Re: What Have You Been Playing... IN MAY 2025?

On Mon, 02 Jun 2025 10:21:29 -0400, Spalls Hurgenson
<spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:

On Mon, 02 Jun 2025 06:56:11 +0100, Mr Rob
<noemailformethx@jsjsaiiowppw.com> wrote:

DOOM: The Dark Ages

So much Doom in one month! Kudos to you! May the spawn of hell tremble
at your coming!

I'm pretty sure I'm done with "The Dark Ages".

I got to chapter 16 with one character and then started again to try
to find more of the secrets. Not because I particularly care about
secrets in games, but because some of the items to be found make your
character stronger much more quickly.

I then got as far as completing chapter 19 of 22. I haven't really
felt like playing it again since then.

Overall, I did get some enjoyment out of the game. The early chapters
felt tedious at times due to the weakness of weapons and the
comparative strength of melee/parry and shield throw/bash. The latter
chapters were more palatable. The weapons upgrades meant a better
balance with the shield and the flail (or whatever melee weapon you
choose to go with).

At around chapter 15 or 16 you get the DOOM equivalent of the "Serious
Bomb" which is well balanced by the scarcity of ammunition and the
fact that you cause yourself huge damage when using it at anything
other than great distance. It's not a viable weapon in small areas. I
used it a few times but then completely forgot that I had it.

Overall, I'm glad that I did not pay £60 for the experience. I played
it via Gamepass so definitely got my moneys' worth out of a "free"
game.

It's arguably the best of the modern DOOM series, which perhaps does
not say much for the other two games.


The good:

The graphics are really good. The larger maps in particular look very
well done. The external areas are enjoyable to work through. My
favourite map was "Siege - Part 1" which is a large area which can be
tackled in any order that the player pleases. Some of the inner maps
are also great to look at and combat can be fun except in those areas
where the player gets walled in until all the demons are dead, and
usually a mini-boss as well.


The indifferent:

The secrets. Finding them is often a chore, but the need to have them
means that the player is constantly looking at the map to see which
areas he/she has not yet visited. Watch any YouTube video that covers
secrets in this game and see the insane amount of map reading needed
in every single chapter. It is pretty immersion breaking to be in and
out of the map screen literally every few seconds.


The bad:

The Titan and Dragon sequences, Deary, deary me. what *were* they
thinking? From the perspective of the story and cut scenes, I suppose
there might be an argument to be had that they fit in with the games'
lore. But for goodness sake they ruin the flow of the game and are not
at all fun to work through. I dreaded them coming and mentally cheered
when I had finished them.

The walled in maps with dozens of demons. Often tiny areas with no
spot for shelter or respite. Just speeding round and round picking up
health and armour and occasionally throwing the shield and getting a
few shots in until the lower demons are thinned out enough for you to
try to tackle the stronger ones. Boring, boring, boring. Too many of
them and too predictable about where they will be. If there's a
valuable pick-up,  you get to know what is coming as soon as you enter
the area.

Overall score 6/10

--
Rob