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Decimating The New Doom Hunter Boss In Doom Eternal
Doom Hunter is one of the new bosses you’ll encounter towards the beginning of Doom Eternal. Doom Eternal is the sequel to 2016’s Doom, and part of the Doom franchise which started in the ’90s. According to an in-game pop-up, the Doom Hunter is a Super Heavy Demon that specializes in long-range lock-on targets.
Doom Hunter’s weak points are its shield and sled. Destroying the shield with the Plasma Rifle can briefly disable it. If you destroy the sled you can permanently disable its protective shield and missiles. There are two phases to the fight, and other demons will spawn during the fight.
Doom Eternal is scheduled to release for PS4, Xbox One, Stadia, and PC on March 20, 2020. A Nintendo Switch version of Doom Eternal will be released at a later date. For all things Doom Eternal stay tuned to GameSpot!
Doom Eternal’s Battlemode Multiplayer Is A Non-Stop Full-Speed Rush
Every time I’ve had the chance to play Doom Eternal, I came away impressed with how its single-player campaign is building on 2016’s great foundation while rethinking challenge in FPS combat. It’s controlled chaos, pushing you to use the many weapons and tools to rip and tear demons with grace, and reasonably punishing you if you don’t. A lot of effort has been put into making these systems work, and recreating that experience for multiplayer has led to what’s called Battlemode.
Doom isn’t really known for its multiplayer; the somewhat lackluster showing for Doom in 2016 comes to mind. And when we visited id Software recently, Doom Eternal’s game director Hugo Martin and executive producer Marty Stratton told us that they knew they had to do something different. There, we got our first hands-on with Battlemode, and saw just how drastically this new multiplayer approach is deviating from convention, yet capturing–sometimes intensifying–the adrenaline rushes you get through the campaign. You’ll see what I’m talking about in the video below.
Here are the basics; it’s an asymmetrical 1v2 competitive mode with one player as Doom Slayer, equipped with all the single-player capabilities, against two players as demons, with multiple to choose from, each acting like different class-types. In each round, Doom Slayer has to kill both player-demons before either one respawns on a 20-second countdown while the demons just need to kill Doom Slayer. But since Doom Slayer has every capability from the campaign–a full loadout, and the chainsaw, glory kill, and flame belch to keep resources replenished–the demon team has to strategize to win.
Battlemode is an inventive take on asymmetrical multiplayer not just because it breaks new ground, but because it’s so close to what Doom does best.
Demons can summon AI-controlled demons, suspend the Slayer’s resource gathering for a short period of time, create shields and barriers for protection, and use their own unique attacks (which pull from the demons’ actual designs). For example, the Pain Elemental can fly and shoot fireballs while the Mancubus is a slow tank with two devastating arm cannons. Marauder is my personal favorite–it has a throwing axe, double-barrel shotgun, a double-dash ability, and plays a bit similarly to Doom Slayer. Revenant can be quite agile one with jetpacks and quick-firing rockets, while the Archville plays closer to a sort of fire-casting mage class. With five varied demons on the launch roster, withmore to come in the future, the variety between matches can be wild.
When all these elements are firing off at full speed, Battlemode becomes a glorified combat arena. And that’s exactly what the team was going for. As Martin said, “It’s a very dramatic experience, albeit in bite-sized chunks. We have to have really good pacing and we have to have strategy.” He continued, “If you like the Doom single-player, it’s a way to have a multiplayer experience within that gameplay and combat loop.”
Martin alluded to creating drama as one of the pillars of Battlemode, those sort of edge-of-your-seat moments. Since there is no time limit to each round, one side must win, and because of the mechanics are layered in such a way, the tide can turn for either side in a matter of seconds. I can recall playing a match as Doom Slayer and hunting down the last demon player in the nick of time before the other respawned, or narrowly escaping death by using a chainsaw on a minion to replenish health and ammo to swiftly shift the tide with a comeback victory. Or chasing down Slayer as a Pain Elemental before they could glory kill minions to replenish health and essentially reset the match. Battlemode plays out a lot like a tug-of-war, and a bloody, violent one at that.
Following each round, all players can choose from a set of perks which further elevate the number of things that make Battlemode all the more complex. Demons can increase their health or buff minions, to name a few. New options open up on the third round, like summoning a Baron of Hell minion or the ability to instantly respawn your teammate. Doom Slayer has choices like having dashes replenish faster or gaining a temporary speed boost after glory kills. And in round three, you can start with extra health, armor, and ammo, or simply get a BFG. These are even more layers that affect how every round unfolds that continually make things a bit unpredictable, but up the ante and heighten the level of competition.
As for Battlemode’s place in the bigger picture of Doom Eternal, Stratton made it clear that this is what they’re leaning on for multiplayer. “People often ask us ‘is this the only mode you’re launching with?’ And [the answer is] yes. Because all of those things fit so well together and they’re all deliberately cohesive to reinforce the pillars that Hugo talks about.” However, id Software has plans for future Battlemode content. Stratton continued, “The playable demons are kind of the chess pieces of the combat. And much like a fighting game, we want to really robust roster of playable demons. So we’re releasing more of them, and more maps.” He also confirmed that “it’s not paid at all, there’s no paying [for] anything in the game.”
Rebuilding an entire multiplayer approach from the ground up is a daunting task, and from my three-or-so hours, Battlemode seems to be a coming together impressively. It’s heavily influenced by the single-player experience, essentially bringing the joyous intensity of Doom’s combat arenas to a competitive multiplayer. Battlemode is an inventive take on asymmetrical multiplayer not just because it breaks new ground, but because it’s so close to what Doom does best.
11 FX Shows On Hulu You Should Drop Whatever You’re Doing And Watch Right Now
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FX On Hulu
There is one network that has some exceptional programming that wasn’t necessarily “with the times,” until late, and that was FX. If you wanted to watch some of its programming, like early seasons of Sons of Anarchy or American Horror Story–to name a few–you had to purchase them separately, even if FX was part of your cable package. Now, FX is working with Hulu, and you can watch the vast majority of the network’s back catalog on the streaming service.
And there is a lot to go through at first glance. 38 FX series have been released on Hulu, and many of said series feature numerous seasons to binge through. So what should you be watching? We have a few recommendations for you, in case you’re looking for something brand-new to spend all your free time watching.
Below, you’ll find our top 11 recommendations for FX on Hulu TV series. Additionally, you can check out the release schedule for FX’s new series this season–mainly of which are exclusive to Hulu. The most anticipated of these shows is Alex Garland’s Devs, and in GameSpot’s review of the new show, Meg Downey said, “It’s obvious that FX spared no expense in allowing Devs to exist exactly how Garland envisioned it, complete with staggering practical sets, spine-tingling horror-flavored scoring, and visual effects that ooze style at every turn. Those key factors, in addition to the strong cast and crisp writing, make Devs feel like an art piece that will be worth revisiting and analyzing time and time again.”
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1. It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia
The king of FX comedy is none other than It’s Always Sunny, which has been running for 14 seasons now. The show follows a group of despicable, disgusting, awful human beings that run a bar and come up with schemes which make them look more and more like sociopaths. While the first season is pretty great, the show really starts to pick up steam when Danny Devito joins as Dee and Dennis’ estranged father, Frank Reynolds. From there, he has a slow descent into madness from millionaire businessman to alcoholic monster living in his own filth. Why is a show about a group of horrific people so great to watch every single week? -Mat Elfring
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2. Legion
Let’s be honest: There’s a lot of superhero TV around these days, so we definitely get it if you were among the many who saw promos for FX’s Marvel-adjacent X-Men show, Legion, and though “no thanks, I’m already watching enough cape-and-cowl stuff to last a lifetime.” But hear us out on this one–Legion is like no other show, superhero or otherwise, you’ve seen before. And lucky for you, if you passed it up during its original airing, FX on Hulu is now presenting the perfect opportunity to go back and binge the whole series.
The story of a near-omnipotent (but extremely mentally ill) mutant named David Haller, Legion is a psychedelic experiment in pushing the boundaries of genre–it’s a little bit horror, a little bit sci-fi; it’s got the DIY sensibilities you might associate with a big budget director like Wes Anderson and all the wink-nod references to obscure X-Men lore you could ever want. And, with four manageable seasons, a powerhouse cast, and a well-earned, satisfying conclusion Legion is absolutely one that shouldn’t be missed. -Meg Downey
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3. Atlanta
Atlanta follows Earn (Donald Glover) as he manages his cousin Paper Boi’s (Brian Tyree Henry) budding rap career. The show kicked off in 2016, and so far, has produced two seasons. It is one of the best half-hour comedies on television. You may not be rolling out of your chair laughing the entire time, but it is exceptionally well-written, featuring complex and dynamic characters that grow with each episode.
We’re still a ways off from Season 3 of the hit series coming to FX–it’s not arriving until January 2021. The anticipation is building as the first two seasons were a smash hit, and the “Teddy Perkins” episode from Season 2 was one of our favorites for 2018. – Mat Elfring
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4. What We Do In The Shadows
The 2014 mockumentary What We Do In The Shadows is hilarious–according to my opinion as well as this movie poster.The film followed three vampires living in modern days, while clinging to some past traditions. When FX announced a TV series based on the movie, some were skeptical. However, it turned out that the 2019 TV show was just as good, if not better, than the original. The format is still the same. The show follows a group of new vampires living on Staten Island, but the show expands a bit more on vampire culture, the different types of vampires, getting involved in the city council, reincarnation, and vampire origies. Everything about the new series is truly bizarre in the best way possible. -Mat Elfring
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5. The League
The comedy series following a group of friends in a fantasy football league is absurd, crude, and one of the most underrated modern comedy shows. Featuring a stellar cast made up of Nick Kroll, Mark Duplass, Paul Sheer, Katie Aselton, Stephen Rannazzisi, Jon Lajoie, and Jason Mantzoukas, this 2009 series lasted for seven seasons for good reason: it was hilarious. Asking the question, “What if the characters ‘It’s Always Sunny’ were a tiny bit less awful and loved fantasy football?” The League is a show that started pretty grounded with friends ribbing on each other as they obsessed about D&D for sports nerds, and it eventually became something so unique and bizarre, with plotlines almost out of reach of plausibility in the best way possible. Do I still make references to Crawdad Man and say, “Forever unclean,” even though the show has been off the air for five years? You’re darn right I do. And I won’t stop. -Mat Elfring
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6. Mayans MC
Mayans MC had the tall task of following Sons of Anarchy and something establishing itself as a unique entity. While the first season struggled with that, the series found itself in Season 2. It embraced its Sons of Anarchy mythology while branching out on its own. The series follows a rival motorcycle gang that operates along the border between the United States and Mexico. That location often leads to deeply political ties in its stories, which are a welcome addition to the franchise. And unlike Sons of Anarchy, it’s not hard to root for some members of the Mayans club. As SOA went on, practically everyone who survived was shown to be a despicable human being. Mayans, on the other hand, goes out of its way to show how it’s possible some of these characters can eventually find redemption. It also features a fantastic performance from Edgar James Olmos, which should be enough of a reason to tune in by itself. -Chris E. Hayner
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7. Archer
Archer’s animated spy series is about to head into its 11th season. While the show was always a bit out there, starting with Season 8, the series began to have bizarre themes that jump away from the main show, like Dreamland, 1999, and Danger Island. Have you ever seen the Adult Swim shows Frisky Dingo or Sealab 2021? Adam Reed was the co-creator of those classic animated series, and he’s the mind behind Archer, so you know what you’re getting when you dive into this show. -Mat Elfring
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8. The Strain
What’s not to love about this Guillermo del Toro-created TV show based on the novels he wrote with Chuck Hogan? The Strain is a very different type of vampire-centric horror-drama. It treats vampirism as a plague that’s destroying humanity. It stars Corey Stoll as Dr. Ephraim Goodweather, a CDC scientist caught in the middle of the outbreak as the world falls apart around him. Eventually, the series evolves into something of a war epic as Goodweather and a group of survivors he’s met along the way wage war on the growing vampire population in an effort to save what’s left of the world. And don’t wait for the neck biting to begin, these aren’t the vampires you’re used to. -Chris E. Hayner
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9. You’re The Worst
It’s like Friends but with awful garbage humans. You’re the Worst is arguably TV’s best comedy of the last decade and due to the fact that it largely aired on FXX (that’s a real cable network and not a typo), you probably haven’t seen it. That’s a huge mistake. The show follows the lives of four friends that have no problem being terrible to anyone and everyone–including each other. At least, that’s what You’re the Worst is on its surface. Below that, the series explores topics like deaths in the family, mental illness, and PTSD brought on by serving in the military during a war. While You’re the Worst is a show filled with foul language, toilet humor, and some pretty ridiculous circumstances, the characters feel like real people you identify with–even when they’re being utterly deplorable. -Chris E. Hayner
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10. Sons Of Anarchy
FX’s beloved biker drama was a defining series for the network, and once it’s still keeping alive t this day thanks to Mayans MC. The series is essentially Hamlet on motorcycles and stars the likes of Charlie Hunnam, Ron Perlman, Katie Segal, and even Henry Rollins for a period of time. While the series began losing its way toward the end, Sons of Anarchy as a whole is a very good seven seasons of TV and definitely a show you should watch. -Chris E. Hayner
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11. American Horror Story
All nine seasons of FX’s anthology horror series are now available to watch on Hulu, and yes, that includes last season’s 1984. Each installment of this horror show follows a new story, revolving around some element of horror, with many actors playing different roles. And somehow, all of these crazy stories are interconnected. The only issue you’ll have with AHS is debating which one is your favorite. Good luck with that. -Mat Elfring
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Disclosure: ViacomCBS is GameSpot’s parent company
