I once wrote a short review of DOOM, but that didn’t capture how good this game really is, and I need to yell more into the void about how much I enjoyed it.
Back in 2004, the hype for Doom 3 was through the roof. It was during the golden age of gaming. Half-Life 2, Doom 3 were both set to be released in the same year. Doom 3 was the Crysis of that generation. Following the release of Doom 3, the reception was a little mixed. It did not reach the heights that most thought it would. Visually impressive but divisive gameplay wise. It leaned heavily into horror, and I enjoyed parts of it, but I never finished it—mostly because of the spiders. After the Resurrection of Evil expansion, the franchise went quiet. The industry shifted. I think it would be fair to say that Call of Duty changed FPS games. id Software were no longer at the top of their game. Rage underperformed, and John Carmack left the studio in 2013. Rumors suggested Doom 4 was becoming a COD-inspired game, and I lost hope. I didn’t want “Call of Doom.”
Then the surprise reveal happened. I believe it was E3 or QuakeCon in 2015. The new Doom looked fast, and aggressive—it wasn’t trying to be Call of Duty. There was hope!
Reminiscent of Doom 3
The game was released to great reviews in 2016. Even though it used a checkpoint-only save system (no quick save/quick load), it still looked promising enough to restore my optimism.
I didn’t buy the game at launch. I picked it up on June 10, 2022 for $4.99—absolutely worth it. It sat on the shelf for a little bit, and picked it up in April 2023 and I finished it on May 8, 2023. I played on a 3080 Ti at 3440×1440 with max settings, and the game looked incredible. The id Tech engine was put to very good use.
I completed the campaign in about 15 hours on Hurt Me Plenty, which I think is the ideal difficulty for most players.
Doom (2016) is pure gameplay. It never wastes your time. From the moment you step out of the chamber, it’s nonstop action. There is a story, but it never interrupts the flow—I remember maybe two cutscenes. I love this. Most stories in games are very bad and boring. I don’t know what the story is about in DOOM. It felt like a complete after thought, and that’s a good thing. DOOM should be able to gameplay and level design. If the writers could come up with an interesting story, great. If not, the story should be this - you play as the Doom guy, and he is angry, and wants to kill everything and save Mars. That’s good enough.
Hell
The level design and art direction are excellent. There are very few games that approach this level of creativity. At highest settings, this is one of the best looking games ever made, and its also very optimized. On my machine, I was getting 180 (my monitor’s max) without any noticeable frame rate drops. DOOM deserves to be played at the highest settings (resolution, frame rate and graphics quality). Its one of the best looking games ever made.
Titan’s Realm
In addition to fast gameplay, there are plenty of secrets and optional challenges. I didn’t chase all of them, but there’s a lot here for players who enjoy exploration.
The soundtrack is phenomenal—easily on the level of Halo, Deus Ex, Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, and Doom Eternal. I hate that Doom Eternal has an even better soundtrack, because I didn’t enjoy the game it as much. I find myself listening to Doom Eternal soundtrack more often than not. Just wish the game was a true successor to DOOM.
In conclusion, every FPS fan should try this game. I recommend picking this up on GOG.com . Always support DRM free games whenever possible!
I’ll eventually pick up Doom: The Dark Ages. I know it’s different, but I’m sure it’ll still be fun—even if it doesn’t reach the same heights as Doom (2016).
This post is published on Apr 24, 2026 Friday 10:25:27 AM CDT