The Doom Zero mod was released just over a year ago to celebrate a major anniversary for the franchise. Now, Bethesda is distributing it as an Add-On for their versions of Doom and Doom 2.
The original Doom games were released more than two decades ago, but that doesn't mean that fans have stopped creating content. Indeed, Doom has one of the most robust mapping and modding communities in the world and people are still working on original creations to this day. Now, one of these creations will be made easily available to people who own the Bethesda Softworks version of the original games, although pretty much anyone with a copy of Doom or Doom 2 can get and run this mod.
Check out the Doom Zero trailer to see some of the cool stuff you can do in these new levels!
Doom Zero Celebrates 25 Years of First-Person Fun
Doom Zero was released just in time to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Doom 2, a game that is undeniably one of the most iconic first-person shooters ever made.
"DOOM Zero was made to run on the original DOS version of DOOM II, but I also think DOOM II is probably just as important of a release as the first game," mod creator Christopher Golden said in an interview with the Slayer's Club. "A lot of the biggest, most iconic things that people love which are synonymous with the franchise, like the Super Shotgun and the Archvile, were introduced in DOOM II."
Aside from the new levels with a focus on puzzles, this new package of maps also adds some new enemies for players to combat. Prototype Lost Soul sprites were used to make the new "Alpha Soul" enemy and a new, original final boss will give players a serious challenge.
Some of the changes to the game are a bit more subtle, too. Golden notes that the game's original Plasma Rifle felt a little clunky and that not many people enjoyed using it; as such, he changed out the sound and removed the cooldown animation in order to make it a somewhat more useful weapon.
How to Get Doom Zero
If you already own the Bethesda versions of Doom or Doom 2, getting Doom Zero is a pretty simple affair — you can simply download the add-on via an option in the main menu.
For those of you who don't own the Bethesda version, the process is a little more involved. It's probably a good idea to grab the mod from ModDB, get GZDoom, and follow these instructions. Either way, you're in for a ton of new fun in a classic first-person shooter if you decide to hop into this mod!
What do you think of Doom Zero? What changes would you have liked to see in the original games? Let us know in the comments below!
