Hello Enthusiasts,
Today I will be reviewing Doom, which was released in the spring of 2016.
For those unfamiliar with the Doom games, it won't take long to fill you in. A portal to Hell has opened up, you need to kill everything that has come through. Then, you go to Hell and kill everything there as well. Your character is known as Doom guy, and that's all you really need. The games aren't really story driven, they're driven by the action.
With all of that being said, this game fits in very well with the series. The game is almost non-stop action, with a couple of platforming sections sprinkled in. From the moment the game starts, Doom guy is in the thick of it and killing monsters. There's another character who is trying to feed in a story about how they discovered the most valuable source of energy ever in Hell, which is what is causing all of the choas, but Doom guy doesn't care at all. He came here to kill, and that's what he's gonna do. These games are violent and graphic at every turn, and this one more than earns the "M" rating slapped on the front of the case.
This is a really strong title, despite how simple it sounds. The monster and level designs are outstanding, I was surprised by the variety of the two. The original Doom did have several monsters, but this installment really hammers it home that Hell has all kinds of terrible things. While there are several small rooms that you'll get trapped in while you kill monsters, the spaces in between are really where the level design shines. Doom also keeps up the tradition of having a variety of weapons at your disposal, all of which can be carried at the same time. There's almost no wrong answer when choosing what weapon to use, as long as it has ammo. The starting weapon is the pistol, which isn't great but does have the ability to make a charged shot, which does make it passable.
Outside of the actual weapons though, one of the most fun ways to take down a monster is with a melee take-down, though most of the different enemies will require that you wear them down before that becomes an option. The animations for those take-downs are incredibly satisfying, and I found myself using them whenever I had the opportunity (partially because doing so would also regenerate some of your health). This is also one of the few games where the soundtrack stuck out for me as being perfect for the setting, the heavy metal music in the background as you tear apart hoards of monsters is absolutely perfect.
Now this game does get pretty difficult as it progresses, but it does do an excellent job of not throwing the player right into the worst of it. I've been getting frustrated with games that think the only way to be difficult is to be punishing as soon as the tutorial is over, but Doom takes a better approach to that. It starts off easy, just helping get the basics, and then slowly introduces the player to new weapons and enemies as they go from area to area. By the time you make it to Hell, you can expect a lot of resistance, and that's where you have to use everything you've learned just to survive. The platforming sections also range from pretty simple to difficult, especially for a FPS. This difficulty seems mostly reserved for those looking for all of the collectibles, but don't think that you'll escape this part of the game if you're just looking to get to the end.
There aren't a lot of negatives with this game for me, though multiplayer doesn't have the same level of enjoyability that the single-player game does. It feels very much like it's trying to be a modern game in multiplayer by limiting your Doom guy to just two weapons and offering power-ups that can easily give a team a clear advantage. I would have much preferred a co-op campaign like the original games had to the competitive multiplayer that was stuffed into this title. Also, I can see how the small rooms I mentioned could get a little repetitive, although I was so immersed in the game that I hadn't really noticed when I was going through originally.
I really enjoyed this game, it had everything I was looking for in an action-packed first person shooter. I played through the majority of the game in one sitting (thinking that I was there for an hour or two, only to find that may day had passed me by). I haven't even gone into too much detail here about the boss battles or the specific weapons as to not give too much away, this is one of those reviews that could have gone on forever. Long story short, if you're looking for some fun, but not too serious of a story, I would suggest picking this one up.
I give Doom an 8.5 out of 10
Sincerely,
The Bored Enthusiast
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