LogFAQs > #932366415

23. Doom (2016)
#5 Game of 2016

As I've grown older throughout this decade, I've become more able to independently make decisions about which video games I find to be good or bad. Sometimes, this goes against the grain, as kids would say, of what the kids enjoy. I preface with this, because I personally believe Bethesda is terrible at making interesting video games. I have tried every game in the The Elder Scrolls franchise and they are all boring. I have not played much of Fallout 3 because the gunplay was bad, but from what I know of the story, it sounds like a 14-year old libertarian's definition of, "morally complex". Despite my personal beliefs of the company being bad at making good video games, I cannot argue that Bethesda is very good at making a lot of money. So much money, that they fund talented developers such as id in developing good video games. Like Doom.

Doom is not a boring video game. It is also not indulgent in trying to make me feel like I'm making difficult decisions. I like this about Doom, because it accomplishes exactly what it intends to do. It makes the slaughter of thousands of nameless demons into a joyous experience, and any video game that can convince me I'm a good person after attempting genocide is pretty cool. Doomguy, the best name for the main character without a canonical name (This might not be true, I'll Google it later), is a massive asshole to every living creature in the world of Doom. I'm not entirely sure if Doomguy cares about humanity, or if he's just a sociopath who found a means to take out his homicidal urges while being deemed a hero. These are the questions I ask myself before I give myself to the sweet release of sleep. In my most vulnerable state, I dream of Doomguy and what may be going through his head as he mercilessly rips apart every demon he comes across.

Doom has some of the best gunplay in recent memory. You have a large variety of weapons to choose from, each one useful in certain situations. It adds in a necessity for movement, creating a satisfying gameplay loop which makes nearly every battleground unique. I appreciate how it removed the need for reloading, which should be common in non-cometitive shooters, as reloading, in Doom's eyes, is just a boring way to spike difficulty. You also get these wacky power-ups by running around the battlefield which make the fights more intense, but easier. I would sometimes find these power-ups after a fight and be sad that I didn't get to use them.

The coolest part about the game is it's map design. Not many first-person shooters are willing to abandon a linear structure, but Doom is not like many first-person shooters. It brings back such archaic game design concepts as branching routes and secrets in the environment. It is incredibly rewarding to scour a large area and find even the tiniest of secrets. The only thing keeping Doom from being any higher is that it can sometimes be a bit too much to take. I wish these moments were slapped in a few more spots to break up the combat. As is, this is still great. Please comment on this write-up either with how you feel about Doom, or what you believe the main character of Doom should be named. Personally, I like Floyd.

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https://imgur.com/l7xxLh1
PSN/Steam - RoboQuote ; NNID - TazzyMan