Doom has been on my bucket list for a while already, due to a number of reasons. The first, naturally, because it's such an acclaimed title and a milestone in the first-person shooter genre. The second, because of nostalgia. I had fond memories of my older brother playing this game while I stared at the screen, oblivious to what was actually happening. I was prepared for an outdated, clunky game, and a so-so experience. I was met with a fantastic experience that I will never forget. Many modern games stand to learn from Doom. How the game barely wastes your time (in fact, keycard-hunting is probably the only thing amounting to timewasting in Doom). How every second is spend in action. If you decide to do pistol starts, or challenge runs (i.e. no saving mid-way through levels) the replay value grows exponentially. - The game's graphics have aged nicely, in my opinion. It's certainly much more of a looker than some 2000s games, thanks to its reliance on sprites as opposed to blurry textures polygons. - The sound design deserves special praise. A shooter lives by its action, and sound design makes a dramatic difference as it can make (or break) its weapon arsenal. Here, Doom excels. - The enemy variety is good, and no enemy is particularly aggravating. We have Doom II to thank for that. - Many of the levels flow nicely. Others, not so much, unfortunately. Still, Doom is proof that first-person shooters rely on level design just as much as their basic game mechanics (of which Doom, actually, has very little). A must buy, even as someone new to the genre.
Obsidian's New Vegas was a return to form for the franchise. The game takes the first person 3D perspective from Bethesda's Fallout 3, alongside plenty of its mechanics, and on top of tweaking them (for the better) adds new features of its own, like traits (from the original Fallouts), gun customization and iron sights (inspired by mods for Fallout 3), a Hardcore mode with basic needs (food, water, and sleep), survival recipes, a reputation system that almost entirely replaces the flawed Karma system of Fallout 3, and factions you can side with in order to alter the plot. The writing, in addition, is top notch. New Vegas isn't a perfect game. Engine is almost the same as Fallout 3's, so you can consider this game as an "expansion" to Fallout 3, though New Vegas stands perfectly on its own as a full release. It was very buggy on release, and most importantly, it isn't as challenging as the original titles were, which takes away from the experience. jsawyer is a mod developed by the game's Lead Designer, Joshua Sawyer. It makes the game considerably more challenging and in-tune with the classics. If you must play New Vegas and you have experience with Fallout 3 or slightly hardcore RPGs, I suggest you get that mod and play the game as Sawyer would have intended you to. The difference it makes to the experience is huge, and you won't regret it. If after that you decide you want a tougher wasteland experience, Vicious Wastes (from the Nexus) is an excellent, punishing alternative.
Obsidian's New Vegas was a return to form for the franchise. The game takes the first person 3D perspective from Bethesda's Fallout 3, alongside plenty of its mechanics, and on top of tweaking them (for the better) adds new features of its own, like traits (from the original Fallouts), gun customization and iron sights (inspired by mods for Fallout 3), a Hardcore mode with basic needs (food, water, and sleep), survival recipes, a reputation system that almost entirely replaces the flawed Karma system of Fallout 3, and factions you can side with in order to alter the plot. The writing, in addition, is top notch. New Vegas isn't a perfect game. Engine is almost the same as Fallout 3's, so you can consider this game as an "expansion" to Fallout 3, though New Vegas stands perfectly on its own as a full release. It was very buggy on release, and most importantly, it isn't as challenging as the original titles were, which takes away from the experience. jsawyer is a mod developed by the game's Lead Designer, Joshua Sawyer. It makes the game considerably more challenging and in-tune with the classics. If you must play New Vegas and you have experience with Fallout 3 or slightly hardcore RPGs, I suggest you get that mod and play the game as Sawyer would have intended you to. The difference it makes to the experience is huge, and you won't regret it. If after that you decide you want a tougher wasteland experience, Vicious Wastes (from the Nexus) is an excellent, punishing alternative.
