DOOM Eternal: E3 Hands-On

I opened our floor coverage of E3 2019 with some intense gameplay with DOOM Eternal. The game is a furious ballet of bullets, blood, and carnage as the DOOM Slayer continues his assault on the demonic forces opposing him.

After a brief tutorial which covered things like the suits Flamethrower and other abilities, it was time to get down to the action.
The enemies were numerus and varied as I used a Plasma Rifle and Machine gun to cut down the enemies and I delighted in cleaving those that got too close or using explosive objects to help thin the enemy numbers.

Taking on an Imp Point Blank and cutting it in two with spraying blood and sinew is really a visual site to behold and while incredibly gruesome, it is going to make fans giddy as you have never been able to deal carnage as brutal as this before. I can also say that lighting one on fire and then dispatching it as you see fit while it burns is a real sadistic joy.

The game also offered an Extra Life which came in handy when my character was defeated. I did not have to restart at a spawn point but was able to continue onward without a delay.

The enemies used swarming tactics and they also took advantage of elevated positions which allowed them to fire down upon me and kept me in open areas longer than I would have liked. This required hit and run tactics as well as strafing but thankfully the interior rooms while more confined, allowed me to deal with them as I saw fit.

The sound of the game was also really a nice feature as the music matched the pace of the action and the gunfire and sounds of the enemies combined to create a very intense and varied mix of sounds.

While my time with the game was shorter than I would have liked; I was very impressed with the speed and graphics of the game and considering I have played DOOM since the very first Shareware game arrived in the 90s this was everything I could have hoped for and more. I cannot wait to see the final game as DOOM Eternal was a real highlight of E3 and one of the best gaming experiences of the year.