Doom

Disclaimer: I was never a Doom guy. Growing up in the 90s, I knew of people owning PC's who would brag about the intensity, the ferocity that was id Software's revolutionary 1993 work. We all know the story, about how Carmack and Romero revitalized the industry, not only inventing the modern 3D first person shooter, but making it accessible in a way that made "playing video games" cool. A ton of baggage has been attached to this 2016 reboot, with a bafflingly lackluster multiplayer beta that was released months before release. And I can say this: as being neither a Doom or first person shooter fan, this is one of the greatest single player campaigns in video game history.

I'm instantly reminded, oddly enough, of Resident Evil 4's intensity as I tore my way through. Though that game eventually settled into a certain nuanced pace, DOOM 2016 pretty much amps itself up to eleven and remains there until the credits roll. DOOM has one objective: keep moving. It's so incredibly simple, and you'd think the gig would grow tiresome during the game's twelve to fourteen hour runtime. With all the cover shooters infecting the AAA market for the past ten years, DOOM's return to the well is ironically the most refreshing alteration to the genre.

It's funny to type that a game with no tutorial in 2016 feels like such a novel concept. No fifteen minute cutscene to establish exposition and characters, because that was never Doom's forte. Doomguy has no time for cinematics, but the game has a bit of story tucked away in various logs discovered in the world. Each facility (and hell itself), gets a vivid and detailed description via text, and there's even an interesting bestiary which makes each environment and inhabitant unique. The story is fairly bare-bones outside of all that.

After a nude glimpse of the iconic hero, we are thrust into the action with a pistol that you DON'T HAVE TO RELOAD. It had been so long since the release of Doom that I had completely forgotten its lack of a reload function, and now I never want to reload in a video game again (good riddance, Gears of War gun jamming). The early stages do a serviceable job easing you into the chaotic mayhem about to unfold, but after the first handful of chapters the game's difficulty and intensity refuse to let up.

The one new concession to this DOOM is the ability to jump (and eventually double jump), which brought to mind a streamlined Metroid Prime. A generous amount of distance is allowed for the Doom marine to grab onto, and ledges are typically marked with a subtle green light. Platforming never becomes the priority, yet it has its place in battle as your health is running low and a relentless cyber demon is in hot pursuit. While DOOM can essentially be boiled down to a series of combat arenas, its the verticality of these spaces that make it such a versatile treat to play, and serves as a stark contrast to the previous game's claustrophobic corridors.

Doom 2016 wouldn't be a true reboot without the game's signature weaponry and demons. After a few minutes dinking around with the infinite ammo laser pistol, the shotgun (and eventually super shotgun!) is immediately introduced and is a blast to use. There's also the faithful holdovers such as the plasma rifle, the gatling gun, and yes, the updated BFG 9000, a last gasp desperation monstrosity that is capable of instantly obliterating the biggest enemies. It even got its own button.

The only other addition to the experience is Doom’s introduction to weapon and armor modifications. Advancing through each battle earns you weapon upgrade points that can transform your already colossal gatling gun into a menacing turret or allow for a grenade launcher add on to the shotgun. Tokens found stashed away in DOOM's many secret areas will net our hero enhancements to the Praetor suit, which apparently is what we're calling Doomguy's armor now. Finally, at certain checkpoints throughout the world you will be able to increase either health, armor, or ammo capacity, giving the game the smallest of RPG element.

Due to the eternal onslaught of zombies, imps, pinkies, mancusos, demon heads, cyber demons, and so forth, health is always at a premium. As mentioned earlier, stand still for more than a few solitary seconds, and the game is over. Go on, I dare you. Thus, it is required to constantly bob and weave, even getting dangerously close to the action. Glory kills are an essential key to progressing further, because they reward you with health. Most times its better to swoop in to close proximity rather than laying back for a headshot or otherwise. And cover? id Software has never heard of it.

Some may scoff at the lack of variety presented during the campaign's generous length, but three of the remaining four chapters climax with challenging yet fair boss battles. Instead of quick-time events or ludicrous illusions of gameplay, the boss skirmishes in DOOM are rather straightforward and fun, something I can say about maybe a handful of modern games in general, let alone shooters.

For all its simplicity, DOOM is a fascinating and cerebral experience that is oozing with style. That pummeling industrial metal riff that plays at the end of each chapter is so unabashedly dated that it can't possibly be read in a way other than badass. The hairs on your neck will stand up, you'll want to take a two hour break in between thirty minute sessions, not because you don't like the game but because the adrenaline won't allow your heart rate to slow down.

Carmack and Romero are long gone. The odds were against DOOM turning out decent; the fact that it is one of the best games of the year is a modern day miracle.