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Bethesda is Playing Fast and Loose With the ‘Doom’ Demo
Demons everywhere are outraged at Bethesda for not sticking to the initial deadline for the free Doom demo, which the publisher originally intended to have available for the duration of E3 week. That plan went ignored due to high demand, its once clearly defined start and end dates twisted into a sort of cruel joke that betrays the devastation inflicted upon those foul creatures for our amusement. Worse yet is the uncertainty our demon brothers and sisters will face as long as the demo remains live with nary a mention made regarding its new end date.
We need to ask ourselves if the war we now wage against the legions of Hell is worth the ecstasy that envelopes your body and soul as you use a rusty chainsaw to tear an Imp’s chest wide open even though you have more than enough ammunition. You don’t do it for the satisfying ammo explosion it brings, no, you do it so you can look into the screaming demon’s dumb ugly face and watch as the light leaves its wee beady eyes.
But seriously, Doom is gory and glorious and absolutely worth playing.
@PixelJanosz @bethesda This was initially for E3 week only. But we figured, what the hell.
— DOOM (@DOOM) June 20, 2016
In the grim darkness of the far future there is only war, but it was a cheerful illustrator from England who helped to define the terrifying war-torn imagery that inspired what we now know as Grimdark (a hybrid genre combining horror with sci-fi/fantasy).
Unfortunately for fans of Warhammer 40,000, Trench Crusade and countless other sources of Grimdark thrills, veteran artist John Blanche passed away this week after struggling with health issues for the past few years.
While the artist retired back in 2023, he leaves us with an enormous legacy of iconic artwork that continues to inspire gamers and storytellers around the world to this very day.
The news is especially gloomy as it was only last year that Daniel Lowman and Napoleon Dynamite himself Jon Heder released The Grim & the Dark: The Search for John Blanche, a documentary following Heder’s exploration of the Grimdark genre culminating in a heartwarming encounter with Blanche in his own home.
Below is one of my favorite pieces by Blanche, his highly influential depiction of Warhammer 40k’s God-Emperor of Mankind on his Golden Throne.
We send our deepest condolences to John Blanche’s family, friends, and fans.
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