I literally never write reviews for anything, but considering that Doom is perhaps my new all-time favorite FPS campaign, I felt I owed it to the developers and community to share my honest opinions. Doom, simply-put, is absolutely incredible. This game has greatly exceeded the somewhat high expectations I had set for it after watching a solid amount of footage before release. The visuals are absolutely stunning and the game runs very well on my 7/10 PC at max settings.

You're thrown into action almost immediately, the basic and near-perfect gameplay formula shining right from the start. The fluidity of the movement, the fast-paced, feel-like-a-badass combat, and the perfect execution of weapon indroduction, upgrade pace and variety. It's as the developers said, the game is a frantic chess board, of sorts, in which your enemies take their spots and you quickly formulate, execute and constantly re-evaluate your approach to every battle, as it progresses. When you become comfortable with all the pieces the game offers you as you play through it, every battle almost feels like a dance. Constant weapon swapping, leaping from platform to platform, never stopping to breath until the music slows down. It just feels so damn natural and perfect.

Halo 1 was the first time I played a FPS and thought, "this formula is just so perfect that I could play the game over and over again and never get tired of it"(which I did). Well, I'm here to say that Doom is as close to formula perfection as I've seen since the first Halo. That's not to say that the two games are similar in how they play, just that each design element has been so perfectly-crafted and results in such incredible synergy that something special is born as a result. Doom is special, there is no doubt about that.

I've played countless FPS games over the years and I'm confident in admitting that Doom is the most fresh and most fun FPS of this generation. This game is going places, and I couldn't be happier.

Pros:
-Incredible visuals, both technical and artistic
-VERY well-optimized, I'd estimate about 60fps average throughout most of the game at max settings
-Near-perfect gameplay formula, resulting in a foundation that could support an endless amount of content
-Frantic, gorey, visceral combat that NEVER gets old and plays out differently each time
-Excellent weapon and gear upgrade systems that encourage you to explore the gorgeous maps for secrets
-Fantastic arsenal, a gun for every situation. Even at the end of the game I found myself constantly swapping between 5-6 guns, not including the mods being swapped on each gun, which can drastically change the way they function.
-Surprisingly-long campaign with excellent pacing and environmental variety, considering the source material
-Dialogue is very well-delivered and never induces cringe or slows down the pace of the game to undesireable levels

Cons:
-Player and monster-created light sources don't cast shadows. This is a pet peve of mine when it comes to games with amazing lighting systems. I understand the implications on performance to have all those light sources casting shadows on nearby geometry, but the immersion factor gained from implimenting this type of visual effect is significant and often jaw-dropping. It's very rare to find this in games, and Doom should absolutely not be without it
-2 or 3 poorly optimized areas, resulting in strange framerate drops.
-Would have liked a 4th rune slot and the ability to further level up the power of my guns through more in-game challenges. The guns are fantastic, but at some point the earlier weapons are mostly phased out unless you run out of ammo.
-Certain weapons have their sensitivity changed either while firing or while zooming in/charging weapon mod fire. This can be VERY hurtful during combat. There need to be individual sensitivity options for these weapons/mods.
-The game ends

I literally never write reviews for anything, but considering that Doom is perhaps my new all-time favorite FPS campaign, I felt I owed it to the developers and community to share my honest opinions. Doom, simply-put, is absolutely incredible. This game has greatly exceeded the somewhat high expectations I had set for it after watching a solid amount of footage before release. The visuals are absolutely stunning and the game runs very well on my 7/10 PC at max settings. You're thrown into action almost immediately, the basic and near-perfect gameplay formula shining right from the start. The fluidity of the movement, the fast-paced, feel-like-a-badass combat, and the perfect execution of weapon indroduction, upgrade pace and variety. It's as the developers said, the game is a frantic chess board, of sorts, in which your enemies take their spots and you quickly formulate, execute and constantly re-evaluate your approach to every battle, as it progresses. When you become comfortable with all the pieces the game offers you as you play through it, every battle almost feels like a dance. Constant weapon swapping, leaping from platform to platform, never stopping to breath until the music slows down. It just feels so damn natural and perfect. Halo 1 was the first time I played a FPS and thought, "this formula is just so perfect that I could play the game over and over again and never get tired of it"(which I did). Well, I'm here to say that Doom is as close to formula perfection as I've seen since the first Halo. That's not to say that the two games are similar in how they play, just that each design element has been so perfectly-crafted and results in such incredible synergy that something special is born as a result. Doom is special, there is no doubt about that. I've played countless FPS games over the years and I'm confident in admitting that Doom is the most fresh and most fun FPS of this generation. This game is going places, and I couldn't be happier. Pros: -Incredible visuals, both technical and artistic -VERY well-optimized, I'd estimate about 60fps average throughout most of the game at max settings -Near-perfect gameplay formula, resulting in a foundation that could support an endless amount of content -Frantic, gorey, visceral combat that NEVER gets old and plays out differently each time -Excellent weapon and gear upgrade systems that encourage you to explore the gorgeous maps for secrets -Fantastic arsenal, a gun for every situation. Even at the end of the game I found myself constantly swapping between 5-6 guns, not including the mods being swapped on each gun, which can drastically change the way they function. -Surprisingly-long campaign with excellent pacing and environmental variety, considering the source material -Dialogue is very well-delivered and never induces cringe or slows down the pace of the game to undesireable levels Cons: -Player and monster-created light sources don't cast shadows. This is a pet peve of mine when it comes to games with amazing lighting systems. I understand the implications on performance to have all those light sources casting shadows on nearby geometry, but the immersion factor gained from implimenting this type of visual effect is significant and often jaw-dropping. It's very rare to find this in games, and Doom should absolutely not be without it -2 or 3 poorly optimized areas, resulting in strange framerate drops. -Would have liked a 4th rune slot and the ability to further level up the power of my guns through more in-game challenges. The guns are fantastic, but at some point the earlier weapons are mostly phased out unless you run out of ammo. -Certain weapons have their sensitivity changed either while firing or while zooming in/charging weapon mod fire. This can be VERY hurtful during combat. There need to be individual sensitivity options for these weapons/mods. -The game ends