DOOM: The Dark Ages

[i]I touched upon some key factors that I think are VERY important, so let's begin.[/i] [h3]The Graphics and Performance[/h3] [hr][/hr] I really like what they did this time around. Using max settings, 4K, DLSS set to DLAA, I get a high refresh rate experience that looks absolutely nuts. The game also features path-tracing, but at 2K, DLSS set to DLAA I only hit about 45 to 50 fps, and DLSS quality looks too blurry, so I suggest enabling DLAA with path-tracing setting only if you own a 5090. The environments look insane, with open big areas, where you mow through hordes of enemies. objects move now and interact with the player, there are a lot of destroyable objects as well, like barrels and huts, and wood fences, really cool. We also have cut-scenes, where we can see and explore other characters that we saw in previous entries, but for the sake of not spoiling anything, I will refrain from talking about this. [h3]The Sound Design and Music Score[/h3] [hr][/hr] I know [i]Mick[/i] didn't work on this, I can [i]feel[/i] it. The soundtrack is not bad, it's pretty good, the main menu theme is a banger, yet it feels a little bit worse than the scores in DOOM 2016 and DOOM ETERNAL. The sound design is solid, better than in the last games. [h3]The Game-Play [/h3] [hr][/hr] Here we are. Doom The Dark Ages is very different from the previous entries. It's slow, but somehow also fast. I am playing on the [i]Nightmare[/i] difficulty, it's easy, I also changed the parry window and perfect parry to one notch lower. It's fast when it comes to fighting, but also slow when it comes to executing the fight, which is really strange and I think I have mixed feelings about this. I don't get sweaty, I don't know how to explain it better than this, it's [i]casual[/i] in my opinion, which is a bummer considering it's a modern boomer shooter. I remember that the developers said something about exploration, that now it's also based on exploring a lot [i](i. e. the game)[/i], but I have about 2 hours and I already finished 2 chapters with 100% exploration [i](from the total of 22 chapters)[/i] which proves that the game is not that [b]"big"[/b] as it wants to seem. Only time will tell, after I finish it you will see how many hours it took me. [h3]The Verdict[/h3] [hr][/hr] This game is cool, and I like the way they choose to built the world and story, but the action left me wanting much more [i](at least till now)[/i], I am glad I waited for a discount, and for this price I think it's an ok deal, but the other entries were much more enjoyable in my opinion. Yeah the package is beautiful and cool, but the core is a little bit bitter, so, if you are a DOOM fan, definitely play it, but if you are unsure as to buying it now, I would advise you to wait for a discount, [i]7.5/10[/i]