It's hard to find a video game that's more iconic than the original Doom. Even ignoring the fact that it essentially kick-started an entire genre, Id Software's first-person shooter revolutionized the gaming landscape back in the mid-'90s.
Now, after more than 10 years since the last game, Doom is back. Gone are the dimly-lit hallways and jump scares of the third installment, as these have been replaced by the high-speed and over-the-top weapons of the first two games. On paper, it sounds like everything that a Doom fan could possibly want — and yet, after the game's official reveal at last year's E3 conference, Id Software's reboot was met with quite a bit of criticism.
Bringing such an influential series back into the limelight is no easy task, especially when the genre it helped create has changed so much over the past few years. Has Id Software somehow brought Doom back from the dead, or should the series have stayed in development hell?
NOTE: Due to our limited time with the game, we haven't had time to fully analyze Doom's PvP modes or level-creation tools. As such, we'll only be discussing the single-player portion of the game in this review (though you should totally check out SnapMap).
The story of Doom is basically nonexistent. Players start the game as an unnamed space marine and proceed to kill a whole bunch of demons before trying to stop Hell from taking over the universe. There are only two other survivors to speak of, and neither get much in the way of screen time. Simply put, the guns you'll bring into battle show more progression than any of the actual characters.
It may sound strange, but for the most part, this sort of approach works. Codex entries and hidden audio logs are there for lore hounds to track down, but Id Software knew that most Doom fans would just want to shoot demons — the story never gets in the way of gameplay, and it's definitely for the best.
The only place where the narrative falters is during the ending. Doom doesn't really have a conclusion — yes, the game ends, but none of the lingering plot threads are ever addressed. It's not just a bad ending, it's a lazy one: Doom features the sort of sequel-baiting cliffhanger that the industry largely abandoned years ago. Finishing the game isn't satisfying, and it's not fun — if anything, Doom's ending feels more like a cop-out than anything else.
From a visual standpoint, Doom looks fantastic — though there are a few rough spots. A select few textures look somewhat muddy, and the numerous UAC facilities that players make their way through start to feel a bit too similar by the end of the game.
Honestly, though ... that's about it. Doom's art style is a standout: the updated versions of classic demons all look amazing, and it's hard not to giggle after you blow an Imp into pieces with a well-timed shotgun blast. Speaking of the weapons, the guns of Doom go above and beyond making the player feel like a walking tank. The BFG 9000 is, unsurprisingly, a visual spectacle — watching a ball of energy ravage everything on the screen with a shower of lightning and sparks is something that never gets old.
What's even more impressive is that, even with demons and particle effects and explosions covering the screen, Doom never misses a beat. A few dropped frames and occasional clipping issues are nothing compared with the carnage that players can cause. For the vast majority of our time with the game, the engine held up, no matter what was happening on the screen.
The game's audio also holds up, though it's not nearly as memorable as the visuals. What's surprising is that, out of the entire audio package, the music seems to be the most forgettable part of the experience. Classic Doom soundtracks were all about heavy metal — and while some great tracks did make it in, most of the soundtrack is dominated by more industrial-style music, and it doesn't carry the same weight. It's not bad (and personal tastes will vary), but it's not all that impressive, either.
Doom is, in many ways, a near-perfect example of how to update an old franchise for new players. The gameplay mechanics of classic Doom games haven't simply returned, they've been improved upon: the gunplay is better than most games in the genre, the reworked enemy designs are fantastic and the new progression systems add more replayability than ever.
Granted, the new Doom isn't a perfect game: the story ends up falling flat on its face, and anyone looking for more variety may be disappointed. Even so, these shortcomings aren't nearly enough to bring the experience down.
If you're a fan of shooters, you'd be doing yourself a disservice by not playing Doom. It doesn't really matter if you loved the classic games, or have never killed a demon before: Doom isn't just a good shooter, it manages to set itself apart in a genre that its predecessors helped create.
