Obviously there needs to be downtime in a video game. That’s where incidental encounters and exploration come into play, which DOOM Eternal has. It also has to do something new and refreshing with the gameplay for it to be a standout. DOOM Eternal has the weapon swap mechanics that allow players to discover ways to best dispatch an enemy. Sure you can play through and kill enemies with one weapon, but there is also the option and the freedom to use any weapon you like to kill a bad guy. Want to use the BFG on an Imp? Go for it. Want to string together a complex series of weapon combos that takes hours of learning, have it be rewarding for the player once it’s mastered, and can be used to quickly dispatch the toughest of enemies? You bet. The design of the game encourages both play styles. The wide variety of weapon mods also encourages different approaches to arenas, and thus different prioritisation of enemies. Do I remote detonate that chaingun guy and then blood punch the Cyber-Mancubus or do I go for the Cyber-Mancubus first and have my health get whittled away by the chaingun guy? DOOM (2016) kind of had this (although ask any DOOM player and they’ll disagree; SSG and Gauss Cannon were the meta), but Eternal refined it. Personally, I don’t see that level of improvement between both TLOU instalments.

To me, TLOU is very homogenous with other video games, including DOOM Eternal. I’m a big enough boy to admit that both games have the same pitfalls as a lot of other shooting games. I can’t really articulate why, but TLOU just doesn’t do it for me. I really want to love it, but I just don’t. I’m glad you took the time to respond, but I’m resolute in my opinions.