Worgen said:
Wait, how is the new doom more shallow than the original?
I don't think it is. It's mechanically a lot more complex, and borrows heavily from later shooters.
Alt Fire modes are new. I don't remember if those got added to the series in Doom 3, but it means every weapon has three different versions in combat.
Upgrades are... kinda a plague on modern games. But, it does mean you have more potential approaches to a situation.
EDIT: I should probably add. Exploring your environment was always a natural element of Doom. Before that meant finding ammo and health. But, resources are so transient in Doom4, I kind of suspect the collectible system is there to make exploration feel more meaningful. A box of 16 shells and a cell pickup will be gone in the next fight, but an upgrade that lets you carry 10 more shells? That will stick with you.
The Rune system reminds me of Painkiller's tarot system. That might not be what they're referencing, but still, it means a lot more options in how you approach the game.
The platforming elements are new for Doom. At least in their current form.
The maps are
far more complex than what the Doom2 engine could handle. Specifically the over and under elements. To be fair, in the original game would have broken its mazes up more horizontally, while Doom4 goes vertical.
The Glory Kill system might look like dumbing down, but it changes moment to moment combat allowing the player to actually engage
in the arena, instead of picking off enemies at the edges. It does discourage a playstyle by incentivizing the intended approach, but, I'm not sure it's something that should be held against the game.
Pinkies and the Sentinels also force you to move amongst enemies, rather than just finding a comfortable pillar for cover. It's easy to point at that and say, "but, they're just copying other games," but the actual effect they have on gameplay is different. Usually shield guys are there to force flanking, here it's saying, "get into the fight."
The change from the chainsaw from a flat melee upgrade to a limited use "Fuck You" button is a fantastic change. It means you can eliminate an enemy you don't enjoy fighting, or get an instant ammo refill if you're getting desperate. Those two tension against each other nicely. And, off hand I can't think of any systems like that in the original games.
This is a very fluid and straightforward game. Most of the systems interact naturally with each other. It feels simple, but there is a lot going on, and a lot of it interacts with other systems. It is still about entering a room and murdering everything that looks at you funny, but that's what the classic Doom games were about. Doom4 is just embellishing and polishing that core.