Doom

I approached Doom with no small amount of dread. Would it be watered down? Would it be slow, or try to force a cheesy story down our throats (I mean, it still did, but in a perfectly dumb and fun way)? I had hoped this would be surprisingly good, but deep down I had no idea it would be this much fun. Now all I’m hoping for is the sequel that this is a little too set up for. I’m hoping it goes the Diablo route and lets me go to a heaven dimension to blast some weird, fucked-up angels. Uh, sorry. I’ve been playing too much Doom. I’m going to go rip up a steak or something.

DOOM does more than fill a niche currently unoccupied on Switch. It’s a standout shooter that blurs the line between fps and action game. With a detailed campaign and plenty of additional modes to keep you coming back, DOOM is more than worthy of a place in your catalog.

Despite Bethesda’s successful attempt at revitalizing the Wolfenstein series in 2014, I wasn’t sure if the publisher could strike gold twice. After all, DOOM isn’t going to have you drop acid with Jimi Hendrix, and the last time id Software had released a hit was 2004. I’ve never been happier to be wrong, as DOOM is a brilliant reboot that captures what made the series so fun while also modernizing it.

First released on the PC way back in 1993, id Software’s Doom was a true groundbreaker. While it wasn’t the first first-person shooter ever made, it did popularise the genre – so much so that for several years afterwards, FPS games were commonly known as “Doom clones”.

Classic Doom returns with new maps, and features for fans of classic styled first-person shooters. Legacy of Rust nails down what makes the old Doom games so enjoyable, and these levels can certainly feel fitting compared to the old official levels. Get ready to go back to 1994, and experience both familiar and new content.

Doom is a tale of two very different shooters (and one quirky creation tool). The single-player campaign's reverent worship of the series' roots results in an old-school run-and-gun shooter which feels like imitation Doom, a cover of an old hit which nails all the right power chords but isn't exactly transformative. The multiplayer's attempts to borrow from the new to reinvigorate the old results in an experience which won't satisfy either school of thought. SnapMap, meanwhile, is a blend of weird and simple and endearing.

DOOM has a fantastic campaign but its multiplayer and Snapmap bring it down from absolute greatness.