DOOM 2016

In an age of regenerating health, linear level design and generic guns, the FPS genre lost my interest. I craved the old-school shooter, something like Half-Life, Time Splitters, Unreal Tournament...etc. In those games, some more so than others, guns had character, something that is unfortunately lacking in most shooters these days.

I recently said in my Dark Souls review how I think the best way to construct an intro to a game, movie, book...etc, is to make it a brief experience that would show you what to expect from the whole game. Doom’s first 5 minutes set my expectations high. It doesn’t take you more than 2 minutes to get a gun in your hands and start blowing demons.

Doom is the Heavy Metal of gaming; It’s loud, fast, and, of course heavy...metal. The gameplay design practices one of the most important fundamentals of an FPS shooter game: It keeps you on your feet. There is no cover to hide behind, nor a place to run away to. Actually Doom encourage you to do the opposite; If you execute enemies with a melee attack, the game will award you with health, if you chainsaw enemies you get ammo. So you have to fight to survive.

The level design in Doom also follows the old school style. It's not the usual streamlined design, it's a bit more opened, but the map and indicators usually guide you through easily. I wished it was more Metroidvania in its design, and the game goes to that level of design but just in the side stuff, like collectables and Easter eggs. Most of them are very well hidden and requires lots of exploration.

Progress in the game is also very well designed. You go through gunfights that are usually locked in an arena. After, you advance through areas to find secrets, Easter eggs and upgrades. So there is a rhythm that goes high then low, so it won't feel like it's always set to eleven.

The guns! The guns are easily the best part of Doom. I hated Doom 3’s guns, especially the shotgun. They lacked oomph; a proper shotgun should feel like a small explosion with every shot followed by an exploding face with blood scatter on every part of the room. And that is the case in the new Doom, and the same idea stretches to the rest of the arsenal. Each weapon has its own gameplay that would change the way you fight, and complemented with an alternative attack.

During the gunfights you will also find time-limited buffs, such as: Triple damage, Haste and berserk. Use them in the right time, and you can tear new assholes all through the arena.

The enemies are mostly rehashes from the previous games. They still work well and fit in the new gameplay mechanics. But during the last quarter of the game it gets a bit repetitive. They needed to add more enemies to the roster, or make the game a bit shorter.

There are a few bossfights in the game, and they are definitely not the best part of the experience. They are mostly generic with boring attacks that you need to dodge then shoot till there HP is depleted.

All in all, Doom hit there right spot for me. I can't think of a game that was rebooted and was able to withhold the original's feel. And even if you're not a fan of the original or never played it, Doom is still a great game with fast paced, heart pumping, cock stiffening gunfights.