[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgSrpnW0EmU&w=560&h=315]

Chris Wilson, Staff Writer

Rate – 5/5

Let us get the very obvious out of the way. This is not a game for the faint of heart, those who hate first person shooters (FSP) or slow-paced gaming.

The game’s key principles are all about “bad-ass demons, big effing guns, and moving really fast” according to ID Software executive producer Marty Stratton.

The Bethesda Softworks game was released May 13, 2016, and I bought it the same day. I was immediately a fan.

The game is set in the far future at a Mars research facility where researchers have found a way to draw energy from Hell to solve the Earth’s ever-growing energy problem. The Argent Tower allows people to not only siphon this Hell energy, but also travel to and from Hell, allowing them to bring back demons for experimentation and powerful artifacts. One of the lead scientists makes a pact with the demons and allows them to flow into Earth unchecked, and it is essentially the player’s job to fix the problem.

This game employs a different approach to current generation FPSs. No more hiding behind cover waiting for health to recover—either push forward or be overwhelmed by waves of enemies. The only way to recover lost armor or health is by finding the ones pre-laid in the map, or by killing your enemies with a “Glory Kill.”

A glory kill is a special melee execution that only becomes available to the player when the enemy has been substantially weakened. This is followed by an substantial health returns. The player is also wearing a “Praetor Suit” which can increase the health, armor, or max ammunition capacity by getting tokens from special dead marines throughout the levels. These points must be used wisely though, as they are quite rare and sometimes aggravating to find.

I really enjoyed this game. It was something that I could pick up and play for a level, have fun for 45 minutes, then go back to work or to cook dinner which is an important aspect in a game when we have such busy lifestyles. I found myself having some of the most genuine fun from a shooter that I have had in a long time.

I cannot recommend this enough if you are a fan of the genre and have some extra cash kicking around.