Doom

One of the best FPS campaigns ever crafted, DOOM is a must play, even for those who typically don't enjoy FPS.Small tech thing: DOOM is extremely well optimized and has an incredible amount of options.

MF DOOM is an anomaly among my enjoyed games. I typically don't enjoy FPS games all that often, the closest I'll come is something like Call of Pripyat or a first person RPG.

To say I enjoy DOOM is an understatement. Doom demonstrates some of the most well done first person shooting mechanics I've ever encountered. Hardly do I ever think about how great shooting feels in a game. In Doom, I notice.

There is simply something gratifying about lining up a shotgun blast to an imps head while side strafing at what seems like 50 mph to dodge gunshots from a mancubus. There is elegance to the bullet-hell nature to the way one dodges enemy attacks while simultaneously picking up some gauss rifle ammo just in time to take out two hell knights in a single charged shot.

Moments like this line the halls of DOOM's game-play and make it an extremely memorable experience. In truth, the game could just have been arenas with combat scenarios and it still would have been a superb game.

But,

(and this is a good thing)

There aren't just combat arenas, though they do take up a majority of the game-time. There are moments of downtime in doom. Just after an intense battle the game will routinely ease back the throttle, either to let you refuel on armor, health, and ammo, or to allow you to explore.

And the exploration is just as good as the shooting. Secrets were a mainstay in the days of "doom-clones" and return in the newest iteration of Doom. From collectibles to hidden weapons and great recurring Easter eggs, the levels are packed with things to find during and after combat. I routinely found myself bunny hopping around the level looking for small vents I could climb into or seeing ledges which I could clearly reach that had me figuring out a way to reach them. In a sense, Doom has a bit of light platforming, something oft done terribly in first person games. In Doom, however, moving, jumping and the like are a joy, in and out of combat.

The newest Doom also has a bit of customization. You collect ruins which give you passive abilities, such as letting you initiate glory kills from an absurd distance away; Addons can be collected for guns and upgraded; Your armor can be upgraded as well. All of these things let you customize the way you eviscerate demons and give a good sense of progression as well as a reason to explore.

The music is also very well done. The soundtrack is the fast paced chugging heavy metal score you would expect from a DOOM game that is clearly trying to recreate the feeling of the first DOOM in the modern day. Its not overbearing but when you get those magic moments where the ripping guitar seems to line up to your gunshots as your gliding about the arena it definitely enhances the experience to a large degree.

The story is minimal enough not to intrude on the gameplay and on occasion it does halt the games speeding momentum. Moment's were dialogue is being spewed to you and you just stand around are in stark contrast to the moment when the doomslayer punches the computer monitor in order to stop the dialogue or when you break that thing you weren't supposed to break or when you cock the shogun to the beat of the music or you have the demon monologue in the background telling you how bad-ass you are or when you see all the weird corporate devil worship stuff. It knows what it is and this brings a good amount of comedy to the mix.

The multiplayer is fairly lackluster, but, the game is worth $60 for just the single player campaign.

In the end DOOM is one of the finest FPS's ever made and the best game of 2016. Simultaneously acting as a call back to its classic roots with it's fast-paced game-play & secrets, while also bringing modern sensibilities with its progression and upgrade system.