The new Doom game asks a question absolutely no one cared about: What if this was a game about a shield? PC screenshot captured by the author.

Doom: The Dark Ages Is Such a Strange Beast

A trilogy in a hopeless search for an identity

I had a mostly great time blasting my way through Doom: The Dark Ages over the last couple of weeks…but this is also the first time in my entire four decades of life where a new Doom game doesn’t feel like a proper cultural event.

This is a series usually known for pushing boundaries, and just as often for creating the very lines that define its own genre. The original Doom transformed first person gaming from a fun tech experiment into a full-blown industry, changing notions about what was possible with speed and gameplay mechanics from that perspective and spawning a design legacy that is still going strong. The sequel perfected the art, and is still one of the best-playing games ever made.

Doom 3 was a weird and interesting thing, and it’s my secret favorite Doom game. Yes, I’m one of those guys. It took the game firmly into the horror realm, but kept the same smooth gameplay mechanics and quick action, all while introducing beautiful real-time shadows and normal maps. Its most contentious gameplay decision was forcing players to choose between using a flashlight or a gun, something that later re-releases would patch out. It’s a shame, because that choice permeated the entire game design and added so much tension while also showing off the…