DOOM Campaign Review: I GOTTA KILL HOW MANY?!?!?!

(mage sourced from http://www.polygon.com/2016/3/3/11153454/doom-2016-reversible-box-art-id-software-bethesda)

In 2014 BJ Blazkowicz made a very bloody and quite triumphant return to our consoles and showed us all what real gun toting action is like, old school style. Not satisfied with his showing of macho curb-stomping and bullet hurling though, now Doom-guy is back in the blood stained saddle to show the industry what a real balls to the wall, fist through your face, explosive body chunk sprinkle should really look like with the simply and appropriately titled, DOOM.

(Video sourced from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6BbvCC0VI0)

The story of DOOM is a thin order that allows you to get straight to it and ruin some bad-things day as you awake amidst a demonic invasion of Mars. Basically there are demons knocking at your front door, what are you going to do, obliterate them with your trust super shotgun of course!

While there is back story to be found in the game, relating to the history of your connection with hell and this shady organisation syphoning energy from hell to use in our universe; in the first 5 minutes of the game it takes a very active decision to forgo exposition that can drag a high paced, nonstop thrill and kill ride like this into the ground as Doom-guy literally smacks away the vehicle of this exposition in favour of simply getting on with the most violent exorcism I have ever seen.

It is this self-aware attitude that is not afraid to make fun of itself that helps the game be such a fun and thrilling time. Without this humour that can be found throughout the game through such things as pop culture referencing death animations and cute secrets to find, the game could have been an all too serious and horrifying journey to the pits of hell. but thanks to the just down right fun tone of the game instead you are left smiling and giggling at how ridiculous and epic every tinged red thing happening on screen is.

(Image sourced from http://moviepilot.com/tags/early-access-gaming)

And thank god for that because this game is brutal! Every bullet that tears through a demons body, every fist thrown to obliterate a scary ass and sharp toothed face, every explosion that turns a single demon into a thousand pieces of projectile red gloop; this game is full of a million and one ways to kill, stomp out and end demon kind in the most visually and mechanically exciting ways. The game is constructed in a way that not only can you not believe what you are seeing but that you actually were able to do it as you leap from platform t platform blasting enemies left right and centre with a multitude of guns you rapidly scroll through to get just the right weapon for the horde of demons wanting you dead; dodging plasma blasts from all sides till you see the diamond in the bunch of a glowing demon, ready for a satisfying and jaw dropping melee kill, that would be a show stopper, if you didn’t have a thousand more demons to kill right behind you. So yeah, if you couldn’t tell this game is so freakin’ cool even more fun.

And in large part that combat is so fun because of the arsenal, no, the armoury of weapons at your disposal. Throughout the game, in a very well-paced manner, you pick up various weapons from dead soldiers that just weren’t as awesome as you in combat. From short ranged devastating super shotguns to rapid fire laser cannons to, of course, the series’ staple, the legendary BFG. Each gun not only feels different but is as fun and effective as the last, making you feel like a demented kid in a very strange and twisted candy shop as at many times I was spoiled for choice at which weapon I should use to annihilate the latest in, sometimes a literal, line of demonic victims. The amount of guns makes the combat remain fresh for a vast amount of the game and the system in place to switch between weapons, as time slowdowns as you choose from the wheel of demonic misfortune which weapon is just right for you, makes switching guns fast and smooth, never getting in the way of bloody combat.

What also helps keep the game fresh form the majority of the game is the progression and mods available to your armoury. Each gun has two different alternate setting when holding down L2 (on PS4), such as a zoom in ability or a charge setting that lets you unleash a mega blast of destructive energy. Choosing between the two not only lets you tailor the gameplay to your own unique style but also helps shake up the combat as you can on the fly completely change the function and power of a weapon with a simple push of a button.

(Image sourced from http://www.trustedreviews.com/doom-review)

Within these mods and the guns and your armour you can upgrade these as well with points either earned through playing the game and completing the challenges of each level or finding the secrets hidden through the map, such as portals that lead you to mini levels that, when completed, award you with special perks for your armour. This system of progression not only always had me upgrading some aspect of my deadly equipment but also always gave me something to strive towards, whether it be getting the next point for a bigger capacity for ammo, or finding the next secret in the map as with them being directly tied to upgrades they are given purpose and are an unmissable aspect of the game, instead of the throw away extras they could’ve been.

What also helps the combat feel so awesome and badass is the movement of the game. You feel like you are ice skating through the pool of blood and demon chunks as Doom-guy glides around the environment in a surprisingly graceful manner. You are always literally one step ahead of your demon foe and able to traverse the battleground in a flash, making combat fast and visceral but also makes getting out of those sticky, death defying situations, actually do-able.

However, while the movement speed in combat is a god-send; I would of like a slower pace to be available. As it is you can either sprint through the level or walk like you’re trying to give your best impersonation of a turtle. Some middle ground would have been greatly appreciated, especially in the few quieter sections of the game where I could really take in the environment instead of feeling like a sports car zooming past the dunes of Mars.

(Image sourced from http://www.pcgamer.com/first-doom-gameplay-revealed-modding-and-multiplayer-confirmed/)

Speaking of the environments, the graphics and design of this game a very impressive also. From the dust swept landscapes of Mars to the eternally burning pits of Hell; whenever I took a second to look up from the blood soaked floor after combat I was treated to an awesome sight each and every time.

This amazing design also goes for the look of the demons. Each class of hell spawn is unique and disgusting in their own right and satisfying to stomp out of existence. This variety also goes for the mechanics of each demonic type as you are always kept on your toes, never being able to stay in the same position as you might be able to get cover from the acid hurling behemoth across the abyss but you that would leave you open to the not always visible rhino like demons that if you’re not careful will blind side you each and every damn time. The enemy classes are bountiful and fun, if not a bit intimidating too, to see which combination the game will throw at you this time. Which is a very good thing as through the game you have to carve your way through an impressive amount of their snarling arses. Seriously, at some points you may feel overwhelmed but standing at the end of a battle, a few hundred demons at your feet, nothing can beat that feeling.

Well, nothing can beat it for most of the game. But there does come a point where mindlessly shooting and crunching demon after demon gets a tad old. When you have every weapon available and have faced, at many times all at once, every demon type at hells beck-and-call; the games levels do begin to just gloop into one big mess of carnage and destruction as you, at that point, are just simply striving to get to the end of this surprisingly long game. While it is funny to see the game through plot to the wind, it would have been nice to have a bit more of a driving force in the game than ‘there demon, shoot demon, good Doom guy.’ Abit more of a motivating story or real antagonist that you love to hate and can’t wait to unleash all the vicious and deadly weapons and skills you have learned on this harrowing journey on to finally see them squished to nothing but a splat of red on your visor would have been a good addition and driving force that would have helped freshen up the bland taste you are left with at the end of this game.

(Image sourced from http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1179746&page=8)

However, one aspect of this game that never gets old is the epic soundtrack on offer throughout the game. These heart pumping ballads of rock that encapsulate the manic and devastating scenes of carnage you are creating for your ears not only heighten the sea of badass moments in this game but also get you in the perfect headspace for some major ass kicking times.

So overall this game is bonkers fun. Each system is well thought out, each weapon perfectly crafted, each demon as punchable as the last, each badass song as motivating as the best Joggers playlist. Each and every aspect of the game beautifully combines to create an unadulterated time of gleeful destruction and epic moments of 1 V thousands that somehow you come out victorious and better than you entered the fight. The plots thin quality does come to bite the game in the ass at the end as the game loses the unique and fresh feeling that has propelled you through it to that point and becomes a more boring and mindless slog; but the joy felt in the first hours of the game are totally worth it.

DOOM Campaign = 7/10

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