Doom is nearly 30 years old. Wow I feel old. Despite the age of the FPS game (and me), Bethesda is still providing it updates, and a new patch has just arrived for the classic shooter.
The update allows you to play the original game and its sequel, Doom II, in 60fps for the very first time – up from the maximum of 35fps that was possible previously. It also introduces quick saves to both games and support for community-made add-ons – which Bethesda is rolling out for free from now.
New options make it quicker and easier to switch between weapons, choose which level you want to launch, and play in the 4:3 aspect ratio originally intended by the developer. Take a look at the full list of patch notes on Bethesda’s forum.
The add-ons Bethesda refers to mean you’ll be getting free Doom and Doom II content for the first time in years. Bethesda says they’re made up of “some of the best professionally made and community content created for these games over the last 25+ years” – in other words, you may have played them before, but this is the first time these levels have been available in the 2019 re-released versions of Doom and Doom II.
Bethesda continues: “On both Doom and Doom II you’ll find TNT: Evilution and The Plutonia Experiment, the two map packs that constituted the retail Final Doom release. Together those alone represent over 60 levels of gameplay! On Doom, you’ll see Sigil, an original campaign created by legendary designer John Romero. And with Doom II you’ll also find No Rest for the Living, a map pack created by our friends at Nerve Software for the original XBLA release.”
Doom was, of course, rebooted in 2016. A sequel, Doom Eternal, is due to launch on March 20, 2020.