The Ancient Gods Part 2 is a disappointing follow-up to the excellent Part 1, failing to deliver both the epic scale and satisfying ending that was promised.
Ancient Gods Part 2 offers exciting new enemies, and some new tech to deal with the old enemies. Tweaks to player information on stunned enemies, alternative ways to deal with formerly more-irritating-than-fun enemies, and new slots for the existing sandbox to fall into are all smart and welcome decisions.
The visuals are as excellent as ever, which is no surprise, and though the environments are all new to Doom Eternal, they're notably less dramatic than either the base game or the Ancient Gods part 1.
This is also felt in the combat - Somehow, Ancient Gods Part Two is incredibly easier than the first. This is fine, as difficulty options allow you to ramp up or down the difficulty in either case, but it lets down the finality of the drama the story attempts to tell.
Firefights are not nearly as intense, but they are still quite fun. The Ancient Gods Part 2 is unfortunately let down by an obnoxious final boss fight regardless of difficulty option (Let me fight 2 marauders simultaneously again any day instead), and the story itself whimpers to an unimpressive end.
While the first half of The Ancient Gods felt promising and exciting, the second half has me wishing iD software skipped any story DLC and instead kept the extra story to another Doom Sequel.
Ancient Gods Part 2 offers exciting new enemies, and some new tech to deal with the old enemies. Tweaks to player information on stunned enemies, alternative ways to deal with formerly more-irritating-than-fun enemies, and new slots for the existing sandbox to fall into are all smart and welcome decisions.
The visuals are as excellent as ever, which is no surprise, and though the environments are all new to Doom Eternal, they're notably less dramatic than either the base game or the Ancient Gods part 1.
This is also felt in the combat - Somehow, Ancient Gods Part Two is incredibly easier than the first. This is fine, as difficulty options allow you to ramp up or down the difficulty in either case, but it lets down the finality of the drama the story attempts to tell.
Firefights are not nearly as intense, but they are still quite fun. The Ancient Gods Part 2 is unfortunately let down by an obnoxious final boss fight regardless of difficulty option (Let me fight 2 marauders simultaneously again any day instead), and the story itself whimpers to an unimpressive end.
While the first half of The Ancient Gods felt promising and exciting, the second half has me wishing iD software skipped any story DLC and instead kept the extra story to another Doom Sequel.