by xios » Sat Jun 20, 2015 10:49 pm
It's funny to me how long id software has had to do a proper remake of Doom after the failure that was Doom 3. Their biggest misstep was changing the formula that made the game both successful and legendary. Tim Willitis (who I think is shit by the way) said the game has had an identity crisis and lacking a soul along the up and down development of Doom 4. I'm sad to think the latest preview does not seem to offer any of the soul I've been hoping for, despite the amazing graphics and detailed textures. Doom needs to decide whether it's going to be a survival horror game or an action game. Survival horror is more slow paced scary shit that should be reserved for another title. Doom's original formula worked so well because it was all about constant action and being nimble with the fast paced movement within the hordes of slow monsters. The new system of health and ammo dropping from monsters totally takes away another of skill of resource management that the originals were all about. That sort of catering to the lowest common denominator isn't gonna cut it and people with half a brain will get bored quickly, or atleast I know I will. Also the whole slowmo weapon change is dumb and needs to go. Classic fast paced Doom doesn't need that horse shit. Selecting the proper weapon while quickly dodging around fireballs being hurled at you should all be part of the skill. id software is calling the new Doom "fast-paced" but it didn't look fast to me from the demo. Maybe they just didn't show him running but that shit was not fast at all.
My other concerns are the shitty level designs for sure. If Doom 3 is anything to go off of, it's that 30 levels of the same monotone grey, brown, piss poor lighting with lots of metallic surfaces gets fucking old. Again, this is a departure from the original 2 that were full of vibrant otherworldly levels using all kinds of materials. Long corridors connecting interesting indoor and outdoor spaces that had many levels and puzzling ways to get up and down made for interesting gameplay. It kept you thinking, not just shooting. And as the difficulty cranked up, the tension maintained itself. It was steady and FUN. It wasn't some macabre shit trying to scare me. Doom 3 was all about closet monsters trying to scare me in a singular bland setting. Doom 1/2 allowed you to progress through the game in ever diverse and wild landscapes. I mean why the fuck not? If shits getting taken over by Hell then it ought to take you through differnet worlds not some Martian hut full of nothing but grates and sparks and bathrooms. Doom 4 seems to be all about maximum gore. But all those elements of fun through puzzles, humour, fast pace, secret rooms etc should not be put to the wayside. If id can't get it right this time then Bethesda needs to shit can that whole franchise and absorb the actual talent's within.
See the gameplay comparison between original Doom and the new one in both clips below:
See an otherworldly level in the original Doom here:
or an awesome creepy level here from the Doom64 total conversion:
What was so great about the pre-Doom 3 games (including the amazing Doom64) was how everything could be clearly seen and what couldn't was where the shadows were pitch black (how it should be) but everything about the levels were vibrant with color, even the browns and greys were lovely and saturated. The halls would had varying gradients of shadows as you went down them and everything about it was just enjoyable. There was so much to be said of the variation in designs. Like in the one clip above where you're fighting outside and there's these monolithic buildings that monsters are shooting from. Doom 3 never even approached that perspective and I have my doubts about if Doom 4 will as well, although I understand it's hard to say without seeing more but if the initial level is a taste of what's to come, I don't even know if I want it. And this is coming from someone who drove all the way to Dallas from Austin to get a copy of the midnight release of Doom 3 and signed by the entire id software team.
Last edited by
xios on Sun Jun 21, 2015 8:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.