Parents' Guide to Doom

By augmenting many of its old-school tenets with new mechanics, the latest installment in this sci-fi first-person shooter series is engaging but could be divisive for its changes to the genre format. And not only because it goes over the top with the gore, violence, and disturbing imagery (you're fighting demons from hell, after all). Eschewing many of the genre's current mechanics, Doom has you picking up health packs and armor pieces, as opposed to waiting for your health and shields to recharge. On the flip side, you can now augment your armor and add special abilities to your weapons. You can also now smack stunned or injured enemies as well, which causes them to drop health packs and ammo.

It also sets the story-driven campaign's firefights in large, multilevel areas, which gives your enemies a chance to attack from all angles at the same time. Even the game's multiplayer modes feel like something we would've played years ago, but with such new touches as the option to pick which guns you'll use ahead of time. Impressively, the Switch port of Doom plays extraordinarily well, even though the system is underpowered compared to the PS4 and Xbox One. Text and some visuals may be a bit harder to see on the small Switch screen if it's not docked with a television, and the Joy-Con controllers aren't as responsive as you would need them to be for a fast-paced shooter. It's definitely recommended that you play this game with the Pro Controller for effective control of your soldier. But, let's face it, the fact that Doom runs this solidly on Switch and can be taken on the go is an overwhelming plus over these minor issues. Now, because the game mixes the old and the new, Doom purists may decry the more modern additions, while new players may lament the old-school aspects. But if you don't mind that they've augmented this series' old-school tenets with new mechanics, you'll find the new Doom to be a fast and frantic shooter.