Genre: First Person Shooter
Year: 2016
Developed by: id Software
Published by: Bethesda Softworks
Platforms: PC, PS4, XBOX One, Switch
#135
Feeling Like: Doom Classic
Doom’s name is not Doom(2016) but since they decided to call this game Doom, just like the original Doom, I am forced to call it Doom(2016). You couldn’t have just called it Doom 4, could you id Software?
That’s about the only flaw I can think of; Doom (2016) is one of the all-time great first person shooters, a campaign so vivacious and thrilling that I immediately wanted to play it on a harder difficulty after completing it, and that is incredibly rare. I didn’t even mind playing it on the PlayStation 4 instead of a PC, again something I almost never do. When I want to point and click, I want a mouse – not a joystick. But everything is so phenomenal here that it didn’t matter – hyperactive pacing, exciting enemies, powerful guns, disgusting amounts of gore and levels that dare you to relax. I want to play it right now.
This feels like a true evolution of the Doom formula and inspires the same feelings I had when I played the original for the first time. Doom 3 was divisive, to say the least, but I still enjoyed watching Dave O. play it – my PC wasn’t nearly powerful enough at the time, and it looked a bit too spooky for me. I’m a massive wimp when it comes to wandering into shadows with gnarled hands grasping at me.
No such controversy, or subtle scares in Doom (2016). You wake up and immediately start shooting at a shuffling demon. Exposition is done beautifully, there no drawn out cut-scenes and you jump right into the action. It’s all show, very little tell and every encounter is a macabre dance of death. Bloody fantastic.
The real hook of the gameplay which elevates it beyond others in the genre are the Glory Kills. This mechanic reveals itself when an enemy is flashing due to low health. If you run up to them and perform a melee attack, you REALLY perform a melee attack. It usually involves some kind of decapitation, evisceration or severe manipulation of their limbs resulting in their instant death AND they always drop health pickups when you perform a Glory Kill. What this means is that I was constantly on the hunt for enemies, not sneaking away from them. If I wanted health, I had to go where the Glory was.
In addition, the chainsaw will execute enemies in a similar fashion, but this time they drop ammunition. It’s such a fantastic design choice, and I never felt like a massive encounter was cheap or unfair due to a lack of health powerups or a lack of ammunition. If I wanted health or ammunition, the fodder was right there for me. Because the threats surrounding me were so high and prevalent, the flow became a puzzle as much as combat. Aiming, timing, moving and re-loading are all required, but seeing weaker enemies ambling about creates a different set of priorities. I need health or ammo and want to get to them, but how can I do that? Sometimes they’re surrounded by tougher enemies, do I take them out first or circumvent them with some creative maneuvering?
The soundtrack is, unsurprisingly, incredible.
Unless you don’t like metal, or are averse to songs that may destroy your ear drums.
There’s no chance you’re mellowing out playing Doom(2016) with this awesome auditory experience – it’s non stop thrash metal, drums will keep your toes tapping and the riffs will keep your senses as sharp as any amount of caffeine. This track is actually from Doom Eternal, but you get the gist by listening to it. After a tough day , there’s almost nothing as therapeutic as cranking the volume as you rip and tear apart the denizens of hell.
It’s such an achievement on technological level, too. I didn’t see any framerate drops and each area is brimming with beautiful lighting effects and that translates to the plasma you shoot, or the BFG’s green haze of destruction. Can’t have a Doom game without the BFG!
Even the map is good! So good that it made me want to explore every crevice and corner. Secrets are everywhere, well worth pursuing. It’s a nice balance from the teeth-shattering combat sections – it’s not as if I want to be in any of these locations, but if I get to embody Doom Guy, I’ll consider it.
I liked Doom Eternal even more, though a few quirks held it back from being an all-time favorite. Both modern Dooms make other shooters feel like senior citizens by comparison, it’s almost embarrassing. To go from lightning quick dodging among dozens of hellspawn to goose-stepping and firing a few shots in another game is minorly torturous. I say this often when I play an amazing game of a particularly genre; where do they go from here?
I realize not everybody shares this sentiment, some prefer slower paced shooters but I’m also not alone. I’ll play a third Doom any day, particularly if they call it Doom 3. No, not THAT Doom 3. Or would it be Doom 6 at this point?
*throws hands in the air* I give up.
The 500 