DOOM is, simply put, the most heavy metal video game I've ever played. Each level is like playing through the cover of a different Slayer album. Unapologetic in it's aggression, violence, evil, and retro-cheese.
The design decision to have health and ammo acquired by rushing INTO the crowd and tearing it out of the chest cavity of your enemy is brilliant. It's the most DOOM move the developers could have made and it fits so well it seems obvious in hindsight. It may have been done before, but I haven't seen it. I think maybe one of the Warhammer games did something similar?
The other decision that deserves singling out is the Gore Nests. The first time I saw one I just rushed it and tore it's pod out, completely unaware of the literal Hell that was about to rain down upon me. A game that I couldn't imagine getting any crazier or more metal instantly kicks everything up several levels as the air around you turns red and dozens of baddies are in a room that you were alone in seconds ago. I'm always excited to see them and they're the most beer chugging, chest pounding, head banging moments in gaming.
Every weapon feels punchy, heavy, and mean (except for the plasma rifle) and the chainsaw surpasses even the mighty Gears of War Lancer. I love the way Doomguy destroys everything he comes across, even if there is no advantage to doing so. Want an upgrade? Crush it in your hand. Need to open a door? Tear the steel plates apart with brute force. Need to remove a highly volatile and delicate canister from whatever future-computer it's in? Stomp the dogshit out of it. Even the robot buddies that are there to improve your weapons are not safe.
Doomguy has no time for subtlety.
The game does have a few faults, the boss battles are easily the weakest parts of the game, the multiplayer modes are irrelevant at best, and I do get lost in the Foundry every single time I play, but these complaints are not enough to make DOOM 2016 feel like anything but a game that was made specifically for me, and it's my favorite shooter of all time.
DOOM ETERNAL can't get here soon enough, but I'm happy to chainsaw Cacodemons in half until then.
All things DOOM
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SludgeWizard
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seansthomas
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Re: 367: DOOM (2016)
^ Great reply! Nailed a lot of what I love about it too in a way I hadn't clocked.
Re: 367: DOOM (2016)
I’m not really sure I can contribute much else to this discussion as everyone else has pretty much covered my feelings about the game, but I’ll give it a shot. DOOM brings all that was good about old school shooters and smashes it into a modern day shooter. It’s gorgeous to watch, the levels are massive, the movement is fluid, and the action is brutal. It’s pure maniacal fun blasting demons that were unfortunate enough to get locked in a room with me.
As fun as Doom is, it isn’t perfect, and my main criticism is that, outside of our initial introduction to Doom’s brutal gameplay, the game never has a true wow moment. The levels are huge and aesthetically pleasing, but I couldn’t differentiate any particular moment in the game from any other moment. All the game ever does to change each scenario is add more enemies than the last encounter. There is no change in the dynamic between the enemies and their environment, and unfortunately the game starts to get a little stale by the end. By comparison, the Halo series is filled with moments that offer up dynamic variations to its enemy encounters, like the first time you encounter a scarab in Halo 2. Jumping from the overhead catwalk onto the giant walking tank below to slaughter elites as it continues on its path through the city is exhilarating. And it’s the only moment like it in the game. Doom doesn’t have this. The core gameplay of move, shoot, melee, heal is on point, and it’s good enough to keep Doom entertaining for the entirety of its campaign. But it’s not enough to elevate it out of becoming routine.
As fun as Doom is, it isn’t perfect, and my main criticism is that, outside of our initial introduction to Doom’s brutal gameplay, the game never has a true wow moment. The levels are huge and aesthetically pleasing, but I couldn’t differentiate any particular moment in the game from any other moment. All the game ever does to change each scenario is add more enemies than the last encounter. There is no change in the dynamic between the enemies and their environment, and unfortunately the game starts to get a little stale by the end. By comparison, the Halo series is filled with moments that offer up dynamic variations to its enemy encounters, like the first time you encounter a scarab in Halo 2. Jumping from the overhead catwalk onto the giant walking tank below to slaughter elites as it continues on its path through the city is exhilarating. And it’s the only moment like it in the game. Doom doesn’t have this. The core gameplay of move, shoot, melee, heal is on point, and it’s good enough to keep Doom entertaining for the entirety of its campaign. But it’s not enough to elevate it out of becoming routine.
Re: Our next podcast recording (28.4.19) - 367: DOOM (2016)
I played a lot of the original DOOM, both the core game and innumerable home brew level packs. The action side of the original gets talked about a lot, but the things I enjoyed most were the tension and exploration elements. Creeping through labyrinthine levels, watching for traps and ambushes. Some of the later maps that were released for DOOM both by iD and homebrewers were true wonders to explore.
DOOM 2016 does a great job of capturing the action side of the original - and takes it several levels even beyond that. The combat is intense and always fun. The power ups and ammo drops mean that you tend to vary your use of all the weapons and the way the Chainsaw and BFG operate mean that you are insentivised to use them rather than just hoarding your charges.
It doesn't capture the sense of exploration of the original though. You are really just moving from one arena to the next, fighting successive waves of enemies. It's an absolute blast, but it's just not the element that really compelled me about OG DOOM. I appreciate that I am probably in the minority here.
I really enjoyed what they did with the enemy designs. Original DOOM had such a great menagerie of monsters, each with a clear distinctive look and offering a different level of threat. I think DOOM 2016 really captured the character of those enemies. They felt like true modern recreations of the classic monsters that I know and love/fear. They are much better interpretations of the classic monsters than the travesties that appeared in DOOM 3.
I had a good time playing through DOOM 2016 and it pushed at least a few of my gnarled and rusted nostalgia buttons, but the more cerebral RPG shooters - like Prey (2017) are more my cup of tea now and I probably won't be coming back to it.
DOOM 2016 does a great job of capturing the action side of the original - and takes it several levels even beyond that. The combat is intense and always fun. The power ups and ammo drops mean that you tend to vary your use of all the weapons and the way the Chainsaw and BFG operate mean that you are insentivised to use them rather than just hoarding your charges.
It doesn't capture the sense of exploration of the original though. You are really just moving from one arena to the next, fighting successive waves of enemies. It's an absolute blast, but it's just not the element that really compelled me about OG DOOM. I appreciate that I am probably in the minority here.
I really enjoyed what they did with the enemy designs. Original DOOM had such a great menagerie of monsters, each with a clear distinctive look and offering a different level of threat. I think DOOM 2016 really captured the character of those enemies. They felt like true modern recreations of the classic monsters that I know and love/fear. They are much better interpretations of the classic monsters than the travesties that appeared in DOOM 3.
I had a good time playing through DOOM 2016 and it pushed at least a few of my gnarled and rusted nostalgia buttons, but the more cerebral RPG shooters - like Prey (2017) are more my cup of tea now and I probably won't be coming back to it.