Format: Xbox Series X
Genre: First-Person Shooter
Developer: id Software
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks

id Tech 7 is advertised as having "ten times the geometric detail, and higher texture fidelity" than its predecessor-- but one would be hard-pressed to know based on this title, which actually looks like a step down in terms of "wow" factor as compared to 2016's "Doom": geometry is primitive looking in spots, the texture artwork is hit-and-miss, and overall the game just doesn't impress compared to other "next gen" titles, like the latest "Ratchet and Clank". There is a ray traced reflections implementation, but it's very fuzzy and ghosty looking.

The 2016 "Doom" soundtrack sounded like it was composed by an ADHD, drunk Trent Reznor spiked on Ritalin and speed, cranking out heavily distorted dub-step drops: to say it was a long ways off of the all-time classic Bobby Prince works in the original titles was the understatement of the century. This Mick Gordon fellow returns for this latest title, and almost impossibly the "music" is even more grating and annoying than his work from the first game! Sound effects are decent, but the various monster noises lack the iconic nature of those from the original releases.

The 2016 "Doom" title had chaotic gameplay-- but it felt manageable. This new entry amps things up to eleven, positively swarming the player so that he is in a constant state of being surrounded, to such a degree that the encounters feel hopeless. To help the player cope, the designers provide a number of new tools, such as monster weak spots, a flame thrower to force armor shard drops, and a dash move. It's cleverly balanced so that the player is almost constantly oscillating between five health, and full health, but without actually dying-- but requires every single button on the controller, to the point of absurdity!

The almost paper-rock-scissors nature of Doom Eternal's combat, combined with more variety in level types and puzzles, is admirable. There is a question the designers forgot to ask themselves though: is the game actually fun? The battles are so intense and so up-in-the-air that the title is more stressful than enjoyable. Combine that with the positively bonkers control scheme and the fact there are now several different kinds of collectibles and upgrades, and it makes a player wonder when first-person shooters became so complex and difficult to play. Worst of all: no "SnapMap" this time, which was the coolest element of the 2016 release.