First Person Shooters: The Thread

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Personally, this game looked awesome to me since day one, so I'm really glad to see people enjoying it.

I think I'll be skipping DOOM.

The combat is great. The lack of regenerating health is great. The guns look great. The enemy design looks great. The music and sound effects sound great. The presentation is great, even if its missing color.

The level design is not.

It's missing the exploration just like I feared it would. The entire level design seems to be: narrow corridor, open room for shooting, narrow corridor, lots of shooting in open room, rinse and repeat. No puzzles, no tricky traps, or environmental hazards, and no tenseness really hurt it. Of all the ingredients in a DOOM game, level design is my #1 cavil with what I've seen. DOOM is level design above all else, and it doesn't look like they've got that down.

I was wrong.

I haven't been more wrong about a game ever.

This is probably going to be the GOTY.

I'm never going to let you live this one down, buddy!

[Spark Of Spirit]

I'm perfectly willing to admit when I was wrong. I was wrong.

And why aren't more people talking about this? It's insane.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

That's what I was wondering when it felt like I was the only one excited about this game and most other people looked skeptical.

Like I said, this is the most appealing FPS game (to me) that has come out since Halo: Reach, which was six years ago (showing you just how lame the genre has been lately).

[Foggle]

And why aren't more people talking about this? It's insane.

People are hating on it for the very same reasons we're excited for it.

Like I said, this is the most appealing FPS game (to me) that has come out since Halo: Reach, which was six years ago (showing you just how lame the genre has been lately).

I feel like there's usually only one good single-player FPS per year these days. The new Wolfenstein and Shadow Warrior games were amazing IMO.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

To be fair, I haven't played either of those, so I can't comment on them. Is the X360 version of Wolfenstein worth playing, or do I need to play it on a current-gen console for the game to be any good?

I'll look into Shadow Warrior as well. I also forgot about Bullet Storm, which while it wasn't amazing, was still a pretty well-done and entertaining FPS that came out after Reach, so there are at least a few good titles, I suppose.

[Foggle]

I'm honestly not sure how the last gen versions of TNO and TOB are. I did play the games on my aging PC, which meant that they looked kind of crappy and ran at about 25-40fps, and still had a blast, so I would assume they're still great on the Xbox 360, but it definitely requires some research before a blind buy just in case it's another Shadow of Mordor.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Only thing I'm hoping with DOOM is that the music isn't just over the top metal. I want level themes like this again. Atmospheric, high tension, and action packed all at the same time.

[Lord Dalek]

Either I'll wait for it to come down on the next Steam sale, or consider it a console purchase. Don't think my lappy can run Doom properly (even though the FPS on Wolfenstein is pretty decent).

[Spark Of Spirit]

All the recent DOOM talk made me pick up the collection for the PS3 on PSN (not BFG) which includes most of the original games and episodes. It never fails to impress me how well designed these games are, though it would have been nice to have DOOM 64 in there as well. Still my favorite FPS series.

[Spark Of Spirit]

All the recent DOOM talk made me pick up the collection for the PS3 on PSN (not BFG) which includes most of the original games and episodes. It never fails to impress me how well designed these games are, though it would have been nice to have DOOM 64 in there as well. Still my favorite FPS series.

I've been playing Wolfenstein 3D and DOOM I (and now II) side by side, and I'm having as much a great time as ever.

A few things, though.

The first three episodes of Wolfenstein (the main game) are as excellent as ever. They're basic by today's standards, but they are fun to run through. I like the variety, too. The first episode involves escaping from a prison, the second is infiltrating a lab of grotesque Nazi experiments, and the third is about crawling into Hitler's bunker and ending the war. They all play really well. But, I'm currently near the end of episode 4 and I just don't like it much. Too many narrow halls and obscure secrets (floor 5 is . . . wow, bad design) and annoying enemy placement. I now remember why every time I replay this game I usually stop after icing robo-Hitler.

DOOM is a classic. The three episodes of DOOM 1 feature great shooting and fantastic level design. Playing it back to back with Wolfenstein shows just how far id had come since then. But like episode 4 of Wolfenstein, I really don't like Thy Flesh Consumed. The level design is too obscure, again, and the enemy placement is usually unfair, bordering on sadistic. The bonus episode is such an obvious step down from DOOM 1 proper, that I can't imagine I'm the only one who feels this way.

DOOM II is still one of my favorite games. The secrets and shortcuts are masterful, the weapons are balanced even better, and the level design is incredibly clever. After beating DOOM, I decided to go straight to II and play only a level or two, and ended up playing 6. Really gotta say that I'm glad id went back to this style with the new game. It's still got some of the best level design ever in a shooter.

[Foggle]

I hate the enemy placement in Wolfenstein 3D past Episode 1 in general, but Episodes 4-6 are especially bad. Constantly hiding enemies that can 1-2 shot you behind walls is such a terrible way to make your game harder. Spear of Destiny is fucking impossible. The Doom games have aged way better IMO.

[Spark Of Spirit]

I got to play a lot of DOOM 4 today. I think I annoyed everyone around me because I turned off the compass, objective indicator, and tutorials. It was so cool being able to be lost in a new shooter level in 2016. But yeah, it's as great as you've heard.

[Foggle]

I turned off the ... objective indicator

I do this in any game I can! Always makes the experience so much better.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

With DOOM 4, Shadow Warrior 2, and Halo SPV3, this is looking like a good year for fans of old-school FPS design.

[Markness]

I beat DOOM 4 a while back and I had a blast with it. It's probably the most intense shooter game ever. It doesn't feel like you're just shooting the demons but unleashing your rage against them and making them wish they were never born.