A missed opportunity
When your first computer was a Macintosh that could hardly run Pajama Sam, you don’t get much experience playing “classic” shooters like DOOM or Quake. The only one of these I played was Star Wars: Dark Forces, an admittedly excellent “DOOM-clone,” but that was on the Playstation. By the time my family upgraded to a Dell in 2000 or 2001 (can’t remember), those games seemed woefully outdated. I was already able to play games like Medal of Honor: Allied Assault and No One Lives Forever, which had fleshed-out narratives, 3D character models, and linear, “real-world” resembling levels. Watching shows like XPLAY on G4, I came to understand where my favorite gaming genre had come from, thanks to id Software. In turn, I developed a reverence for id Software’s games, but no real desire to try them out.
Fast-forward to Bethesda’s E3 conference, unveiling DOOM 2016, and I was excited. I saw an opportunity to jump into that “old-school” world, while still enjoying the creature-comforts of modern gaming. I was actually very lucky that I accidentally missed the boat on purchasing this during the summer sale. Bethesda later held “Quake-con,” and Steam obliged with a timely sale of all the games I had failed to purchase before. I ended up getting DOOM for ten bucks, five cheaper than I had anticipated! It’s been a wild ride, but I have to say, this was a worthy purchase for the price.
To begin, the game definitely felt very polished. Of course, this is likely because I wasn’t around during its initial release, when there were almost certainly more bugs than there are now. In total, I believe I ran into only one or two gameplay-breaking bugs, where I got stuck or otherwise couldn’t do anything. Other than that, the game felt solidly built. Even on a laptop at medium settings, the framerate was very smooth, with few hiccups.
Onto gameplay, DOOM is truly an exhilarating experience. Enemies have been well-translated into the modern age, each with their own strengths and weaknesses: Imps are numerous and incredibly mobile, but also squishy. Demons of Hell and Hell Knights, some of the bigger hitters, are a joy to fight, forcing you to jump and weave between smaller enemies as they lumber towards you, attempting to crush you with downward area attacks. I loved bullfighting the “Pinkies,” which take virtually no frontal damage, so you have to “toro” them into a wall. When fighting in conjunction with each other, each firefight is a chaotic gore-fest, and I got so much satisfaction in landing a quick snapshot or splash-damage to take ‘em down. One weird issue I had a few times with enemies was their occasional standstills, where they were too far away from the fight to chase me, all the while electro-metal is blaring as if something crazy is still happening. The best bossfight was the first, and it took me several tries. It was of course frustrating, but it reminded me that “normal difficulty” shouldn’t be a cakewalk. The final boss was honestly disappointing. I don’t know if I was just too well equipped and upgraded by the end, but I think it only took me two or three tries to beat it. Unlike the first boss, I feel I wasn’t really tested on my movement skills, and that’s a shame. I only had to maneuver in a few segments and otherwise did the ol’ “circle-strafe shuffle” until I won.
The combat, of course, would be nothing without its level-design. This is certainly one of the aspects of this game which gives it that “classic” feel, but it’s also the perfect way to both utilize the game’s steady, tight movement control, as well give players a way out, should things get too dicey. This also organically leads to finding more ammunition, tucked away in the underpass of a sci-fi bridge, distinctly lacking in OSHA-approved handrails, for example. The platforming always felt rewarding, especially in the middle of combat, and I felt proud to be able to keep a cool head while under fire and move to a better position. It never felt shaky, like I might clip off the side and slip down.
DOOM wouldn’t be the same without its weaponry, and beyond the surface-level fun, almost every weapon has its value. Although I found myself sticking to a few stand-bys, such as the pulse and assault rifles, the heavy-hitters all had their moments to shine, whether for crowd-control or taking down heartier enemies. Only the chain-gun was disappointing, as it burns through the same ammo as the assault rifle, and the damage output could never really justify its use. I’d rather fire mini-missiles or get headshots with the scope. Another gripe with the weaponry I had was how long the games keeps you at only two weapons. Getting the pump-shotgun was fun at first, but it felt like it took forever before I got something new. Also, with such a large arsenal at your disposal, it can be somewhat awkward to go through the number-keys or scroll-wheel to cycle weapons. There is a weapon-wheel which slows down time to allow you to choose, but I felt it broke up the action. Ultimately, that’s just a personal grievance, and one I can get over with some practice.
The game does a decent job of making certain ammo-types scarce enough that you are forced to try other weapons, or otherwise manage your usage to save it for the right moments. I gradually learned the weaknesses of certain enemies, and this encourages variation as well. As you gain more upgrades, such as ammo capacity, this becomes less of an issue. I felt there was a gratifying amount of progression in this regard. Couple this with the attachments you find along the way, and every gun has multiple uses, something I’ve always been a fan of. The assault rifle’s mini-missile launcher is great for tagging durable or fast moving opponents with its homing ability, while the scope lets you plink high-damage headshots at range. The gauss cannon’s charge-up scope will make quick work of the biggest enemies in only two or three shots. Once I had unlocked all the upgrades I thought I wanted, I was pleasantly surprised with ones I’d passed over earlier in the game. For instance, the pump-shotguns three-round burst attachment is wonderful for smaller enemies that need to be deleted quickly, allowing you to move on to others.
Unlocks and secrets were easy to find in the best way possible. Weapon upgrade points can be earned with fun challenges, such as killing 20 Imps with a shotgun in a level, while secrets will appear on your map if you pass nearby. They’re still difficult enough to get, as you will have to find hidden or alternate paths to reach them. I had no interest in fully completing the game, but I always got a kick out of finding a hidden “Doomguy” action figure.
Aesthetically, the game does a decent job of portraying its various environments. The indoor sequences of the facility were suitable enough, with smooth, sleek architecture typical of any sci-fi fare; nothing to write home about, but it’s clear the designers were more concerned about the layout for gameplay than anything else. Hell looks… hellish, and the blood and gore is about what I’d expect, perhaps a bit too “jello-y” (F.E.A.R. is still a major benchmark for viscera, in my opinion). Honestly, the surface of Mars was my favorite, as it serves to foreshadow the descent into the underworld that was to come, with red sand and a desolate landscape. Overall, the use of color and lighting was the best part of the levels for me, visually.
The music is fantastic, with its electro-metal beats pounding, giving me the energy to fight hard and fast. It really reflects the ruckus you bring as the player. The story, on the other hand, is… there… and as DOOM-creator John Carmack once put it, it’s “like a story in a porn movie. It’s expected to be there, but it’s not that important.” Still, I will admit, it was interesting to see Doomguy being caught in the middle of a clusterfuck he wanted no part of, and in fact was hoping to prevent. I can only imagine how angry he was, beyond his usual “too angry to die” baseline.
Overall: I had a lot of fun on my first playthrough, way more than I expected. Admittedly though, while the campaign was short enough, I still had moments where I wondered how close I was to the end. Once I had all the weapons, upgraded my armor and health, etc, I felt I had settled into a routine. There was a method for killing everything, and I was kind of “going through the motions” by that time. There was only so much that could make the game feel refreshing again.
Still, the ennui came on much less strongly than I anticipated, and there’s so much to love about this title; id Software should be very proud. They have managed to capture that “classic” shooter feeling, rewarding efficient aim and quick thinking and movement, in the face of legions of demonic jerkwads. There is a satisfying “crunch” to almost every kill. Combine that with a measured acceptance of modern conventions, and it feels authentic without being too purist.
Buyer’s Remorse? Having seen the gameplay for DOOM Eternal, I can tell they’ve gone to great lengths to improve movement even further, and that’s exciting. New weapons have been added, and old ones have seen some alteration (I’m especially excited for the hookshot on the Super Shotgun). That said, I’ll probably sleep on it for a good while; The Pile is still quite large at the moment.
Otherwise, I have no regrets on my purchase. If a two-hour movie ticket is any metric, I got my money’s worth and then some with DOOM 2016. Could I justify paying more than twenty bucks for this or Eternal? No, but only because this isn’t my usual cup o’ tea. Still, I was marvelling at how much fun the game is when I came back to it to collect screenshots (I gotta remember to do this stuff during my playthrough…). The game plays so smoothly, aiming is silky, and it’s just fun. I might have to try a new game plus, having played around again. If it goes on sale again, definitely seek it out. You will not be disappointed.