- Nov 16, 2006
- 6,810
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I recently completed the Doom reboot and all I can really say is holy **** this game is everything modern FPS games needed in one tidy package. The last game that felt this viceral (in its own way) was the Wolfenstein reboot games (The New Order/The Old Blood).
The game's combat goes right back to the series roots: constant movement, pressing the advantage, non-stop combat. Stand still, and you die. Run away from enemies, run out of ammo, die. Stop the killing, you die.
No reloading, and all our favorite guns and some come back from the original. There is some modernization in the form of challenge trials, weapon and armor upgrades, but it's handled tastefully around the edges of the core combat.
Given there are no hitscan enemies in the game at all, it is theoretically possible to avoid all the upgrades and play the game purely on skill alone (although it would be much more difficult, no doubt).
Most of the classic enemies are back in some form or another, as well as some new ones. The designs are nice and varied, some drawing from the original doom, others drawing from Doom 3, there is a nice diverse cast of bad guys that all serve different roles in combat. While I didn't catch any non-scripted moments of the enemies fighting each other, they can definitely damage each other in the heat of combat.
There is actually a substantial amount of lore building happening in the background, and I appreciated how the game handles "The Legend of the Doom Slayer" and reinforces how the demons realize their screwed as soon as you're awoken.
From a technical perspective, this game is an absolute gem. The game stayed around 120-144hz at 1440p using the vulkan renderer on my signature rig. The graphics are fantastic, but as a fast paced shooter the game could do away with a lot of environmental clutter and objects that might bog down other games.
Level design is also a "series of arenas" connected by corridors, which is not a big deal in my mind as the game basically breaks down into a platformer during the corridor sections as a respite from all out combat in the arena sections and helps with pacing.
Doom 2016 is a fantastic shooter. It's a great game. It almost perfectly balances nostalgia with modern game design, and it really feels like the developers captured the spirit of the original game. It is unabashedly violent, skill based, horrifying but not necessarily scary. There is plenty of game, but it also does not overstay it's welcome.
If games are boring you, they feel to slow, or you need some adrenaline in your life, you can do a helluva lot worse than Doom 2016.
The game's combat goes right back to the series roots: constant movement, pressing the advantage, non-stop combat. Stand still, and you die. Run away from enemies, run out of ammo, die. Stop the killing, you die.
No reloading, and all our favorite guns and some come back from the original. There is some modernization in the form of challenge trials, weapon and armor upgrades, but it's handled tastefully around the edges of the core combat.
Given there are no hitscan enemies in the game at all, it is theoretically possible to avoid all the upgrades and play the game purely on skill alone (although it would be much more difficult, no doubt).
Most of the classic enemies are back in some form or another, as well as some new ones. The designs are nice and varied, some drawing from the original doom, others drawing from Doom 3, there is a nice diverse cast of bad guys that all serve different roles in combat. While I didn't catch any non-scripted moments of the enemies fighting each other, they can definitely damage each other in the heat of combat.
There is actually a substantial amount of lore building happening in the background, and I appreciated how the game handles "The Legend of the Doom Slayer" and reinforces how the demons realize their screwed as soon as you're awoken.
From a technical perspective, this game is an absolute gem. The game stayed around 120-144hz at 1440p using the vulkan renderer on my signature rig. The graphics are fantastic, but as a fast paced shooter the game could do away with a lot of environmental clutter and objects that might bog down other games.
Level design is also a "series of arenas" connected by corridors, which is not a big deal in my mind as the game basically breaks down into a platformer during the corridor sections as a respite from all out combat in the arena sections and helps with pacing.
Doom 2016 is a fantastic shooter. It's a great game. It almost perfectly balances nostalgia with modern game design, and it really feels like the developers captured the spirit of the original game. It is unabashedly violent, skill based, horrifying but not necessarily scary. There is plenty of game, but it also does not overstay it's welcome.
If games are boring you, they feel to slow, or you need some adrenaline in your life, you can do a helluva lot worse than Doom 2016.