"Doom" delivers fast-paced, bloody heavy metal action at its best. 12 reasons why you should play it
17.5.2016
Translation: machine translated
"Doom" is back and better than ever. The cult shooter makes an unexpected comeback: loud, bloody and extremely fun. A feast for shooter fans.
After eight years of development and a complete reboot in the middle of it all, very few people gave "Doom" another chance. And the recent announcement that no review codes would be issued to testers in advance did not bode well either. Completely unfounded! Almost, at least. Whilst the single-player mode is very exciting, I haven't really warmed to the multiplayer yet. That's why I'm focusing on the glorious campaign for now and providing twelve reasons that should convince even the sceptics.
1. bloody and brutal
"Doom" has always been a brutal game. Where the first instalments could still hide behind pixel blocks due to a lack of detailed graphics, the new "Doom" is full of explicit violence. Limbs are torn off, eyes are gouged out and heads are crushed. "Doom" is not for the faint-hearted. However, everything is so over-stylised and exaggerated that it doesn't necessarily come across as brutal. Rather, it is simply a completely crazy action spectacle.
2. heavy metal in the bones
The first two "Doom" films were famous for their brilliant soundtrack. The new "Doom" no longer has midi sounds, but it does have fat heavy metal. When you enter a new arena and have to crush a horde of monsters, the music turns up at the same time. And when the last demon has speckled the walls red, the music ends perfectly in time. An awesome feeling.
3. upgrades
Yep, there is now an upgrade system in "Doom". It seems strange at first, but as soon as the "Doom" guy gives the first flying upgrade robot a fist in thanks, you can't help but grin. The upgrades also provide more variety. Most weapons are given two new fire modes for even more destruction. The armour can also be improved. I recommend putting points into the navigation system as early as possible to make it easier to find all the hidden goodies.
4. fast
"Doom" borrows the dizzyingly fast gameplay of "Quake 3", adds a double jump on top and lets you rage. The flow of this game is indescribable. You are constantly on the move. Jump, shoot, execute from the air and move on to the next victim with the speed bonus you've received.
5th Glory Kills
Damaged demons can be executed at the touch of a button. There are several variations of the bloody glory kills for each enemy. Depending on whether you come from the air, whether there is a wall nearby or whether you simply strike directly from the front. The glory kills are not just for fun, however, but also ensure that demons drain health points and ammunition. This is because life energy does not regenerate by itself.
6th story for the A....
This may sound like criticism, but "Doom" deliberately tells a lousy story. The game is absolutely aware of how stupid the story is and savours this with relish. I have to grin every time a computer voice announces that the demonic presence is at an unhealthy level. THAT MEANS THERE IS A HEALTHY LEVEL? Only sometimes there's a bit too much chatter and you can't kill or destroy anything in the meantime. Of course, that's not possible.
7. quiet moments
When the heavy metal guitars fade away after a successful battle, "Doom" can be almost contemplative. Until a fresh horde of demons is waiting around the next corner to be composted.
8. Hidden goodies and challenges
If you wander through the levels with blinkers on, you will not only miss many amusing Easter eggs, but also numerous bonuses for weapons and armour. It is therefore worth upgrading your armour navigation early on so that hidden items appear on the map. However, this does not solve the question of how to reach them. There are also challenges. They come in different forms. Certain weapon mods can only be unlocked by killing demons in a certain way. Then there are challenges that unlock upgrade runes and, last but not least, each level has a series of optional challenges.
9. fat weapons
As befits a "Doom", you have an arsenal of weapons that would even make Rambo's eyes water. All the familiar weapons such as the Super Shotgun and the BFG are back in the game. New additions include the Gauss Rifle, which is reminiscent of the rail gun from "Quake 3". There are also a few exclusive weapons in multiplayer mode.
10. no reloading
Yep, there's no reloading in "Doom". The motto is: shoot until you run out of ammo.
11. bold graphics
After "Uncharted 4" comes "Doom", another graphics bomb within a week. The game is a feast for the eyes, as the Cacodemon would confirm if I hadn't just expressed my only regret. Only the level design doesn't exactly knock my socks off. Too often the levels remind me of arenas from "Quake 3". That's fine for the multiplayer mode, but I would have hoped for more creativity in the campaign.
12th good length
In games that rely heavily on multiplayer, the single-player mode often suffers. Not so in "Doom". You can feel like the ultimate super warrior for around 13 hours until you are torn apart by 12-year-olds online. Which of course never happens to me.
"Doom" through and through
I hoped so, but didn't dare to believe that "Doom" could be so damn much fun. The campaign is an all-round successful package that absolutely does justice to the first two parts. The only thing I missed a bit was the horror and towards the end the gameplay wears a bit thin. Apart from that, "Doom" offers fast-paced and varied action like you haven't seen for years. And the multiplayer mode isn't bad either.
If you want to hear more from me about "Doom" and "Uncharted 4", you can listen to my podcast.
I tested the PC version of "Doom", which was provided to us by Bethesda.
Philipp Rüegg
Senior Editor
Philipp.Rueegg@digitecgalaxus.chBeing the game and gadget geek that I am, working at digitec and Galaxus makes me feel like a kid in a candy shop – but it does take its toll on my wallet. I enjoy tinkering with my PC in Tim Taylor fashion and talking about games on my podcast http://www.onemorelevel.ch. To satisfy my need for speed, I get on my full suspension mountain bike and set out to find some nice trails. My thirst for culture is quenched by deep conversations over a couple of cold ones at the mostly frustrating games of FC Winterthur.
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