Doom (2016) Video Game Review

Posted on by Lashaan Balasingam @ Roars and Echoes
details
Title: Doom.

RELEASE DATE: 2016.
Console: PC.
Mode(s): Single-Player & Multiplayer.
GENRE(S): ACTION, Horror, Science-Fiction.
Developer: Id Software.
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks.

Director(s): Marty Stratton.
Writer(s): Adam Gascoine.
Music: Mick Gordon.
Voice Actor(s): Darin De Paul, Kevin Schon, Abby Craden, Bumper Robinson, Elizabeth Daily, and Piotr Michael!

My Overall Rating:★★★★★★★★☆☆ (8/10).
thoughts

Have you ever wondered why violence is such a key feature of our entertainment? Why is it that, as the years go by, violence assaults our reality in a way that makes them so much more satisfying in the realm of our imagination? I won’t lie that I am greatly desensitized to the matter due to my field of study alone, but also by the numerous books, movies, and video games that have incorporated it in such a beautiful way. Do I condone it? Hell no. Violence remains in the domain of fiction when I indulge it for pleasure (no, not the sexual kind). Through the years, there is one video game franchise that has earned its reputation through raw, gory, and bloody violence: Doom. Ever since its release in 1993, it was quick to draw the attention of many for reasons that revolved around its unbound violence, and it is in 2016 that the franchise embraced a reboot that was welcomed with open arms by fans around the world.

What is Doom about? Set in 2149, the story unfolds on Mars, in a research facility owned by Union Aerospace Corporation. Under the directives of Dr. Samuel Hayden, a scientist who’s mind was put inside an android after a fatal brain cancer, the company is looking into the possibility of drawing energy from Hell to solve an energy crisis on Earth. Thanks to the Argent Tower, they are able to travel to and from Hell, allowing them to bring back specimens to exploit and study. Among these is a sarcophagus containing a Demon Slayer trapped by demons from a previous adventure in Hell. It’s on an unfortunate day when one of the researchers, Olivia Pierce, makes a pact with the demons of Hell to open a portal for them, that a pandemonium began. In desperation, Dr. Samuel Hayden releases the Demon Slayer from the sarcophagus retrieved from hell, unleashing the one hope left for humanity: you.

Best Doom 2016 GIFs | Gfycat

I’ve never actually played the original Doom games, but my experience with this latest reboot has definitely given me good reasons to want to stick around, while vouching to its homage in style to the original games. Making fantastic use of the current generation technology, they’ve revitalized the franchise in a stunning fashion with a purely action-packed shooter that invites players to continuously move, climb, and obliterate everything in their way. With their Glory Kill feature, which enables the player to get up, close, and personal with staggered demons to trigger a fully gore-tastic finisher, the game stimulates the player into building momentum in unimaginable ways. There’s no lying here. It is incredibly cathartic to wreck havoc on these demons without a care in the world for how they meet their demise.

The narrative in itself is fairly simply. Through a dozen of chapters, you’re directed to close down portals around the facility and beyond to ultimately put an end to the chaos that these demons and their mastermind have been unraveling upon the universe. With fairly little cinematic sequences and a little dose of repetition, the story remains a guideline and nothing more to the gameplay that remains the main attraction. With the extreme facility to swap around between iconic and new guns, to parkour across multi-level platforms, and to take a moment to enjoy the instant gratification of glory kills, there’s no denying the rewards of victory in disembodying demons and coming out of the journey unscathed.

Doom 4 Gifs - Album on Imgur

Mick Gordon’s music is a quintessential element that plays a huge part in the overall enjoyment of this bloodbath. While your focus is on survival, on determining the right paths to avoid yet converge on demons to slay them, on making sure you have the health, armour, and ammunition needed to push forward, the unsubtle, rythmic, and enchanting lyric-less heavy metal music keeps you going on as you pummel your way through demons. It is only once the round ends, that the final demon of the level is taken down, and that the music calms down, that you realize how cathartic this game can be, allowing you to do something that you’re likely never be able to do in real-life: slay demons like it’s nobody’s business.

Doom (2016) is a gorgeously-gory and satisfyingly-stunning shoot-em-up with an arcade touch forcing you to keep on moving and glory killing the demons as you try to sever the ties between your world and Hell.

EXHIBITA
Doom (2016) is the latest reboot of the critically-acclaimed video game franchise.
Have you played this game?
Will you? What do you think about it?
Share your thoughts with me!
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Published by Lashaan Balasingam @ Roars and Echoes

Reader. Reviewer. Researcher. Criminology Ph.D. Candidate. Montreal, Quebec (Canada). Want to know more? Connect with him!

47 thoughts on “Doom (2016) Video Game Review”

  1. Doom and Doom II: Hell on Earth were the best games I ever played as a teen. When Quake superseded Doom’s pre-eminence it was more because of slick graphics (you needed a pentium to run quake while doom ran just fine on old 386’s) and an increase in the multi-player capability. I remember Doom II more because it introduced the double barrel shotgun. Oh man, the thrill of unloading on cacodemons with that thing is a memory of pure awesomeness that I will never forget.

    I’ve occasionally thought about trying the reboot, but I only have a laptop and don’t have a mouse and ever since computer games moved away from strictly keyboard controls I’ve not been as interested. What platform did you play it on? I’d “almost” be willing to buy into a console system for this game alone…

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    2. I’m thinking of someday revisiting the older games on PC, especially if the sequel to this recent reboot (Doom Eternal) makes me crave for more demon-slaying action. Ahhh man, let me tell you how satisfying it is to use the double-barrel shotgun (super shotgun) in Doom (2016). It obliterates everything so satisfyingly. The instant reloads too. Oh man. I can’t imagine the upgrades in the sequel. 4 years is a lot of time to improve on an already great game! 😮

      I played Doom (2016) on PC. My rig is pretty top-tier, making it perfect for all games in their highest quality today. However, I tend to mostly go through older releases since they end up on insanely cheap deals. I mostly use my PS4 for “exclusives” instead (e.g. The Last of Us Part II).

      I think you’re better off with a pc/laptop playthrough. All you’d need is a decent mouse, if you laptop has the minimum settings to withstand the game’s needs. 😀

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      1. Yeah, after that comment I went and looked and man, consoles are bleeding expensive! And then the games on top of it. Aye yi yi.

        If you do ever decide to play the older games, there is an emulator that you can use to upgrade the graphics to at least 1200xwhatever instead of the 200×300 in the original. I used it when I replayed the Heretic/Hexen game. Ahhh, hold on….
        ….Doomsday engine.

        Doesn’t look like it’s been updated for a bit, but the last stable version should work just fine. So something to look forward to. I do wonder how the originals hold up against the new ones though.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Yeh… No… I rarely EVER pay full price for a video game unless I’m already a die-hard fan of if it’s related to DC Comics (e.g. Batman games) hahahahah Hence why I’m waiting for Doom Eternal, the sequel, gets a price drop before I get back to demon-slaying hahahaha

        Wait till the next generation console prices (actually just the PS5 price) is finally announced… and then the increased price per unit for games for PS5… It’s going to kill many wallets out there…

        Liked by 1 person

  4. Man…DOOOMMM!!! This is so awesome! I don’t know if I ever told you this, but it’s like my favorite shooter ever (apart from Unreal Tournament 3). I have the older versions of Doom on nearly every platform, I once bought an Xbox only so I could play Doom3, and now I have the Nintendo Switch where I can play this one (And I didn’t even get to the part where I have novels and a boardgame of Doom😂😂) Yes…you could say I’m a little bit obsessed with Doom (and no I’m not posessed by a demon from Hell😂😂)
    Seriously though…great post, glad you enjoyed the game and like you I don’t condone violence either, but in games like this it’s…well….somehow different😊

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      1. That depends a bit on which version you are talking about😊 I have the original boardgame, which is really awesome. There is however a newer version which I don’t have (Lol, even I am not that obsesses to buy a second boardgame based on the same franchise). Both are from Fantasy Flight games, which when it comes to boardgames is pretty much one of the top players (not to mention very bad for your wallet😂).
        If you want to get a feel for the game, you might want to check out this video: https://youtu.be/i6Pebpz_UlE

        Liked by 2 people

    2. This is all new news on your favourites, my man! Glad to hear how much you adore Doom though, which somehow does not surprise me considering what you’ve shown us so far when it comes to your love for horror! 😛 You sooooo need to pick this up on your Switch ASAP then! I think the sequel (Doom Eternal) comes out on the Switch later in the year too!!!! I’m curious about the board game and novels though. You need to get around to reviewing those before Halloween, bro. Hurry up! 😛

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      1. I reviewed the first novelization of the original game, Knee Deep in the Dead. It was so bad I never read another Doom book. WAtching the vids on the board game, I play it in a minute if I could find someone to actually play with me.

        Liked by 1 person

      4. Haha….I don’t think that I will be able to do that lol😂 But well…I do have Doom on my Switch😊😊 Then again…I might do a special post about Doom…if there is room….Hey look at that I made a ryme lol😂

        Liked by 1 person

  5. I used to play the original (or was it Doom 2? not sure…) a lot back in the day 😉 I remember one Easter, when I got bored with the dinner conversation of my extended family, and together with my sister we started playing. The computer was in the same dining room, and we played on mute, but at some point one elderly uncle came around to see what the kids are doing and all that blood made a unique impression 😀

    Now I only play strategies and story-driven RPG, but if I ever feel the need to shoot strange creatures again, I’ll remember your recommendation 🙂

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    1. Oh man, what an awkward yet hilarious situation to be in. Unless, of course, the uncle ended up with an opinion of you that remained permanent for the rest of your lives! 😛

      Same as you, Doom is far from what I’d usually pick up myself, but here and then, I like to venture in critically-acclaimed games to see if they scratch the itch I’ve been having for X or Y hahaha Hope you get the chance to try this one out yourself someday, good sir! 😀

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  6. It’s funny, when it comes to gory voilence instead of becoming more acclimitized I’ve become bored by it. I find myself less and less drawn to this sort of game, book or movie. So it’s safe to say I’ve no interest in this game. 🙂 But I do recall trying the original Doom when it first released. It was absolutely something new, something myself and all my friends were drawn to. But I found myself in that minority who actually started feeling sick from the motion in the game, that bobbing up and down as you walked. So I learned first person shooters weren’t for me, as much as I might have enjoyed playing them, I just felt bad the longer I played. That’s probably also why I’m not a fan of most found footage movies. Really glad to hear you’re enjoying this one, though. It amazes me the franchise has survived this long. Pretty impressive.

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    1. I’ve always found it interesting that there are those who actually get bored of it but I guess it’s totally normal considering how some things over-use violence to the point of making it seem unoriginal too. I definitely can’t blame you on not having any interest in this Doom reboot though. I think all the motion sickness would be even more omnipresent with this latest reboot, especially with the incredible upgrade in visual graphics and the constant movement. There’s no moment to rest when you begin a level and engage a demon until you’ve killed them all hahaha

      I have to admit that lost-footage movies with SHAKY cams are the worse… I’m not a huge fan of it myself, even when it’s only used for action sequences in blockbuster movies. It just takes away a lot of the action’s charm. I prefer a single-cut, smart angle, shot of these scenes, leaving a last impression on the viewer. Add in choppy editing, and you’re sure to get a negative rating from me hahahah

      Thanks for reading, Todd! 😀

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  7. Great to see another video game review from you Lashaan, video games are one big part of my geek life that I haven’t yet covered myself! Man, I absolutely loved the playing the original Doom games (along with the first Quake and Duke Nukem 3D) as a kid growing up in the 90s but I haven’t played this reboot although I’ve always been curious about it. Same with Doom Eternal but I hear that the difficulty is CRAZY hard!

    If you’re partial to a bit of retro gaming, I totally recommend checking out the original Dooms – obviously they’ll be dated graphically and in terms of gameplay but they were incredibly atmospheric and the puzzles could be quite challenging as well.

    On you point about violence, I in no way condone it but I think, as you say, there’s a cathartic, even primal, element to it that’s wired into us – so long as it remains in the confines of fantasy then there’s no reason you can’t be entertained by it and with games, achieve some kind of release from the stresses daily life can unload on us. Wow, definitely got the philosophical hat on here haha!

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    1. I was quite aware of all three of those franchises but they never made it into my life growing up. The PS3 reboot of Duke Nukem did seem hilarious back in the day but didn’t convince me enough to want to try it out though hahaha

      I played this reboot on the highest difficulty myself (I love the challenge hahah) and I assure you that the difficulty is indeed insane but succeeding feels sooooo rewarding! I can’t wait to check out Doom Eternal when it finally goes on sale hahahah

      I definitely don’t mind retro gaming, but I can’t do a bunch of it during long periods hahah I think I’d be down to try the original Doom games in the future though.

      Hahahah I’m with you there, buddy. Violence in video games is too satisfying to say no. Sort of like playing sports in real life, allowing you to channel all that energy into one objective, e.g. slaying demons!

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  9. Great review Lashaan! I love the backstory of this video game, it seems super interesting and very unusual 😂! I’ve never played it and I don’t know if I will as I like to stick to my “basics” otherwise there’s just too much choice and I and up stuck and unable to pick one game.. anyway! I usually don’t really like when movies are too gory and violent, but it somehow doesn’t bother me as much in video games as it definitely pumps you up a bit to keep going (that sounds horribly wrong…) 😂

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    1. Thanks, Juliette! Hahaha I first thought Doom didn’t have any story too but this reboot made sure to at least have something so that it made some sense! 😀 And I understand about sticking to the games you already know and love, or at least the same genre. Reducing the number of choices does make it easier to enjoy the ones you know you already will love! 😛 Hahahaha see! That’s why violence is wonderful, in video games especially! 😀

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  11. Love your confession, Lashaan – way to come out with a violence desensitization problem in a review of Doom franchise! 😂😂😂
    I’m not big on games, I’m afraid – but I have seen/tried the original Doom a long time ago. This looks better, but there’s no way you could convince me to play! 😂

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    1. Hahaha no better place to mention it than here! The one place doomed to receive criticism from anti-video-game-violence protesters! 😀

      No worries. I don’t think I could single-handedly convert my readers to gaming too hahah I imagine that reviewing them will allow people to know of their existence, of their story too. 😛

      Thanks for reading, Ola! 😀

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    1. Have you tried this reboot? The graphics upgrade really makes the franchise stand out even more hahah

      SWEET! I’m really glad to hear that. Now… Part II is much more tricky… I don’t know if you’ll dare check that one out, but I’d be REALLY curious to see what YOU’d think. Knowing how you usually have “unpopular” opinions, that game would really test it out. 😛

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  13. Pingback: Doom (2016) Video Game Review – CryptoDouble Blog

  14. I’ve been playing the new Doom Eternal – I think it is great, although a little tiring in terms of CONSTANT ACTION. I’m an intense person, so when I play something that is constantly intense ( like a lot of the online arena games ) I have to take breaks often. I didn’t play the original TOO MUCH, but one of the first computer games I owned, that came on a CD with like 200 other games and a joystick ( and more importantly the original TIE FIGHTER PC game ), was the original Wolfenstien with similar mechanics, but different levels. If you have an Xbox or Playstation I think you can get the original Doom game for a couple of bucks. Cheers. =D

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    1. I totally understand. No way could I play through this Doom game without breaks between levels or something. It gets quite chaotic and you don’t want it to feel repetitious too quickly too. Glad to hear Eternal is still great though! I need a price drop on that ASAP! I already plan on getting the older Doom games on Steam in the near future too hahah Thanks for reading and sharing! 😀

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  16. I actually finished this not too long ago myself. Very fun game. Short enough that it doesn’t overstay its welcome, but long enough that you don’t feel like you wasted your money. That and it’s got challenge modes, collectables and scores to shoot for if you want to spend more time with it.

    It’ll probably be a while before I play Doom Eternal, but I look forward to that day. Still working on playing Spider-Man on the PS4 first.

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    1. I agree. It has so much content to give it a bit of an arcade touch too. Enough stuff to discover per chapter/level to also get those achievements. Definitely a great game. I hear the sequel is even better, so I’m looking forward to the day that it gets a price drop.

      Ahhhh Spider-Man is a HUGE winner for me. I loved it so much and I can’t wait for the upcoming Miles Morales game. I didn’t pre-order the ultimate edition to get the remastered edition of Spider-Man but I think I’m okay with just playing the PS4 copy I own instead. Hope you have a good time with Spider-Man though! Definitely worth cherishing till the end.

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