I want to play an easy shooter where you feel like you’re in a flow state aiming at targets, the only time I’ve ever felt like that was in the PS2 Medal of Honour, kneecap, helmet shot, head shot or up till MW4 original.
I’ve tried the latest CoD and the cinematics and cutscenes are just overblown.
Borderlands would be a kind of turn off your brain type but they haven’t made a new game in awhile.
Helldiver had great shooting but the grind, limited levels and multiplayer means I wasn’t too invested in it after a hard days work
Doom 1 and, to some extent, 2. Honestly.
I know exactly what you are looking for and the classic Doom games are perfect for this, because they are simple, yet they still feel good to play.
Not too fast, not too slow. No jump scares, only some light puzzles if you want to hunt secrets. There is almost a rhythm to the combat, especially if you play with the shotgun. Try them.
To add over it Quake 1 and 2 are also perfect complementaries to DOOM
No cutscenes, just throw you into the game and let you go wild, while still having a progression
See also: Chex Quest
I played through Sigil recently and the whole time there was a gaping super shotgun sized hole in my enjoyment of it. I get that Romero fine tuned it to play without it but for me I realized that I can’t feel totally cozy playing doom without the ssg.