Id Software’s Doom 2016 has recently turned seven years old. The was game was first launched on May 13, 2016 for the Xbox One, Playstation 4, and PC. The last game before Doom 2016 was Doom 3 which was released back in 2004. The series wouldn’t spawn a major installment until 12 years later and it has managed to won fans over the years.
Doom 2016 in 2023 is certainly not old enough to be considered a retro game, but it is also not new enough to be labeled as a modern game. Despite being in this situation, Doom 2016 is still a blast to play. It might take some time to get adjusted if you started the newfangled Doom titles with Doom Eternal which certainly amplifies the combat when compared to Doom 2016. However, Doom 2016 does got some other aspects that makes it still a strong game to compete against Doom Eternal in terms of delivering a quality modern Doom experience.
To honor the greatness of Doom 2016, this will be a list of five statements of why id Software’s 2016 reboot is still worth your time in 2023.
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1) The Campaign
2) The Multiplayer (Bots Included)
3) Doom SnapMap: Map Editor and More Doom Content
4) The Game is Generally Affordable
5) Better on the Newer Consoles
The Campaign
Without a doubt, the Doom series has always been a single-player-driven experience. The 2016 reboot wanted to keep that tradition from the classic titles. The campaign in 2016 nails down what made the old classics so great, but completely redefines them with its own twists. From exploring to nonlinear maps, hunting for key cards and secrets, and fighting against demons of all sorts of density, this reboot doesn’t forget its core roots.
Not only that, some of the new changes that id Software has implemented does make it feel like the developers wanted the game to be more than just a repackaged classic Doom with better graphics. This includes having weapon upgrades or passive abilities that allow you to have longer duration while using a power-up like Quad Damage. All of this was a welcoming feature to the core mechanics, and it felt like it was thoughtfully handled. Not only the campaign is certainly fun to play, but it’s also going to offer some beautiful sceneries of the many locations you’ll be going. Expect to see a lot of human facilities to hellish landscapes throughout your journey, but the way they make these areas are certainly eye grabbing.
That’s because the developers wanted to showcase how powerful Doom 2016’s engine (id Tech 6) was and it still is nice on the eyes. Doom 2016 would also be the first in the series to include a permadeath mode on its hardest difficulty called Ultra Nightmare. This mode was designed for those who wanted to test their skills to the limit, and it would continue to be included to Doom Eternal.
The Gauss Cannon was an excellent addition to the Doom’s weapon sandbox.
The Multiplayer (Bots Included)
Before Doom 2016 was fully released on May 13, 2016, there was a closed and open beta for multiplayer. This was obviously designed to build hype around the game and also giving players a sneak peek of what the gunplay is like. The multiplayer was often met with criticism from the players. For those who wanted a traditional arena shooter experience, Doom 2016 failed to do that with its inclusion on load-outs and two weapon-only limitations.
Even Doom Eternal director Hugo Martin has stated the multiplayer was not good enough. However, as time have passed, some players have grown to appreciate it for what it is. Basically, Doom 2016 is more of an accessible version of Quake and Halo with the ability to transform the playable demons you can choose from. It does have its purpose for some quick and thrilling fun, and the playable demons is a nice gimmick to make it stand out against the games it’s inspired from.
The multiplayer was not continued in Doom Eternal, and it was replaced with Battlemode, a mode where two playable demons go against one playable Slayer. It’s been a while since I touched Doom 2016’s multiplayer component, but it’s hard to find players to play with nowadays. Luckily, you can play with bots on various difficulties, which means the multiplayer is still functional. Who knows, you might get lucky and probably find a full house match every blue moon. Another thing to mention is all the downloadable content maps, and demons are now free when you update the game to its latest patch.
Doom SnapMap: Map Editor and More Doom Content
Doom 2016 is also the only game in the series that has included an in-game map editor called SnapMap. It’s a tool that’s designed to allow players to make levels of their own by using the many prefabricated modules that the developers have implemented. Some modules do allow the creators to have more freedom of their imagination. According to SnapMap Lead Producer Kevin Cloud, by the end of 2016, there were over 165,000 maps uploaded to the Doom SnapMap servers.
If the map allows cooperative play, you can also play these user-generated levels by yourself or with a friend. Doom SnapMap is Doom 2016’s take on the classic Doom community’s user-generated content support. While the map editor isn’t as flexible as an actual level design tool that one would use to make video games, it is still strong enough to create captivating maps for users to play. As long you are a subscriber to Xbox Live or PlayStation Network, all Doom SnapMap content is free for you to play. Finding quality maps can be tough at times, but with patience, there should be maps worth your time. The developers have once highlighted certain community made maps to help players find quality maps with ease.
The Game is Generally Affordable
Since Doom 2016 is a game that came out in 2016, you will definitely find this at various game stores for a low cost, especially a used copy. Not only that, Doom 2016 tends to be on sale on Steam, especially when a Quakecon happens, so keep an eye on it. Since the game is cheap and affordable, it can easily give you so much content for such a low cost. The campaign is certainly worth replaying a couple of times, you can try out the multiplayer to see if it’s right up your alley, and then you have the world of Doom SnapMap to explore. This game will be one of the better high-budget first-person shooters you can get, and it will also keep you interested in the long run.
Better on the Newer Consoles
Ever since the Xbox Series S/X and Playstation 5 were released, Doom 2016 will be a better experience on those consoles. Expect to see higher resolution, run better with fewer frame rate dips, and massive improvements in the load times. The load times improvement is an amazing quality-of-life feature for Doom SnapMap. Before the Series Consoles and Playstation 5 existed, loading Doom SnapMap was notorious for its long load times before the user is able to navigate its menu. While Doom 2016 never got the next-gen update like Doom Eternaldid, it is still going to be a better experience overall when playing on the newer consoles compared to your base Xbox One and PlayStation 4 that it was originally released for.
The campaign does have photo mode support.
Maybe, there might be hope that id Software will revisit this modern classic and fully support today’s consoles’ powerhouse, but that is mostly wishful thinking. Those are the five reasons why you should still play Doom 2016 even if you’ve already did or never touched it. The game is still fantastic throughout the years and will certainly be remembered as the game that put the Doom series back in the world of relevance amongst gamers. It is the definition of how you reboot a classic first-person shooter series and make it feel familiar and new. Remember to rip and tear any sort of hostile threat, and never stop doing so.
