DOOM

DOOM is frantic, fast and fun. We haven't played a shooter so fast-paced in a long while. Multiplayer is uninspired, melding a hodgepodge of the old and the new. But if you want a pure shooter with character, the campaign shows how good this mode could be in the genre. And also how optimized video games should be.

DOOM is back keeping the same intense and hectic gunplay that it had 23 years ago in a successful reboot on steroids. The package excels in a brilliant, replayable Single Player campaign, the infinite Snapmap "DOOM Maker" editor that remembers the .wad maps creation, tons of unblockables, and OST that encourages demon-slaughtering among other great aspects. Only the MP mode doesn't match that excellence. The rest is a masterclass on how update a classic and nail it.

Doom has resurrected not only a series, but an entire flavor of shooters.

The DOOM guy is back, and he’s pissed. Brutal, uber-violent and adrenaline-pumping, the reboot of one of the most iconic games of the ‘90s is a truly excellent game. The gameplay blends “old-school” and “new-school” mechanics in such a way that it actually paves a new road for the entire FPS genre. The built-in editor SnapMap is the cherry on top, something that will allow gamers to keep playing DOOM in the upcoming months. Unfortunately, the multiplayer is not that inspired, and probably the weakest part of the package.

Meaty multiplayer and a campaign that plays like a sustained electric shock. Eye wateringly fun. [July 2016, p.60]

If you miss Doom, you miss what I anticipate to be one of two most important first person shooters of 2016. The classic returns in great shape, with all its vital elements intact. Give the campaign some time to pick up speed and it will pump your veins full of adrenaline. [07/2016, p.38]

There’s not much to dislike about this new Doom. The multiplayer’s bland, the sound mix could be a little punchier, and players who expect deep worldbuilding and story twists are straight out of luck, but putting all that aside, Doom remains packed to the gills with exceptional blood-spraying gameplay and deserves respect for this unfiltered, uncompromised approach. My advice? Grab a chainsaw, rev it up and get stuck right in.

As the best possible compromise between shooters of old and the new trends in the genre, DOOM is just the game for anyone craving that sweet hyperactive and ultraviolent action and is a game that has absolutely earned the right to have its title written in full-caps.

I have little to complain about regarding the single-player campaign. It’s a fun shooter that brings back aspects of classic design (like health packs and sprawling levels) that I didn’t realize I missed so much...The multiplayer doesn’t make as much of an impact. It feels safe compared to the unapologetically old-school campaign. Still, it’s a fun bonus for one of the most exhilarating, chaotic shooting experiences I’ve had in a long time.

For fans of single-player FPS campaigns DOOM is a juggernaut, and some of the most fun I’ve had in gaming for years. It’s never going to grab you with an engrossing plot of spectacular linear set pieces, but the flawless combat ensures DOOM just never lets up.

Guns, gore and demons. The classic DOOM is back and it's better than ever. With a glorious and immensely satisfying single player experience, DOOM is one of the best shooters of year. Shame it can't be said about the multiplayer, but at least with the addition of intuitive SnapMap you can create your very own Hell.

Doom is tightly and elegantly designed, with fantastic enemies, compelling gameplay, a wealth of things to discover, surprisingly subtle storytelling, and an emphasis on fun.

There can be no dispute that DOOM is back. The campaign brings the glory of the '90s screaming back with heavy metal, blood and guts. But the multiplayer mode feels confused and the Snapmap level editor needs to add some serious content for modders to play with. Regardless, DOOM's campaign is reason enough to dive back into Hell.

Captures the spirit of the original so well that you almost wish this team could remake the Duke Nukem license too.

DOOM is a must own for veterans of the series, and any FPS fans in general.

Now all I'm hoping for is the sequel that this is a little too set up for. I'm hoping it goes the Diablo route and lets me go to a heaven dimension to blast some weird, fu.ked-up angels. Uh, sorry. I've been playing too much Doom. I'm going to go rip up a steak or something.

That a first-person shooter like Doom exists in 2016 is shocking. Its levels are vast and intricately designed, its gameplay diverse and joyful, its toolset robust. Multiplayer is its weak link, but the adaptability of SnapMap is more than enough to offset that.

Doom is hands-down one of the best FPS in years. Obviously, it will bring no revolution, as its grandfathers did 20+ years ago, but it doesn't blush with shame carrying such a grandiose title and it is surely a worthy heir of the series.

Visceral and bloody, DOOM brings the classic FPS feel back to the modern era of gaming. Players will learn to strafe, jump, and shoot demons in the face like it was 1993. While the multiplayer component cripples the experience, DOOM represents id Software's righteous comeback to its former glory.

Driven largely by its successful single-player campaign, Doom is a welcome return to form for the genre-defining franchise. By sticking to time-worn traditions in all the right places and deftly employing some modern flourishes, id has rediscovered what made this demon slaying series so successful. Multiplayer and SnapMap don’t reach the same heights, but shooters fans shouldn’t miss this bloodthirsty romp through hell.

With Doom’s campaign, id Software found a sweet spot nestled somewhere between nostalgia and modernity that celebrates the pulpy sheen of big-budget shooters and resurrects an intense, simplified focus on the shooting itself. Doom sticks a bit too close to home to reinvigorate the genre, but it’s a reminder that FPS games aren’t limited to stop and pop corridors and political melodrama. It’s a reminder that sometimes a controlled, crafted appeal to base desires—going fast, flying high, and swift, tongue-in-cheek demon justice—are more than enough.

Doom proves that id can still surprise, and even better, can make good games. Excellent single player gets a tad repetitive towards the end, but it really does not matter. Multiplayer is boring as Hell. [June/July 2016]

DOOM is like a love letter to its two predecessors. It is an action-packed roller coaster with big fluffing guns, badass monsters and lots of blood. The multiplayer might get boring after a short while but thanks to the SnapMap, players will have their chances to try some new stuff anytime.

You won't find a shred of originality here, but who cares! This is Doom you were looking for. Or, technically, its remake.

Doom is a great tribute to old times in a modern form. If you like fast shooters, there's nothing better at the moment.

If you've been searching for a bombastic single player FPS, then you need not look any further than this new DOOM game. If you want a special multiplayer experience, though, DOOM doesn't deliver as well.

The first half of the game takes place in believable, but not exemplary colonial buildings on Mars. Only when Marine gets to Hell does the game really get into gear: the number and strength of opponents begins to match Marine’s phenomenal murdering skills, and Doom finally transforms into a fierce, high-speed shooter that’s all about holding your own in the middle of a demon’s horde and making sudden comebacks when all seems lost. And yet, even in Hell the game manages to give you breathers to explore and look for secrets. [Issue#209, p.52]

The perfect first person shooter for the players that are looking only for the shooting.

Doom has a great solo campaign and a so-so multiplayer mode. Fortunately the single-player portion of the game is the most important and Doom shines spectacularly on this field. It's a pity that there are some technical issues that keep you from fully enjoying the game. One or two big patches will remedy the situation but right now Doom's evident greatness sometimes becomes a bit overshadowed by minor flaws.

What Doom gets noticeably right is its pacing. The ebb and flow of combat is as balanced as a keystone. Doom is a Dance of Death in honor of your inner monster.

This clearly defined gameplay pattern sustains Doom’s breakneck pace. If I was just zipping through monsters holding down the fire button, it would get pretty tedious pretty quickly. But because I’m constantly positioning myself in that ammo-health-ammo-health sequence, I’m staying engaged. I’m surfing some pretty smart moment-to-moment gunplay. Doom grooves.

Doom manages to challenge the conventions of the first-person shooter genre by going back to its roots. It will have you breathing heavily, cursing in frustration, and screaming in triumph. The multiplayer is a bit of a letdown, but the campaign is absolutely glorious.

New Doom does not actually bring anything new and its greatest asset is a confessed retro gameplay. Fortunately, this works well, thanks to a combination of rapid movement, excellent shooting and good old brutality.

Beneath the monotony of the dingy corridors, identikit jaw-flapping monsters and endless lava streams, the game routinely offers a masterclass in level design.

But without a doubt, the loud and chaotic campaign is Doom's strongest component. It's straightforward and simple, but it serves its purpose: to thrust you into increasingly dire scenarios fueled by rage and the spirit of heavy metal.

A solid, speedy, brutal, and surprisingly lengthy campaign combine with an intriguing map-making facility to make Doom a pretty easy recommendation. The multiplayer may not grab you, but there's plenty of content here without it.

DOOM is back with fast action, huge guns and a ton of demons to defeat. Id Software delivers great graphics and gameplay, with a multiplayer and Snapmap mode to keep you busy for a long time to come.

It may not be as influential or creative as either the original Doom or Doom 3—which, although it hasn’t aged well, ushered in a dozen monster-closet copycats. Still, Doom in 2016 is successful because it knows it’s dumb and leans into the fact. There are no pretensions towards artistry here, no delusions of grandeur. It’s a popcorn flick where the main character can only speak in gunshots.

On one hand id shows once more where its core competence lies: fast brutal action embedded in impressive technology. And while I appreciate that Doom tries to merge old-school run-and-gun with modern elements as well as a new dynamic, I miss dramaturgy within the action. There is no element of surprise. The action becomes predictable.

DOOM is a game that offers frenetic action during its story mode, which is amazing. However, the multiplayer mode lacks a proper structure and more elements, so it can be boring after a couple of hours.

Doom is a tale of two very different shooters (and one quirky creation tool). The single-player campaign's reverent worship of the series' roots results in an old-school run-and-gun shooter which feels like imitation Doom, a cover of an old hit which nails all the right power chords but isn't exactly transformative. The multiplayer's attempts to borrow from the new to reinvigorate the old results in an experience which won't satisfy either school of thought. SnapMap, meanwhile, is a blend of weird and simple and endearing.

DOOM is a partial success : the singleplayer campagn is a glorious tribute to the first Doom, but the multiplayer is... boring.