The world is a scary place these days, and video games (and any other form of escape) are incredibly important. It makes us oddly happy that two of the biggest game releases of the year are arriving on the same day, Friday March 20th. Bethesda and id Doom Eternal look to stomp on the franchise's excellent 2016 reboot, while Animal Crossing: New Horizons marks the series' triumphant return and first episode on Nintendo Switch. They couldn't be more different, or, in a very different way, more suited to addressing the difficult mood of the times in which we live. So for fun, we pit the two against each other in a multi-platform bloodbath. FIGHTS!
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(Image credit: Nintendo)
Console availability
It's actually quite simple: while Doom Eternal is coming to Nintendo Switch, it won't launch on the hybrid system until later this year. Ergo, if you're looking for a Switch game to play, Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the game for you. PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC owners, there will be no island paradise for you. You are "stuck" with the demons from hell, you just have to unload all this ammunition in their faces. Poor of you.
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(Image credit: software id)
Award
As with most Nintendo-owned titles, Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a full-priced game that will set you back between $55 and $60 ($45 and $50). On the plus side, many stores offer nifty pre-order bonuses like bags, key rings, and microfiber cloths. On the other hand, Doom Eternal can be found for as low as $45/€35 (especially on PC), and while there are pre-order bonuses that include in-game badges and items, the real treasure is a Doomslayer wearable helmet. It's out of stock where we saw it, but we imagine it'll show up on eBay in about the next few days (please, for Doomguy's sake, don't put your headphones on if the box has been opened). ) Animal Crossing: New Horizons... DOOM Eternal PC + DLC (EMEA)
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(Image credit: Nintendo)
Gameplay
In truth, Doom Eternal and Animal Crossing: New Horizons are diametrically opposed; One ripped you apart and through hellspawn to save humanity, while the other cut down trees for you to turn the wood into deck chairs? Animal Crossing: New Horizons sees your custom character start a new life on an island paradise, with the ability to reshape the landscape as you see fit and configure it to build your own city, watching it grow season after season. Doom Eternal is much less wholesome, but offers up a bloody battle against all sorts of monsters as the stoic and downright terrifying Doomslayer tries to save not just Earth but the universe from evil.
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(Image credit: software id)
The value for money
In terms of longevity, Doom Eternal leads a good fight, but its reigning Tom Nook is the master (now there's a Super Smash Brothers battle we'd like to see). While Doom Eternal's nearly 20-hour campaign is roughly double the length of the 2016 reboot (with asymmetrical multiplayer at launch that will see players join the ranks of Hell), Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a charming perennial gobstopper of a game that the islanders will record for a long time into the next season, and the season after that, and the season after that.
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(Image credit: Nintendo)
What to choose?
Whichever game you choose, you'll get a stone's throw. In our full Animal Crossing: New Horizons review, we gave the game 4.5 stars, noting that it was the most magnificent Animal Crossing title to date, with more to see, do, and do than ever before. Don't you believe us? The game currently sits at 87% on Metacritic, proving that the allure of a tropical island is too good to resist. If you think that's a high score, Doom slayed the glory down to a full 5-star score in our Doom Eternal review, delighting us with its fast-paced fighting, impressive upgrade system, and new tweaks like the broken dash, meat hook, shotgun and flamethrower. With a metacritic score of between 88% and 90% depending on which platform you choose, the game seems to have outshone its already excellent predecessor. So you really can't lose. Maybe an actual crossover is needed: Doom Eternal: Tom Nook Edition, anyone?