Anthony's Film Review - Doom (Video Game, 2016)

Twenty-three years after the release of the original, this reboot of Doom is an undeniably incredible video game experience...

In 1993, id Software released its earth-shattering industry-shaking video game Doom. It wasn't just any game. It was the game that popularized a new genre: first-person shooters. Although id Software's Wolfenstein 3D was essentially the very first game characterized as a first-person shooter, Doom improved on it and took it to the next level. The phenomenal success of Doom would be followed by a sequel one year later, Doom II, which was nothing more than many new levels with the engine and graphics of the first Doom game. Then in the early 2000s, Doom 3 reimagined the first game with much more realistic graphics and vastly improved gameplay.

When id Software, now a subsidiary of ZeniMax Media, developed and released its 2016 reboot of Doom, my first thought was whether this game could possibly top the previous ones. Yes, video game technology still continues to improve, but at its core, the game is still a basic first-person shooter. But once I tried it, I was blown away. It is true that it's a linear shooter game where you the player essentially follow one path from beginning to end, defeating numerous enemies along the way. But it's a little more than that. There's also a riveting story and stunningly realistic visuals. This game may actually be better than Half-Life, a first-person shooter game series that I believed for years was the greatest of all in the genre.

As with any FPS game, you move around, look around, unlock doors, and use a variety of weapons to kill enemies. You also jump to cross gaps and reach higher spots. What's cool is that jumping in this game is more advanced than you'd expect. At one point in the game, you obtain a special pair of boots that will let you perform a double jump. In other words, making a second jump from any point in midair during the first jump. So imagine jumping a very large gap by leaping forward from the edge and then, maybe about halfway on the midair path, jumping again to give yourself extra height and distance, enough to get yourself across successfully. Oh, and here's another cool thing. If you barely miss the edge of the other side but are still close to it, you will automatically grab it and pull yourself up onto solid ground. This same move allows you to climb up onto higher ground.

The story of this Doom game is rather cool. On Mars, the Union Aerospace Corporation is conducting research into opening a portal to Hell, for the purposes of extracting energy that could benefit humankind. Needless to say, things go horribly wrong. Vicious demons enter this dimension and invade the entire complex, killing many UAC personnel in the process. You play the role of a Doom Slayer that has been resurrected to fight off this threat. As the game begins, you wake up shackled to a table. You rip off the chains around your arms and legs. That's when you the player assume control. You kill a few demons, find a small pistol, and explore what lies ahead.

Even if the premise of the game sounds simple, there actually is a nice story to follow. Your current mission objective may involve getting to a crucial facility system to start it up or shut it down, obtaining an important object, or reaching a certain portion of the research facility. You are guided now and then by the voice of Dr. Samuel Hayden, a brilliant scientist whose brain functions were transferred to a robot upon his death, as well as an artificial intelligence named VEGA. The only other major character in this game is Dr. Olivia Pierce, a scientist who unfortunately crosses the safety bounds of research in the name of science. It is she who is the antagonist of this story.

There are plenty of bloodthirsty monsters that are ready to kill you. For example, there are engineers, soldiers, and other UAC personnel that have become possessed by demons. Among the demons themselves, the weakest ones are the Imps, which can throw deadly fireballs but otherwise are pretty easy to kill with your bare hands. Stronger demons include the floating spherical Cacodemons, the short and stout Pinkies that charge at you with brute force, the Revenants that wear mounted missile launchers, the Mancubus that is a massively fat demon with deadly weaponry, and the dreaded gigantic Cyberdemon that has even more deadly weaponry. Your weapons to take these monsters down include plasma rifles, rocket launchers, shotguns, and an advanced cannon delivering precise electric shocks. Oh, and there's also the classic chainsaw.

When I first started the game, I thought the graphics looked very cool. Then as I move around, killed more demons, and explored my environment, I couldn't believe my eyes. Never before had I played a first-person shooter game that is so visually stunning and incredibly realistic. I also enjoyed the combat against the demons, and how the game alternates between segments with tons of demons coming at the player at once and segments with no mobs of enemies present in order to let the player focus more on exploring. The environments in the game, like a foundry, a tall energy tower, and parts of Hell itself, are breathtaking to see and maneuver through. Even though the game features 13 levels, which doesn't sound like much, each level is so vast in scope that the game still delivers much fun from beginning to end.

This video game is one that I expected would be good, but ended up loving it so much. If you want an introduction to first-person shooter games but would rather skip to recent titles rather than start from early classics, the 2016 Doom game is a sure bet. It has outstanding graphics, exciting gameplay, and a riveting story, all making it an unforgettable game. And surely, fans of the Doom series will love this. Overall, the 2016 Doom game proves that, even if a new video game mostly captures the spirit of a predecessor without seeming to deviate too much from the core gameplay, it is still possible to have it take the player to the next level of excitement and fun. And blow everyone away, if done very well.

Anthony's Rating:

For more information about Doom, visit the Internet Movie Database and Moby Games.