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As you all Probably already know by now, it´s less than two weeks left now until ID Software, and Bethesda unleashes “Doom” up on the world (the release takes place on the 13th of May for PC, PS4 and Xbox One). And just recently Bethesda released the launch trailer for “Doom”, and personally I truly enjoyed it. Even though I wish that the trailer would have used some really heavy and dark Metal music in the background. Nevertheless, I´m still very hyped about the launch of “Doom”. So much so that I plan the game on the release day (that´s what I hope for at least). However, due to the fact that I´ve been a die-hard “Doom” fan since 1993. I do hold some concerns about the launch of “Doom”. And naturally, I do hold quite a lot of expectations and hopes as well. Especially since ID and Bethesda Softworks has hyped “Doom” quite a lot as of recently:

“DOOM is back! With a brutal single-player campaign, iconic fast-paced multiplayer, and the ability to create and play your own levels with SnapMap, DOOM delivers all the guns, demons and action you’ve been craving. It’s time to Fight Like Hell.

Watch the launch trailer now to prepare for the release of DOOM on Friday, May 13, for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC. And don’t forget to pre-order now at DOOM.com (http://doom.com/en-us/preorder)” – ID and Bethesda Softworks

The gates of hell open very soon. Well, to be exact. The gates open on May the 13th.

So that´s what I´m going to cover in this OP piece of mine, and right off the bat. I intend to play the full version of “Doom” on PC. In other words, I have no idea (whatsoever) what the console version of the game will be like. However, I do know that Sharn enjoyed the closed beta a whole lot on his PS4. Any ways, the online part of Doom made me think about a mix of “Unreal Tournament” and “Halo“. And I don´t necessarily see that as a bad thing, but (yes, there is a BIG “but” in this) I truly hope that the single player campaign will be a mix of both old-school and the new version of “Doom”. Because there are quite a few “Doom” fans out there that are worried that ID´s 2016 editions of “Doom” aren’t really “Doom”, but merely a Halo-like game with Doom´s title to it.

Faith no more? No, but soon it´s going to be “imp no more”.

Other than that, we have the “technical issues” part, for example. I´ve been told by AMD users that the open beta of “Doom” was not optimized for AMD hardware at all. Simply put, that the game ran terribly on AMD computers. And that resulted in people suffering from poor frame rates during their gameplay sessions. It also seems like you need a “fast as hell” Internet connection in-order to enjoy “Doom” online. Because if you don´t have a swift enough Internet connection, then you´re dead meat once you go online. And sure enough, I did have some Internet connection problems myself when I tried the open beta. Then again, I´m mainly interested in the single player campaign. So in my case, it´s not “Game over” if “Doom” launches with some online connection problems. Even so, I still hope ID has sorted out most of the Internet issues before “Doom” hits the market.

Dude…This is not the time nor the place for any selfies!

And speaking of PC hardware, these are the minimum and recommended PC specs for “Doom”:

Minimum system requirements:
OS: Windows 7/8.1/10 (64-bit versions).
CPU: Intel Core i5-2400/AMD FX-8320 or better.
GPU: 8 GB RAM; 55 GB free HDD space; Nvidia GTX 670 2GB/AMD Radeon HD 7870 2GB or better.
Contains a single disc. Download of additional files from Steam (total amount 45 GB) is required to run the game.
Requires Steam activation and broadband internet connection for multiplayer and SnapMap.

Recommended system requirements:
OS: Windows 7/8.1/10 (64-bit versions);
CPU: Intel Core i7-3770/AMD FX-8350 or better.
GPU: 8 GB RAM; 55 GB free HDD space; Nvidia GTX 970 4GB/AMD Radeon R9 290 4GB or better.
Contains a single disc. Download of additional files from Steam (total amount 45 GB) is required to run the game.
Requires Steam activation and broadband internet connection for Multiplayer and SnapMap.

In other words, if you want to run “Doom” on the highest settings, there is. Then you better have a rather good Gaming PC.

Let´s blow some shit up!

So, what about weapons, enemies and the actual gameplay then? Well, from what I´ve read and seen so far. “Doom” 2016 is a mix of both classic “Doom” and the new “Doom” (classic weapons and enemies mixed with new ones), as for the gameplay part (both single player and multiplayer). “Doom” seems to be pretty freaking awesome in terms of intense action moments (“Serious Sam” on steroids?). Any ways, I took the liberty to add the complete list over weapons and enemies down below: (the text has been borrowed from Doom.wiki):

Enemies:
Possessed Human
The Possessed (Zombies)
Possessed Engineers
Possessed Security
Possessed Soldiers
Undead Marines
Unwilling
Demon (Standard)
Arch-Vile
Barons of Hell
Cacodemons
Titans
Cyberdemons
Spider Mastermind
Harvester
Hell Knights
Hell Razers
Imps
Lost Souls
Mancubus
Cyber-Mancubus
Pinky
Prowler
Revenants
Spectres
Summoner
Demon (Other)
Gore Nests

Weapons:
BFG9000 – One of the most iconic weapons in the franchise, it seems to be similar to its Doom 3 incarnation, as it can be charged up (though in the E3 showcase, it did not have its own ammo counter).
Chaingun – A rotary machine gun with a very fast rate of fire, but requires a short wind up before firing. Holds 60 rounds.
Chainsaw – An insta-kill weapon for smaller enemies. Has an ammo counter of 6, which has been stated to be a “fuel” level which can be restocked with fuel canisters.
Combat shotgun – A pump-action close range weapon that fires relatively slowly. It also has a Charge Burst attachment which fires 3 projectiles in quick succession. Holds 20 shells.
Fists – Just fighting with your unarmed hands which include finishing kills.
Frag Grenade – Hand held explosive weapon.
Gauss Cannon – A weapon that fires a huge burst of energy forming a one shot kill.
Heavy Assault Rifle – An automatic rifle which features a scope that turns the weapon into a semi-automatic rifle. It also has a ‘mini-rockets’ alternate fire which gets rid of the scope, but in turn allowing the player to fire a barrage of fast firing rockets. Holds 60 rounds.
Lightning Gun – Short range energy weapon that fires a constant stream of electricity.
Pistol – Directed-energy handgun which is the weakest weapon in the game. Has unlimited ammo.
Plasma Gun – An automatic directed-energy weapon that fires off a stream of concentrated plasma. Holds 150 rounds.
Repeater – Repeating rifle that fires three-round bursts. Multiplayer-only weapon.
Rocket Launcher – One of the weapons with a slower fire rate, it fires off rockets to cause massive damage to whatever meets it face to face, and also causes splash damage, dealing damage to those close to the explosion, perhaps even the player. Holds 16 rockets.
Siphon Grenade – The Siphon field created on impact leeches health from the enemies and returns it to the thrower.
Static Cannon – Multiplayer-only weapon that charges up to deal more damage as the player moves around.
Super shotgun – A more powerful version of the shotgun, which requires a reload after every shot. Holds 20 shells. Shares the same ammo pool as the combat shotgun.
Vortex Rifle – Multiplayer-only sniper rifle.

I have to admit that I don´t like the sound of that…

That sure sounds cool enough (with no doubt), but I still haven´t forgotten about all those angry Steam reviews from last month. Especially not when people have stated stuff such as “wasn’t exactly offering anything new”, “Feels like a cash and grab on the Doom brand”, “Master Chief with a squirtgun on a shopping cart”, and “I get Aliens: Colonial Marines vibes from the new Doom game…”. So let´s just say that ID Software has a lot to prove with “Doom” (let´s pray that the game doesn´t end up as neither “ACM” or the “Doom BFG edition”). And since “Doom” doesn´t seem to have a co-op mode for the single player campaign, I´m somewhat worried that ID has spent more time on the online mode then they have on the single player/story mode. Nevertheless, my number-one concern would be my fear of “Doom” being nothing more than a Doom skinned Halo/Destiny hybrid. In other words, that the game simply isn´t “Doom” anymore (besides the title name). Well, I truly hope that I´m wrong. Because the last thing that I want is a “Doom” game that tries to appeal to the COD and Halo crowd.

“Doom” is a very violent and brutal game. And good thing that, because that´s how it should be.

So, yeah. I’m somewhat skeptical about the “DOOM is back!” quote by Bethesda. And I don´t know about you, but the “Doom” soundtrack hasn´t impressed me one bit so far (I love industrial metal, but the “Doom” soundtrack doesn´t give me any good vibes at all). And just for the record, I HATE dub step music. So in my world, “Doom” and dub step don’t mix all that well. Don´t get me wrong now, I have nothing against Mike Gordon (his the composer of “Doom”, “Wolfenstein: The New Order,” “Wolfenstein: The Old Blood” and Need for Speed: The Run”, to name a few). However, I would rather have seen either Sonic Mayhem or Trent Reznor as the creative force behind the music score for “Doom”. As their style of music would have fitted “Doom” so much better (the mix of Metal, scary and environmental music works like a charm in the world of “Doom”).

The revenant looks more evil than ever before in the new Doom game.

I know that all of this “might” come off as a whiney rant, but when you have been a fan of “Doom” for over 23 years time like I have. Then you expect a whole lot from a new “Doom” title, and since I´ve been playing a whole lot of “Project Brutality” and “Brutal Doom” as of lately as well. My expectations and hopes for “Doom” 2016 are very high. So, what do I like from the new “Doom” game so far then? Well, I really enjoy the graphics (with no doubt). As the iD Tech 6 engine have made the game look very, very impressive on the graphical front. Even so, it´s still going to take a whole lot more than just “awesome graphics” to turn “Doom” into an epic game experience. So I´m holding all my fingers and toes crossed while I´m praying to the Gaming gods to give us a new “Doom” game that kicks-ass.

Well, we will know for sure on the 13th of May next week (I´m going to be brutally honest with my PC review of the game). Until then, please enjoy the “Doom” launch trailer down below, and oh! We “might” throw a “Doom” PC giveaway soon. So keep your eyes and ears open for that one!

With that said, what do you think about “Doom” so far? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section down below!

Source:
Gameinformer
doom.wikia

***Disclaimer***
This is a personal opinion of the writer, and it doesn’t necessarily represent the other writers (nor The Gaming Ground´s) opinions.