Doom Review
Summary: Doom is back on next-gen consoles and it's definitely a worthy reboot in every sense!
4.5
Doomguy is back!
Way back in 1993 (Bill Clinton was President, Jurassic Park was released and Intel released the Pentium Microprocessor), a game called Doom was released which helped push the first person shooter genre into legendary status and this iconic title is still held in high regards in the gaming community today.
It was a fast paced no holds barred first person shooter that had the player taking on the world of demons and even though realism was thrown out the window, the gameplay was rather flawless back in the day. Sure, there’s been sequels but nothing has come close to capturing the heart and soul of that game until today… okay, Doom 2 was pretty cool too! Also like the original, the violence has been ramped up to the next level when it comes to gore and looks amazing on next-gen consoles!
Key Features
- A Relentless Campaign
There is no taking cover or stopping to regenerate health as you beat back Hell’s raging demon hordes. Combine your arsenal of futuristic and iconic guns, upgrades, movement and an advanced melee system to knock-down, slash, stomp, crush, and blow apart demons in creative and violent ways. - Return of id Multiplayer
Dominate your opponents in DOOM’s signature, fast-paced arena-style combat. In both classic and all-new game modes, annihilate your enemies utilizing your personal blend of skill, powerful weapons, vertical movement, and unique power-ups that allow you to play as a demon. - Endless Possibilities
DOOM SnapMap – a powerful, but easy-to-use game and level editor – allows for limitless gameplay experiences on every platform. Without any previous experience or special expertise, any player can quickly and easily snap together and visually customize maps, add pre-defined or completely custom gameplay, and even edit game logic to create new modes. Instantly play your creation, share it with a friend, or make it available to players around the world – all in-game with the push of a button.
Like the original, this next-gen (PC, PS4 & XONE) interpretation of Doom supports both single-player and multiplayer with the main campaign taking around 10 hours to successfully complete as gamers are transported to Mars with the Union Aerospace Corporation (UEC) thrown into turmoil *again* as they are overrun by an invasion from hell. To help progress the story along, codex are littered through the gaming world which helps tell the tale as you control one of the coolest heroes in the universe, Doomguy!
From the very first minutes of gameplay of Doom, it’s like coming home again (We’re home Chewie) and being a veteran gamer, id Software not only pay homage to the original but ensure that the title has been injected with some next-gen mechanics. Needless to say, Doom is still quite fast-paced, filled with an almost never ending hoard of enemies and weapons that could easily take out a small moon. Thankfully there are plenty of health packs, ammunition and power-ups which are definitely needed, especially with the bosses. On next-gen consoles, it just feels right… almost perfectly right!
However for some newer gamers, the gameplay of Doom will seem at times antiquated which does rely on the run and shoot system of the original first person shooters. This is not to say that the system is bad but it does harken back to a simpler time but given that I’ve been involved in first person shooters since the onset, I found it quite refreshing, particularly the fast-paced action.
Given that, the AI isn’t the most intelligent and if you do increase the difficulty, it can be brutally punishing at times. In terms of modernising the franchise, the developers have added a weapon and armour system which allows you to upgrade these items which definitely increases the longevity of the title and many of the weapons and bonuses (e.g. runes) are hidden off the beaten path. You can also add some bonuses to your space marine as well.
When it comes to weapons, Doom delivers and does it deliver! Just like the original game, you’ll have access to your trusty chainsaw plus other fun weapons like the plasma cannon and the chaingun. However nothing is more fun than using the shotgun to blow your enemies back to hell that not only has this grunty feel behind it but it feels quite powerful as you cock-it and shoot. Add in another classics like the rocket launcher and the handgun and the spawns of Hell better watch out. Then you have the BFG 9000 and its acronym is true to its name as you literally lay waste to your enemies and see the health of your enemy bosses drop.
To help keep things a little fair, the enemies in the game are quite diverse from your standard demonic grunts to more powerful foot soldiers but where the AI succeeds is by swarming the player so you need to make sure this doesn’t happen. In terms of character designs, the characters looks outstanding and really makes it appear like they have crawled out of some pit from hell. Kudos to iD Software once again!
As the game progresses, you do start to engage in more and more powerful enemies and the creature design is literally to die for, especially the end boss. Another cool element of Doom are glory kills and when you reduce the health of your enemies to a certain level, they will flash blue which informs the player that they can perform a melee execution. More importantly and when you engage in this mode, you are made invulnerable for a few seconds and more often than not, your enemies will also drop some much needed health.
For lovers of multiplayer, Doom supports a very sturdy online system that is just as fast paced as the single-player mode. There’s also some fun multiplayer modes like soul harvest which requires players to collect souls to freeze tag which basically freezes the player until they are revived to more traditional modes such as warpath (aka King of the Hill) and team deathmatch. There’s plenty of maps that are also quite diverse and it won’t take long to find your favourite hidey holes.
I must admit that the multiplayer mode is fun but compared to modern shooters, it does lack some of the finesse and replay value to get full immersed in it. Even so, I can still see this being popular because it’s so fast paced and of course is one of the grand daddy’s of shooters. There is even a map editor called Snapmap which allows you to create your own levels but it is a little rough around the edges but nonetheless it’s a good way to further explore the game and keep on playing.
Graphics & Audio
Graphically, Doom is a powerhouse on next-gen consoles with some flawless and smooth graphics that boasts 60 frames per second which makes this game a silky smooth experience. Lighting, special effects and explosions are very impressive and when matched with the level design and character creations, this is one solid looking game. Then you have the sound which boasts this industrial rock soundtrack that has parallels to the original game, especially the iconic Doom track. Sound effects are equally as good and the demons from hell just sound frighteningly scary. Voice acting is a little clichéd but once again suits the premise of Doom.
Final Thoughts?
In the end, Doom is a worthy successor to the original and although there was mixed reviews of Doom 3 way back in 2004, id Software should be praised on not only paying homage to the original but successfully rebooting the franchise on high-end consoles and of course the PC. Sure, it’s a little old school at times but that was also the beauty of the original and if you’re looking for a fast paced first person shooter than Doom is the game for you. Even though the game is quite linear, there’s plenty of secrets to be found which definitely gives you incentive to either explore all the levels totally or play the game again, so Knights of Hell beware!
Game Details
Primary Format – Games – Playstation 4, PC, XBox One
Game Genre – Shooter
Rating – R18+
Game Developer – id Software
Game Publisher – Bethesda Softworks
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