'Doom' News And Review: This Macabre, Chaotic Shooter May Be The Best 'Doom' Yet [VIDEO]
The original Doom shocked a lot of gamers when it was released way back in 1994 due to its gratuitous violence and the fact that it revels in making each kill as brutal as the one before it. Though controversial, it was one of the best things about the game. Now, all these years after, it is this very same fact that makes the 2016 remake of Doom so engaging.
Yes, the multiplayer is there. Yes, there's even a story. But players of Doom know what they're getting when they load up the game. No one plays Doom for the plot. The plot is simply there to give a reason for the game to usher the player into the next arena. The main draw of the game, of course, is the violent, chaotic and downright insane skirmishes between the player's marine and the hordes of demons out to get him.
In fact, the fact that practically every single being the players meet is out for blood is one of the things that make the 2016 Doom remake so great. In games, there's this concept called Time to First Encounter (TTFE), which is the length of time before an enemy engages the player.
When Doom 3 was released, players were a bit miffed at the fact that the game made them wait almost 15 minutes before the first enemy appeared. In the 2016 remake, the TTFE is a staggering zero seconds. Yes, that's right. From the start of the game, the player is immediately immersed in an insane arena with dozens of enemies immediately attacking.
Since this is a Doom title, there would be blood. Lots of it. In fact, the game even glorifies this further, introducing the Glory Kill system. The Glory Kill system is basically Doom's version of Mortal Kombat's fatalities. In order to successfully earn a Glory Kill, a player would need to shoot the living hell out of their target, leaving just a tiny fraction of HP left. Once that is achieved, the player then charges with a melee weapon, killing the enemy in the most gruesome manner possible.
In a lot of ways, the 2016 Doom remake stands as a dissenting voice to modern FPS games, which focus on realism. Indeed, with most modern PFS titles, players end up spending a lot of time hiding behind walls, only occasionally shooting at the enemy when an opportunity rises.
In Doom, such a scenario never happens. Players shoot, then shoot some more, until the very last fragments of the target are blown to bloody smithereens.
As far as Doom games are concerned, the 2016 remake is perfect.