Doom, developed by id Software using their latest id Tech 6 graphics engine and published by Bethesda Software, is a relaunch of the long running successful video game franchise. Originally developed to be a sequel to 2004's Doom 3, which itself was a reboot of the franchise, the game has been re-designed and re-developed into yet another reboot of the franchise, mixing the high def graphics of its predecessor with the frantic action of the 1993 original, thus truly relaunching the franchise for a new generation of players and technology.
The original Doom, released in 1993, was a simple telling of the events that see future corporation the UAC's attempt to unlocking the secrets of teleportation from ancient Martian relics, only to open a gateway to Hell itself. But the 2004 sequel / reboot Doom 3 retold these events with an elaborate narrative using id Softwares id Tech 4 graphics engine, which heavily utilised bump mapping to create the illusion of multi-faceted textures. Being dark and atmopheric games, Doom 3 and its expansion pack The Resurrection of Evil suffered from a slow pace compared to the original with sparsely populated levels and the frequent requirement of the player to use their torchlight for navigation (a feature removed from the BFG Edition of the game) and peruse their PDA to assist in the games progression. Despite this however the game was hugely successful, being the developers most successful game to date.
Interesting inclusions in the gameplay of the new Doom are the use of the double jump and melee attacks, and the ability to vault over objects in the environment, staples in many other first person shooters, that for many years id Software have been hesitant to adopt. Another interesting inclusion are 'Finishers', similar in concept to 'Executions' from the Gears of War series, whereby when close up to a weakened enemy players can, at the press of a button, destroy their enemy in brutal fashion. Unlike previous instalments and spinoffs (the Quake series) the game features the double barrel shotgun, which previously only ever appeared in sequels and / or expansions. It seems as though all our favorite weapons will make a welcome return, with the icons displayed in the HUD for the Shotgun, Plasma Rifle, Heavy Assault Rifle and the Chainsaw suggesting that some weapons may have an alternate firing capability. Finally, though the ending of the gameplay trailer may have just been created for E3, its also possible that should this feature in the final game, players may end up controlling a demonic version of the games protagonist, similar in how the players character was converted into a Strogg in Quake 4's campaign.
Doom will be coming to Xbox One, Playstation 4 and Microsoft Windows PC by Spring 2016.
