Topic: Game Recommendation: DOOM (2016)

[D2Disciple]

If you are anything like me, you likely appreciate Doom for what it did to the industry, but you aren't a particularly big fan. Heck, we (the 6DOF fanbase) coined the term "groundpounder" to voice our disdain for both it and it's ilk. But I was somehow drawn to the 2016 reboot Id was developing, perhaps because I was one of the few to really enjoy the open beta. I bought it full price on launch weekend, and promptly clocked 20 hours in over the course of two weeks (something I haven't done in years). Here's why:

1. Emphasis on verticality. I haven't played many shooters that really emphasize jumping and using the environment to gain a tactical advantage on enemies quite like this new Doom. You can double jump, grab ledges, change direction in midair... It all just feels really good - one particular mission involves a fair amount of platforming, and it feels as easy and as natural as a Super Mario title.

2. Emphasis on exploration. There is a metric ton of secrets to find in the levels, and all serve a purpose. From finding adorable Doomguy dolls (one of which the player gives the famous Big Hero 6 brofist), to locating Rune challenges that give extra perks to the player, to even tracking down full, playable, classic Doom levels, and even more, there's something cool to track down in almost every part of every level. This, combined with massive, sprawling level design, and the new focus on jumping and climbing, actually means this game reminds me more of the Metroid Prime series than it does of the original Doom.

3. Emphasis on speed. Sloth is death in Doom. Enemies often move as quickly as you do and have wildly varying attack patterns. Some rush at you, others climb walls and attack from above, and others keep their distance and whittle you away from afar. The general lack of hitscan weapons means that dodging is absolutely crucial, and going in for melee kills results in health drops, which is necessary to stay alive. Every battle requires you to throw yourself in the middle of the fray, as trying to stay back and pick off enemies from afar a la most modern shooters will result in nearly instant death.

Moreover, I love some of the other details about the game. Some of the dialogue is hilarious, especially the hologram that often quips terrible slogans like "Opening the gates of Hell with a key to the future!" Moreover, despite the buckets of blood and gibs, there's hardly any objectionable content. Besides the occasional pentagram, the actual religious imagery has been toned down from the original game, and there's literally no profanity anywhere in the game. Demons are presented as interdemensional aliens, and there's no moral question about what you're doing. Its just fast-paced running, jumping, and gunning. It's the best shooter I've played in years. I really think Descent fans will enjoy this one for a change.

[Hunter]

Sounds good. I'll give it a try soon

[VANGUARD]

"I played DOOM when it was cool  "

I remember playing the shareware DOOM game "Knee-Deep in the Dead". I've played a lot of DOOM games, including the DOOM 3 games.

But anyways, I may love to have a chance at this, but I don't think I can. PS4? I don't know if and when I'll ever get one.

[D2Disciple]

The only caveat I have recommending this game is that it requires some serious horsepower... I have a quad-core Core i7, 8GB of RAM, and an nVidia Geforce 960M with 4GB of RAM, and I play at 1333x768 with the details at low (with some options increased just slightly). A friend with a laptop sporting an nVidia 980M with 6GB of GDDR5 VRAM can't max out at 1080p without dipping into the low 50's. That may not sound bad, but this is a game you absolutely have to have at an unflinching 60 FPS no matter what's going on-screen - movement and weapon speed is FPS-dependent, so if you're at 59 FPS, you're not moving as quickly as you could be. In multiplayer, ten FPS is literally the difference between topping leaderboards and bringing up the rear. All that said, id Tech 6 is un-freaking-believable, and even at the lowest detail settings at lower resolutions this game looks positively jaw-dropping... It should, too, as the download is a whopping 46Gb of data. Ouch.

I'm a big fan of Clint's "Lazy Game Reviews," and his review of the game is spot-on (except, I still like multiplayer for whatever reason). It also has some great gameplay footage - just... don't watch it if the thought of snapping an imp's jaw off or chainsawing the massive belly of a mancubus or ripping a limb off of a zombie and bludgeoning it to death with it makes you queasy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGkpqhD431c

I'll take one last moment to mention the music, since there are so many musicians here - it's a masterwork of atmospheric design. It's a weird mix of industrial and atmospheric electronica and djent/math metal, and when it kicks in, you can't help but go all-in. It just plain works, and I love it.

[Kaiaatzl]

I've built a couple solo and co-op concepts in Snapmap with another planned (but I'm waiting for the hell update).

Also I have no problem playing the campaign mode at 30 fps which is all this laptop can do.