Doom
Developed by id Software and published by Bethesda in 2016, Doom is a reboot of id Software’s iconic Doom series of first-person shooter games originally published in 1993.
Have you ever wanted to go guns blazing into a giant pit filled with demons, racking up gory kills and copious amounts of blood as you hack, slash, shoot, and beat your way through the hordes of the undead monstrosities that reside in the deepest bowels of Hell itself?
What do you mean “we already did that“?
No, I meant in 2016, not 1993.
Welcome back to DOOM, the game that gave the world its aggressive love for First-Person Shooters! You are a marine, Mars has been taken over by the denizens of Hell, here’s a gun, go stop them with all the blood, guts, smoke, and fire you can muster! That’s all the story you need to take on Hell. Seriously. Okay, there’s a little bit more, but it doesn’t matter. You’re here to kill demons, end of story; and boy do you kill demons with extreme prejudice.
Smooth, responsive, and above all else fun, DOOM shows that you don’t necessarily need a story filled with the horrors of war, or even a linear path (hallway) to make a fantastic game. You know you’ve found something special when it’s required to have a map of the surrounding area because it’s so easy to get lost in the level. Weapons are effective and have weight to them, and the demons look equally horrifying and target-like. Tearing them to shreds with one of the best soundtracks of the year behind you, parading through blood and guts whilst head banging to metal is easily one of the great pleasures in life.
DOOM has always been more about the single player experience than the multiplayer, so the multiplayer never grew on me. It isn’t deep or thoughtful by any stretch, and doesn’t have quite the gory thrill of single player, but it’s enjoyable enough to be added on as a bonus for those who are interested in that aspect of FPS.
DOOM, still to this day, is my favorite FPS franchise. Be it the weapons, the levels, the enemies, or the music, I wholeheartedly enjoy every moment I spend playing it. Any of it. All of it. Buy it. It’s worth it.
Dead Space
Ever wonder what it would be like to be drifting alone in space with no escape plan, slowly watching the ship whose air you’re quickly burning through come apart at the seams, all the while being chased by unimaginable horrors that won’t die after shooting them in the head?
You…you haven’t wondered that? Just me? Really? Come on, guys, it’s not that much of a scary scenario, is it? It is? Oh…
Well, anyway, moving on…
Dead Space tells the story of Isaac Clarke, an engineer sent with a small crew to the U.S.G. Ishimura, a planet-cracking ship that they lost contact with recently. What they find is a horrific alien entity bent on killing or assimilating them, and what began as a possible rescue mission becomes a lone man’s fight for survival inside a quite-literal box of death. In space.
While I might be a little biased in my assessment (I first played Dead Space on a full-wall projector with surround sound, and wept as I cowered before a human-sized Isaac taking down vile Necromorphs taller than him), this game scared the crap out of me. Beautifully gruesome visuals, terrifying sound design, and a wonderfully creepy score elevate the tension on the Ishimura, sometimes past the breaking point in certain areas. Movement can be a little clunky, but it’s only to be expected of an engineer with no combat training trying to survive; in other words it’s a perfect emulation.
Enemy types can get repetitive after a while, with their zombie apocalypse vibe, but the level design makes up for those shortcomings, especially in the vacuum stages. Story’s a bit convoluted, which is probably a deliberate design since it highlights the alienation you feel all alone, seemingly without a purpose beyond survival, in the depths of the void. The story opens up more if you play through the sequels as well, which you should really do if you can get past the first game. What could be worse?
Is it perfect? No. Is it groundbreaking? Nope. Is it scary? Oh, hell yes. Do I love it all the same? Absolutely.