The cool platform game that was on that cartridge with Klax, International Soccer and Fiendish Freddie's Big Top o' Fun.

Ahhh! I admit my first thought was "that seems a bit simple". Did not note the pun (despite Japanese marketing being 90% puns).

Lets Holliday.

Not as impactful, but more on brand.

As I was doing my Steam review it clicked what this is:

Doom, like a lot of AAA games, has taken another leaf from the RPG book.

You play a warrior in all doom games, just one with a focus on guns it seems.

Doom eternal was fury spec.
Doom the Dark ages is a tank Sword and Board spec.

Just I will likely not be there.
I think this is a logical point to get off for me. Not only are my reactions slowing, I can't deal with these FPS titles with so many damn systems.
I also despise the challenges, the over done tutorials, and how the map tells you everything too quickly.
Time to leave

The level design was way more interesting than Eternal. The playstyle was a nice mixup too. A lot less weapon swapping, more parrying and melee with damage done at opportune times.

If ID keep mixing stuff up, their future titles are likely going to be very promising!

While I have my issues with it, the fact they reference the beginning of Doom 2016 and then follow it right up with "and then John was a zombie" is fucking brilliant.

iD are now a really wonderful cake, make with great care and dedication, as they always have been. The issue is they are now cakes with a layer of shit smeared across them.
What if it is only a thin layer? Other games are worse!
You still put shit on the cake, and I don't want to eat it regardless.

I guess I'm kinda done with iD games after this.
They are really good, and really well made, but I really dislike how bloated they feel to me, and how much crap they try to make me go through just to like them.

If you like these kinds of systems, cool. I don't.

I guess that is why I like "pure" boomshoot type games. Regardless of if they are simplistic or have complex combat, they usually allow me to figure out how to play off my own back. They trust me to understand how they work.

Post Eternal Doom wants to explain everything and make me use its systems.

I have a bad feeling I'm not playing optimally because the game is telling me I'm not playing optimally. It reminds me to use all of its features a set amount for a nice reward. It wants me to experience everything fully.

That is not me.
If I want to use your powers, they have to fit my playstyle.

I really like the default melee, and I would use it all the way given choice. But then it introduces the flail and incentivises you to use it for more rewards. After two fights I decided "nah, this thing is no good". The issue is, like so many new games, there is the nagging FOMO that comes with it.

In the Dark Ages, it sort of incentivises you to play with a certain power or skill for a whole level, and then it'll reward you with more upgrade points.

The thing with a lot of these abilities is the further I go, the less interesting they seem. They are overpowered versions of earlier weapons.

During Doom 2016 I really liked the numerous ways it incentivised you to make full use of the combat. There were so many options available, but they were usually available at all times.

Doom the Dark Ages has too much. So much that you can't make use of everything at the push of a button.

I keep trying to get into this.
Lowering the difficulty.
Playing it in bursts.
Trying it on controller.

No matter what I do, I can't really enjoy it.
I think it is mostly because of how it offers so many playstyles, but pushes them all too hard. This may require a post or two to explain.

The mysteries of FromSoft storytelling.
What could it mean?

Jonathan Dunn for his C64 work.

Wait, is this AI?
I'm not trying to be funny. I just started to think about the lighting and colours.
This is so fucky.

Can confirm it is not good for everything. I tried using it as an alternative for heroin and my veins don't quite feel right.