Doom: The Dark Ages Preview: Hands-On With a Heavy Metal Album-Turned-Shooter

The reboot of the Doom franchise starting with the titular 2016 title into a fast-paced shooter was a resounding success, and its 2020 sequel Doom Eternal ramped up the speed even more. So it may have come to surprise fans that developer id Software decided to slow things down for the third installment, Doom: The Dark Ages -- but after playing several hours of the game, I've mostly enjoyed the new direction they've taken the gruesome shooter, which admirably reshuffles the ingredients to tickle similar Doom urges with new flavors. At a preview event in Los Angeles, California, id Software and publisher Bethesda brought journalists and influencers to play an over 3-hour chunk of Doom: The Dark Ages. The substantial playtime included an early slice of the linear campaign, samplings of the mecha and dragon-back combat and a later extended segment in a huge map carved into arenas -- enough time to get a feel for the flow of fights and upgrades. The Dark Ages is a prequel to the 2016 Doom ... Read full article.