I’ve developed a formidable yoga routine that keeps my demons at bay. It’s the only source of fortitude I have against the nightmares spawned in the new Doom.  At average difficulty the game lists fearlessness as a key to successful play.  They mean it.  The heart-pounding action during scenes of carnage are punctuated by breathing room between areas.  Rushing headlong at the demons is sometimes the only path to success, even when the horrors I’m facing tickle my sympathetic nervous system. 

An element termed “glory kills” adds great cinematic elements to the fast-faced battles.  Reminds me of the combo fighting style Rocksteady developed for their epicly fun Batman series.  The different types of glory kills conjure a Mortal Combat fatality aspect that is extra gratifying without the complicated button pushing.  At Hurt Me Plenty difficulty the glory kills are mostly for fun and slightly tactical because a side effect is health gain.  Higher difficulties probably presses the glory into a necessity for survival.  I can only hope the multiplayer carries this feature over.

Sure the art is beautiful but my favorite part of the game is that it’s clearly made by people who grew up loving the same games I did.  The TLC shown to the plot feels like a mash-up of Half Life and Duke Nukem.  I half expect to find nudie mags in the bathroom stalls.  I’d appreciate the nod.  Campaign Mode is on par with Quake, my personal favorite from that era, and I’m already convinced I’d play this game through at least twice.  I almost never enjoy FPS games for more than a minute because they all feel the same in the end.  Notable exceptions are Half Life 2, Resistance: Fall of Man and now, Doom.