Topic: Doom Eternal

It’s amazing and another proof of concept game for switch. Having this in the palm of your hands is amazing. 30fps feels amazing. Nothing to complain about. Happily support games like these coming to my switch.

I played on my Switch Lite at work today, and it was like....

Pure. Euphoria. Yes... it was pure euphoria.

It looks good on handheld, and plays SUPER smoothly, and the gyro aiming is absolutely perfect with default settings. I was ripping and tearing in the palm of my hands, and it was glorious!

Came home, started playing docked on the TV, and it was like...

Pure. Euphoria.

It looks really good on the tv, to the point it doesn’t “feel” downgraded at all. Even though it doesn’t match the other versions it looks good enough that it doesn’t feel like a downgrade. It feels like that’s what the game is actually meant to look like. I don’t know how else to explain it. It’s one of the better looking switch games I’ve played on the TV, lets put it like that. It doesn’t make me want to play on PC when I’m playing this. Which... is not something I could say for Wolfenstein 2 or even the first DOOM. When I played those games on the TV it was apparent how downgraded they were, and it made me yearn for the PC version. But this... doesn’t do that. It’s 100% satisfaction through and through

If LRG will put it out, I’ll buy it. I have several of their games and they are great. I have 32 rated M games on my Switch and nothing else. The Switch has more in common with my PSVITA than anything else. The 3DS didn’t have many M rated games at all and didn’t cater to older gamers nearly as well as the Switch does. I’d say I’m at least as happy with my Switch as I was with my PSVITA.

I don’t really think M rated games cater to older gamers, as older gamers typically stop caring about specifically seeking out M rated content and just care about having fun. I’m 36 and play about half and half. I don’t ever really think about it. I just play whatever’s fun, be it Doom Eternal or Pikmin 3.

I’m a day one Vita owner, and I liked it for what it was, but... it’s probably my least favorite platform ever, barring PSVR. 3DS quickly took most of my handheld attention, despite the Vita hardware being clearly superior (I did love the 3D though). It did have Trails of Cold Steel 1/2 and Final Fantasy X and Persona 4, which are the ones I remember the system for. But ya, it tried to be a portable console with other titles but just couldn’t. Wasn’t powerful enough, didn’t have a full button set, and didn’t get the games. I look at Switch, with games like Doom Eternal with rumble and gyro aiming and full button set with clickable analogs, docking to the tv... and it’s like, wow. Flashbacks to Call of Duty Black Ops 2 Declassified and Resistance Falling Skies... we’ve come a long way.

No offense to anyone who loves that system. You like what you like, and, more power to you... that’s cool with me.

I'm surprised Digital Foundry hasn't covered the Doom Eternal port. I know NL and others have posted gameplay comparisons, but I still like seeing DF do their thing.

I noticed DF hasn't done anything Switch related since September 26, obviously because of ps5 & xbox x releases. Last Switch games they covered were Ori and Crysis.

The whole M rating being what caters to older gamers always sounds so stupid to me. I always thought the M rating was more appealing to younger folk, as I once found it. When I was a young teen, Mortal Kombat and Doom were appealing because they were taboo and rated for adults and had that whole forbidden fruit thing going. But now, being an actual adult pushing 40, I don't think I could care any less. I just play whats fun for me, which can wildly range from the likes of GTA, Doom or Mortal Kombat to the likes of Mario, Lego or Portal Knights.

I personally don't care at all wether a game is M-rated, E-rated or whatever-rated. The only thing that counts is wether a game is good or not.

The upgrades and progression in this game are top notch. The game keeps revealing, naturally, more and more ways to upgrade. It’s very addicting. And I love the platforming. Some have said the first game is better because it doesn’t have the platforming like this one. But I disagree. It feels very Metroid Prime-like. Constantly on the move in an arena with monkey bars, double jumps, double dashes, platforms, portals, and the cycle of flame belch for armor, chainsaw for ammo, glory kill for health, is just the right mix to create a unique experience only Doom Eternal can offer.

It makes me excited knowing I can always play the first once I finish this, but at the same time the first game feels like such a downgrade by comparison. This one feels so much faster and more fluid, with much more flexible mobility.

@JaxonH
Sounds awesome!
The only thing keeping me from buying it right now is the price and my huge backlog (which dramatically increased during Black Friday). I hope to get it on sale soon. I already saw the PC-version for 10€. But on Switch, I guess we can be happy if the game is 50% off by next summer.

Is the port of DOOM Eternal any better than of the original DOOM?

I didn't finish the original game because:

1. The sound quality is pure garbage! I work in pro-audio and don't want to bore you with speakers and headphones I use, but ultimately the original DOOM port on Switch has the worst audio quality of all the games in my collection! The sound track and the sound effects are fantastic, obviously (one of the producers is our customer). But whatever audio they crammed in the Switch port is a crime. Very strong compression artifacts and cut dynamics. This is such a shame because the audio experience is very important for the atmosphere of this game (and shame on you if you use TV speakers or cheap headphones). Poor graphics AND poor audio is really not how I can play this game. It's not like proper audio format would have added more than 500 MB to the download, so there is was absolutely no reason to castrate it.

2. The loading times are quite long. When playing DOOM, I am looking for a challenge. I don't want to breeze through it, so of course I want to increase the difficulty level. But every time I die, the game loads another 30 seconds. It hurts the gameplay dramatically. At the later parts of the game I was spending more time looking at the loading screen than actually playing.

3. Frame rate issues when docked. The graphics look okay (playable at least), but on the large screen the stutters are too much for me. Especially when enemy count increases, I would say it becomes unplayable for a challenging game. Sure, you can bring the difficulty down, but then it isn't DOOM.

Based on released videos, the game looks even blurrier than the prequel. So I have some doubts my issues with the original game were fixed this time around. It seems like the majority doesn't care, but personally I'd rather not play DOOM at all than in the state of how the Switch port is.

@Switchcraft
Mostly good news

1 Sound is perfection. No crackling audio bugs this time, no compression due to no cartridge needing to compress. It's spectacular

2 Loading times are HELLA fast. Not even kidding. This new ID Tech 7 engine is crazy good. When I die, I'm right back in the game a few seconds later. When I load in, it's really short. I remember Doom 2016 loading times and ya, they were hefty. This game loads lightning quick. Its absolutely incredible how night and day it is from the 2016 reboot.

3 And even more good news. Framerate is rock solid. The best framerate of any ID Tech game to date. Framerate analysis shows it hugging 30 frames 95% of the time, with only brief, momentary drops to 28-29. It feels crazy smooth.

The graphics do take a hit. Obviously. The dynamic res can adjust like the first game did, obviously. But personally I think it's a step up from the 2016 reboot. It looks better than I remember that one did. It doesnt feel "super downgraded", if that makes sense. It is, and you can see it in comparisons, but as long as you're not playing 2 versions side by side, it's not detracting. Especially in motion. When you're ripping and tearing it feels exactly the same as it did on Steam for me.

Also, the gyro aiming is PERFECT right out of the gate using default settings. They nailed it this time. It's about as perfect a port I could have hoped for.

I remember almost none of those issues in Doom 2016 Switch outside of loading (which I wanna say is also a problem on PS4 and Xbox One but don't quote me on that). Maybe they were fixed after those patches?

@JaxonH Thank you, that is great to hear! In that case, I’m in

Sounds awesome! I really enjoyed DOOM on my Switch, so if this is even more polished, I don't see why I won't like this one, too.

People always say they're amazed the Switch can run this stuff, but I'm more amazed that people are amazed. Of course there will come a point when the downgrades are just too much to take, but I really think we're still a couple years away from that. I mean, there is at least one Youtuber who has an entire channel devoted to running PC games on the lowest-spec'd hardware possible. It's amazing the stuff you can do if you're willing to devote the dev time and money.

@JaxonH “3DS quickly took most of my handheld attention”. I have a 3DS as well. Wonderful 3D. Love the system. However, I also got a VITA for the Visual Novels it has. The Switch, like the VITA has tons of Visual Novels and I am a happy camper big time.

@PSVR_lover
That's one thing even I cant deny- if you like visual novels, Vita had plenty. 3DS had a few but the low res hurt the experience. That's a genre that kind of needs a good VISUAL aspect, being a VISUAL novel and all 😀

Thankfully, Switch has kind of taken up that mantle the PS Vita left behind. Was playing A.I. The Somnium Files the other day on Switch, and its exceptional.

@kkslider5552000
In Doom 2016, I dont remember any compressed sound, but there was an audio bug that would crackle and cause the sound to cut out, only fixable with a reboot. The reboot's framerate definitely had some drops to mid 20s, but it felt pretty smooth to me personally. And ya, load times were pretty annoying, though I cant recall other systems by comparison. Gyro was not present at launch, and after being patched in, took some tweaking in the settings.

But Doom Eternal? They said nope, we're having none of that. No audio bugs, definitely no compressed audio, super fast loading times (impressively so), incredibly stable frame rate, perfect gyro with default settings at launch...

Dynamic res drops are really the only true compromise made. And while it sucks seeing the visual quality fluctuate at times, overall you barely notice because you're too busy ripping and tearing at 1,000 mph.

It's the full fat Doom Eternal experience on a handheld. A dream come true. For real... it is. Playing this game on Switch Lite at work provides a surge of endorphins no other handheld game has ever achieved. I cannot find the words to adequately convey the excitement and rush of pleasure Doom Eternal provides on a handheld system you can play anywhere.

Vita and Switch have more visual novels, but, like, 90% of those are otome games. I've played one or two in the past, but the anime equivalent of Harlequin romance novels don't really get my blood moving.

I loooooove games like Somnium, Professor Layton, Zero Escape, Ace Attorney, Danganronpa, and so on, but those are more like point-and-click adventure games than actual visual novels. Unfortunately, that genre is dying out on the handhelds after its brief resurgence, since Professor Layton is probably dead (RIP Level-5), Zero Escape is finished, Danganronpa is finished, and Ace Attorney 7 is effectively vaporware at this point in time.

PC is the only place to be for visual novels. Too bad it sucks sitting at a computer to read a book.

@JaxonH Appreciate your thorough analysis of DOOM Eternal. It really does sound like an awesome port, despite being a tremendously more demanding game.

Doom Eternal isn’t getting the visibility it deserves.

I thought it was just bombing hard, as it still hasn’t shown up in the best sellers list, even for digital only games. But if you run a search to look at the complete list, you’ll find that it’s actually the 27th best selling paid game, right behind Dark Souls. And still moving up the list.

But it doesn’t show in the best sellers section at all. Or the Digital Only best sellers, where it should be even higher. So it’s not getting the visibility it should be getting as a best seller. That’s incredibly unfortunate.

@JaxonH Seems to be because of how the game was setup, the purchase is a bundle which has DOOM Eternal as software and the DOOM Eternal campaign as DLC. Bundles never appear on the charts and "software" that isn't purchasable because it's only in a bundle never appear on the charts either.