Bethesda Is Updating DOOM And DOOM II On Switch With Some Hellish Add-Ons

That'll be nice. But still wish we could've gotten DooM 64 last month, despite the Eternal setback. Would've made for a nice appetizer for the coming main course.

Bethesda doing some good for a change ?
This should make headlines everywhere.

@Godlike_Virus Yeah. That really irked me that they pushed it back just to be preorder bonus. Was really, really looking forward to playing that.

Final DOOM is comprised of 64 levels. Final DOOM was originally released on PC and featured two 32-level DOOM II WADs (though it was a standalone release, not an expansion pack). It was later released on PlayStation 1 as well, but the PS1 version only featured a compilation of levels lifted from the PC release (and possibly a few from Master Levels For DOOM II, if memory serves).

I'm surprised that Bethesda aren't selling it separately (not that I am complaining). The addition of SIGIL is also surprising, and a welcome addition, and via its inclusion are effectively canonising SIGIL as the official fifth episode of DOOM (1993).

Final DOOM and SIGIL will be an absolute pain to play on consoles though due to the inability to instantly select a weapon like one can in the PC versions (by pressing the 1-7 keys). On console, you need to cycle through each of your weapons individually, which doesn't afford one enough time to react to the onslaught of monsters in these particular WADs.

I hope that we can also get a complete physical release (including the updates) once it is decided that they are no longer going to update these ports. DOOM I, II, III, and DOOM 64 can easily fit on a 16GB cart.

I wish we could get the uncensored versions of the secret maps in DOOM II as well. I get that they would censor them for the German release, but why should the rest of us suffer?

Good to know Bethesda isn't trying to disappoint for once. After all these updates though perhaps a physical release of these games would be nice. Doesn't matter if it's a collection of all four (Doom 1, 2, 3, and 64) or separate releases just make sure all of them are on the cartridge.

Awesome! DOOM 2016 on Switch was my first time playing DOOM ever, on any platform. It was the first game I downloaded on my Switch and I loved it. Loved DOOM as well when it released, so much fun, and can’t wait to go back to it with these updates. Excellent job.

@retro_player_22 : Issuing separate cartridges for all four games would be silly and wasteful, not to mention needlessly expensive to manufacture for games that are already available cheaply via the eShop. DOOM III wouldn't fit on an 8GB cartridge anyway, so they'd be killing two birds with one stone by including the other games on the same 16GB cartridge, as cartridges can spawn separate icons for each piece of software.

Before issuing such a release though, I hope they will consider adding local wireless multiplayer as well. I would likely buy four physical copies in that case!

I still like putting the original on for a quick burst, seeing how far I can get in one life without dying...then put something else on. Looking forward to seeing these updates.

While I'm not as well educated in these Doom add ons, its great that months later they added these things at no extra cost. £4 each was already a good deal now its a steal.

So wish that the extras were a compilation cartridge was going to be released.

@Silly_G It wouldn't be if it's a limited run physical release. The reason why there are no videogame crash anymore and why physical games are becoming less and less likely is to prevent such a thing like that from ever happening. Because digital games doesn't take room in store shelves and could be remove at anytime saved space from store shelves whereas limited run physical releases solve the problem of limited store shelf space as only limited copies will be printed for those who prefer to purchase physical copies, once the print is out of stock then that is it. No more physical purchases that means no more taking up retail shelf space from bigger triple A hits from the likes of Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft. Digital could had millions of games and there still would not be a videogame crash, the digital store front doesn't had the same problem that physical games use to have via retail stores.

This is a fantastic effort being made on the port, but there is one easily overlooked issue that im still concerned about. The previous update did not fix the berserk fist issue (being unable to re-select the fist when in possession of the chainsaw. On paper this sounds small, but the powered up fist is an absolutely fantastic pinky killer and ammo conserver. Not having access to it can affect the whole game.

I have my fingers crossed that they addressed this issue, along with providing better shortcuts to weapons (e,g. 360’s dpad selection based on ammo types.

@retro_player_22 : I don't know how you've extrapolated that from my previous comment when I hadn't even approached the topic of physical vs. digital distribution broadly.

My point is that people aren't going to buy physical copies of the classic DOOM games for US$30-40 apiece (that's US$120-160 in total) when they collectively cost under US$25 (assuming DOOM 64 will cost somewhere in between the original DOOM games and DOOM 3) in the eShop. DOOM 3 will require a 16GB cartridge regardless, so it stands to reason that they would include the other games on the same cartridge, and they can get away with charging US$40, or even as much as US$60 for such a package, which, while being more expensive than the digital equivalent, still affords a unique value proposition.

Hell, it’s about time!

(Restarted playing Starcraft 2 yesterday. Fitting line! )

This is great especially considering how little they charged for the 3 old Doom games.
More free levels should give a sales boost.

There goes my hesitation with these games. When they get discounted, even a little, I'll buy them right away.

@retro_player_22 Those aren’t the reason why physical games are becoming less common. The reason is it allows publishers to largely cut out the middle man that is physical retailers and in turn provides a higher profit margin for titles. It also prevents second hand sales of titles and tighter control of end to end distribution including pricing and the like.

Store space isn’t particularly a publishers concern, it’s the concern of retailers who are now cut out from the distribution channel completely and who have nothing to win with games going digital only. Go to a games store and look at how barren the PC games section is, assuming there’s one at all. It’s not that stores can’t spare the space, they did for years, but they’ve been under cut by digital sales and even the physical PC sales have DRM tied to digital storefronts that prevents those titles being resold second hand, where a lot of the money is for Game Stop and other similar game retailers.

OMG! I remembered commenting on this site before how much I would love to see fanmade WAD support, but NEVER thought we would actually see it on any official home console port. Despite the poor condition these ports arrived in, Bethesda/Nerve Software are doing a lot to remedy that. Really the only other thing I could even ask for is online play.. Bravo Bethesda!

What I want to know is if these updates will finally fix the infuriating issue of DOOM 1 and 2 crashing whenever the Switch is suspended for more than a couple of minutes at a time. I would have thought this problem would have been sorted out by now.

Is there online Multiplayer in one of the Doom releases for the switch available?

if they added the Aubrey Hodges soundtrack it would be amazing

It won't happen but it would be awesome to be able to add our own WADs, Simon's Destiny was absolutely brilliant. For those that don't know it was Castlevania from the NES recreated in Doom

Finally, these classic Doom ports will be good as Doom (2016).

It is great to hear that they are adding options for brightness in Doom 64. That game was going for an atmospheric tone but sometimes it was too dark to deal with. The only thing that would make that port better is if they included bonus content that features the cut enemies for the game such as the Hellhound (such a thing isn't unheard of, Christian Whitehead made a Sega approved Sonic C.D. port with respectable bonus content.)

I'm also pleased to be able to play Doom W.A.D.s such as Sigil because I can't afford an original copy of Doom. I've been hearing mixed opinions of Sigil but, in my book, it is basically canon since it has Romero attached and warrants a look.

Funny that this report comes along only a week after I finished classic Doom.

Very cool. I've never played any of these expansions before so I'll definitely get in there when it launches.

A bit of a baffling launch with a lot wrong with the original ports, however, I’m glad to see that they’re trying to instill some goodwill back.

Doom 2016 on Switch still needs updating to fix the massive deadzone.

When? Give us a rough release date please.

Also, I hope alongside the aspect ratio options, I hope we can have no frames – just black bars when not in full-screen. I find those left and right frames distract from the game.

@Silly_G The X360 port did the controller quite well, not sure why they didn't use same control scheme here.

Basically, you'd press right on d-pad once, you'd get pistol, press it twice you get heavy machine gun ect.. Press up on d-pad once, you get pump shotgun, press up on dpad twice you get SSG ect. ect.

Not sure why they didn't make the switch port like that tbh

@Doktor-Mandrake : That would actually be a smart workaround.

Idiotically, these new ports don't use the D-pad at all, not even as a substitute for analogue controls.

@PhilKenSebben @Godlike_Virus Delaying DOOM 64 annoyed the hell outta me too. Nobody was looking for it to be a pre-order bonus...it would have made so much more sense to immediately release it back when DOOM Eternal got delayed. I don't think people are gonna want to play 64 much when Eternal comes out. Just a really misguided decision...

Outstanding. Final DOOM is better than it has any right to be, and Sigil, too? Hell yeah, I'm in, pun intended.

@Silly_G Yeah it's not hard to bind 1-7 on a controller, controller is my preferred way to play Doom on sourceports that support it and I usually dedicate X, Y, B, and the dpad buttons for them.

Really don't understand why this isn't the default, Classic Doom doesn't have that many inputs and as you say, quick weapon swapping in crucial in the tougher wads.

@Silly_G boggles the mind, that old x360 port came out around 2007ish iirc, I really don't understand why they didn't use the same control scheme for modern-day consoles.

Excellent news!

A few months ago my partner and I decided to move abroad but after struggling to find a new country to reside in we decided to get a FRIKKIN BOAT. It’s a 6 berth monster loads of room for the kids. Any ways the point I’m getting to is that ALL I play now is Switch. I really wanted to play Sigil but my DOS days are over. I forgot the command codes to play extra wads (imagine that. From a person that oversaw the creation of a fabled Wad pack on CD in the late 90’s. Lol!). And simply didn’t want to go through the hassle of trying to get Sigil working.

So thank Satan I’ll soon be playing this on my boat. (I have a 90gb mobile data plan that we use for everything. Plus lots of marinas have WiFi these days). Can’t wait to get this and chill. Life has never been so weird and good!

60fps sounds good too. I understand the reasons why it’s 35 (except player movement as that’s controlled via the IIRC Unity frontend) as its half the original games 70fps or 70hz base mode. Much easier to halve things.

I realized too I’m following in the footsteps of an old friend that, a few years ago, sold his house in the USA and bought a giant RV that his wife and himself now live in. Other old devs probably know the guy I’m talking about.

@Silly_G suffer ? really ?

@617Sqn : It's called a figure of speech. Do you take everything that others say literally? Really?

@Silly_G Hey man, seen recent patch notes for Doom 1 and Doom 2? Big big update, but also

Added Quick Weapon Select: The Directional Pad can now be used to quickly swap between weapons.

Up: Shotgun and Super Shotgun
Right: Chaingun
Down: Rocket Launcher
Left: Plasma Gun

@Doktor-Mandrake : Yeah, I've given it a try. The shoulder buttons also act as sort of a weapon wheel now as well.

I'm not too big a fan of forced 60fps though, which is also part of the update. I wish they had given us the option to toggle between 60fps and how it was previously (which was closer to how it was on PC back in the day).

The new weapon toggles are essential for playing some of the more difficult WADs (such as Final DOOM, which can be downloaded via the new Add-On feature).

I still need to finish episode 4 of DOOM though.