Doom review round-up: Initial verdicts very positive for id Software's latest gorefest

Although the press reviews aren't out yet, gamers seem to love the latest Doom

Over a decade since the last instalment, the latest Doom game has finally been released, and the reviews have started to pour in.

At the time of writing, id Software's latest release has got a great reception on Steam, racking up 1,180 positive reviews compared to just 87 negative ones at the time of writing.

However, the game's only been out for a few hours. Most of the top-rated user reviews come from gamers who have only played it for a short time, so it's less clear how Doom will hold up in the long run.

Even though early reviews should be taken with a pinch of salt, it still looks like id Software have knocked it out of the park.

Steam reviews almost universally praised the game's campaign, in particular the speed, difficulty and chaotic nature of the gameplay.

Most players were pleased with Doom's graphics and performance, which really have to be top-of-the-range for such a fast game to be playable.

The challenge for Doom's developers was creating a modern and relevant game which also manages to stay true to the series' heritage. So far, it looks like they did a good job.

Unusually for the launch day of such a major game, we don't have many press reviews to fall back on. Developers and publishers usually send copies of games to journalists before release, so they can prepare their reviews for publication on launch day.

Unfortunately, Bethesda decided not to release early press copies for Doom, saying in a statement: "Doom is comprised of a single-player campaign, online multiplayer, and SnapMap. After discussing, we believe all three elements are important parts of the complete Doom experience... As Doom's SnapMap and multiplayer modes both require access to a server that won't be live prior to launch, review copies will arrive on launch day."

More reviews will roll in as time goes on, so stay tuned for more information.