—Ryan Williams, B1Daily

Stand and fight. That’s the tagline for the latest entry in the Doom series—and I won’t lie, this is the most approachable Doom I’ve ever played. Take that with a grain of salt, though. I’m not exactly a Doom superfan—far from it. In fact, I mostly skipped the series until Doom 64. I know, I know… that’s kind of sad. But I’ve always been a console gamer at heart.

Even though I’ve recently upgraded to a more “beefy GP” (a term I picked up from a gaming podcast I listen to in car line—shoutout to DLC, lol), I still prefer a controller over mouse and keyboard. It just feels more natural to me. Doom has always felt too fast-paced and too “PC” for my taste. I’ve tried this latest trilogy on both Xbox Series X and PC—Doom (2016) felt dated, Doom Eternal was nauseatingly fast, but I downloaded Doom: The Dark Ages out of pure FOMO… and, surprisingly, this one might be just right.

So why the change of heart? It’s all about the feel. I’ve always preferred heavy, weighty shooters over the twitchy, reflex-heavy kind. Some of my all-time favorites are Killzone 3, Halo 2, Gears of War, and Battlefield 1942—even though Battlefield: Vietnam had the better soundtrack. I like my shooters with a little heft, unlike Quake, classic Doom, or modern titles like Apex or Fortnite.

When I picked up the controller and tried jumping as this new incarnation of the Doom Slayer, I was pleasantly surprised—he’s got no hops. You’re a tank in this game. Literally. Jump off a cliff onto some unsuspecting demons and they explode from the shockwave. I love it. That’s not to say “Doom Guy” can’t move—he can still zip around the battlefield using a shield-charge mechanic—but this is a strategic shooter, not a sweaty reflex-fest.

There’s a story here, but five hours in, it’s pretty forgettable. What’s not forgettable are the graphics and frame rate—both are spectacular in motion. I don’t know how id Software keeps engineering top-tier game engines, but this entry is firing on all cylinders. Will this be the first Doom game I actually finish? Who knows. But Doom: The Dark Ages is resonating with me in a way no other entry in the series ever has—and for that, I’ve got to give Doom Slayer his props.

Ryan Williams is certified information systems security professional, CEO of RAM Cyber Consulting & Assessments and Host of The Other Side of the Firewall Podcast

—-Ryan Williams, B1Daily