Doom (2016) on Stadia
Google continues to make significant enhancements to its Stadia game lineup, including some huge AAA titles like Doom. With more and more of the compatibility issues getting sorted away, one of the few remaining apprehensions surrounding Stadia is its game library. As titles continue to trickle onto the platform and more games are added to the Pro subscription service, we can only hope that Stadia continues to catch more people’s eye, as it is truly an incredible leap in gaming that we absolutely love to play on!
Doom is another great test for this platform, as its action and camera movement are so quick and intense that any lag or framerate issues would quickly become evident. However, as is quickly becoming a trend for all games we have the pleasure of enjoying on Stadia, its performance is simply smooth. Incredibly smooth. I struggle to imagine that Stadia would have nearly as many critics if people actually used the platform before remarking on it.
Sure, it’s not for everyone – but nothing is. It fills a real and unique void in the gaming industry for gamers who have access to decent internet connections, frequently game on different devices and who may not have access to top-of-the-line PCs or next-gen consoles. This may seem like a small intersection, but I know more than a handful of people in this exact situation, and playing games on Stadia has enabled them to continue playing the games they love without spending thousands on hardware upgrades.
But I digress, back to Doom. We have reviewed the game on a previous platform and scored it a 9/10. CLICK HERE to read that review. The long and short of it is that the 2016 Doom remake does an incredible job of bringing the franchise into the modern gaming landscape while staying true to the intense action and gratuitous gore that the series is known for. This fast-paced action is not slowed whatsoever when playing on Stadia and, as usual, the game plays just as well if not better than on the original release platform.
I know Stadia continues to face an up-hill battle, but I genuinely love the flexibility it provides and the performance it puts out. Especially in single-player action/adventure games, the ability to go from the big screen while lying on the couch to playing on your PC to fill some down time or to your phone in a hotel room while on traveling is of incalculable benefit.
What I would personally like an answer to is what Stadia’s contingency plan is in the event that they decide to shut down the service. Many gamers are understandably nervous about the idea of paying retail prices for games that they could potentially lose access to entirely. Few are in the position to toss away such money, and fewer still would be willing. I think it would do wonders for Stadia’s reliability to have such a backup plan in place.
For now, singleplayer games like Doom, that can be fully enjoyed with one playthrough are really the best investments into Stadia. These games enjoy the benefit of being able to pick up and put down from any medium while maintaining your save position, and would not hurt to lose after they have been completed. Anyone on the fence about giving Stadia a go should strongly consider buying one such title and using it to test the plaform for themselves – you will likely be pleasantly surprised!
For more information, visit: stadia.google.com