July 2018 Playthrough - DOOM (2016)

[GrayGhost81]

I missed that, thanks!

If the checkpoints are the indication, having just finished the Kidingr Sanctum, I'm roughly close to halfway through the game. That last section was intense! I realize that it was supposed to be in the depths of Hell, but I definitely had some trouble with that last section, just before teleporting back to Mars. In my haste to run around and not take damage during the onslaught, I kept falling off the main platform, as I was running around. I think I must have done that a half dozen times or so. I rather hate bottomless pits in FPS games.

I'm glad you brought this up, because I kept meaning to comment on the platforming in this game and forgetting to do so.

I was very surprised by the verticality in this game. Many times I found myself wondering "How the heck am I supposed to get up (or down) there?" Well, start following green context clues on screen, basically. Jump and grab what you can. Don't forget to look for holes in the ceiling and don't be afraid to take huge leaps of faith.

While I understand your frustration here, Fro, I thought it was very cool addition to a what is on the surface a gun-shooty-gore-fest.

[singlebanana]

I missed that, thanks!

If the checkpoints are the indication, having just finished the Kidingr Sanctum, I'm roughly close to halfway through the game. That last section was intense! I realize that it was supposed to be in the depths of Hell, but I definitely had some trouble with that last section, just before teleporting back to Mars. In my haste to run around and not take damage during the onslaught, I kept falling off the main platform, as I was running around. I think I must have done that a half dozen times or so. I rather hate bottomless pits in FPS games.

I did that several times too FRO. For me, that last Hell scene took me the most tries to beat in the game. Second only to a certain train station encounter that you will come across later... I fell into the pits a ton as well and had to ration out the chainsaw and 4X damage power up at the right moments. Tough fight. Glad you made it through.

[MetalFRO]

@GrayGhost81 - I actually like the platforming, and agree that it does add an extra element to the game, so it's not just shooting baddies. The jumping takes a bit to get used to, and can be a touch floaty, but overall, I liked that aspect. I just don't like falling off a ledge when I'm 5 or 6 gunshots away from killing the last demon in a large onslaught, only to have to do the whole thing again, and usually 2 or 3 times, because I got lucky that time 

@singlebanana - The chainsaw is infinitely useful, but boy howdy do you run out of fuel fast! Rationing is right, and I found that it was best to save it for enemies I had trouble with, like the "warping" demons, or some of the big fellas that shoot fire and fireballs at you, that have shielding. For those guys, I found that, outside of grenade cheesing, catching them from behind, or using either the rocket launcher or Guass Cannon, they generally took the most time for me to take out. Even the Baron of Hell enemies generally go down faster, because they don't have shielding.

I was having fun with the game yesterday, so I pressed on past the weekly goal, and am now in the Lazarus lab facing the Cyberdemon. Holy cow, is this thing going to take some time to figure out how to kill.

[zophar53]

I loved the Cyberdemon fight, but yeah, it's intense! I tended to make a beeline for the BFG ammo and hit him with a couple blasts from that right off the bat. Except sometimes my aim would be off and I'd whiff it. Super annoying when that happened.

I'm glad to hear everyone's enjoying the game enough to push through the difficulty

[singlebanana]

I loved the Cyberdemon fight, but yeah, it's intense! I tended to make a beeline for the BFG ammo and hit him with a couple blasts from that right off the bat. Except sometimes my aim would be off and I'd whiff it. Super annoying when that happened.

I'm glad to hear everyone's enjoying the game enough to push through the difficulty

Just a little something I noticed, but I typically fired my BFG when my health was low. Firing it and switching weapons quickly on a stunned boss causes them to spew health. I could typically earn full health this way and rinse and repeat this tactic when necessary.

[zophar53]

Oh that's interesting. I never noticed that connection before. Nice tip!

[Duke.Togo]

OK, I'm woefully behind, but I got through the Foundry last night. Spent an eternity looking for the key card. I REALLY wish it gave you a map marker or at least a visual clue when they are on a corpse.

[MetalFRO]

OK, I'm woefully behind, but I got through the Foundry last night. Spent an eternity looking for the key card. I REALLY wish it gave you a map marker or at least a visual clue when they are on a corpse.

I'm assuming this is the case between versions, and also assuming you've seen this before, but just in case: if you see a corpse with a highlight around it, go check it out, because it will likely have a Praetor token or keycard.

I beat the Cyberdemon last night, and got myself past the next level, so I think I'm close, if not in, the home stretch!

[singlebanana]

First rule of Doomsday: Always check corpses.

[zophar53]

OK, I'm woefully behind, but I got through the Foundry last night. Spent an eternity looking for the key card. I REALLY wish it gave you a map marker or at least a visual clue when they are on a corpse.

I agree the key cards aren't highlighted very well. The praetor tokens glow red, but I never spotted anything like that to highlight the key cards. I had a couple spots where I was wandering around lost looking for them myself when I first played.

I beat the Cyberdemon last night, and got myself past the next level, so I think I'm close, if not in, the home stretch!

You're getting there, only a few levels left. But there's a couple surprises left in store

[MetalFRO]

I have the Crucible! The fight against the Hell Guards is pretty intense, and there are some interesting attacks in the mix. I realize that this can be true for much of the game, but I found the key to this battle was to find a rhythm. For many of the earlier onslaughts, I could fudge my way through them, because you can rely on glory kills to replenish health and ammo, but you only get occasional ammo in this boss encounter, so you really have to get a sense of how these guys move, where you can go to avoid attacks, and which weapon will work best to whittle down their energy.

[zophar53]

I have the Crucible! The fight against the Hell Guards is pretty intense, and there are some interesting attacks in the mix. I realize that this can be true for much of the game, but I found the key to this battle was to find a rhythm. For many of the earlier onslaughts, I could fudge my way through them, because you can rely on glory kills to replenish health and ammo, but you only get occasional ammo in this boss encounter, so you really have to get a sense of how these guys move, where you can go to avoid attacks, and which weapon will work best to whittle down their energy.

I loved the Hell Guard boss battle. It's probably in my top 3 most nerve-wracking, edge of my seat parts of the whole game, but very cool. He's got some attacks that kept me on the defensive more than any other fight in the game, especially in the second phase. I haven't seen anything like it in a Doom game before. But yeah, paying attention and learning his moves was really helpful.

[singlebanana]

I have the Crucible! The fight against the Hell Guards is pretty intense, and there are some interesting attacks in the mix. I realize that this can be true for much of the game, but I found the key to this battle was to find a rhythm. For many of the earlier onslaughts, I could fudge my way through them, because you can rely on glory kills to replenish health and ammo, but you only get occasional ammo in this boss encounter, so you really have to get a sense of how these guys move, where you can go to avoid attacks, and which weapon will work best to whittle down their energy.

I loved the Hell Guard boss battle. It's probably in my top 3 most nerve-wracking, edge of my seat parts of the whole game, but very cool. He's got some attacks that kept me on the defensive more than any other fight in the game, especially in the second phase. I haven't seen anything like it in a Doom game before. But yeah, paying attention and learning his moves was really helpful.

The boss battles finally come around the 3/4 mark of the game, small gripe. They are interesting in the sense that you really have to learn them and figure out the patterns. A lot of times this includes some platforming elements, including kneeling.  I found them all pretty intuitive and enjoyable, but yeah, the Hell Guard was intense! Whatttttttttttt?? 

Spoiler (hover to show)

**When two more guards pop up after the long battle with the first**

[singlebanana]

Just a heads up, we are recording the Doom (2016) podcast this weekend with our pal Travis (zophar53).  A new segment of our show includes reading out the "Final Thoughts" of our participants before giving our opinion. We are recording a bit earlier this time, because we have some upcoming recording conflicts due to vacations and what not. I know that some of you have not finished the game yet, so please carry on, but for those of you who have, we would love to hear your final thoughts on the game.  Please feel free to post them here on the forum under a spoiler tag if you are commenting on any "spoilery" narrative stuff (not that there is anything to spoil storywise, but maybe some of the events are surprising??) .  After the month is over, I will remove the tags. Thank you for playing with us this month and for your support of the show!

[MetalFRO]

I just beat the game, about 10 minutes or so ago. I can't remember exactly how long ago now, because the credits take for flipping ever to get through!

Final Thoughts!
The reboot of DOOM takes the original formula in an interesting new direction; it's fast, frantic, intense, and a white knuckle experience from the very first enemy encounter. The new enemies provide variety, and the large cast of returning enemies up the ante, with much more speed and aggression than the first 2 games provided, and the platforming elements brought a whole new dimension to the classic formula. The game's soundtrack, a mixture of industrial and djent, kept pace with the mood of the game, from the more ambient droning between fights, and during exploration sequences, while the high octane metal segments heighten the anticipation of battles, and as the number and strength of foes intensifies, so does the music. The graphics are amazing, even on the Switch version (which I played), and the overall experience is definitely worth the ride. The game begins to overstay its welcome slightly by the end, as the sheer number of enemies you have to dispatch before the final boss encounter is a bit ludicrous, but honestly, I am happy to have played through this game, and it's making me even more excited to pick up Wolfenstein II as soon as I can.