Doom Review

I then purchased a 486SX 25 PC for college, but deep down inside the real reason for the purchase was so I could play the game and when I mean play it, I did so without a sound card!

However even with the PC's tiny speaker it was still atmospheric and I must have played the game for a month solid; rushing back from college each and every day!

Later I managed to source a SoundBlaster Pro Sound card and once more I was in awe of the quality of this title, which was revolutionary back then.

So when people say it was a game that defined a generation you are not wrong and being part of this epic time period was awesome!

Now we move into 2016 and DOOM has been re-launched - from developer’s id Software and Publisher Bethesda Softworks - for the new-generation of consoles and of course the trusty PC!

However for review purposes I had the Xbox One Version this time around and while I’m not sure what the PS4 and PC version looks like the Xbox One looks great!

In fact the single player is graphically lush with brilliant use of lighting effects which adds to the atmosphere tenfold and from my initial impressions it has a pretty solid frame rate to boot. In a nutshell it’s probably one of the best looking games released on the platform so far! Albeit it’s a little on the dark side for the opening sections, so you may need to adjust the brightness to compensate – ed.

Focus on the Single Player

For this review my first port of call was the single player experience as this is what gave me the most nostalgic feeling.

You start off by seeing your character held on sarcophagus - in a dark room - with loads of spooky candles surrounding him. However somehow you break free of the bonds tying your wrists down and subsequently you grab a nearby gun and then it’s into the game proper; fighting for your life as you are jumped upon by hordes of demons!

I must admit It’s a stressful opening sequence which made me think, uh-oh is this going to be like Doom 3 all over again, which I have to be honest I could only play during the day as it stressed me out too much!

However the Doom reboot is not like this, in fact its back to the old roots of fun arcade action (which it has in spades), with tons of demons, your favourite weapons and power-ups all brought over from the original title. Everything is just ramped up to another scale! There is literally no stopping or let-up at all!

I have to say what makes the game more intense is the accompanying heavy metal style sound track, which seems to kick in every time you are going to be facing off against the ultimate hordes of hell! While this can be classed as predictable, it does help prepare you and I can’t help enjoy these moments.

Especially as a few days after playing the game I was sent a Thrustmaster Y-350X Doom Edition headset which has 7.1 virtual surround sound (plus lots of base!). In some ways the experience reminded me of the story I told above, where I got the sound card for my PC after I had the original game and having the virtual surround - coupled with the added base - really honed in on the audio delights that the game offers! The heavy metal soundtrack certainly gets the heart pounding faster!

I’ve got a separate review of the Thrustmaster Doom Edition headset here.

Weapons & Clear Goals

The game provides a basic plot of sorts i.e. stopping 'Olivia Pierce' from opening a portal to hell (bringing all the demons with it) and while I won’t spoil the surprises any further you just need to know one thing.... Kicking ass is a full-time occupation in this game and to do this you have a range of weapons; which like the graphics are all ramped up and brought up-to-date for the new generation.

Classics, such as the Double barrel shotgun and chainsaw make an appearance, yet the latter is now more of a specialist weapon so you need to locate fuel in order to power it. However each chainsaw kill will usually bring with it a host of goodies dropped from the body, such as ammo and health.

Plus, while you won’t come across this for a while in the single player, in multiplayer you can experience the BFG quicker; though ammo is sparse and if I’m honest this does not have the same mental appeal as it did before.

What I like about the weapons you find is that each one has an upgrade path, so like your own marine character you can improve the effectiveness of each one. For example you can add a grenade launcher to the super shotgun. Additionally you can have multiple attachments for each weapon and switch between them on the fly via the dpad.

Mind you ammo can sometimes be scarce to find, but you always have your trusty pistol - with unlimited ammo - to fall back on and the new melee kill system which is pretty awesome!

Glory Kills

At times when you stun an enemy (I talk about these in a moment) they can glow orange/blue and at this point you can melee attack them to produce a Glory Kill. Depending on where you perform the melee attack i.e. from above or a flying leap, this will result in different death animation. It also provides you with more health, which is vital in a game that puts the emphasis on non-stop action!

A few old friends

What I also loved about this reboot is that several of the original game's enemy types, audio effects (opening doors for example) and power-ups were brought back. Enemy types include the Revenant, Pinky, Mancubus, and the Cyberdemon; though they have all had a graphical make-over!

Even the Cacodemon has a similar appearance and while the latter was always a personal fave of mine, don’t stand around reminiscing for too long as you will get your ass kicked!

You will also find hidden or in plain sight some old school power ups, such as Invincibility and Quad damage, but they do not last forever.

Levelling up your character, so to speak, will allow you to hold more health or armour. So you can collect the armour shards to make you last in battle a little longer for arguments sake.

Likewise each mission allows you to compete in separate side challenges, such as killing a certain type of enemy with a Glory kill. You can then earn new points to upgrade your weapons or abilities further.

At the end of each mission it will also score you on how well you have done; thus there is always feedback given to the player.

Rune Trials

I nearly I forgot to mention that exploring the levels also allows you to stumble upon Rune Trials.

These take the form of several challenges. These challenges could include killing a certain number of enemies (with a chosen weapon) by exploding barrels next to them. All of this is done in a set time.

Completing the latter will earn you a rune that can help you in combat.

Personally I found the trials offered a nice break from the main campaign.

Loads to do!

To be honest I have not yet finished the single player campaign (probably about 8 hours in), as I have been delving into the multiplayer and community driven SnapMap system.

The multiplayer is not usually my bag, but I have to admit the simplicity of Doom’s multiplayer is what I like about it.

That’s not to say you won’t find any modern touches, as the more you progress, the more you can unlock in terms of custom loadout slots and power ups (hack modules). The latter can offer temporary abilities in-game such as a scout power up which shows the location of all enemies. To make it easier for novices the power-ups can be automatically assigned leaving you free to enjoy the action.

Note: You also see the hit points falling from enemies and some power ups will even provide you with an enemies energy bar.

Mind you there may be a slight imbalance to some degree as more weapon options appear as you progress past level 10; so if you are up against level 30 players it's more of a challenge.

Snipers also dominate in some of the levels, but to make it easier to spot them the sniper does produce a red trail from his/hers laser sight, so you do get the heads up.

For the most part you start with three character classes and a set amount of fire power, such as an 'Ambusher' class with a heavy weapon. The latter's gatling gun does not do immense damage, but its barrel speed multiples the intensity which can get you the odd kill at mid-range.

Most of the game types are team-based, so you have classic Team Death Match, Domination style maps and a few variants such as Freeze tag. Here you need to freeze enemies and un-freeze your mates. You also have twist on the Team Death Match where you need to collect dead player’s souls.

A few of the modes did not really populate that much to be honest (the most popular is definitely Team Death match) and graphically the game is not that lush compared to the single player.

However what makes life interesting is that at certain points during the match, you or your enemy can spawn as a demon! For example a 'Revenant' and this mixes things up big time! It’s then a mad scramble to kill the demon or if you get control of one, take out as many enemies as possible.

I think from my time with multiplayer it is certainly fun, though some of the weapons effectiveness i.e. the rocket launcher's is not quite as powerful as it could be.

Also customising your character is not that appealing either because the models used for the armour look a bit ugly if truth be told!

Thankfully the fun outweighs the negatives and you are never stopping for a second in any of the modes you play. I also managed to get past level 10 in multiplayer within a few hours; so you can upgrade quickly once you get into the swing of it.

Note: You also get rewards (character upgrades, hack modules etc) and a wealth of stats at the end of each round; the latter even showcases you - in a visual way - how you are progressing.

SnapMap

However even if you don’t like the multiplayer and are upset about the lack of co-op in the single player (sorry I forgot to mention this fact earlier), the inclusion of the SnapMap system certainly brings the game back to its original modding routes....

SnapMap basically provides a platform where it displays a range of community created levels. Some of which are single player, while others are co-op and multiplayer.

The intuitive interface makes it really easy to choose the type of level you want and there is even a voting system so the best levels get top spot.

Of course you can even create your own levels and I had brief go on doing this and to be honest it’s not something you will pick up in minutes. However with pre-set templates and objects - that can be quickly manipulated - if you put the time into it you can soon produce some cool levels of your own! It's also cool to be able to explore your created level(s) before launching to the general public; which is what it’s all about.

On the whole SnapMap is a brilliant touch!

The only downside is that levels can take a while to load and likewise in the single player there are times when certain levels do lag behind – though it never spoils the fun.

PS: I nearly forgot to mention that In multiplayer if you win your first match you will unlock an achievement, which will certainly bring a smile to those who remember the old IPXSETUP.EXE.

Summary

Doom’s reboot is bringing the franchise bang up-to-date and yet it has not lost any of its original charm/appeal. For me it’s non-stop arcade fun all the way, with big weapons, large monsters, a pounding sound track and the added bonus of the community driven SnapMap system. Even the multiplayer’s transparency, in terms of putting the action foremost, is refreshing in a simplistic way. An awesome title that should not be missed by either fans of the original or newcomers alike!