Discussion Next Doom game "DOOM: The Dark Ages" to be revealed at Xbox Games Showcase !

[Metal Messiah.]

Greetings!

It appears that previous insider leaks and rumors bandied are finally starting to materialize, as the next entrant in the DOOM franchise is set to be revealed during this year’s Xbox Games Showcase on June 9, 2024.

Doomguy's next adventure cometh soon !

The game's development started with a placeholder title ‘Year Zero’ almost 4 years ago, but now it seems ‘DOOM: The Dark Ages’ might be the final concluding name. This new culmination of Doom's new entry has recently been echoed by renowned game editors/journalists Tom Warren (The Verge) and Tom Henderson (Insider Gaming).

Furthermore, a recent trademark filing by Bethesda/ZeniMax had a cryptic codename application for "IDKFA", which as most DOOM fans would know is a longtime cheat code of this franchise, further cementing any doubts.

https://trademarks.justia.com/983/49/idkfa-98349237.html

According to the description shared this new Doom game follows a “medieval-inspired world” theme, and it appears to be a prequel or origins story of the Doomslayer aka Doomguy.

Sadly, we don’t know much about this new Doom game. In theory, it will be using the next iteration of the id Tech Engine, and it will only target current-gen platforms. So, I’m curious to see what id Software has in store for us.

Last year, court documents from the FTC v Microsoft case also revealed that a Doom game was in development under the title "Year Zero," which hinted at a possible prequel for the Doom Slayer coming in the next few years.

“Microsoft will be banking on some new game announcements lifting the DOOM around Xbox.” - via Tom Warren, The verge.

Well, we're not going to have to wait too long to see the game for ourselves, anyway, if the rumors of it showing up at next month's Xbox Showcase are accurate. The show is scheduled to take place on June 9.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1785308276063633588

View: https://x.com/Xbox/status/1785308276063633588

https://twitter.com/x/status/1794076679029051581

View: https://x.com/_Tom_Henderson_/status/1794076679029051581

https://twitter.com/x/status/1793993152367407580

View: https://x.com/_Tom_Henderson_/status/1793993152367407580

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLPkVRw3uMQ&t=1s


Screenshot taken from the canceled "Doom 4" version of the game which was supposed to be in development, but the production was later fizzled out. Doom 4 would originally take place on Earth, and featured gameplay mechanics similar to those of the Call of Duty games.

However, during development, id Software felt that this was the wrong direction, and finally decided to cancel it. "verum consilium" ID Software !

https://twitter.com/x/status/1631384149658312729

View: https://x.com/VideoGameArch/status/1631384149658312729

https://twitter.com/x/status/1793355548391358514

View: https://x.com/Runhob/status/1793355548391358514

https://twitter.com/x/status/1793437986442351032

View: https://x.com/Runhob/status/1793437986442351032

 

[yarbio]

thats pretty interesting

 

[TerryLaze]

Is this one going to be a pure platformer?!
Doom 2016 was ok , doom eternal was too much of platforming and general parkour, like who the heck thought what was doom missing and went hey let's mix it with mario 64 that was popular right?!

I mean the atmosphere and the music was still great but instead of getting non stop action you had to search for the way to the next encounter doing jump and run sections that would take you completely out of the action. Like double jump plus dash jumps just to proceed through the level, not for hidden stuff and extras.

 

[Metal Messiah.]

Is this one going to be a pure platformer?!
Doom 2016 was ok , doom eternal was too much of platforming and general parkour, like who the heck thought what was doom missing and went hey let's mix it with mario 64 that was popular right?!

We don't know any details yet. But I agree with you.

Doom Eternal had too much platforming/parkour, and I honestly I never really enjoyed playing this game. Doom 2016 was a bit okay when it comes to Doom's original gameplay formula.

In Doom 2016 you also get plenty of ammo, and you can basically use your favorite weapon all the time. In Doom Eternal ammo is much more limited, with lower capacities, and sometimes very less ammo lying around in the levels. Had to depend on glory and chainsaw kills !

Doom 2016 had better resource management mechanics overall, IMO.

They turned Eternal into a superhero button-smasher type of game. I also found the UI and the HUD too much colorful and 'flashy' for my taste !

Eternal took it it a different level instead of focusing on pure old-school FPS mechanics. For me, Doom 3 remains the best FPS in this franchise, but obviously not counting the original DOOM 1 and 2, aka the 1993 entries, which gave birth to this FPS genre.

Though, some may strongly disagree with me, and I can't blame anyone here. It all depends on one's personal preference and taste when it comes to gaming I guess.

This isn’t a bash to Doom Eternal. It may be a great game for some, and it certainly got me through the pandemic, but I’m still waiting for the next entry which can breathe new life to this franchise, and bring back some of the old-school memories back as well !

Amen.

 

[Metal Messiah.]

Windows Central's Jez Corden has corroborated these leaks, while also confirming it will be coming to "Xbox Game Pass as well".

"I can also confirm Nate's report that DOOM: The Dark Ages is slated for PlayStation as well... And you can expect DOOM: The Dark Ages to join other DOOM games on Xbox Game Pass"

 

[Silas Sanchez]

I was really hoping for a sequel or spiritual sequel to DOOM 3. Personally I hated the DOOM franchise, never saw anything in it besides being a fast paced childish shooter.
I went into DOOM 3 knowing nothing about DOOM, just a way to put my 3000 dollar PC to the test while everyone else I knew had to put up with Playstation 2 and xbox. DOOM 3 had to be watered down as graphics cards didn't have enough memory irrc. But to me it was 20mins of amazing atmosphere and intrigue, followed by 4 hours of extremely boring repetitive mindless monsters. Extremely disappointing.

What DOOM 3 did for me was give me a peak into a hypothetical game in an alternative universe, a futuristic sci-fi setting on mars or some alien world with amazing graphics, atmosphere, possibly with some dystopian setting with mega corporations, amazing original sophisticated story and gameplay, exploring themes of loneliness, isolation, existentialism etc. All of which D3 was not, except for some very rare glimmer of it when looking at some of the gameworld areas, hinting at something vastly more sophisticated and cultured hidden from most eyes.
But D3 reeked of pure state of the art tech, and there was something special about playing such a high end game at 21" 1600x1200 4xAA with a killer sound system in the late hours of the night all by myself.

Imo sadly what has followed has been a complete mess, absolute thoughtless typical western mainstream fiction. And I suspect it will continue. I will never understand.

 

[Frag Maniac]

Is this one going to be a pure platformer?!
Doom 2016 was ok , doom eternal was too much of platforming and general parkour, like who the heck thought what was doom missing and went hey let's mix it with mario 64 that was popular right?!

I mean the atmosphere and the music was still great but instead of getting non stop action you had to search for the way to the next encounter doing jump and run sections that would take you completely out of the action. Like double jump plus dash jumps just to proceed through the level, not for hidden stuff and extras.

I don't really think it was mundane, tedious platforming though once you start catching on to the little nuances that took it far beyond mere jumps and grabs. And that's coming from someone who at first thought he couldn't manage some of it. After getting the hang of timing jumps and dashes, and using the meathook, portals, monkey bars, and vortexes, I rather got quite a kick out of it. In fact I went from not even being able to execute the longer, farther sequences, to being able to shortcut them.

The whole while I was actually doing a walkthrough playthrough emphasizing how to get through the game on Nightmare without using super fast switching of multiple weapons, or advanced aerial combat. It was specifically aimed at those like me, who at first thought the game was too hard for them. Check out some of the guides on how to get the best out of the meathook (like the ones Under The Mayo did), it can really open your eyes to what's possible in the game.

 

[TerryLaze]

I don't really think it was mundane, tedious platforming though once you start catching on to the little nuances that took it far beyond mere jumps and grabs. And that's coming from someone who at first thought he couldn't manage some of it. After getting the hang of timing jumps and dashes, and using the meathook, portals, monkey bars, and vortexes, I rather got quite a kick out of it. In fact I went from not even being able to execute the longer, farther sequences, to being able to shortcut them.

The whole while I was actually doing a walkthrough playthrough emphasizing how to get through the game on Nightmare without using super fast switching of multiple weapons, or advanced aerial combat. It was specifically aimed at those like me, who at first thought the game was too hard for them. Check out some of the guides on how to get the best out of the meathook (like the ones Under The Mayo did), it can really open your eyes to what's possible in the game.

I finished it on normal (up to the knees) it's not that I couldn't do it, it's that I don't want to deal with it in a FPS game, especially one that is supposed to be action oriented.
At the point where they leave you at the start of a level and there is no way to proceed I almost stopped playing after figuring out, by myself, that I had to look at the map to find a place I could maybe go to, and it didn't even took me long but it really rubbed me the wrong way.
The second place, where I actually did quit for a while, was in a lava level where you have to jump dash around some columns while their are spinning things and things that shoot fire and so on.
Doom guy only solves puzzles with his shotgun!

 

[Frag Maniac]

I finished it on normal (up to the knees) it's not that I couldn't do it, it's that I don't want to deal with it in a FPS game, especially one that is supposed to be action oriented.
At the point where they leave you at the start of a level and there is no way to proceed I almost stopped playing after figuring out, by myself, that I had to look at the map to find a place I could maybe go to, and it didn't even took me long but it really rubbed me the wrong way.
The second place, where I actually did quit for a while, was in a lava level where you have to jump dash around some columns while their are spinning things and things that shoot fire and so on.
Doom guy only solves puzzles with his shotgun!

LOL, was going to say half the purpose of the platforming is the cerebral nature of puzzling through it. Yeah it can slow flow the first playthrough or two, but I feel it's worth it for what you can get out of the 3rd once you get it dialed in. Speaking of Shotguns and fire, I really didn't enjoy Super Gore Nest until I realized what you can do with the Super Shotgun's Meathook in some spots.

When you come out of the labs, there are firepits and a Revenant that I always used to have to quickly kill or avoid to not get damaged severely by it. Then I started double jumping over the lava pools, latching onto him with the Meathook, then using dash to swing up to the higher level. Then you not only have your flow back, you have a big $h!t eating grin on your face!

 

[Metal Messiah.]

I have not yet played any of the DLCs of Doom Eternal though. Both the Ancient Gods - Part One and Part Two campaign expansions. Will grab them on sale if I get a chance, assuming it is worth the purchase.

Both DLCs have mixed feedback from the community though, and many claim DLC part one was tougher to beat than the part 2.

Doom Eternal: The Ancient Gods Part One Review: Too Much Of A Good Thing

The Ancient Gods goes even further into the deep end with mechanic-heavy enemies to the point of being a bit overly complicated.

www.thegamer.com

 

[Frag Maniac]

I have not yet played any of the DLCs of Doom Eternal though. Both the Ancient Gods - Part One and Part Two campaign expansions. Will grab them on sale if I get a chance, assuming it is worth the purchase.

Both DLCs have mixed feedback from the community though, and many claim DLC part one was tougher to beat than the part 2.

Doom Eternal: The Ancient Gods Part One Review: Too Much Of A Good Thing

The Ancient Gods goes even further into the deep end with mechanic-heavy enemies to the point of being a bit overly complicated.

www.thegamer.com

Yes Ancient Gods was a disappointment to me. I still feel the series deserved a fully fledged 3rd installment, vs two short chaotic DLCs that just felt like a rushed way to finish the series.

I honestly haven't even finished the first AG DLC yet. They basically thrust you into a situation where you have all weapons, weapon mods, and skills unlocked, but throw wave after difficult wave of numerous enemies at you. It also has some challenging platforming requiring you to figure out how to make very long distance jumps.

So when other games came out, and since I had a small NVMe drive at the time, I set the game save aside and uninstalled it.

 

[Metal Messiah.]

Yes Ancient Gods was a disappointment to me. I still feel the series deserved a fully fledged 3rd installment, vs two short chaotic DLCs that just felt like a rushed way to finish the series.

To me these 2 DLCs seems to have been "rushed out" after the Doom Eternal hype started growing a bit, but it failed miserably to capture the gaming audience. These two DLCs are insanely tough to beat/complete, at least for my skills.

I have watched several walkthroughs, and it feels the player is being surrounded by too many enemies on some of the levels, if not all. The gameplay seems imbalanced.

A fully fledged 3rd installment would be this upcoming ‘DOOM: The Dark Ages’ title.

 

[Frag Maniac]

A fully fledged 3rd installment would be this upcoming ‘DOOM: The Dark Ages’ title.

What have they said if anything to verify this? Have they said Samuel Hayden's character will return?

 

[rustigsmed]

doom 2016 was good doom eternal removed a lot of game style options from the player and very neon - wasn't a fan. this kinda sounds like Hexen cross with doom.

 

[Metal Messiah.]

What have they said if anything to verify this? Have they said Samuel Hayden's character will return?

Nothing can be fully confirmed now, but rumors have indirectly hinted Samuel's return, given the game is supposed to be a "prequel". This is all speculation for now.

We need to wait for few more months at least to get more concrete info on this title.

 

[Frag Maniac]

Nothing can be fully confirmed now, but rumors have indirectly hinted Samuel's return, given the game is supposed to be a "prequel". This is all speculation for now.

We need to wait for few more months at least to get more concrete info on this title.

Not that a prequel wouldn't be nice, but I can't help but get that sinking feeling Ancient Gods is the end of the series going forward.

 

[Metal Messiah.]

It is now official.

Bethesda and Microsoft have announced DOOM: The Dark Ages. DOOM: The Dark Ages will be coming to PC in 2025, will be powered by the latest version of the id Tech Engine.

DOOM: The Dark Ages will be a single-player, action FPS prequel to the critically acclaimed DOOM (2016) and DOOM Eternal. As always, you will assume the role of the DOOM Slayer, the legendary demon-killing warrior fighting endlessly against Hell.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tk8lkmYGWQ

Detailed Gameplay Analysis from the Reveal Trailer.​

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcL5X1__0d8

 

[Frag Maniac]

LOL, Chainsaw Frisbee Shield, = Awesome!

 

[Metal Messiah.]

I think the DoomGuy is also riding on a flying dragon, or some other creature in the first video ?