Developed By: Id Software/Nerve/Panic Button
Published By: Bethesda Softworks
Date of Release: December 10, 2019
Price: $29.99
Xbox One version reviewed, also on PS4
If you're a long time reader of this site, you know how much I love DOOM. I pretty much grew up on it, and played it constantly over the years, never getting tired of its lightning fast gameplay, fragging the demons of hell over and over again. I've played it on pretty much every system it's ever come out on as well, on PC, MAC, Super Nintendo, SEGA 32X, Sony PlayStation, SEGA Saturn, Atari Jaguar, Panasonic 3DO, Nintendo 64, Nintendo GameBoy Advance, Microsoft Xbox, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Switch, and now Xbox One. That works out to an absolute lifetime worth of fighting the denizens of hell, and yet it still never gets old. I would imagine that when I hit 100 years old I'll still be hobbling to the PC to slap some shells into the super shotgun, and plow through the demonic hordes once again. However the PC isn't the only place where you can experience DOOM, today I'll be talking about the recent DOOM Slayer's Collection on Xbox One.
The DOOM Slayer's Collection comes in a nice minimalist case, it has the logo, the Slayer's mark, and a list of the contents. And boy is this package bursting at the seams with content. You get DOOM 2016 on disc, as well as a download voucher the classic DOOM, DOOM II, DOOM 3 (with all expansions) and on top of that you also have the option to download both episodes of Final Doom, Sigil, No Rest For The Living, and The Master Levels. That is a metric ton of DOOM action right there, and it's way more than enough to tide you over until Doom Eternal launches on March 20th. The ports of each classic game are amazing by the way, offering fluid 4k60fps action, and DOOM and DOOM II even include their original Roland Sound Canvas soundtracks, which sound amazing to say the least. The controls are snappy and responsive, and there's splitscreen multiplayer to boot. Sadly there's no online play, but it's not so bad.
The DOOM 3 portion of the package contains the original game, reworked with the flashlight pistol, as well as the Resurrection of Evil and Lost Mission expansion packs. It looks amazingly sharp in 4K, and the slower paced gameplay feels great on a big screen with a controller. This is pretty much the best way there has ever been to play DOOM 3 on a console. All the levels are unaltered, unlike the old Xbox ports that had the levels chopped up and rearranged. The textures are uncompressed, the audio is crisp and clear, and every little detail is preserved. This is the full-fat DOOM 3 experience for sure.
Now as for DOOM 2016, it's the same balls-to-the-wall experience it's always been, and retains it's 4K60 Xbox One X support. There's really nothing new at all here, but it's nice to have it here with the other games in one package, even if the classics are download only. You also get a nice cyberdemon vinyl controller skin (with 3M adhesive, nice!) and a poster of the revenant, as well as a $10 rebate card for Doom Eternal. so if you don't have all of the separate releases already, this is an awesome package to pick up, and the perfect way to dive headfirst into the series as a whole. There's a helluva lot of demon-fragging fun to be had here, and it's a perfect package for newcomers to the series, and veteran fans alike. The DOOM Slayers Collection earns a review score of 666/10, and should absolutely not be missed!
