DOOM: The Dark Ages

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The Good: The first-person gameplay loop is fantastic, as one might come to expect from a DOOM title. I love how id software innovated the combat loop by keeping resource management but implementing the shield as a means of both traversal and facilitating different, badass means of implementing physical combat. The graphics are top notch, id tech 8 is gorgeous and highly optimized. The cinematics, the visuals, skyboxes, backgrounds, particle effects, they're all breathtaking. Upgrade progression is rewarding and encourages exploring for gold and gems to max out weapons and shield abilities. The meh: The mech and dragon sections are a point of contention for many. I don't mind them for filler or as eye candy/spectacle. As far as challenge or a "meat and potatoes" kind of gameplay goes, it's really just fluff. It's meant to be a breather and a pace-changer from the FPS combat sections which granted, are 90% of the game (thankfully), but I really don't think this was a necessary way to change the pace. I would have found something that focuses more around the first-person perspective like Eternal's platforming sections or something a bit more involved, but I still enjoy these sections somewhat for what they are. I could take them or leave them. The "ugh": I don't like how much they leaned into cutscenes. DOOM 2016 was 99% from the Slayer's perspective: Doom Eternal took a few things from the Slayer's perspective... while TDA just went out of its way to take most cutscenes away from his perspective. I didn't care for the lean-in to the "cinematic movie drama" ♥♥♥♥ that DOOM 2016 was obviously making fun of. When Samuel Hayden said "Let's work together" in DOOM 2016, the Slayer smashed a monitor and did the opposite of everything he wanted. In TDA, the Slayer just does everything he's told because that's what the story says. I miss "doesn't give a f*** about the story" Slayer. Conclusion: Solid game. Great FPS, solid gameplay loop, love the difficulty customization, big maps, fun combat. The story isn't bad, just bloated and I don't care for the presentation and excessive dialog. I much preferred Doom 2016 and even Doom Eternal's more subtle "if you want lore, check the codex" style rather than the in your face movie style production cutscenes.