As a Doom fan since the day the original shareware released, I really wanted to like this game.

The soundtrack has taken a nosedive since 2016 to the point that even though it sounds like it was inspired by Doom, and like it was inspired by Mick Gordon's 2016 soundtrack, it is neither. It's not bad, but it's unremarkable more often than not and there are essentially no moments or tracks that stand out. The better tracks don't even happen until the last few levels. It seems like they could have opted not to screw Mick Gordon over and then all three of these modern games would have a good soundtrack.

The majority of the game mechanics are based around parrying, and because of this the game does actually feel closer to Doom 1 and Doom 2 than Doom 2016 and Eternal did. The majority of all combat in the game pits you against tons of demons who are firing projectiles all around the map and just like OG Doom, you have to become a planeswalker to avoid them. Or parry them - based on your equipped runes, not only does the parry itself do damage but it will basically instakill any enemies on screen once you're levelled up the shield runes. Unfortunately, with the amount of enemies throwing green crap at you, it actually becomes easy to dispatch even the toughest enemies just using runes. Not the guns themselves, because they're underpowered and frequently boring as the game's 22 chapters stretch on.

Anyone who tells you "I played OG growing up" and then criticizes the crap flying around on screen is a liar, plain and simple. They did not play Doom 1 or 2 on ultra-nightmare. Boot up Doom 2 E1M13 and you'll see that this is normal gameplay for ultra nightmare in the originals. Dark Ages just brought it to normal difficulties.

Movement is slower than 2016 or Eternal - especially without the hook. Shield jumping isn't a good replacement, either, although it behaves the same - using the hook in Eternal or the shield here in DA adds a small animation freeze where you can't move afterwards. You can hold sprint down the entire game but it's janky and often causes big lapses in movement when you have to let go and then start sprinting again, and probably get stuck in a corner. There's also a major glitch so far where you just continuously strafe to the left. I unplugged my keyboard and restarted completely and it still happens after opening the game.

And yes, the old glory kills still exist. You have to hold sprint and then do them from the same angles/positions as 2016.

The Dark Ages has a lot of vehicle levels and they never feel like a challenge or all that entertaining. When you first use an Atlan it's cool but again, using the Atlans is so easy it gets repetitive. It's essentially impossible to die in an Atlan or on the dragon. and these levels seem to have been added just to make the game seem epic. The game in general doesn't get intense until the end, either.

Power creep is also annoying in his game. Id decided it would be more fun to drip incremental upgrades for 22 chapters instead of letting the Slayer just be a BAMF for 3 or 4 chapters - you don't get the last armor or health upgrades until the end of the game. Before that you spend every chapter having a low armor, ammo, and health maximum.

The most annoying thing in his entire game, though, is that the cutscenes all have letterboxes slapped on them and to date there is no console command or mod to get rid of them. The game also shipped without photo mode and other content that Eternal got in an update maybe a year after release. So Id and Bethesda and the entire industry are pulling the same crap as always. The game is announced years in advance but releasing a complete product on launch day can't be done.

Last but not least, the story is more robust than any Doom game before it but they conveniently didn't tie the ending in with the beginning of Doom 2016. So. there could be 2 or 3 more Doom games that take place between the ending of this one and the 2016 reboot. Not that I wouldn't play them but what are we going for here? Art or money? Or do we have to wait for the DLC to get a real ending?

It's a good game, but it really could have been a better game.