They are rage, brutal, without mercy. But you, you will be
worse. Rip and tear, until it is done!
I've also finished Doom recently and forgot to write about it.
Well, not so much forgot as I'm not a reviewer, my English sucks
and I can't form coherent sentences even in Russian most of the
time. But I'll try. This shit's worth a post.
So, DOOM.
First, let's make one thing perfectly clear: it's not Final Doom
or Doom II. It's very much a modern shooter in many respects.
It also took the “trap the player in an arena till they kill all
the monsters” thing form Painkiller, so the levels aren't
structured like they were in the old games. This one features
a set of arenas per level + some secrets and — sometimes — some
plot. Some arenas are even optional. I know, right? Optional
content in 2016? Madness.
That aside, it does feel a lot like an oldie shooter. At the
start, you get an inspirational quote, a gun and some posessed
humans to kill. Right into the action you go. Then you get your
armour. Less than a minute after that — a shotgun and your first
Imp. Then — your first proper arena. Things start to speed up
from there and if you don't run around the level searching for
secrets and collectibles, it will very rarely stop to give you
some plot or show you something cool. You choose the pace though.
Don't want to jump from arena to arena? The game won't force you.
I really like the guns. The plasma gun can fuck right off, but
all the other guns have a very nice punch to them. I feel like
actually doing some motherfucking damage! FPS devs, look at Doom
for how guns should feel. Look at the double-barrel. Oh my sweet,
sweet super shotgun, how have I missed you.
The automap is very nice once you spend a minute with it. Again,
other developers, look at it and take notes. Really good 3d map.
Glory kills... I really feared they would break the flow of
combat, but they really don't. In fact, once you start playing on
Nightmare (and hey, if you're not playing Doom on Nightmare, I
don't want to know you), glory kills become essential. The flow
is like this: Run like hell, deal damage, dodge as much of it as
you can, compensate the lost health and armour with a glory
kill — which are pretty fun to use btw, they are crisp and so, so
violent — deal some more damage, refill ammo with the chainsaw,
repeat till you've finished the arena.
The Doom Slayer's character — yes, he actually has a personality
this time around — is conveyed exclusively through action, which
is both rare and fits the game perfectly. He hates demons, clearly
dislikes Hayden and really likes tearing demons apart. But he's
also smart and can think for himself — and not just about violence.
The background lore is rich, but vague enough to leave you
guessing the details. I recommend actually reading the pieces of
lore you find, they are pretty cool, with a healthy dose of humour
sprinkled in there.
The most important thing though is the core gameplay. And it does
not disappoint one little bit. The arenas are just as long as they
need to be, the fights are fast and brutal, the demons aren't
bullet sponges, but neither are you, so think fast and use your
head a bit. And — I repeat — play on Nightmare. It's the only way.
In conclusion, the game makes me smile. And I don't mean just a
smirk, no! I've caught myself grinning from ear to ear more times
than I care to count. It's beatiful, fast, brutal and violent.
It's Doom, baby. Doom!