Thanks to the tireless efforts of the video game documentary channel, Noclip, today we got a look at some never-before-seen footage of the cancelled, and somewhat mysterious, DOOM 4.
DOOM 4 was a project developed by id Software that was officially announced in 2008 before disappearing, being reworked, and eventually re-revealed as DOOM (2016).
DOOM 4 is more reminiscent of a survival-horror type game and reminds us, in part, of the original Bioshock, which itself was released in 2007. It features a more methodical gameplay style, and the environment and atmosphere are designed to induce dread.
It's a far cry from the high-octane, ultra-violent, run-and-gun gameplay style of the DOOM title we got in 2016.
We also see an unfinished combat animation test showing a slower, more deliberate style of combat, with a greater focus on melee.
Everything we see is presented unedited and as-is, warts and all, and it's somewhat refreshing to see these textureless character models flailing at each other.
DOOM (2016) ended up being a fantastic game in its own right. Check out our review for our full thoughts on the matter.
Are you glad id Software ultimately changed course? Or do you wish things could have been different, and that the developers had continued down their original path? Reinvent yourself in the comments section below.
Comments 14
There was another pre alpha doom 4 video where the game would be set on earth with gameplay being more like COD than actually Doom. Man the amount of backlash they would receive had they released that version would be pretty bad.
Gameplay looks extremely sluggish. Almost as if it were part survival horror. Glad they went with the adrenaline inducing gameplay and continued that route with Eternal. The freedom and mobility that meat hook gives makes it even hard to go back to the 2016 Doom.
I loved the moody atmosphere and lighting of DOOM 3. It was a really good game... but it was a bad DOOM game. So glad they went back to the drawing board and recaptured the frenetic pace of DOOM in 2016. One of the best reimagining's of a long running series.
@Yinx Yes exactly. I think Doom 2016 is the better all round game but it's difficult to go back without that extra mobility, Meat hook especially.
I like doom 2016, the gameplay is great but the environment is a bit boring, it's all red. Doom eternal environments are a huge upgrade but I don't like the gameplay as much because it's like a puzzle shooter (kill this enemy with this way than go to the next enemy that way, etc). You can't just strafe and shoot like the 2016 one in eternal.
2016 was a perfect game. It did everything that it needed to do right. Eternal was okay but it felt like another series, the colourful weapon pickups, the much heavier emphasis on platforming. I also felt that the Doom Slayer was pretty weak as the difficulty was ramped right up.
2016 made you feel like a badass, Eternal made you feel like you were doing your first CrossFit session at the gym.
So glad they never went down this path with doom..i enjoyed doom 3 but it just was not DOOM. Doom 2016 and doom eternal are awesome games and i love 'em..
Seems like nobody remembers Rage then.
That footage has really put me in the mood to go back and play it again. I still have the Nightmare modes to do on 360 and PS3.
Looks interesting for sure, Doom 2016 is a banger though, absolutely brilliant IMO.
Shout out to Danny O'Dwyer too, one of the best journalists in video gaming.
Looks pretty cool and very, very similar to Rage. I think we're all glad it underwent the radical changes it did to become DOOM 2016 though. That game was a (the) beast 🤘
Wish they'd done a proper multiplayer for eternal like 2016 aswell as snapmap & the secret classic levels
Like others said, feels like a slower Rage.
I am apparently in the minority here and preferred Doom Eternal over 2016. Doom's very essence as a franchise is being a combat playground. Large environments, learning enemy attack patterns, and using what weapons on what enemy types. Doom Eternal nailed that and had infinitely better level design than 2016. There's so much more depth to the combat and 2016 just feels shallow to me now by comparison.
Also I could swear I have seen all that gameplay footage in that video before.
@TeapotBuddha
Platforming was a weird inclusion but it felt seamless with the games movement and I can probably count the times i lost health to one of the segments on a single hand.
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