Doom (2016)

Doom (previously titled Doom 4) is a reboot of the Doom series released worldwide for, , and on. It is the third major game released by id Software and published by Bethesda Softworks since their acquisition by ZeniMax Media, following  and Doom 3: BFG Edition. Early planning and development began in August 2007, and is still continuing with the release of patches, packs, and planned updates. The game features a story detailing the invasion of the UAC Mars Base by the forces of Hell.

The new Doom has been built on a successor to id Software's game engine which id Software has dubbed id Tech 6. Gameplay-wise the game resembles the action-oriented nature of the classic Doom games much more than the horror style of Doom 3, with a heavy emphasis on strong weapons, fast and agile player movement, and quickly paced encounters with large groups of foes. From a graphic and architectural point of view, its advanced designs are aesthetically closer to Doom 3 in some regards, but with many deliberate nods to the original series, particularly with respect to its new enemy designs.

Story
A team of UAC researchers has spent years on Mars developing technologies for interdimensional exploration after the discovery of an infinite source of power known as Argent energy, and its connections to Hell. Led by Dr. Samuel Hayden, former chairman of the UAC and director of the facilities on Mars, they built the Argent Tower, a huge device to extract this energy from Hell, filter and purify it, and make it usable by human technologies, solving all of Earth's ongoing energy crises. However, this came at great cost. Dr. Hayden was forced to transfer his brain and consciousness into a cyborg body after he developed brain cancer during the tower's construction. Regardless, research continued, with Dr. Hayden leading multiple expeditions into Hell, bringing back captive demons and numerous artifacts for study.

The corrupting influences of Hell could not be held back, and some staff members, particularly Dr. Olivia Pierce, would prove vulnerable to seduction by the dark powers of the demons. Dr. Pierce oversaw the transformation of the UAC into a regimented cult dedicated to the worship of the demons, and bent her sights on using the Argent energy to rip open a permanent portal to Hell.

During UAC expeditions to Hell, Dr. Hayden uncovered evidence in an artifact known as the Helix Stone of an ancient warrior trapped in Hell known as the Doom Slayer, who was feared and loathed by the demons for destroying vast numbers of them in battles waged across eons of time. He brought this warrior, who had been entombed in a sarcophagus by the demons, back to Mars to serve as a fail-safe in case the demons were to invade the base, with or without Olivia's help. As he feared, this happened when Olivia, after making a pact with the demons, unleashed a Hell Wave from the Lazarus Labs' Hell portal. The facility was invaded and most of its staff were killed or possessed.

The player awakens as the Doom Slayer, also known as the Doom Marine, at the beginning of the game with the invasion already in full swing, and must start out by reclaiming the powerful Praetor suit and fighting to find out the cause of the invasion. Meanwhile, Dr. Hayden tries to control the marine's actions to make sure he does things the way he wants them done, while Olivia continues to pursue the permanent opening of the Hell portal. The marine must try to stop her at all costs.

The Doom Slayer fights his way through the overrun facility and makes several excursions into Hell. He steals a magical blade called the Crucible, which he then uses to destroy the portal's power source. He shortly comes across Pierce, who transforms into the monstrous Spider Mastermind, and kills her. Upon the Doom Slayer's return to Mars, Hayden confiscates the Crucible, which he plans to use to continue his research. Despite all that has happened, Hayden states that Earth is too desperate for energy to give up. To prevent the Doom Slayer from interfering, Hayden teleports him to an undisclosed location using the tethering device, saying that they will meet again.

Game elements
As the new Doom is still in the process of release, details may rapidly emerge and could likely change without warning. However, the following articles summarize what is currently known in the corresponding subject areas and will be updated when new information becomes available.

Monsters

 * Baron of Hell
 * Cacodemon
 * Cyber-mancubus
 * Cyberdemon
 * Harvester (Multiplayer Exclusive)
 * Hell guard
 * Hell knight
 * Hell razer
 * Imp
 * Lost soul
 * Mancubus
 * Pinky
 * Possessed
 * Prowler (Multiplayer Exclusive)
 * Revenant
 * Spectre
 * Spider Mastermind
 * Summoner
 * The Unwilling

Single- and multiplayer

 * BFG-9000
 * Chaingun
 * Chainsaw
 * Combat shotgun
 * Gauss cannon
 * Heavy assault rifle
 * Pistol (single-player only without Unto the Evil DLC)
 * Plasma rifle
 * Rocket launcher
 * Super shotgun

Multiplayer only

 * Burst rifle
 * Hellshot
 * Lightning gun
 * Static cannon
 * Vortex rifle

Items and mechanics

 * Argent energy
 * Argent cell
 * Codex
 * Frag grenade
 * Glory kill
 * Rune
 * Siphon grenade
 * Supplies (Ammo/Armor/Health)

Powerups

 * Demon rune
 * Haste
 * Invisibility
 * Personal teleporter
 * Quad damage
 * Shield

Characters

 * Samuel Hayden
 * Olivia Pierce
 * VEGA

Lore

 * Doom marine
 * Praetor suit
 * Union Aerospace Corporation
 * Hell

Development history
Doom, previously titled Doom 4, was confirmed to be in development by id Software as early as May 7th, 2008. Very little information was given on the development process, and by 2013, Doom 4 was declared to be in "" after reports of mismanagement. Those who worked on the early version of Doom 4 compared it to gritty, scripted military shooters such as Call of Duty. Shortly after Doom 4 was declared to be in development hell, key members of id Software resigned. Todd Hollenshead, John Carmack, and many other employees resigned, leaving id Software short handed. Doom seemed as if it would never be released, until the multiplayer beta was announced.

People who pre-ordered copies of  were promised access to the beta test for Doom. Although the information was vague, it was the first news regarding Doom 4 (now re-branded simply as "DOOM") since Kotaku's article in 2013. The game would go on to be shown to a private audience at, followed by a public reveal with the first solid information on the game appearing at , where publisher Bethesda held its first-ever full-scale presentation.

The closed beta test began on March 31, 2016, and ran through April 3. A beta open to all Steam, Xbox Live, and Playstation Network users followed shortly after, beginning on April 15 and lasting until April 18. The full game was released on May 13, 2016, to glowing critical reception.

Influences
The atmosphere and design of the game's Hell levels was heavily influenced by the  of Polish painter, most renowned for his later "fantastic period," which featured disturbing images of gloomy environments with detailed scenes of death, decay, landscapes filled with skeletons, deformed figures and deserts.

Creative director Hugo Martin cited 's dark fantasy painting , and others in its series, as an inspiration for the game's method of story telling and characterization, with many details left in "shadow" so as to engage the player's imagination and to invite solutions to the plot's unanswered questions.

Single-player demo
On June 12, 2016, a playable demo was released through Steam, allowing players to "Fight Like Hell through the opening level of the first-person shooter's single-player campaign."

Unto the Evil
The first multiplayer DLC pack, "Unto the Evil," was announced at the 2016 Bethesda E3 conference on June 12, and was slated to introduce three new maps, the harvester demon, and bring the UAC EMG pistol into multiplayer, amongst other minor perks such as additional armors, paints, and decals.

The DLC pack was released on August 4, 2016, accompanied by a 'Now Available' trailer.

Free updates
Several free updates are pending release to all three major components of the game, including introduction of a centered weapon mode and artistic screenshot tool for single player, capture the flag and capture-and-hold modes for multiplayer, and new modules, items, props, and proper single-player mode support for SnapMap. A Hell-themed module set will be a welcome addition, and the ability to add skybox windows will help to open up layouts.

The first update arrived on June 30, 2016 and the second update on July 29, 2016. The third update returned Deathmatch to the game and added the new Private Matches feature along with Campaign and SnapMap updates, and was released on September 22, 2016. A new competitive addition to the Single-Player Campaign, called Arcade Mode, is scheduled for release some time during Fall 2016.