Our 50 best games of the year countdown isn’t in any order, we’re just going through fifty of the finest the year has given us. Find out more here.
DOOM is mayhem. It’s absolutely bloody mayhem. Take the standard tropes of FPS games we’ve come to expect (run-and-gunning, strafing, a weapon wheel, upgrades), and take away all the negative bollocks that drags the genre down (reloading, obsession with narrative, tame violence). Boom. You’ve got DOOM.
Coming out mid-way through the year, id Software’s latest run-and-gun shooter release completely blew audiences away with its revitalising breath of fresh air into a genre that was rapidly becoming stale. It has a general storyline, but this is far from the focus of the game; DOOM is all about killing as much stuff as you can, and in the most brutal ways imaginable. Want to grab a chainsaw and slice an alien through the chest? Check. Want to rip the horns off of a demon and shove them through its head? Check. It’s an astonishingly violent game that makes no apologies for its content. Definitely get the kids out of the room for this one.
The pace of DOOM is what makes it feel truly exceptional, however. At all times, the classic DOOMGuy protagonist is running full-speed at his enemies. You shoot, stab, beat and slice your way through the laboratories of Mars and pits of Hell with ease, which makes it such a blast to play. Sure, the higher difficulties can require a reasonable amount of coordination and thought, but it’s still a gruesomely good time that gets the blood pumping. And what a soundtrack, huh? If you haven’t given it a listen before, do so now – I’ll warn you, though; it will almost definitely make you want to pick up the game.
Not only does the game shed the usual aspects that drag FPS games down, but it also has huge, expansive levels that can be explored for ages in order to discover hidden upgrades and secrets. There’s no hand-holding here; find your own way along, or navigate using the in-game map – you won’t be seeing any glowing arrows pointing in the direction of your goal. It’s kind of surprising that, considering how long the game was floating around, DOOM managed to avoid the same pitfalls as the infamous Duke Nukem: Forever. It most certainly did, however, which is why it’s already a modern-classic for the shooter genre.
READ MORE: GAME REVIEW: Doom – “It Blows the Competition Away”
In fact, the only real complaint I can think of when it comes to DOOM is that the multiplayer featured on the disc felt a little tacked-on. It wasn’t completely forgettable, but it was a far-cry from the awesome moments you could create in the single player campaign. There was also a creator mode included which allowed players to make their own levels and challenges, and while I didn’t make the most use of it that I could have done, it still provided more content that justified the purchase.
Basically, go out and buy DOOM. It’s one of the most intensely enjoyable games I’ve ever played, and it’s blindingly fast when it comes to combat and movement. I guarantee that within the opening level alone, you’ll fall in love with how fun the game feels to play, and blaze through the entire thing as quickly as you can…just so you can do it all again.
, 
, and PC.
Some of the coverage you find on Cultured Vultures contains affiliate links, which provide us with small commissions based on purchases made from visiting our site. We cover gaming news, movie reviews, wrestling and much more.
