QuakeCon came and went, but instead of its titular namesake getting all the attention, this year all eyes were on Doom, the series of first-person shooters that came to redefine gaming as we know it. It’s no surprise, given that this year marks the 25th anniversary of the series, and you can bet that Bethesda paid it tribute.
The biggest news was probably the rereleases of the original Doom trilogy for modern consoles, which for the first time also brings it to the Nintendo Switch and mobile devices (Doom 3 excluded). The announcement was not without its share of blunders, though, as it appeared for a time that playing these games requires you to go through Bethesda.net, a decision that irked a lot of the original game’s fanbase. It has since been rolled back to appease some users who just want to play Doom again without having to go through an internet-based service.
Update on our new classic DOOM releases:
— Bethesda (@bethesda) July 27, 2019
The BethesdaNet login requirement was included for the Slayers Club, to reward members for playing the classic DOOM games.
The login should be optional, and we are working on changing the requirement to optional now.
However, it looks like there will be another older Doom title that will see a rerelease, one that has been locked for quite some time within the Nintendo 64 ecosystem. I’m talking, of course, about Doom 64, which was originally released for the Nintendo console as an exclusive back in 1997. It features the lesser known outing of Doomguy as he heads back into the pits of hell for another round with the demons, this time bringing bigger weapons with him. It’s also notably developed by Midway Games, who is best known for creating Mortal Kombat a few years prior in 1992.
The news of the rerelease comes from a tweet by outlet Gematsu, who had successfully found a PEGI rating for Doom 64 for both the PC and PS4. The original rating from PEGI has since been removed from the public eye, but the post from Gematsu is still up, which you can view below.
PEGI has rated DOOM 64 for PS4 and PC. This was in addition to ratings of DOOM (1993) and DOOM II (Classic). There's no DOOM 3 rating. pic.twitter.com/5CtEBtV61X
— Gematsu (@gematsu) July 26, 2019
As exciting as this news is, it’s a bit troubling that the ratings are only for PS4 and PC, while both Xbox and the Nintendo Switch are left out. I’m fully expecting versions for both to appear at a later date, or else there will literally be hell to pay – likely coming from the fact that it’s mindboggling if a game originally release for the Nintendo 64 will somehow make it to all platforms except the Nintendo Switch.
In any case, the three original Doom titles – Doom, Doom II and Doom III – are now available for the Nintendo Switch.
