Some gaming pundits would have you believe DOOM Eternal is first ‘AAA’ title of the year. We’d argue that Sony’s Dreams, which was in development for most of this generation, holds that accolade. Still, there is a degree of logic here – chances are DOOM’s marketing budget alone eclipses the development costs of the recent Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, Darksiders: Genesis and Zombie Army 4.
The beauty of DOOM Eternal is that the team had an incredibly sturdy foundation to build on – gamers were in universal agreement that this was the right direction for the franchise reboot. If this sounds odd, bear in mind that an earlier vision had a military theme and was set on earth. Turns out DOOM is Mars born and bred.
The review embargo lifts tomorrow (Tuesday) at 2pm. If the recent gameplay footage and pre-launch hype are to go by, great things are expected. We’ll rip and tear our way through a review round-up in due course.
Remember that DOOM 64 is also out this week as a pre-order bonus for DOOM Eternal on PS4/Xbox One and avaliable on the Switch eShop. It’s the only DOOM action the Switch receives this week – the handheld rendition of Eternal is some way off.
DOOM 64 was something of a sleeper hit, launching early in the N64’s life and soon becoming overshadowed by GoldenEye. This is the entry everybody seems to forget about, so it’s pleasing to see it gain a second lease of life some 20 years later. We’ve always been a fan of the redesigned enemies. Shame it didn’t feature MP though – Midway apparently thought split-screen was pointless as it would be possible to see where the opposition was.
It may only be March, but Animal Crossing: New Horizons could very well become the highest-rated Switch game of the year. Reviews went live today with scores including top marks from at least a dozen outlets. Eurogamer even heralded it as one of Nintendo’s best games. At a time when the world is full of uncertainly this is the ideal way to escape reality – the idyllic island setting provides something new to see and do almost every day.
Curiously, retailers are offering different physical pre-order bonuses for both DOOM Eternal and Animal Crossing. We’re eyeing up the metal poster Amazon are throwing in with DOOM.
The week’s remaining releases are relatively few, suggesting publishers believe the majority of gamers have already committed to purchasing the two previously mentioned big hitters.
That said, TT Isle of Man Ride on the Edge 2 may manage to break the UK chart. The original TT Isle of Man (no, not the Saturn one) was pretty good – it would take some wrongdoing to mess up this sequel. As well as a new open-world and refined physics, it additionally features 17 tracks and 18 motorbikes.
Archaelogical platform puzzler collection La-Mulana 1 & 2: Hidden Treasures Edition is the week’s only other Switch retail release, also arriving on PS4. The PS4 also gets Langrisser I & II, a collection of two JRPG remasters which hit the Switch last week. Three retro re-releases are due too – ACA NEOGEO WAKU WAKU 7, Arcade Archives IMAGE FIGHT, and Arcade Archives FORMATION Z.
Then there’s Explosive Jake, a Bomberman alike from the creators of last month’s Bucket Knight, a beta for SEGA’s Phantasy Star Online 2, and the casual hidden object puzzler The Secret Order: Shadow Breach on Xbox One.
Take a look at the full list below:
New release showcase
DOOM Eternal
DOOM 64
R.B.I. Baseball 20
TT Isle of Man Ride on the Edge 2
LA-MULANA 1 & 2
New multiformat releases
- DOOM Eternal
- DOOM 64
- TT Isle of Man Ride on the Edge 2
- R.B.I. Baseball 20
- Explosive Jake
- La-Mulana 1 & 2: Hidden Treasures Edition
- Rainbows, Toilets and Unicorns
- Red Death
- Thunder Paw
New on PSN
- ACA NEOGEO WAKU WAKU 7
- Arcade Archives IMAGE FIGHT
- Arcade Archives FORMATION Z
- Neverlast
- The Rabbit Hole
- The Casebook of Arkady Smith
- Langrisser I & II
- Spuds Unearthed
New on Xbox One
- Phantasy Star Online 2 (Beta)
- The Secret Order: Shadow Breach
New Switch retail releases
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons
- LA-Mulana 1 & 2: Hidden Treasures Edition
Next week: Bleeding Edge, Granblue Fantasy Versus, Gigantosaurus The Game, Moons of Madness, WARTILE, Mekorama, Ara Fell: Enhanced Edition, Inops, Children of Zodiarcs, ONE PIECE: PIRATE WARRIORS 4, Freedom Finger, Paper Beast, Element Space, Yu-Gi-Oh! Legacy of the Duelist: Link Evolution, Twin Breaker: A Sacred Symbols Adventure, Railway Empire, Deep Sky Derelicts: Definitive Edition, and Saints Row IV: Re-Elected on Switch.