DOOM: The Dark Ages

I feel bad for Mick Gordon, but this is an amazing game. Art direction is top tier, and im glad gameplay is not just copy of Doom Eternal because Doom Eternal already exists.

It's alright but falls short of DOOM: Eternal in terms of weapon function and identity. This is a DOOM for those who hated Eternal and the need to rapidly swap weapons when in combat against the hordes of Hell. The shield and melee options can help you beat the game without relying much on weapon swapping so you can stick to your fave gun from start to finish even on Nightmare difficulty. Some people will like that, some people won't.

The dragon and mech sections added a bit of variety to the pacing of the campaign so you don't get fatigued from just mowing down demons on foot.

I like that id Software always experiments with each iteration of DOOM but I'm just not a fan of parrying and the added focus on melee weapons which for me takes away from the shooting experience.

Buy at the normal price for one of the best AAA FPS released this year and if Eternal wasn't your cup of tea, buy on sale if DOOM Eternal is your fave DOOM and you just want more DOOM.

A few hours before the release of Revelations and today Microslop laid off around half of iD Software.
I raise my glass to one of the most memorable and incredible trilogies of recent times in our hobby!

First of all - be damned microsoft. They fired half of id software - one of best developers in gaming industry. Imo - microsoft should burn in Hell for that right where Doomguy is butchering demons.
id Tech is a magnificent engine—not just "one of many," but truly the greatest. It powers the entire *Doom* series, the new *Wolfenstein* dilogy, and the fantastic *Indiana Jones and The Great Circle*. It gives exceptional performance even on old hardware.
These fires were likely because of future attempt to force-switch to UE which is easier for generic hamsters.
Careful. If you're gamer enough - phrase "DOOM on UE engine" might cause a stroke.
As for the game - Dark Ages might be slightly weaker than Eternal (which is not a big deal because its extremeley difficult to get that high). It might be not perfect, or best one in new trilogy, but it's admirable that id actually tried to re-imagine gameplay once more, providing still one of the best arcade FPS in industry with gameplay different in each game.
I sincerely hope (yet have highest doubts) that id and industry will be able to recover after that. But for now - i'd like to press F and express immense grattitude to everyone who participated in creating such magnificent trilogy.
Goodnight, Sweet Prince

I’m a 40 year old gamer who has been playing DOOM since the 90s, starting with Doom II. After all these years, it’s honestly amazing that this series can still feel fresh.

First rule: don’t compare this to Doom Eternal or Doom. Each game does something different, and The Dark Ages chooses a heavier, more grounded combat style that works beautifully. The parry system sounded weird at first, but once it clicks, combat becomes incredibly satisfying, brutal, rhythmic, and empowering. The visuals are gorgeous, the art direction is wild, and the performance is impressively smooth. Optimization like this deserves praise. The new RT system is in the DNA of the engine and makes the game beautiful, even on low setting.

The soundtrack by Finishing Move Inc fits perfectly. It shouldn’t be compared to Mick Gordon. Just appreciate it on its own terms. And some tracks absolutely slap for real.
Surprisingly, the story is also strong for a DOOM title, filling gaps between previous games while making the Slayer feel more myth than man. I told a friend that even the warriors of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 don’t feel this unstoppable and wild.

I don't want to waste your time. The final point: Life as a gamer just isn’t the same without DOOM.
It’s not just a game. It’s adrenaline in its purest form. It feels old and in the same time, It's freakin' fresh!

I'm giving this one a recommend, but with caveats. Please note - I have played this game on Nightmare difficulty so your mileage may vary based on what challenge level you choose.
Doom: The Dark Ages is quite a departure from 2016 and Eternal, but I personally think that change is okay. I enjoyed the block mechanics and the chainsaw-shield is just plain cool. All the characters get a dark-medieval themed redesign which looks pretty nice as well, and the level designs overall are also interesting to look at. If you want the frantic running about that exists in Eternal however, this may not be the game for you.
The story, while somewhat nonsensical and over-the-top is pretty enjoyable if you are okay with leaving logic out of the picture, something that kinda goes hand in hand with the Doom games if you ask me. The problem however is the pacing. Past the halfway point the chapters start to drag their feet with not much to offer in the way of "progression". From the 22 chapters that exist, things are great from Chapter 1 to 13 but then only start properly picking up from around Chapter 18 again. I do strongly feel that more story could have been packed in to allow for a richer, more rewarding experience. I understand that a lot of old-timers would like Doom to just be a barebones boomer-shooter game with the story merely existing for the sake of being there, but I believe that modern AAA games need to offer more than just that (I should mention that I'm not a kid either, the original Doom on Windows 95 was my first videogame).
I do wish there were more boss battles spaced out during the chapters too. As it stands, they're all crammed in at the very end, which allows for an exciting finale, but not much in the sense of big milestones along the way.
Having bought the premium edition at full price, I absolutely would not recommend getting this without some sort of sale. The game is just too expensive for what it is, even if you can afford the sticker price. I hope that the campaign DLC that they have promised will come along and remedy this, but only time will tell.
TL;DR : Cool game if you want to try something that is different from Doom Eternal. Pick it up on sale.

Oh I understand now - Microsoft saw this DLC being developed and thought it was just TOO DAMN GOOD, so they had to gut id Software to make it fair on everyone else making shooters. Got it. Idiots.