The Doom that Came to My Computer

It’s been a while.

I generally avoid shooters these days. Age has caught up, my reflexes aren’t what they used to be, and the disconnect between head-snapping turns and reality often left me queasy after trying Borderlands 2 for a while.

So.

I ran into this review of Doom 4 by the inestimable Razorfist.

And immediately shilled out the twenty it currently runs.

It. Is. Glorious.

But first…. please feast on this headline… It’s taken me two years to finally face the new Doom.

You see, violence makes him queasy. I can’t remember if it was polygon or Kotaku or who that was responsible for the vid of the horribly inept game reviewer. I may be slow, but good lord this guy had no clue.

Anyway.

Everything Rzor mentions is spot on. And wonder of wonders the video so smooth I’ve played for hours, died at least a half dozen times, and not a hint of disorientation – other than referencing the map to figure out where the hell I am relative to everything.

But what do I think?

Well – I’ll have to take a trip down memory lane via Marathon 2 later – It’s everything you’d want in a Doom game, and more.

Ridiculous numbers of weapons? Check.

Posessed? Check.

Demons? Check.

Hordes of demons/posessed/whatever all at once? Check.

Armor and health powerups? Check.

Secrets? Check.

Chainsaws, etc? Check.

Oh, and it looks beautiful. Plus you get glory kills, watching a Hell Knight get sawed in half is a thing of beauty, alternate fire modes and weapon upgrades are awesome, and unlike the original Doom and Doom 2, but like Marathon 2 and most later shooters, just enough plot bolted on via short exposition to give you a sense of purpose. This of course would fail but for the amazing level design that perfectly complements each stage of the storyline.

It’s the most fun I’ve had with a shooter since M2 – and I say that despite the fact I really love Halo. The perfect callback to old-school, done to the best of what new school can be.