DOOM (NSW) Review

I can think of no better game to review now when we have a fear of nuclear annihilation thanks to two overgrown children in power. It's none other than DOOM for Nintendo Switch!

It took less than year, but already the Nintendo Switch is DOOMed.

In 2016, Bethesda and Id Software came out with one of my favorite games from that year, the revitalization of a series through a game simply titled DOOM. It brought the series back to what it made it so successful back in the early '90s. With a new coat of paint, astonishingly creative design, gore-filled, action-packed goodness, and a rocking Mick Gordon soundtrack, DOOM 2016 amazed and bewildered with its insane quality.

One of the things that was so prominent about DOOM's 2016 release was just how visually impressive it was. It's the type of game that Nintendo Switch owners could only dream of having. With much befuddlement, Bethesda and Nintendo announced last year that DOOM would indeed be coming to the Switch. How?! What massive compromises would have to be made?! Would someone pinch me, because I think I'm dreaming?! But, screens came out, then videos came out, then impressions came out, and apparently, DOOM on Switch wasn't just a reality, but it was supposedly running well. After playing through DOOM's 2016 release on PlayStation 4 and now in 2017 and 2018 on Nintendo Switch, is DOOM on Switch a worthy port for Nintendo fans?

There are no friendly faces to be found in Hell, so just shoot at anything that moves!

DOOM forgoes the linear corridor shooter aspect of AAA gaming that has permeated all throughout FPS games over the course of this past decade and some change. Levels in DOOM are labyrinthine-like maps of sprawling chambers, rooms, hallways, and vistas, sprinkled with areas to explore, secrets to discover, enemies to wipe out, and blood to be shed. The amount of optional content in each level can get a bit staggering: from the well-hidden, secret alcoves containing little DOOM-Guy dolls, to dead UAC soldiers holding onto ID cards that can be used to upgrade the player, to playing battle scenarios in the Rune Trials to earn a much coveted Rune, to Argent Cells that can found and utilized to power up either the player's health, armor, or ammo capacity.

Then, there are the three challenges in each level. In the earliest levels, these start out as simple tasks, such as killing two enemies at the same time, but they can get more complex and complicated as DOOM progresses, sometimes requiring the player to kill several Imp enemies each with a different Glory Kill.

This place is going to be in serious need of a good interior decorator after we're done here.

Speaking of the devil, or at least Glory Kills, these powerful, instant-death maneuvers allow you to wipe out a flashing enemy with a melee attack for a satisfying kill. After peppering an enemy with enough bullets and damage, the enemy will start flashing white. Get close enough to it, and it'll flash orange, meaning you're close enough to deliver a final blow with your melee button. Not only do Glory Kills feel great to perform, but fallen enemies that succumb to them drop much needed health. After all, DOOM is old school in how it handles health. No regenerating health in this game, ladies and gentlemen.

My, what big... everything you have! The better to get blasted by rockets with!

Now, let's get to the part of the review that most who have already played DOOM back in 2016 on other systems are interested in: How does the game play ported to the Nintendo Switch? Well, overall, DOOM on the Switch runs well considering the hardware. It looks best in docked TV mode, but it's also impressive in undocked/handheld play as well, though not as much, of course. In docked mode, the visuals are sharp and exude plenty of details while undocked sort of appears to have a Vaseline smear filter over it, especially when things like motion blur are turned off.

There are some noteworthy issues with DOOM on Switch specifically in the technological and especially the audio department, however. For one, DOOM isn't exactly lacking bugs. I've had times where I've had to restart portions of levels because one enemy found itself hiding beyond my reach, outside the level's geometry, meaning I couldn't kill every enemy in the room, thus keeping the doors locked shut. Other times I fell through the floor to face my doom in the great beyond below levels. An annoying audio glitch occasionally popped (and I do mean that literally) up, where the audio would pop really loudly and then get followed up by a bunch of silence. Sometimes this would correct itself while other times I'd have to restart from my last level checkpoint. These are small, niggling issues, but they add up to a less than stellar experience for the campaign overall. I'm really interested in seeing if the maker of the Nintendo Switch port, Panic Button, and publisher Bethesda will work together to remedy these bugs.

These particular enemies take to the air and pummel you with missiles.

Control-wise, there are a multitude of offerings to get a button layout that works best for any type of player, but at the same token, the analog sticks of the Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons don't particularly feel built for this type of game. Many times I found myself struggling to center onto an enemy target by just using the right analog stick for slight movements. Instead, I ended up having to strafe a lot to center my aim, which was not something that was a requirement on the PlayStation 4 version I played back when the game launched. Movement also is a little challenging at first, and that comes simply from having to get used to the range of the Joy-Con analog sticks. It's nothing that ruins the Switch version of DOOM, but it is something to consider. Thankfully, when it comes to multiplayer, everyone is on the same handicap.

It's certainly not strawberry jelly accumulating on the edge of the screen here. Better take cover.

Speaking of, DOOM 2016 received plenty of regular updates on competitor systems and on PC as well. At first, DOOM multiplayer was very basic, and not worth investing too much time in due to how little there was to enjoy, and how limited the community was online. With update 6.66 (har, har) already included in the Nintendo Switch version of DOOM's multiplayer, everything has been improved for a superior experience right from the get-go. All of the addition modes from past DLC on the previous versions of the game, all 16 maps, all weapons, and a new challenge system that unlocks costume pieces and other rewards as you complete in-match goals like killing 10 players with your Heavy Assault Rifle or getting 10 Revenge medals, make for massive improvements to the multiplayer experience.

The challenges are without question the most addicting piece of DOOM's multiplayer. These give you a wide assortment of tasks to accomplish within matches that you can gun and shoot for (literally). Each challenge completed (and they don't take too long to accomplish as long as you're aiming for them specifically) unlocks a new piece of content in the multiplayer for your custom character. Whether they are armor pieces, new colors and skins for said armor pieces, colors and patterns for guns, and experience, the constant winning of new goods through satisfying challenge conditions means that there's always something to shoot for in multiplayer matches, even if you find yourself on the losing end of each and every match.

Hell must have frozen over -- Your buddy Phil did well in a DOOM multiplayer match.

DOOM's multiplayer isn't just notable because it's really the only choice Switch owners have for a competitive multiplayer FPS experience, but it's also so because it's a damn good competitive multiplayer FPS experience in general. Whether practicing without a boost to your stats and challenges in Practice Mode playing offline against bots, or taking the bloodshed online against up to 9 other players in Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, and a variety of other modes, DOOM's multiplayer has greatly upgraded its experience since the original 2016 game's launch. It says something when someone who doesn't play much online multiplayer gets completely engrossed in DOOM's multiplayer since the 6.66 update like this particular reviewer has, and I don't think I'm going to be stopping anytime soon!

The Nintendo Switch's port of DOOM is a commendably done one by all parties involved. Bethesda for deciding to port the game to the Nintendo Switch, Id Software for collaborating with Panic Button to do the actual porting, and Nintendo for securing the game on Switch and building a hybrid platform strong enough (and surprisingly so) to allow DOOM to even be ported to the Switch in the first place. While technical problems in both visual and audio performance do seep through on occasion, DOOM on Nintendo Switch is a game you can play like Hell and rip and tear anywhere.

[SPC Says: B]

Let the Good Names Roll: Great Credits Sequences in Gaming - Part Five

The staff roll, otherwise known as the credits of video games. This is where not only do we see all the names of the folks who worked on the game you just beat, but perhaps something special to go along with it, whether it's an overview of your adventure, the cast of enemies in the game, or something else. This article delves into some of the very best and most memorable staff rolls/credits sequences in video game history. From old school classics to modern marvels, part five of this expanding list continues to bring the excellent staff rolls. Click on the game title to see the credits sequence described. Check out all past editions of these periodic looks at great staff rolls with these links:

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Doom (PS4, XB1, PC)

We begin with the explosive 2016 entry in the Doom series, simply titled Doom. Its campaign is a nonstop thrill ride that takes players from the red surface of the planet Mars to the red underworld of Hell while blasting enemies and searching for secrets. Doom's finale brings an awesome credits sequence that showcases fantastic imagery of characters in action poses as the names and roles of the Doom staff enter into the scenes. It's absolutely impressive and just as exhilarating as the campaign itself. ...Okay, maybe not JUST as exhilarating, but exhilarating to watch all the same!

Titanfall 2 (PS4, XB1, PC)

Speaking of excellent FPS campaigns, Titanfall 2 has a masterful single-player campaign that moves from the agile and mobile running, gunning, and jumping as Rifleman Jack Cooper to the high octane Titan battles in the cockpit of BT. When the final mission has been completed, Jack Cooper takes off his helmet and receives a hero's welcome from his fellow soldiers and comrades. Following this is a run-through of the cast doing various poses, showing off each character and who voiced them. Running at nearly ten minutes in duration, lengthy credits sequences usually bore me, but since Titanfall 2's has such interesting visuals throughout it, the minutes almost fly by. Oh, and who doesn't like that tease at the end?

Killzone 2 (PS3)

Though the majority of this game's credits are displayed against the same kind of visuals, various cubes and squares, it's the first minute or so of Killzone 2's credits that amaze. Showcasing some incredible editing and visuals in the form of overlays, overviews of maps, environments, characters, and guns, Killzone 2's credits are a stunning display of technological wizardry. The way everything materializes is damn impressive, and the subdued black, red, and grey color scheme is phenomenal in action. Sure, the rest of Killzone 2's staff roll is not much to talk about, but it surely says something when the credits of the game give such a great first impression that it makes the whole credits package ultimately worthwhile.

flower (PS3)

flower is an artistic delight and an adventure that speaks to its players in numerous ways. The credits are just as mesmerizing as the game itself. It follows the player's colorful flower petals as they waft through the wind, breezing through each staff name. The grassy hills under the moonlit sky offer a soothing, calming, and relaxing display that is almost therapeutic as the flower petals fly through the air, as if they were dancing. The end of the credits raise from the background behind numerous points of light. The whole sequence is a bit surreal but oh so satisfying to sit and play through.

Sonic Generations (PS3, 360, PC)

Sonic Generations was the 20th anniversary game that SEGA's blue mascot deserved. After a string of less of than stellar 3D entries (aside from a select handful), Sonic Generations paid brilliant homage to the blue blur, and so did the game's credits sequence. The staff roll features a visual and audio history of Sonic the Hedgehog, namely the entries and levels portrayed in the adventure. From the original Sonic the Hedgehog's Green Hill to Sonic Colors' Planet Wisp, the full array of levels from the game show themselves off in their original forms from their original games. The medley that seamlessly transitions between each theme is also well done. What you have at the end when all is said is done is a truly notable way to cap off a truly great game.

Mario Superstar Baseball (GCN)

After Mario's windup and pitch in a Field of Dreams-like baseball diamond, we get this rockin' staff roll. And what better time to showcase Mario Superstar Baseball with Major League Baseball back in season! Colorful animated silhouettes perform various actions, such as Yoshi catching a falling baseball with his tongue and Wario diving for a ball too early (and suffering for it with the baseball smacking right into his head), while a cheesy but awesome theme shouting the proclamation of "Let's play baseball!" It's so delightfully cheesy that you-- unless you're extremely self-conscious-- can't help but smile along with and tap your toes to. Let's play baseball indeed.

SuperPhillip Central Best of 2016 Awards - Top Ten Games of 2016

After all other categories have been completed, we've arrived at the final awards category of the SuperPhillip Central Best of 2016 Awards. This, of course, is SuperPhillip Central's list of the top ten games of 2016. This will be the ninth year in a row that SuperPhillip Central bestows a game with top honors of Game of the Year, so let's get started. But first, just realize that due to the massive amount of games released, one person can't possibly play them all, so just consider this list one of favorites that I played last year than anything objective. Now, let's get to counting down!

10) Super Mario Run (iOS)

Mario kicks off this countdown, and unexpectedly if I do say so myself, and since this is my countdown, I DO say so myself. Super Mario Run might have been a known quality thanks to being under the tight supervision of Nintendo and having longtime Nintendo producer and director Takashi Tezuka in a directing role. Super Mario Run simplified the gameplay of traditional 2D Mario and distilled it to one thing: jumping, yet while doing so, Nintendo kept much of what makes 2D Mario so deep and rewarding. With just one action, jumping, given so much nuance to it, it really showed how masterful of a developer Nintendo is. It was a thrill finding the perfect ways to run through the rather lengthy levels, collecting the hard-gotten pink, purple, and black coins. I did not expect to love Super Mario Run as much as I did, nor did I expect to not feel burned by the premium price point.

9) Aqua Moto Racing Utopia (PS4, PC)

I said last night that I wasn't going to be done gushing about this game. As the most unexpected entry on this list, Aqua Moto Racing Utopia gave me the closest experience to Wave Race 64, a game that I consider the pinnacle of the aquatic racing sub-genre. In many ways, Zordix's racer outshined Nintendo's retro effort. The feeling of controlling each watercraft was fantastic-- you really felt the heft and weight of each vehicle, and the wave physics never caused me to bounce unpredictably. The ten locales, from alligator-infested swamps to tropical getaways, each housed several fun-to-race circuits, each following the standard buoy-to-buoy rules of other games of its ilk. With split-screen multiplayer making up for the completely barren online lobbies, Aqua Moto Racing Utopia delivered a fantastic aquatic racing game that I can easily see myself coming back to time and again.

8) Hyrule Warriors: Legends (3DS)

It says something about a game that I can spend 80+ hours on the Wii U original version, and then invest 40+ hours on its Nintendo 3DS port. That was exactly what I did between the original Hyrule Warriors on Wii U and then its Nintendo 3DS version this year, Hyrule Warriors: Legends. For a game that was already rich with content, Legends brought even more gameplay goodness, characters, and content to the table. New improvements like the ability to switch between characters on-the-fly instead of being limited to playing as just one, new story chapters with one featuring a brand-new character Linkle and one set in the realm of The Wind Waker, and new Adventure Mode maps made Hyrule Warriors: Legends a worthwhile game to pick up and play even if one had already played the Wii U game. The 40 hours I invested in the 3DS port were just the tip of the iceberg, as I haven't even invested a fraction of the time it requires to see and do everything in this magnificent love letter to fans of Zelda and lovers of Musou-styled games.

7) Adventures of Mana (iOS, Android, Vita)

Sometimes an old school is experience is just the thing to put a smile on my face and take me back to my youth. Then again, I never played Final Fantasy Adventure on the Game Boy in my youth. Regardless, Adventures of Mana is a remake of that game, and where it does bring me back to my youth is through its retro sensibilities: a small dose of story that breaks up the gameplay, little-to-no hand-holding, an uncharted world to explore with dungeons and towns, and multiple weapons to acquire for different uses. I played the game on my iPhone back in March, and it still stays with me as one of my favorite games of the year, if only due to how it reminded me of the classic games I loved growing up. Plus, it hasn't missed a step two decades later.

6) Azure Striker Gunvolt 2 (3DS)

Mega Man is deep in hibernation, but the next best thing is here. No, I'm certainly not talking about Mighty No. 9. Instead, I'm talking about former Mega Man Zero and Mega Man 9/10 developer, Inti Creates' sensational Azure Striker Gunvolt 2. Not merely a copycat of Mega Man, Azure Striker Gunvolt 2 contained two playable characters, each who possessed their own stories and exclusive levels, as well as their own means to eliminate enemies. With Gunvolt, he tagged foes with bullets, and then could summon an electrical shield to strike the tagged targets into oblivion. Meanwhile, rival Copen could dash into targets (either via the ground or the air) and unleash a bevy of missiles that would home in on his desired foes. With level design that encouraged exploration, obstacles and enemies that required care and thought to overcome, and some pulse-pounding boss battles, Azure Striker Gunvolt 2 might not have been a new Mega Man, but it was a mighty fine alternative.

5) Kirby: Planet Robobot (3DS)

After Return to Dream Land and Triple Deluxe, developer HAL Laboratory once again hit one out of the proverbial park with the latest installment in the long-running Kirby franchise, Kirby: Planet Robobot. The game featured similar action to past Kirby titles, notably Triple Deluxe, with its movement between the foreground and background, collection of special objects to unlock new levels, and host of powers for Kirby to copy from foes. Planet Robobot upped Kirby's arsenal with the ability for the pink puffball to commandeer mechs at specific points in the game, not only presenting a plethora of power to take out enemies with ease, but he could also copy the abilities of foes with his mech. This allowed Kirby and his mech to bring the hurt to baddies, access new areas, and transform the mech for fast racing or side-scrolling shoot-em-up sequences. As a series, Kirby continues to be in good hands, and Kirby: Planet Robobot is tremendous proof of just that.

4) DOOM (PS4, XB1, PC)

Moving from bright and bouncy to grungy and gory, sometimes all it takes to satisfy me is a well-made campaign and some serious fun. DOOM did just that for me. DOOM presented the player with fast and fluid combat and gunplay, almost poetry in motion, as they pushed through Hell's onslaught of demons and undesirables. There was great joy to be had in blasting a round into a demon to weaken them so you could perform a glory kill on them, gaining a very brief moment of repose as you mercilessly mutilate them. These glory kills didn't slow down the pace of DOOM at all-- instead, they assisted in giving players temporary boosts and health, a quick pause in the action, as well as granting them the ability to take out one enemy quickly and then rush to become entangled with another. The level design offered robust exploration, remarkably rewarding players who went off the beaten path, investigated curiously placed objects and sections of room, and thoroughly searched through the levels. The rewards gave players new weapons, armor upgrades, and more. Though the multiplayer was a forced aspect of the game, the single player campaign of DOOM more than makes up for the total package. DOOM was my biggest surprise of the year for a reason-- well, as you've seen, several reasons!

3) The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD (Wii U)

Even though Breath of the Wild isn't due out until later this year, that didn't stop The Legend of Zelda series was from appearing on this list not once, but twice. Despite it being a high-definition remaster of the 2006 Wii release of the game, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD was not only a Zelda adventure I hadn't played since the Wii's launch ten years ago, but it implemented so many wonderful quality of life changes and improvements to make an overall definitive version of the game. The ability to switch items and Link's forms as well as aim items like bow and arrows or clawshot with the Wii U GamePad made for a more intuitive experience. In addition to that, things like shortened Tears of Light quests and the ability to pick up Rupees from treasure chests regardless of having a full wallet, made for a game that played best on Wii U. Couple all that with the original's heartfelt tale, emotional moments, and some of the best dungeons in Zelda series history, and you have a Zelda remaster that shines bright.

2) Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (PS4)

A perfect sendoff to the adventures of Nathan Drake and a culmination of all the skills that Naughty Dog had picked up throughout its history, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End showcased Naughty Dog's excellence in telling a memorable and poignant tale, their skill in creating charming characters with clever dialogue, and most importantly since we're in the hobby of video games, their talents in crafting a fun thrill ride of an adventure with so many moments and set pieces that stand as some of the series's best, much more some of the industry's best. A reworked combat system, doing away with quick-time event-like maneuvers, as well improved gunplay made Uncharted 4 the best feeling game in the series by far. The globetrotting adventure knew when to introduce new concepts and variety to the gameplay, when to push the action to the limit, and when to pause for some time to breathe, making the game's overall pacing quite well done. Then, there was the massively addicting multiplayer that continues to foster an active community with a multitude of maps, modes, and content to keep players in the fight for years to come.

1) Ratchet & Clank (PS4)

A franchise that was getting a little long in the tooth due to multiple near-yearly releases, Ratchet & Clank got the reboot button blasted down hard, just in time, and the end result is my favorite game from 2016. This hybrid of tight platforming and run and gun shooting with engaging and often exotic weaponry offered intense gameplay with a dash of slower paced sections as a nice palette cleanser from time to time. Although the number of planets was less than past games in the series, each one was stocked to the brim with personality, character, beauty, content, and secrets. The game also retained the series' trademark humor and off-the-wall characters. All of these things added up to me having a difficult time putting the game down, especially when playing through the game multiple time was so rewarding, especially upgrading weapons and adding to my bolt count. If anything, Ratchet & Clank proves that you can teach an old lombax new tricks, and it makes me eager to see where developer Insomniac Games takes the series next, because this first taste of Ratchet and his robot buddy Clank on the PS4 has left me seriously aching for more.

===

So ends the SuperPhillip Central Best of 2016 Awards! Which games of 2016 were your favorites? Let me know in the comments section!

SuperPhillip Central Best of 2016 Awards - Top Five Biggest Surprises

This category of the SuperPhillip Central Best of 2016 Awards delves into those games where I wasn't expecting to enjoy them as much I ended up doing so. It's always awesome to not have high expectations for a game, and then that same game ends up blowing you away. The five games on this top five countdown are those that did just that.

5) Dragon Quest Builders (PS4, Vita)

Minecraft is a massive beast of a game. It was so much one that Microsoft purchased the property for an extravagant chunk of change, and even that's underselling it. Many clones of Minecraft have since come out, but none have the pomp and circumstance of the Dragon Quest name. Combining the similar gameplay of Minecraft to the world of Dragon Quest with Dragon Quest Builders paid off enormously for Square Enix and for gamers in general, as Builders is a fantastic cross between Minecraft and Dragon Quest. Building a fortified town or castle, scrounging around the land for materials, and besting big bad enemies make for a supremely good time. Whether you play on a portable or sit down at home and play on the PS4, you're going to get a satisfying gaming experience with Dragon Quest Builders.

4) Aqua Moto Racing Utopia (PS4, PC)

The sole indie game on this list (though the amount of surprisingly good indie games could take up 10 lists!), Aqua Moto Racing Utopia feels like a fantastic unofficial successor to Nintendo's Wave Race series, sporting smooth and tight handling of the various watercraft, ten venues featuring multiple buoy-to-buoy courses, a wide variety of modes, and plenty of things to do, such as local or online multiplayer. It seems like sacrilege to say that a game from a lesser known indie developer could shine just as brightly as Nintendo's Wave Race, particularly Wave Race 64, but it, in fact, is very much true, making Aqua Moto Racing Utopia perfect for this list of biggest surprises of 2016.

3) Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games (Wii U)

While I've enjoyed previous Olympic outings by Mario and Sonic, two of the most revered icons in gaming, I was quite surprised by how much I enjoyed the latest game on Wii U, Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. No longer did players have to waggle a Wii Remote (and I mean actual random shaking of the Wii Remote and not actual gesture controls) to race, run, or whatnot. Instead, the game was wholly controlled with analog and button inputs. The amount of content and enjoyable events made for some very pleasant solo and local multiplayer gaming sessions, and the presentation was superb as ever. The Summer Olympic might be over, but it's never too late to check out Mario and Sonic's Rio exploits on Wii U.

2) Titanfall 2 (PS4, XB1, PC)

I'm a fan of older first-person shooters due to many having expansive levels and maps with plenty of places to show off my shooting prowess (or lack thereof). Titanfall 2's single player campaign possesses such a campaign, plus it features a lot of awesome mobility measures like running along walls and sliding across the ground. Then, there's the ability to pilot a massive mech, bringing the pain to both infantry and fellow mechs alike. Couple the insanely exciting single player campaign with the craziness of combat online across a series of well designed maps, and you have SuperPhillip Central's runner-up pick for biggest surprise of 2016.

1) DOOM (PS4, XB1, PC)

As I mentioned, I'm not the biggest modern FPS fan out there, as many campaigns nowadays are extremely linear with very little exploration involved. DOOM's resurgence into the gaming this past year not only surprised with its insanely fun and fast paced combat, but its level design housed a plethora of interesting secrets that stood out for being fun to find and worthwhile too. I am amazed by how much I really enjoyed DOOM. It feels like a modernized version of old school FPS games, and that is a concept that really resonated with me as a player, making it my biggest surprise of 2016.

Review Round-Up - July 2016

It was hot like Hell outside this past month, so why not play a game that partially takes place IN Hell?
That's what DOOM was for, SuperPhillip Central's Game of the Month for July.

It's the start of a new month! I hope you guys' July was a fantastic one! It was pretty nice here on SuperPhillip Central despite Central City being very hot outside. That just meant I could have an excuse to spend time indoors and play some games for review. Hence, the Review Round-Up for July 2016!

This month was special because it was the month where I covered my first PlayStation 4-exclusive game, Killzone: Shadow Fall! It gunned for a great score, and received a B- for its trouble. Then, Tearaway: Unfolded, another PS4 exclusive, was covered, crafting its way to a B. Following that was SuperPhillip Central's Game of the Month for July, DOOM, going through Hell and back to get an impressive A- score. Moving on from that great shooter, Trine: Enchanted Edition once again was reviewed, but this time it was its PS4 port, earning a B+. Finally, Mighty No. 9 surprised me with its gameplay quality, though everything else was pretty disappointing for how much the budget of the game was. It got an average C score, as did Ultimate Ghosts 'n Goblins, the lone retro review of the month.

Killzone: Shadow Fall (PS4) - B-
Tearaway: Unfolded (PS4) - B
DOOM (PS4, XB1, PC) - A-
Trine: Enchanted Edition (PS4) - B+
Mighty No. 9 (Multi) - C
Ultimate Ghosts 'n Goblins (PSP) - C

Likewise, the other featured game this past month, Mighty No. 9, was one that
some players felt like was FROM Hell, but not this reviewer!

DOOM (PS4, XB1, PC) Review

DOOM is one of the biggest surprises for me so far this year. It's a master class in first-person shooting action and exploration that all adds up to a mighty enjoyable experience. Check out how and why with the SuperPhillip Central review.

Play Like Hell.

Confession time. I haven't played much of the original Doom. Yes, revoke my gamer card if you must, but after playing the brand-new reboot, DOOM (notice the name in all caps because that's how it's being marketed, and it's not just me yelling the name out loud), I felt immediately like I was taken back to the golden age of classic shooters, and that is a feeling I haven't felt in a long time. It was absolutely, positively a great feeling.

In this iteration of DOOM, you awaken as a nameless and not-particularly-talkative soldier who had been strapped down to a table. Upon leaving your initial prison, you enter your suit, and see the literal Hell that has taken over the facility, the Union Aerospace Corporation's research quarters, with red blood painting the walls, ceilings, and floors and showing torn asunder corpses all over the place. Apparently, trying to siphon and harness the energy from Hell was indeed a bad idea. Who knew.

At its core, DOOM is a simple shooter, dumb fun at times, repetitive at others. However, there is no question in mind that this dumb fun, which makes up the majority of DOOM's 13-level length, is sometimes all one needs to have a great time. Running from chamber to chamber, eliminating all of Hell's demons that occupy the room, allows the ability to progress on in a given level. You begin solely with a modest pistol. Shoot a foe enough, and they'll start staggering, flashing a hue of blue or orange. At this time you can run up them, press the melee button and perform a Glory Kill. This usually results in ripping off a demon's appendage and smashing it into them to make them wish they never escaped Hell to begin with. Glory Kills grant you with a supply of health pickups, making these very important to get considering that DOOM is the type of game that doesn't have regenerative health to ease the burden of battle.

Well, no one said Hell's finest were going to win any beauty contests.

A relic of a bygone era in shooters returns like it never had gone away with chambers where you are forced to kill all enemies before proceeding. Unlike traditional shooters a lot of us play now, the careful hiding behind cover, popping one's head out to take pot shots at a vulnerable foe, isn't how DOOM plays out. Instead, the game encourages you to rush around areas right out in the open, maneuvering through these chambers of death, blasting away at enemies, picking up health packs along the way, while either blowing demons away with your gun, or performing a well timed Glory Kill to not only gain pickups but also to get a brief respite in the chaos of battle, as performing a Glory Kill gives you complete invincibility during the deathblow animation.

The demon horde that occupies both the UAC on Mars and Hell is full of varied types of size, shape, danger, and aggression. Starting out in DOOM, the enemies featured are small, sauntering zombie-like cannon fodder for you to blast into oblivion. As you move on to later levels, the dangers become more prevalent demon-wise-- of course dipping into the who's who of DOOM enemies like the Mancubus, a colossal bloated foe that launches shots from the guns that are located where its arms should be; the Pinky, a charging bull-like bastard whose only course of attack is to run into you while shrugging off even the most powerful of your attacks; and the Baron of Hell, a giant demon that rushes you, getting up in your face to deliver monstrous close-range attacks.

This Mancubus is good at short-range, medium-range, and long-range attacks.
A true danger in every sense of the word.

Aside from typical demons found throughout DOOM's thirteen levels, occasionally you'll encounter at the end of a level a boss to battle. These confrontations aren't as simple as circle strafing a giant foe while slowly emptying their health bar. No, these fights actually reminded me slightly of the Metroid Prime series's boss encounters, having you need to be aware of when a boss was telegraphing an attack and requiring you to evade it intelligently. There's still the matter of aiming of a boss's weak point, slowly plugging away at turning these stronger demons into demon souffle.

DOOM's level design is quite unlike what we've seen out of a lot of first-person shooters over recent years. It's by no means a corridor shooter at all, instead offering rewards for fine exploration of its levels through its labyrinthine-like design. Secrets abound in DOOM's levels, featuring worthwhile rewards like enhancements to your suit, upgrades to your weapons, and collectables. Many of these secrets are housed in truly clever locations, so exploration is indeed highly rewarding and most importantly, a lot of damn fun. Sure, some can simply be found by just taking a detour when it's obvious which path you should actually be going, but other times more persistent observance of the environment can show hidden things like an out-of-the-way ledge or obscured vent that leads to something massively gratifying.

The environments and levels offer lots of verticality and secrets to discover.

One of such secrets found in levels are runes, which when interacted with, they transport the player to a special area where a specific objective is given to them. These objectives include clearing out all of the enemies in a room with limited health and ammo, performing a specific Glory Kill on a set number of foes, or reaching a destination before time runs out. In exchange for completing said objective, the player earns a rune, which can be equipped to do a wide host of benefits, such as staggering enemies more quickly, giving the player more control in the direction of their jumps while in midair, and getting speed boosts directly after performing Glory Kills, to name just a few. Runes can be leveled up once to master them, giving the player an even greater level of benefit to the ones equipped to them.

It wouldn't be DOOM without the BFG, and yes, this IS a big [redacted] gun.

In addition to finding runes, field drones can also be found in levels, some hidden some in plain sight. These give players weapon mods to their guns. From performing a charged burst with the regular shotgun to being able to lock on multiple mini-rockets from the Rocket Launcher, these new mods for weapons add to the variety of ways you can take out Hell's spawn, making for even more engaging combat and shooting action. These mods can be upgraded via points earned from exploration and combat. Mods can also be mastered by completing certain tasks a specific amount of times. Such a weapon mod mastery task like with the Super Shotgun requires you to take out more than one enemy with one shotgun burst. The tasks to master a weapon mod are different between each weapon mod, and this adds to the longevity of DOOM, while also rewarding players for altering their play style.

The single player campaign of DOOM is indeed a massive treasure and pleasure to play. The multiplayer component on the other hand doesn't fare as well, though it is still fun in its own way. Unlike the campaign, DOOM's multiplayer sticks more closely to a Call of Duty or Halo by way of having two weapons equipped to each player at the start of the round. You can find health and ammo pickups through the various maps, but the big draw here is various demon runes that turn players into seemingly omnipotent demon beings. These can turn a simple match into a total blowout, as playing as a demon throws the balance of the multiplayer out the window and into the depths of Hell. Still, like I said, there is fun to be had with DOOM's multiplayer, but it's obviously the weakest part of the entire package of the game.

The Plasma Rifle unleashes contained charged shots to unload into enemies.

While DOOM's traditional multiplayer is a bit of bust, the game also features a map-building component known as SnapMap. Here, you simply cycle through level parts and snap them to a grid to create a series of rooms that can be played cooperatively or competitively. The amount of different rooms isn't the largest, and you definitely can't remake old maps from past DOOM games, but what's here is rather exciting and enjoyable. The inclusion of a helpful tutorial assists in giving inspired creators the ability to make some pretty cool stuff. The also helps along with the tutorial that SnapMap itself is so intuitive and accessible with its specific tools.

With an absolutely masterful single player campaign that harks back to old school classic shooters without feeling 100% dated while offering new school fun, DOOM delivers. The levels encourage exploration, and the open-ended approach to combat makes for firefights that give the player control over how they want to play. The multiplayer is indeed weak compared to the rest of the package, but overall, DOOM is a blast from the past while still retaining many features from the present.

[SPC Says: A-]