If you were to ask Doom fans what the least successful entry in the franchise is, the answer would probably be Doom 3. Its excessively dark environments have been endlessly mocked, the lack of fast-paced gun battling has been criticized, and the rerelease made significant changes to correct these supposed errors. However, the popular recollection of it being a failure is far from the truth. At the time, Doom 3 was iD Software’s most successful release, not only in selling a record number of copies, but in setting a new standard for visual atmosphere. What I find interesting about Doom 2016 is that the developers were able to look past the knee-jerk reactions and improve the template in a measured way. They may have lampooned the third game’s frontloaded talkiness in the intro, but the rest of Doom 3's narrative presentation was left essentially unchanged. There’s still a strong focus on atmosphere and environmental storytelling, with logs and lore entries that players can access whenever they want without disrupting flow. The encounter pacing is almost identical, with distinct sections between combat arenas where enemies are minimal and players are expected to explore for upgrades and secrets. The humor is also more like 3 than the originals, being in the tucked-away details rather than direct absurdity. What ended up making this same structure work in 2016 was by balancing these elements with appropriately high peaks in excitement, bolstered by more energetic enemies, higher intensity fights, and universally improved weapon designs. Where 3 may have gone too far in the direction of atmosphere and minimal combat, Doom doesn’t overcorrect by focusing entirely on combat, but by balancing its priorities. The downside to that approach is that some people would genuinely appreciate twelve hours of almost nonstop fighting (as evidenced by Doom Eternal’s positive reception) and some will wish that the atmospheric exploration aspect wasn’t so streamlined. Balancing diametrically opposed priorities is a difficult task, and only a small percentage of players will feel fully served. Even so, the game’s rejuvenation of the franchise speaks to how well it was handled overall, and how compromise isn’t always a bad word.

baby's first immersive sim¹

wonderful game. loved it way more than i thinked i would -- not a big fan of open world games. best princess zelda, love the history and THAT ENDING was really emotional.

made me think how good zelda actually is, not only as a franchise, but as a mythos.

¹i am baby

Taro's magnum opus, one of the greatest games ever written.

After a replay for the first time in over 5 years this still holds up as my favorite game ever and is still worth playing (it actually ran way better than i remembered, maybe drakengard 3 just scared me that much that i thought both were like that).

I legitimately do not understand people who say this game is unplayable. Don't get me wrong it has its flaws (horrible balance needing you to stand around during boss fights so you don't one shot them and miss all the dialogue, needless repetition for C and D when all the new content is in the final 15 minutes) but people who act like this game is a disaster outside of its story and see this as completely invalidated by the remake either haven't played the game themselves and are just parroting the common take or have not played an actual 1 out of 10 dogshit game. Hate to come off super elitist and harsh but this game gets a worse rep than it deserves.

based.

In all seriousness this game refines all the rough edges of the original game to a sleek razors edge. A prime example of "The Perfect Sequel." Comparing this game to its remake, Kiwami 2, only further shows the amazing pacing the first 2 games had that was ruined with the excessive amounts of bloat in their lesser remakes. I don't care what anyone says this game has aged amazingly and anyone who says its unplayable is wrong. Of course its not without its issues like missable substories but its still easily one of the best entries. Ryuji Goda still remains the best foil to Kiryu the series ever had

Bring back Sayama, Nagoshi, you fucker. I miss my wife

An excellent first playthrough that left me not only wanting more but wanting to go back and replay the game right away. The only thing about this game that weighs on my mind is how it will hold up over time as I initially really liked RE7 but on repeat playthroughs over the years i grew to like it less and less. The game felt like it was all geared towards that first playthrough so once all the smoke and mirrors have are revealed and the game has played it's hand nothing hits as strong ever again and in fact becomes weaker. It's like knowing how magic tricks are actually done so. You see all the seems that were hidden on behind that first blind playthrough. You come to realize how scripted and restrictive the game really is. I fear thats what'll become of RE8 since the cracks already start to show when thinking back to things. Either way RE8 is a solid improvment over 7. I hate the umbrella shoehorning and wish they would stop trying to explain the stupid science behind magneto cowboy dante and giant lady whose ass i want to eat