The 2016 version of Doom is a real return to form for the series that has lost its way in recent years. At a time when modern shooters are all about recharging health bars, tactical reloads and shooting from cover this feels like a real rejuvenation for first person shooters. Firstly the gameplay is fast, very fast in fact. You won't be taking cover waiting for your shield to recharge or reloading every other second, this is all about intense in your face gameplay that rewards aggressive play and fast reflexes. As the Doom Slayer you are tasked with wiping the forces of hell from from a science base located on Mars and are given a large variety of weapons (many of them classic Doom weapons) in which to do this with. Destroying monsters provides you with health and armour so when you are low on health the best thing to do is to get back into the action and get some kills. This together with not having to reload your weapons means the action is both tense and relentless but also a great deal of fun. The controls are responsive and precise and there is a great deal of satisfaction to be had when discovering how best to take down a particular demon. There are stacks of brilliantly designed gruesome demons that you will encounter throughout Dooms 20 hour single player campaign and by the end when you are seemingly fighting thousands of these monstrosities the skills that you have acquired will be thoroughly tested. Boss fights in the game are delightfully old school with each one having a different skill set for you to try and memorise and master, and when you do the battles are frantic but beautifully choreographed. You'll be jumping and ducking below laser, hurdling plasma and returning fire with a volley of rockets. There is a good story located within Doom and is mainly told through descriptive codex entries found throughout the game. It does not get in the way of the action but is there if you want to look for it and is full of Doom lore and history. On top of the fast paced gun-play you also get some RPG elements like levelling up your armour and gaining access to mods for your weapons which help to add a little variety to the game.
Playing the game on Xbox One was great and did not encounter any technical issues. There was no frame rate issues to report which helped the game to run fast and smooth. The numerous battles in Doom take place to heavy metal music which again helps to imbue the fights with a sense of anxiety and really ramps up the tension. The graphics were outstanding and really helped to provide character and individuality to each level. Whilst we are on the topic of levels, each one is full of fun secrets and easter eggs to find so it's always worth having a good explore.
Outside of the single player the game has competitive multiplayer which has all the modes you'd expect, a handy feature called snapmap that allows you to design your own levels and modes, and you can also take part in rune trials which allow you to tackle scenarios with specific rules attached and you can also play through levels from the classic Doom games of the 90's.
To conclude, if you are looking for a lightning fast first person shooter that takes all the best part from 90's shooters and melds that with just enough features from todays FPS's then you are in for a treat. If mangling a demon with a super shotgun blast to the face is your thing then pick this up.