A fair few months ago, an old classic had been given a spit and polish going over, and decided we need to go back to the basics of old. The original game cemented itself firmly in gaming history and has been an inspiration to many. Today, we have on our hands on the reboot an old favourite to many. DOOM.
Right before I delve right in, a quick history lesson for you Noobies ;). Doom is considered to be one of the pioneering first-person shooter games; introducing to IBM-compatible computers, features such as 3D graphics, third dimension spatiality, networked multiplayer gameplay, and support for player-created modifications with the Doom WAD format.
Since the release of Doom in 1993, the series has spawned numerous sequels (some good, some not so), expansion packs, and a film (THE ROCK!!). The series focuses on the exploits of an unnamed space marine operating under the auspices of Union Aerospace Corporation (UAC), who fights hordes of demons and the undead in order to survive.
BAM!!! And that’s It in a nutshell, survive, kill/shoot & survive some more. The game starts in a similar fashion to its predecessors, you wake up on an operating table, rip away your restraints and pulp a zombie’s head with your bare hands, all inside of about 10 seconds. That’s all the orientation you need in a game about murdering demons on Mars. None of this 15 minute CGI backstory, oh no ( looking at you Konami!). You are thrown into hell and killing straight from the off. Doom is a shooter at heart and it’s not going to mess with its biggest draw, however, it does recognise it needs a little update to keep new people interested. So it places in some ‘’tweeks’’ like – holographic echoes of now-butchered people fiddling around with ancient artefacts, upgradeable gear, weapon select wheel and a lore database for the gorgeous weapons. Each weapon offers a choice of alternate fires, such as the shotgun’s hold-to-charge grenade launcher. The environments are clever, and just like the original, there are hidden secrets you will need to search and look out for. Unlike some games, this is actually a must, rather than an option. Mostly because it provides you with much needed power-ups, small doom dolls (they provide a high res scaled viewer of guns and monsters), upgrades for your armour and guns and even original DOOM levels. Once you have found these little gems, you can go and play the original levels, but with the updated AI and weapons.
Besides this little beauties to keep you interested when killing the mass of demons isn’t enough, there are small challenges whilst going through the levels too. These mission tasks are usually pretty straightforward — “find X,” “kill y number of z in a unique way,” and so on. If you’re not a completionist, these upgrades certainly aren’t mandatory. The game’s “Glory Kills” melee execution system is amazing – this lets you polish off a weakened, flashing foe in brutal style with a single button press, showering you in ammo and health packs to boot. The gory and deathly chainsaw can turn even the biggest demon into mush, which in turns will refill your weapons, however, this entails putting yourself in harm’s way. And unlike its predecessor you need fuel to do this. One bar will take down minor enemies, whilst the biggest will use all three of your fuel bars, so you need to plan carefully when to use it!! Doom’s music is meant to add to the ambience of the game. It only triggers when you enter demon-heavy areas, creating the intended “suspense” effect. A sudden spike in music puts the player on edge when combat starts, and that music is an blasting out of heavy metal, which works well. It does a good job of getting to the desired grating and unnerving feeling effect.
The environments are well-crafted, beautiful areas with lighting that makes the main path easy to find, but darker paths offer something alluring in their own right, which always appeals to the level design senses in all of us. The Mars facility has a fresh look whilst still feeling familiar. It’s industrial, but filled with futuristic screens and machinery, interrupted frequently by satanic symbols and a lot of gore. Everything in the game shows that a lot of craft has taken place within its environments. Places where the demons have been on the Mars facility are clearly translated into visual cues, which gives a subconscious feeling of dread or security, based on the signs. I often found myself looking into the distance, going ‘’ohhh’’ before I was rudely awakened by a charging demon. The AI is varied, and versatile and deadly! Every demon has been given a fresh new overhaul from the nimble wall climbing Imp to charging Pinkies and the annoying possessed sentry. A guy with an energy shield and shotgun which can play havoc with your plan, as he relentlessly pursues you, whist bigger and meaner things try to rip your head off! Doom Is fun, engaging and, in a grotesque way, pleasing to look at. The game itself seems to emphasise how important the single player portion is. Just going from the main menu to the multiplayer menu requires the game to restart itself and bring up a fresh, new loading screen. But don’t Knock its Multiplayer either..
Multiplayer is back to old school way of thinking. Fast shooting and well placed design of the maps can make it quite and hectic and engaging which sometimes the modern day shooter have failed to realise. Because of this, not all will enjoy how it plays out. Again there is lot of customization options here, from your armour, style of guns, taunts and even perks which kick in once you have died. ID has thought about how this will play out, and from what I have played, it does the job. Will it last long.. only time can tell. Everyone starts off on an equal setting, so even the leveled up players can be taken out with a correctly timed shot or demon rune. Demon rune, does what it exactly says its does. It spawns on a random part of the map and whoever gets there first get to turn into a demon of their choice. But don’t think you are invincible, oh no. A few well teamed up mates can take you out rather quickly, so supporting your team when being a Demon is a must. But it’s a nice touch to the gameplay and if timed right, can swing a brutal defeat to an outright victory, so beware. The maps are varied and thought out and with the inclusion of player created SnapMaps as well, you will have a hard time not to find something you like.
SnapMap is a brilliant and easy addition which really helps the game in its long term playability. This simple yet effect bolt on lets players create some fantastic and well thought out maps, stories and even new modes which I would recommend anyone to allow yourself to get invested in. This quick system can do the most arduous of things nice and quickly and if you allow yourself to go through the tutorials, you will in no time be setting paths for Demons to jump unsuspecting gamer in your own idea of Hell in no time. I can’t really describe the mechanics of this systems well enough to do it justice, just that it’s a simple point and click affair. All I can say is go and have a play, you won’t regret it.And with this I come to the end of this Review. Would I recommend this Game? Hell Yes. Will everyone love it? very possible. Single player is great, but some COD players will have a tough time with the simple shoot and kill multiplayer. Does it have any issues?. Yes, the loading times (20-50secs) due to the maps being so large, can be abit of pain. The music may not be everyone’s liking.
In all, for the money you’re paying, you do get your money’s worth here, and that’s a rare thing these days (cough…Battlefront). If you love Doom or want to see what a creative new shooter is like, you will be hard pressed at this current time to find a more fun, gory and downright fun blasting game than DOOM.
