The excitement was palpable when Doom was announced to come to the Nintendo Switch at last night's Nintendo Direct. Being the first port of a current-gen AAA title, Doom will no doubt put the Switch's hardware to the test. While this may excite fans of the critically acclaimed title, owners of this port may have to endure some limitations.
First off, this version of Doom will lack the Snapmap feature. Snapmap is Doom's advanced level editor available to all of PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC owners of the game. Lacking this feature, players will have to make do with the currently available maps.
DOOM® SnapMap - A powerful, but easy-to-use game and level editor that allows for limitless gameplay experiences on every platform. Anyone can snap together and customize maps, add pre-defined or custom gameplay, and edit game logic to create new modes. Instantly play your creation or make it available to players around the world.Adding to that, players who immediately want to unwrap their copy and engage in an online romp will have an extra (possibly lengthy) step to complete first. The Switch Cartridge for the game will only hold the Single Player campaign, with the multiplayer mode requiring an additional free online download. That said, the game will come with all the updates and DLC released for the original game, and digital copies will get the complete package in its entirety.
Finally, Bethesda also said they are planning to port Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus to the Nintendo Switch as well. However, since Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus is not releasing on other systems until later this year, it's port is going to be set for arriving in 2018.
Quick Take
It is disappointing to see that Snapmap will be missing. The prospect of being able to design Doom maps from the comfort of your own bed or couch was an alluring one indeed, not to mention it would encourage user creativity and no doubt extend the game's lifespan. Combined with the cartridge only containing the Single Player, it seems the excuse for this will be "Hardware limitations". There's no way for us to verify whether this is truth or a veil for laziness, but at least we can Rip and Tear from the comfort of the smallest room in the house.I'm referring to the toilet.
