• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Unpopular Opinion: DOOM is a Good Game, but Quite Forgettable

DOOM gets a lot of praise around these parts, and while some of it is deserved, it hardly offers much of what I consider a stable of a strong FPS experience. Besides the levels, there wasn't anything particularly memorable about it. Story was forgettable. I didn't care for any of the characters. Weapon selection was more limited than I'd like. Ultimately it got repetitive quicker than I'd anticipated.

The only thing that really stood out for me was the level design, which was nothing short of amazing.

Off the top of my head, here are a few SP shooters I've played in the last 5 years that I found to be generally more memorable and compelling than DOOM:

- Far Cry 3
- Metro: Last Light
- Wolfenstein: TNO
- Prey

None of these were perfect by any means, but in terms of I expect from a good FPS experience, they offered a better package than DOOM.

I was ultimately happy with my purchase of DOOM and liked it enough to get all achievements. But looking back now (been a year since I finished it), there's hardly anything about it that makes me want to go back to it. It just sort of came and went.

So... when people go so far as to say it's better than Half-Life 2 and whatnot, I do find it a bit strange.
 
It's not so much about being memorable but about being fun.
Feels good to play, at least better than the games you mentioned.
Story sucks and it doesn't have set pieces which I guess helps it not stay in your mind after beating it
 
I was more hyped by reading the GAF reactions to Doom than actually playing through it myself...and this was after I finished the game.

It was good, but I don't understand the level of praise that it receives here.
 
The multiplayer is surprisingly pretty fun for what it is. I know it's not true to its arena-style roots, but using the Cacodemon is h i l a r i o u s .
 

Izuna

Banned
For real it's quite annoying how it's considered so revolutionary when it isn't as good as the games it's "going back to".

Negative skill curve, not much reason to use a variety of weapons and an awfully long campaign that overstays its welcome. Not to mention all the controller bugs that never got patched.
 

Linkark07

Banned
Well, Doom isn't remembered by its story. The one that has the closest thing as a story, Doom 3 and its expansion, isn't looked quite fondly as the other Doom games. Although another reason is because they changed from frantic shooter to a horror shooter.

Back on topic, I can understand why some people may not like this game. Personally, my biggest problem with DOOM is the fact that it is composed mostly of "arenas". Get into an area, kill all the monsters in there, go to the next and continue until you finish the game. But, while repetitive, it is glorious killing all those monsters in many ways possible.

Thankfully, ID brought back exploration by finding collectibles in secret areas. And the platforming was fine.

Is it a perfect FPS? Obviously, no. It has flaws too. But it is entertaining and a great way to bring back the franchise from the depths of hell. Hopefully ID learns from their mistakes and make an even better game with its sequel.
 
I played through DOOM once, when it was released. I haven't played since. I have more vivid memories from that game than I do with just about any other I have played since. No joke, so many moments from the gunplay and watching the enemies as I blew them to pieces was some of the coolest damn gaming I've seen in a while. It had a lot to do with the enemy animations and interactions with the level. It blew me the hell away. Even some of the multiplayer matches had some moments that almost rivaled some of the single player moments due to just how everything came together. I am reinstalling today after finally clearing up space for the massive install so I can play all the miltiplayer DLC for free now :D

It was incredible, and I can't wait for the new one.
 

Rhaknar

The Steam equivalent of the drunk friend who keeps offering to pay your tab all night.
every game is forgetable when you're old.

:(
 

jg4xchamp

Member
It's not so much about being memorable but about being fun.
Feels good to play, at least better than the games you mentioned.
Story sucks and it doesn't have set pieces which I guess helps it not stay in your mind after beating it
Fun game n memorable are hardly mutually exclusive. The story doesn't have to be the reason why a game is memorable.
 

low-G

Member
I agree that Doom is ultimately unimportant & forgettable, but the other games you have mentioned are far more forgettable.

There's not really that many games which are important and wholly memorable (probably less than 200, maybe less than 100). However, there are bits and pieces of the modern Doom that are memorable, as with a great many games.
 

BNGames

Member
I feel like Shadow Warrior 2 is a better Doom than Doom was in alot of ways and alot more memorable. Wish more people had played it.
 

olag

Member
Suprised to see Far cry 3 there as the only memorable thing from that game was Vaas for me.

Anyway its not the story that makes Doom memorable, its the pure Adrenalin rush I get from the fast paced combat combined with the visceral weapons.This is especially true on higher difficulties were one misstep in your death ballet can see you dead in almost an instant.

True its not as good as Wolfenstein as a complete package but its certainly better purely from a gameplay perspective. Also half life 2 is overrated.
 

120v

Member
well i'm kind of in agreement, but for different reasons.

it's not so much that it was a mindblowing game but the expectations were generally low and it hewed to the old school formula - no Call of DOOMty to be found... so this gives it a critical "handicap" of sorts

still a great game, off the top of my head i'd give it a 9/10 . but the gameplay loop is really simple, and hell, why shouldn't it be, all it needs to be is DOOM and it served that purpose. but it's more or less a one and done kind of affair. not an experience that sticks with you years later or anything
 

Floody

Member
I agree, only really memorable moment for me was the BFG factory level (can't remember what it was actually called) and that's almost entirely thanks to the music. Outside of that nothing else really sticks out for me. It plays, looks, sounds and runs great too and I definitely enjoyed my time with it, but have zero desire to ever play it again.
 

Kssio_Aug

Member
I disagree. I think I'll remember Doom 2016 way more than most fps I played this and past gen. Amazing soundtrack, level design, gameplay and superb graphics. One of my favorite games this generation!
 
Man I couldn't disagree more. Everything about it is memorable to me I really like the minimialist direction they took the storytelling. It made the story stick with me much more than it would have if it was more overt.
 
That's crazy to me.

I've only played through the campaign once last year and I still think about it regularly. And I keep listening to the OST because of it
I also think about each time I play another FPS and compare it. And the comparison will be in full force with Wolfenstein 2

The secrets
The level design
The white knuckle rush of the gameplay
The whole intro is one of the best in FPS history
 

low-G

Member
What does forgettable even mean here? That you, personally, don't remember it well?

I interpret it as meaning you could forget the entire experience and not much would be missing in your gaming experience (provided you've played all other important games).

Chrono Trigger is important, the original Doom is important, Sim City (& The Sims 1) are important, Halo 1 is important...
 

Raven117

Member
I don't get the "ZOMG" love for it.

I played it, had a great time with it...looked, played and sounded awesome. A solid FPS experience. 8/10.

But hey, if folks love it, folks love it.
 
I don't think forgettable is the word to use here. Whether you liked it or not, it's gonna be something that stands out, even removing the weight of the series it's a part of.

So... when people go so far as to say it's better than Half-Life 2 and whatnot, I do find it a bit strange.
I don't. It's got its issues but Doom 2016 has, perhaps, the best story framing in the genre. There is no real suspension of disbelief to be had as to how you're this one man army, the entire game is designed around propping you up as the Doom Slayer and it works so well in the character's actions speaking louder than words. The combat is also orders of magnitude better.
 

lazygecko

Member
The story is great, if only because it is way more cohesive to the tone and overall structure of the game as a whole, in a way such as described in that recent video about ludonarrative dissonance.

In a way, this kind of critique reminds me of those "What's so great about Mad Max Fury Road? The whole plot is them just driving away and then turning back the way they came!" arguments I used to see.
 

KainXVIII

Member
Agreed about Doom (beat once and never will play it again), but i don't think that these games are much better though 🤔
- Far Cry 3 (especially)
- Metro: Last Light (first game on other hand is much better)
- Wolfenstein: TNO
 

JusDoIt

Member
I wanna play it, because the gameplay looks fantastic, but I can't get beyond the whole corny shoot demons to heavy metal thing.
 
I've been a life long fan of doom and doom 2 but the new one just didn't grab me. I played through wolfenstein TNO and thoroughly enjoyed it though!
 
The moment to moment gameplay in DOOM is fantastic and better than most FPS's, though I end up feeling the same way

Absolutely awesome game but I do find myself preferring Wolfenstein as a total package
 

Astral Dog

Member
I think its one of the best FPS in years but has a very weak plot and lack of environments/bosses/single player thats were the game shined
 

Poppy

Member
i just dont fondly remember any particular level in the new DOOM and thats what really keeps me coming back to an FPS more than once, specific levels or places that are memorable

which is why the original DOOM for me is still so awesome, because there are levels i know very well and have a lot of fun with. same for stuff like Halo CE, I remember the silent cartographer mission and like, fighting through the cafeteria in one of the last levels on legendary. i remember plenty of Goldeneye levels. things like that make me play a game more than once and be really memorable.

new DOOM is a great game and i cant really argue with that, but the lack of staying power to me makes it definitely be a 4 star game instead of a 5 star one
 

Neith

Banned
I'm currently doing TNO, and I can't get the image quality I want with 60FPS or even decently stable FPS so I am waiting for a 2070 or 2080. This engine is fucked.

I cannot say that Doom appears any worse than TNO. Both are good games, but TNO runs like pooh.

Agreed about Doom (beat once and never will play it again), but i don't think that these games are much better though ��
- Far Cry 3 (especially)
- Metro: Last Light (first game on other hand is much better)
- Wolfenstein: TNO


Far Cry 4 is better than 3. 3 has such a shitty and melodramatic story I have no idea why people prefer it to 4 except for the burnout problem. In no way is Far Cry 3 better than any of these FPS games listed IMO.

It was good for its time, but that island is lacking anything remotely fun to do for the most part.
 
Top Bottom