DooM (2016)

Finally got round to starting DooM '16 on my new PC and it handles it marvellously! It's running fine in 4K (as far as I can tell, unless even though I've set it to that it's outputting at 1080p regardless because of some setting or other and I'm sitting there like a dope going "wowwww 4K much difference"!), I might whack some more settings up, see how it does. It looks really nice although honestly I don't think I can really see much difference in game graphics over the past ten years. Maybe I need to get a 2024 game and see if it blows me away.
Anyway, I had to knock it down to easy mode to get anywhere with it (maybe the game is tough, maybe I'm rubbish, or maybe it's because I'm not at a proper set-up with a desk and stuff, I'm just on the sofa with my kb/m and a tray, but I didn't feel like I was able to do all the strafing and swivelling and what have you as gracefully as I should be), but now it's really fun. I'm enjoying ripping through demons but still getting freaked out when they decide to charge at me. The enemy AI and physics and stuff all come together really nicely. The mood's great as well, everything's designed to feel really oppressive and heavy metal.

Have got back into DooM 2016 (with a proper desk set up now but still on easy mode!) and am now about halfway through. While I'm enjoying it, I am feeling a little worn on it already. I'm not sure if it's because I put it down to Easy, but there doesn't feel like much balancing in this game - none of the enemies or weapons feel that different from each other, I'm not constantly making tactical decisions like I was with classic DooM™. The hellknight is the main one I worry about because it constantly charges and does its jump attack thing, but otherwise it feels a bit more like a Serious Sam game a lot of the time. The enemy AI and navigation continues to be very impressive, though. But I'm climbing this tower to chase down cyborg Tilda Swinton, and it's just big fight in a circle then lots of platforming then big fight in a circle...
Also, I want some pinkies and flying tomatoes and stuff! I'm starting to get cooler enemies now but it's still mostly zombie variants, and all humanoids.

Okay, Doom almost immediately picked back up again by sending me to Hell and introducing a bunch of new enemies. I've now got Cacos, Lost Souls and Barons, plus I've got the gauss gun! The atmosphere is great here as well, especially the sound design.

I'm just about to get the BFG, and I'd ideally like to meet a cyberdemon and robospider, but I'll have to see if I get bored of it before they show up! The arena fights are definitely more blood-pumping now all the bigger, more diverse enemies are in. They probably should have cut an hour or two out of the first half of the game.
It's also weird how the beginning of the game is all 'look at us, we hate boring story, the Doomslayer is just going to smash up any vidscreens trying to do exposition and give him missions' and then there's loads of boring story throughout the whole thing.

Well, I got to the cyberdemon, and fuck that noise. An incredibly irritating, long and boring boss battle in a small round arena with a bunch of shitty wave attacks, and they start you off in a really annoying position as well. Plus, it kept crashing every fifteen or so attempts. Fuck that. I was still enjoying the game but it also didn't really feel like it was giving me much variety, so I'm not too disappointed to give up at this point - I think I got everything out of it I was going to, although it's a shame I didn't get to see more of Hell.
Generally, though, very cool game, especially once it steps up at the halfway point, with lots of atmosphere and great enemy AI.