Polar Opposites

I've just traversed the equivalent of polar opposites in the gaming world.  I went from the icy, cool, casual dystopian world of VA-11 Hall-A straight into the boiling, frenetic, chaotic pits of hell in DOOM.  Talk about a bi-polar journey!  DOOM, which I bought on a lark because it was 50% off and because I finally convinced myself that the violence can't scar me that much, turned out to a riot of gore soaked fun.

Even though I play a wide variety of games, I will admit that first-person shooters are generally very far down my list.  I am not a big fan of multiplayer games so I usually stay as far away from them as I can.  Single player shooters seem to be a rarity these days--sure, you could claim that many shooters have some sort of single player campaign built in, but that is generally as an afterthought--the bulk of the gameplay is centered around multiplayer.  Oh and then there's the guilt over playing a game that is way over the top violent.  Despite these personal qualms I can say that I would recommend DOOM to anyone who enjoys shooters and who secretly enjoys the cathartic experience of video game violence.

Doomguy doing what he does best.

DOOM is the next generation in the classic shooter series from my childhood.  As a kid it was one of those games that you probably weren't supposed to be playing, but played it anyway (and turned out mostly fine).  Doomguy has returned and is battling the legions of hell as they attempt to enter our universe.

Liked:

--Classic vibes.  The demons, the guns, doomguy in his shiny green suit of armor, the story...all of it was familiar/nostalgic, but it has been improved for a new generation of gamers.  Oh sweet super shotgun...at last I've found you...  Older (let's say "mature") gamers will get it.

--There's a story!  I'm not going to pretend that the story is the focal point of the game (shooting stuff is...duh) but between dismembering demons there is a decent story.  After all his exploits in the early DOOM games, Doomguy was captured by the forces of hell and sealed away for future use (I don't fully understand this because I didn't really play all the games).  Now, with the forces of hell trying to break into the universe, Doomguy has been re-birthed to stop this from happening.  Humans have figured out how to create a source of energy from hell's power and things have started to go wrong.  Corrupt leaders, gates of hell opening, you have to close them and kill the ones trying to do all the evil.  I'm just amazed that there's some sort of feasible story.

--Environments.  Part of the story takes place on Mars in a massive lab complex--one that has been attacked by demons.  The winding labyrinth of halls, ducts, labs, and the occasional large, demon-filled area are spattered with gore and suggestions of demonic presence.  It's all very ominous...and seems gooey.  You do get a good sense at the size of the complex as you travel to the many areas--it's huge!

Once you've progressed far enough you find yourself travelling to hell.  It's plenty hellish--lots of pentagrams, bloody pools, creepy candles,  and bleak demonic landscapes.  I just wanted to get out of there--the horror of the labs felt better than the barren landscapes of hell.

--Weapons.  As I mentioned before, they really tried to stay true to the classic games and keep similar weapons.  There's a weapon for every play style and situation--shotguns for up close and personal encounters, a heavy assault rifle for hard to reach demons, a rocket launcher for explosions, and....the all important BFG for when you need to mutilate an army of demons quickly.  My favorite is the super shotgun.  I like to shoot things from two feet away.

There's also a handy upgrade system that lets you customize your weapons even further.  Want to have mini-missiles on your heavy assault rifle?  No, problem.  Want that shotgun to shoot three round bursts?  Totally.

--Level design that is very intuitive.  You might start out running through some narrow halls and encountering a few demons.  When you hit a large, open room you know that the demon hordes are coming.  These rooms aren't simply horizontal planes....they have a vertical aspect as well.  During the chaos of a demon rush you will find yourself traversing ledges and scaling many levels in a large room.  This design gives players the ability to follow the "always moving" playstyle that is a core part of the game.  I enjoyed having the ability to move up and down and shoot demons from above or below.

--Metal mania.  In my regular non-gaming life I don't listen to heavy metal.  I had a brief period in high school where I listened to a little Metallica, but it was very brief (and Metallica is probably not considered very "metal").  For some weird reason the combination of the raging guitars and Doomguy breaking off the arm of a demon and then clubbing it to death...it just works.  The soundtrack is perfect for the pace and chaos of slaying.

--Tools.  The SnapMap tool allows users to create their own maps and content.  I am a big supporter of any game that allows community creation and interaction.  Personally, I have the creativity of a hyena...which means none...so I won't be making any maps.  I tested out the tutorial and making a map seems relatively simple.  Making a fun, challenging, or unique map...that's a whole other story.  There are singleplayer maps, challenge maps, co-op maps, multiplayer maps, story maps...maps, maps, maps!

--Game modes and replayability.  The story campaign isn't all there is to DOOM.  There's multiplayer (which I will give a wide berth) for those who enjoy slaying others and there's an arcade mode which is more about seeking out the highest score and competing on a leaderboard.

--Challenging, but not too challenging boss battles.  Hard enough that you're going to die a few times figuring it out, but not so hard that you get frustrated and give up.  You felt a small sense of accomplishment after finishing off a boss.

And, I saved the best for last...

--Glory kills.  Once you've staggered a demon there are numerous ways to finish it off and all of them are enjoyable.  It's like 1001 flavors of sweet, sweet violence.  Finding all the unique ways to send a demon back to hell makes killing them even more fun.  My personal favorite is "death from above" but I also enjoy the many varieties where you get to tear off a random body part and stuff it into an eye socket or other body part.  I don't know that I've seen this mechanic before, but now I want more.

There are numerous aspects of DOOM to enjoy and I have been pleasantly surprised.  There were a few minor things that I didn't like so much and are most likely a little nitpicky.  There's a bit of an exploration aspect that I didn't feel fit in with the pacing and energy of the game.  While the heavy metal is banging away in the background I'm searching for a hidden duct or floor panel in order to unveil a secret area that could contain an upgrade or collectible.  Should I be exploring or destroying?  It just felt oddly out of place.

I had to tweak the settings on my graphics a bit because the larger battles with lots of action could get a little slow.  I would recommend turning down the motion blur to low or completely off.  After I turned down this one setting it seemed to solve the problem.

Mostly, I had a good time.  DOOM is a fantastic followup to an old school classic.