Doom's multiplayer beta to launch 15 April, prepare to be blown away!

Doom , the very word brings back fond memories of hours spent wading through hell-spawn, of clandestine multiplayer tournaments in computer labs and mods galore. Doom was a cultural phenomenon and both, the original Doom and its 2004 sequel, pushed the limits of graphical fidelity on the hardware available at the time.

The original Doom was a ground-breaking game, setting new standards for graphics and gameplay. The 2004 sequel of the same name did set new standards for graphics, but the change in pacing, the claustrophobic environments and the distinct horror theme were not as well received.

Fast forward to 2016 and we have a new Doom. The game is set to hit the big 3, PC, PS4 and Xbox One, this May and those who pre-ordered the Wolfenstein reboot have already been getting their hands dirty in the closed beta. Fret not for Bethesda has announced an Open Beta program starting 15 April, which will let you (and me) get access to two multiplayer modes and two maps. The beta will only run till 17 April however, so keep your schedules free.

The game is a more straight-forward reboot of the franchise and plans to bring back the frenetic action and madness of the original. Open maps, wave after wave of hell-spawn and brutal kill animations always were hallmarks of the franchise and the new Doom hopes to bring back that vibe.

Think you can run the game?

Minimum System Requirements: CPU: Intel Core i5-2400 or better / AMD FX-8320 or better RAM: 8 GB RAM GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670 (2GB) or better / AMD Radeon HD 7870 (2GB) or better OS: Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows 10 (64-bit versions only) Storage: Up to 22GB HDD space

Recommended System Requirements: CPU: Intel Core i7-3770 or better / AMD FX-8350 or better RAM: 8 GB RAM GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 (4GB) or better / AMD Radeon R9 290 (4GB) or better OS: Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows 10 (64-bit versions only) Storage: Up to 22GB HDD space

Doom will launch on PC, PS4 and Xbox One at a price of $59 (Rs 4,299 on Steam ). A season pass ($40) will also be available. Multiplayer add-ons, part of the season pass, can be purchased separately for $15 each.