DOOM is an incredible game. Out of the 8 entries in the series, DOOM 2016 is, in my opinion, the best (haven't played Eternal yet). Now, that's of course not to say that DOOM is a perfect game. It isn't. However, it's fantastic.
The single-player campaign captures exactly what Doom fans came to love in the 1993 original. Run and gun, if you stop moving you die. While further games did deviate from the formula and still managed to be enjoyable, DOOM 2016 shows that if it isn't broken, further refinement doesn't hurt. It's not a shocker that DOOM 2016 is much more complex than DOOM 1993. The game further refines the Doom gameplay loop by adding such features such as glory killing, jumping, and the ability to look up and down. This game is just pure, unfiltered fun, especially since the arena-based levels are so well designed. I love the monster redesigns, as well as the designs for the new monsters. Mick Gordon's original soundtrack is fantastic and perfectly encapsulates what makes a DOOM soundtrack a DOOM soundtrack. The story, while fairly par for the course as far as FPS stories go, is decently-written and well-acted, which is surprising from a DOOM game. All in all, the single-player is the finest aspect of the game.
Graphically the game looks fantastic. id Tech 6 is a total powerhouse, allowing for pristine and ultrarealistic graphics, while still remaining incredibly well optimized. I am absolutely astounded that I can run this game at max settings and still get 200 FPS. Did you know that this game runs at 60 FPS on PS4 and Xbox One? That it runs on Switch at all? I can totally understand why MachineGames and Arkane Studios chose to use id Tech 6 for their future projects. Now that id Tech 7 is on the horizon to launch with DOOM: Eternal, I can't wait to see what setpieces id Software will be able to power.
The game isn't perfect though. DOOM 2016's multiplayer is a loose link. It was outsourced to Certain Affinity (and Bethesda Game Studios Austin post-launch), presumably because id was totally swamped with the main game. Now, it's not a bad multiplayer mode. In fact, it's quite competently-made and enjoyable! Certain Affinity was no stranger to multiplayer FPS games, working on games such as Call of Duty: World at War and Call of Duty: Black Ops prior. However, it's also a bit on the generic side. Although it's fun and certainly has a lot of content, as well as three decent multiplayer expansions (which were later released to all players for free. Good move id!), it feels fairly standard. It's quite good and I enjoyed my time with it, but I soon moved back to games with better multiplayer experiences. Needless to say it didn't hold my attention, although it is quite solid.
Snapmap is the level creator. It's no replacement for proper modding tools but it's really, really cool that players on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox can all create levels and share them with the rest of the DOOM community cross-platform. While I haven't personally used the tools myself, seeing the stuff that DOOM fanatics have made in their spare time is quite inspiring, carrying the tradition of DOOM's modding community being the best. Unfortunately, DOOM fans playing on Nintendo Switch are not able to enjoy Snapmap, as Panic Button, the studio behind the port, decided to prioritize multiplayer over Snapmap.
Should you buy DOOM 2016? Yes, absolutely. It is totally worth the $20 asking price
The single-player campaign captures exactly what Doom fans came to love in the 1993 original. Run and gun, if you stop moving you die. While further games did deviate from the formula and still managed to be enjoyable, DOOM 2016 shows that if it isn't broken, further refinement doesn't hurt. It's not a shocker that DOOM 2016 is much more complex than DOOM 1993. The game further refines the Doom gameplay loop by adding such features such as glory killing, jumping, and the ability to look up and down. This game is just pure, unfiltered fun, especially since the arena-based levels are so well designed. I love the monster redesigns, as well as the designs for the new monsters. Mick Gordon's original soundtrack is fantastic and perfectly encapsulates what makes a DOOM soundtrack a DOOM soundtrack. The story, while fairly par for the course as far as FPS stories go, is decently-written and well-acted, which is surprising from a DOOM game. All in all, the single-player is the finest aspect of the game.
Graphically the game looks fantastic. id Tech 6 is a total powerhouse, allowing for pristine and ultrarealistic graphics, while still remaining incredibly well optimized. I am absolutely astounded that I can run this game at max settings and still get 200 FPS. Did you know that this game runs at 60 FPS on PS4 and Xbox One? That it runs on Switch at all? I can totally understand why MachineGames and Arkane Studios chose to use id Tech 6 for their future projects. Now that id Tech 7 is on the horizon to launch with DOOM: Eternal, I can't wait to see what setpieces id Software will be able to power.
The game isn't perfect though. DOOM 2016's multiplayer is a loose link. It was outsourced to Certain Affinity (and Bethesda Game Studios Austin post-launch), presumably because id was totally swamped with the main game. Now, it's not a bad multiplayer mode. In fact, it's quite competently-made and enjoyable! Certain Affinity was no stranger to multiplayer FPS games, working on games such as Call of Duty: World at War and Call of Duty: Black Ops prior. However, it's also a bit on the generic side. Although it's fun and certainly has a lot of content, as well as three decent multiplayer expansions (which were later released to all players for free. Good move id!), it feels fairly standard. It's quite good and I enjoyed my time with it, but I soon moved back to games with better multiplayer experiences. Needless to say it didn't hold my attention, although it is quite solid.
Snapmap is the level creator. It's no replacement for proper modding tools but it's really, really cool that players on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox can all create levels and share them with the rest of the DOOM community cross-platform. While I haven't personally used the tools myself, seeing the stuff that DOOM fanatics have made in their spare time is quite inspiring, carrying the tradition of DOOM's modding community being the best. Unfortunately, DOOM fans playing on Nintendo Switch are not able to enjoy Snapmap, as Panic Button, the studio behind the port, decided to prioritize multiplayer over Snapmap.
Should you buy DOOM 2016? Yes, absolutely. It is totally worth the $20 asking price