DOOM [Gameplay #2] - Pain & Gain
1After having played through the first few campaign maps it's now clear that the level design is more expansive and open-ended than I initially thought, which does give the whole experience more of a classic Doom feel (even if the moment-to-moment gameplay is only superficially similiar to early games in the series). You're obviously meant to explore thoroughly and search for secret areas with hidden power-ups, but I sometimes find it difficult to even figure out how to accomplish the main mission objectives since the available waypoints are less self-explanatory than they intially seem and the all-important key cards are not marked on the minimap. The checkpoint-based save system is reasonable but it's possible to lose important progress by exploring a lot and then die right before a save point and then be disorientingly transported back to some entirely different part of the map.
The FPS action so far has been exciting and satisfying but neither the weapon nor enemy design is as distinctive or inventive as what was available in the original games. Doom 2016 has a technically polished but artistically bland look to it, and apart from a much-needed splash of color there's definitely a strong Doom 3 vibe going on here. That feels like a missed opportunity this many years after the third game was criticized for being boring in general.