Doom takes everything players loved about the original game while giving it a few new gameplay mechanics and updating the graphics. The result is John Carmack and the team at id Software showing the industry that this is how you make a shooter.
The story remains practically unchanged but this is a quick summary for those unaware of the original game.
Players take on the role of the Doom Marine, who wakes up to discover that the Union Aerospace Corporation (UAC) research facility on Mars has been taken over by demons from Hell. Doom Marine must battle the army of the dead in an attempt to close the portal and escape Mars.
This remake is the second attempt at relaunching the iconic series, with Doom 3 in 2004 being the first. Unlike its predecessor, this game returns to the series roots as an over-the-top shooter.
The gameplay is simple — shoot every demon that is encountered while solving puzzles to progress. The game features the standard arsenal of a pistol, shotgun, assault rifle and Gatling gun, along with the iconic chainsaw and the BFG 9000 (Big F***ing Gun). A new element introduced allows players to upgrade their weapons and the power armor.
Doom also features a multiplayer component which surprisingly works well with the overall experience. Another unique feature is creating your own levels and having other players try it out, similar to the Contracts feature in Hitman: Absolution.
Some of these features may take away from the old-school experience that some were hoping for, but it adds a sense of uniqueness to the overall experience. At its heart, this is a classic shooter but it has also adapted for a new era while also appealing to a new audience.
However, it’s never a real Doom game unless there is lots and lots of gratuitous violence — it makes Grand Theft Auto V look like Wii Sports by comparison. Those who are squeamish and sensitive should probably skip this title.
Doom is the ideal game for those who want a simple shooter but have grown bored with Call of Duty and the knock-offs it has inspired. At its core, this is a simple shooter that will take old school gamers back to the 90s while showing a new generation what a shooter is suppose to feel like.
Final Score: 5/5
