and I completely get why people are turned off by Eternal. I just recommend that if you bounced off in the first few levels, keep playing a little longer and see if it picks up.

Also don't even attempt to play it on a console, that sounds horrible.
 

Del_X

Member
Depends on what you want from a game. If you want to be challenged and pushed into using your arsenal at the right moment, then Doom Eternal is better. If you just want to use the shotgun and not think, then sure - 2016 is probably more your taste.
 
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Nah, Doom 2016 was better than the majority expected it to be, but it wasn't amazing. Eternal came along and improved the formula ten fold.

Enemies actually looking damaged and getting hurt from gunfire made the world of difference in Eternal. Definitely one of the best shooters of all time.
 

RoadHazard

Gold Member
It's total marmite, and I completely understand the argument.

That said, I really wasn't clicking with it at first to the point where I felt like refunding it. Bit my tongue, knuckled down, got 3 or 4 levels in and once I got a few more guns, and used to the cycle, I couldn't put it down. Finished it at like 3am after a huge binge and couldn't sleep 'til 5. Once you get in the rhythm, it's a real ballet of destruction, and would've been my GOTY if Ori 2 didn't come out the same year.

It's a VERY different animal from 2016 - which I loved too - and I completely get why people are turned off by Eternal. I just recommend that if you bounced off in the first few levels, keep playing a little longer and see if it picks up.

Also don't even attempt to play it on a console, that sounds horrible.
I don't know, I've definitely played more than a few levels. Maybe 10 hours? I've found it to become less and less fun, so I think it's just not for me.
 

Faust

Perpetually Tired
Staff Member
I have been an unabashed fan of Eternal since it released, but it does have some issues that lead to a lot of misconceptions for those who haven’t played through it at least once to completion.

The best comparison I can make is to the Devil May Cry series in such that the game starts off slow with very limited choice making it feel like you must face off against certain enemies with very specific weaponry. However, by the end of the game and subsequent playthrough, you have everything and know how to move and control the Slayer through the environments. This is done in both games on purpose as to not overload the player with too many options all at once and to ease them into the new mechanics. Whether this is something each player enjoys is subjective.

Also much like DMC, there are weapons and moves that absolutely are better for dispatching particular enemies the fastest - but that is boring and completely unneeded to enjoy the game.

You can and should use all your weapons, attachments, and modes and just go ham. Switch consistently, dodge, do things just for style and fun. This is a game all around creating massive arenas for a ballet of gore and violence. Even on the hardest difficulty, you can use any weapon at anytime and never feel the lack of ammo, armor, or health. You will feel all 3 if you can’t aim, can’t dodge, and aren’t fully upgraded.

Also there is this odd claim that there is a lot of platforming in the game. Every bit of platforming added up across the entire campaign makes up less than 7 min over the 10-15 hour adventure.
 
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I agree, Eternal felt like a chore to play many times because the game forces you to play a certain way. Plus, the meager ammo count and virtually no ammo pick-ups really pissed me off and annoyed me many times. Yes, you had to use the chainsaw to get ammo, but that reinforces my first point.
You couldn't just go hog wild and have fun, the entire game was a sweat fest where you were trying to balance ammo, armor, and health.

Overall, I still had fun with the game but I don't have a strong desire to go back and replay it.
 

Mr Reasonable

Completely Unreasonable
Also there is this odd claim that there is a lot of platforming in the game. Every bit of platforming added up across the entire campaign makes up less than 7 min over the 10-15 hour adventure.

I always wonder if this complaint is from people who've played on too easy a difficulty level and have strolled through the game with no opposition (which to be fair would be boring) and the only thing that stands out is the platforms.

Agree with you that the game is one that benefits massively from time invested and a second play through really pays dividends (especially if you crank the difficulty up a notch too).

The complaints about ammo being scarce are another head scratcher and point to people not having actually understood the systems - there's endless amounts of ammo around. You just have to "unlock" it.
 
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Ovek

7Member7
I thought Eternal was shit. It take’s itself far to seriously on one hand and on the other you have 1ups for some stupid reason and colourful confetti flying everywhere.

The grappling hook was poor and the level design was some of the laziest corridor to arena to corridor garbage I’ve played since Serious Sam.
 

Faust

Perpetually Tired
Staff Member
I agree, Eternal felt like a chore to play many times because the game forces you to play a certain way. Plus, the meager ammo count and virtually no ammo pick-ups really pissed me off and annoyed me many times. Yes, you had to use the chainsaw to get ammo, but that reinforces my first point.
You couldn't just go hog wild and have fun, the entire game was a sweat fest where you were trying to balance ammo, armor, and health.

Overall, I still had fun with the game but I don't have a strong desire to go back and replay it.


You absolutely can go hog wild and have fun. It just requires a higher skill level and some minor time investment to do so compared to previous entries.
 

RoadHazard

Gold Member
I have been an unabashed fan of Eternal since it released, but it does have some issues that lead to a lot of misconceptions for those who haven’t played through it at least once to completion.

The best comparison I can make is to the Devil May Cry series in such that the game starts off slow with very limited choice making it feel like you must face off against certain enemies with very specific weaponry. However, by the end of the game and subsequent playthrough, you have everything and know how to move and control the Slayer through the environments. This is done in both games on purpose as to not overload the player with too many options all at once and to ease them into the new mechanics. Whether this is something each player enjoys is subjective.

Also much like DMC, there are weapons and moves that absolutely are better for dispatching particular enemies the fastest - but that is boring and completely unneeded to enjoy the game.

You can and should use all your weapons, attachments, and modes and just go ham. Switch consistently, dodge, do things just for style and fun. This is a game all around creating massive arenas for a ballet of gore and violence. Even on the hardest difficulty, you can use any weapon at anytime and never feel the lack of ammo, armor, or health. You will feel all 3 if you can’t aim, can’t dodge, and aren’t fully upgraded.

Also there is this odd claim that there is a lot of platforming in the game. Every bit of platforming added up across the entire campaign makes up less than 7 min over the 10-15 hour adventure.

But is it really a good experience if it doesn't really click until you've already finished it (or even on the second playthrough)?

Another thing is what you mention about constantly switching weapons and equipment. I get that's what you're meant to do, but on console I found it quite cumbersome to do so in the heat of the action, so I often wound up depleting one weapon before moving on to the next one. "You should be playing this on PC." Yeah, maybe, but I played it on console, and there I found it more of a chore than I found it fun. I did not have that issue with Doom 2016.
 
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Faust

Perpetually Tired
Staff Member
But is it really a good experience if it doesn't really click until you've already finished it (or even on the second playthrough)?

Another thing is the thing you mention about constantly switching weapons and equipment. I get that's what you're meant to do, but on console I found it quite cumbersome to do so in the heat of the action, so I often wound up depleting one weapon before moving on to the next one. "You should be playing this on PC." Yeah, maybe, but I played it on console, and there I found it more of a chore than I found it fun.
I would say yes. Eternal doesn’t take the full game for it to click for most players. Neither does DMC.

As for consoles, I just briefly hold the weapon wheel and flick to the weapon I need. I find it quick and easy to switch weapons. Took me a few minutes to memorize where each weapon is without looking.
 

RoadHazard

Gold Member
I would say yes. Eternal doesn’t take the full game for it to click for most players. Neither does DMC.

As for consoles, I just briefly hold the weapon wheel and flick to the weapon I need. I find it quick and easy to switch weapons. Took me a few minutes to memorize where each weapon is without looking.

Yeah, it's not really that I didn't "get it" (I don't think), I just felt that I didn't want to do another 20 hours of it. The first 10 just weren't that much fun, and it felt like it was just more and more of the same.
 
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Faust

Perpetually Tired
Staff Member
Yeah, it's not really that I didn't "get it" (I don't think), I just felt that I didn't want to do another 20 hours of it. The first 10 just weren't that much fun, and it felt like it was just more and more of the same.
Fair. It is not a game for everyone.
 
Oh god, not another topic where everyone who says they liked Doom Eternal best (like me) comes in to say that Doom Eternal is one of the best shooters of all time, while people who liked Doom 2016 best come in and say they liked that game better and then probably something like "I kept running out of ammo?!"

This is how it goes every time.
I'd type a rebuttal in favour of 2016 mate but I'm running out of words...
 

Scotty W

Gold Member
I can understand preferring 2016, but I cannot sympathize with the view that Eternal is bad.

Eternal is like speaking a second language, clumsy until you really get it. I thought it was worse until I understood the ammo. I didn’t like that it told me how to play until I realized it was showing me unlimited freedom. And I LOVED the jumping puzzles on my Swich Lite.

Mick Gordon is overrated.
 

fatmarco

Member
The fact that the game artificially limits your playstyle to force you to play the game at the predetermined tempo, with the predetermined weapons in the predetermined context became too obnoxious over playing it and I began to sigh anytime combat arenas started purely because of how unfun it was.

The goofy Darksiders/Blizzard esque artstyle being absolutely awful in comparison to 2016's didn't help either.

It is funny how people complained about Doom 3 being too far a deviation from the Doom formula, because I'd argue that Eternal is far further away from Doom gameplay than 3 ever was.
 

MagiusNecros

Gilgamesh Fan Annoyance
The ammo economy and focus on being an arena shooter ultimately kills my interest in both 2016 and Eternal. Eternal is worse in that it wants you to rotate through your abilities like you are playing an MMO. I'd rather just shoot stuff and kill all the demons which is what Doom 1-3 was all about.

Eternal got too heavy into it's "story" and I can't say I cared for it. Not to mention the final boss of Ancient Gods is underwhelming.

Doom 3 is going to be my favorite based on choosing what weapons I want to use, the survival horror aspects and a more "evil wizard did it" kind of villain where everything just goes to shit and you have to fight to survive. That and the game just has "atmosphere". Lots of tense situations with demons being summoned out of nowhere. Conditioning you to be on guard all the time and in some cases no demons at all. Just terrible sounds that keep you expecting a demon to warp in behind you.

Not to mention Doom 3 IMO has the best looking hellscape in the series.

I don't need a complicated story for Doom. Keeping it simple is best. Stuff goes wrong and you got to clear the place out. Kill or be killed. And you are just an average soldier. Not a supersoldier or demigod. Cheapens the experience.
 

ShaiKhulud1989

Gold Member
Main game was different, but I pretty much liked it. Though nobody would’ve died if Eternal had some sort of mode with normal ammo supply.

DLCs were pure garbage though with atrocious pacing and pathetic final boss.
 

Gamerguy84

Member
2016 is one of th goats. I'm in the middle of eternal. Actually I'm stuck on one of the platforming sections.

Anyone with a PS wants to remote play in and get past it for me just respond. I'm serious.

The platforming is what I'm not crazy about otherwise it's a good game.

2016 is just pure chaos, fun, destruction, and mayhem.
 
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Katatonic

Member
Unpopular opinion? Ive seen at least 5 threads saying the same thing.

Here's an unpopular opinion - IMO both games are boring.
 

BlackTron

Member
Thank heavens I brought up this game when I was hyped and ready to buy it for sixty bucks. My friend mentioned it was on his Steam account and hadn't even tried it. So I got to play it with sharing but just stopped after a few hours. I felt pretty awkward when he asked me how the game was...from the moment I said you can't even melee the skeleton enemies anymore everyone in the room was like WTF this game sounds like garbage lol
 
I love them both. But it’s hard to go back to 2016 after eternal, feels too simple. If you play them in order tho they are both absolute bangers
 

MikeM

Member
Loved Eternal. Felt like an over powered gorilla swinging and bang-banging everywhere.

I tried 2016 on PC recently and felt slow and old.

Eternal ❤️
 

AndrewRyan

Member
Oh god, not another topic where everyone who says they liked Doom Eternal best (like me) comes in to say that Doom Eternal is one of the best shooters of all time, while people who liked Doom 2016 best come in and say they liked that game better and then probably something like "I kept running out of ammo?!"
Always feel obligated in these threads to remind everyone that agrees with OP to enable the 'Unlimited Ammo' cheat you get in level 3, then play however you like!

You can play the entire game this way, including achievements. So use any weapon for as long as you like and play however suits your style. They included it early on for a reason.
 

THE DUCK

voted poster of the decade by bots
Nope, Doom Eternal is deeper and has better gunplay. Both are good, but Eternal is actually a lot better overall. Too many people make excuses about ammo refill, like seriously picking up boxes is so much realistic than monsters dropping loot........
 
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