DOOM isn't a reboot as much as it is a remake, and one that isn't just focused on the series, but on the genre itself. id Software's masterpiece is a fast and glorious first-person shooter that encompasses the best of gunplay, level design and music as you rip and tear demons in a re-imagining of the classic campaign in a new, remastered Hell.

Technically the fourth game in the franchise, DOOM kicks all prior attempts at the campaign and puts forth a compelling narrative that doesn't get in the player's way. id Software did a very wonderful job at recreating the original story in a fresh and new way while simultaneously keeping it light and engaging to the point where you're interested in what's going on but not drowning in cutscenes and dialogue. The pacing is tight and clean, giving you bits and pieces of the situation on both Mars and Hell while not being too fast or overwhelming. The best part comes from the game's lore, or that which you strive to discover; if players want, they have the ability to take a slight break from shredding hellspawn and collect data logs that help fill up the codex, a library of details regarding the situation currently deteriorating around the Doomslayer, albeit most of the info sparse (only to make it more intriguing).

No FPS you have ever played will match up to the eviscerating gunplay of DOOM. Guns don't need to be reloaded. Ammo can become sparse and must be used tactfully. Weakening demons allows you to Glory Kill them in a quick 3 second cutscene of gore and giblets. The music will send every ounce of blood in your beer belly straight to your fingertips and eyeballs. DOOM brings a brand new toolbox to the playing field filled with drill bits no game studio's heard of. Combat is obviously a big part of the game, and id Software mastered it; everything feels liquid smooth and shooting demons is fast and exhilarating. Watching their bodies explode and the skeleton of what was, moments ago, trying to kill you is very satisfying, just like getting a Glory Kill on a Pinky by ripping out it's tooth and shoving it into it's eye socket. Levels are designed so unbelievably well that everywhere you go there's always an advantage to use, be it a ledge to quickly evade a Hell Knight's ground-pound or a broken bridge to double-jump across to get away from that Cyber Mancubus.

DOOM's render pipeline is incredible. The amount of love poured into making the levels, demons and weapons is crystal clear, whether it's walking into the Foundry and feeling the heat from the oversized melting pot or the resonance of the crunch whenever you fire the Gauss Rifle. Quality of graphics is usually measured by how crisp and HD something looks, but with DOOM it goes further than that. The demons are abominations you'd never have thought of, ready to rip your limbs off and use them to violate all your orifices and the weapons are unique despite their reference to standard weapons (like the Shotgun or the Heavy Assault Rifle). Overall, the game's use of incredible new imagery, concepts and a straight-fire engine that allows for crazy cool post-processing makes for a visual stunner.

Mick Gordon is known for his work on Killer Instinct, Lawbreakers and Wolfenstein: The New Order, but DOOM is where he shot to the top of everyone's list. DOOM's soundtrack can't be criticized at all. It's a masterpiece of it's own and takes a game that already won the hearts of everyone with only a trailer and makes it even better. A growling, guitar and distortion-fueled score that makes the Doomslayer look soft in comparison (although, not really). Fights are ever more desirable due to Mick's kick-♥♥♥ riffs rolling in when Imps begin spawning in out of nowhere and even when running around in the Argent Tower looking for secrets, the ambient music turns what was a one-sided massacre into a session of intriguing exploration.

Buy DOOM. Do it. I guarantee you've never played a game like DOOM, even if you've scoured every last FPS on this planet. The fast-paced, ultra-violent, demon-killing, trigger-happy game is the perfect medley of near-perfect gameplay and music with a narrative overlay that makes playing the game feel both extremely enjoyable and even meaningful (definitely so when compared to the bajillions of sub-par offerings on Steam). You owe it to yourself as a gamer (and as a person, unless you're one of the Machinist's human-killing robots) to experience DOOM because it's not even a game - it's an experience like no other.