DOOM is bringing back the arena-shooter in a big way, and its multiplayer component is certainly the part of the game that I’m looking forward to the most. The breakneck speed of whipping around corners and thrusting head first into danger is what shooters of old were born from, and it’s the reason such standard modes like team deathmatch and free-for-all have stood the test of time. DOOM is bringing those to the table, along with modern twists on classic games.
DOOM will be launching with 6 different game modes, three of which are standards that don’t really need explaining. The other three are the most interesting of the lot. Warpath, Freeze Tag and Soul Harvest al feature weird twists to standard shoot and kill objectives, and makes the entire act of online play a little more interesting.
Freeze Tag, for example, replaces kills with tags. Tagging an enemy will freeze them in place, while standing close to frozen teammates slowly thaws them back into the game. Freeze an entire team and you win the round, which emphasises team play a lot more than quick kills and respawns. Soul Harvest, on the other hand, works at lot like Call of Duty’s Confirmed Kill. Players will have to pick up the souls of enemies they’ve killed to score points, while teammates can block them by collecting souls of fallen comrades themselves.
Warpath shifts the dynamics of King of the Hill with a moving, shifting region of control. The point in never static, which plays nicely into the pace of some of DOOM’s weaponry (there’s a sniper that literally does more damage the more you move). Outside of that DOOM has standard Team Deathmatch, more classic hold and control with Domination and a truly pure Clan Arena mode – where all picks up and regenerative health is taken away.
Six isn’t a large number when looking at game modes, and there’s a surprising lack of free-for-all play, but I’m certainly liking the newer, more innovative game modes that DOOM is offering. The tried and tested standards will probably prove more popular when DOOM launches in May, but I’m placing my chips on Freeze Tag being a huge favourite too.
Last Updated: March 22, 2016
Pariah
March 22, 2016 at 10:06
My money is on a traditional Death Match mode being made by fans within a few days of release IF Doom doesn’t release with one. That’s one thing I’m also super excited to try – the modding.
Darren Peach
March 22, 2016 at 12:14
Yeah, The Death match is so important. COD is just not doing it anymore.
Pariah
March 22, 2016 at 10:08
Oh shit, almost forgot.
DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM
Alien Emperor Trevor
March 22, 2016 at 10:17
But free-for-all is the best mode. Every gender preference(s) for themselves. Frag ’em all & let god sort ’em out.
oVg versus
March 22, 2016 at 10:24
New tricks, like 60fps/1080p FTW!!!
Admiral Chief in New York
March 22, 2016 at 11:10
This is MOST cool!
Greylingad[CNFRMD]
March 22, 2016 at 11:11
Are you making headway in The Division? -Sorry, completely off topic, but had to ask…
Admiral Chief in New York
March 22, 2016 at 11:14
Level 8, 25% of story completed
Getting more and more BLUE gear now
Greylingad[CNFRMD]
March 22, 2016 at 11:23
Awesome!! Nothing quite compares to that little blue bar going up as you down an enemy, it’s just awesome!! Are you doing the missions on normal or hard?
Admiral Chief in New York
March 22, 2016 at 11:55
Normal, solo…for now
Greylingad[CNFRMD]
March 22, 2016 at 12:02
I played most of the game like that, until one of the later missions, where I ran into a few friendly faces that stuck around long enough for me to realise how much power you earn through grinding through the DZ, then I was sad for not sticking to a singular team for the whole game…. But otherwise the game is fun, especially with those DZ standoffs…
Darren Peach
March 22, 2016 at 12:20
Finally got it. Can’t put it down.