Doom 3
Posted April 18, 2005
The Plot:
With the rise of "Halo" and other titles of the like in recent years, the first person shooter genre has gotten an even greater level of interest from gamers. The latest big-name title happens to be a familiar name from a legendary FPS series: "Doom". The third installment is essentially an "updated" version of the core game. While fairly standard at the core, the game has had its look and feel juiced up to a remarkable degree in comparison to the early PC "Doom" titles - this time around, it looks like you're playing a movie.
Your character is a marine in the 22nd century sent to Mars to investigate a research base that has had some increasingly strange events going on. The people living on the base have been hearing things and seeing things. Things that happen to be (drumroll...) h-e-double L. After a fairly lengthy introduction that has your nameless, personality-less character going on a recon mission, all hell (literally) suddenly breaks loose. While this moment was awfully freaky, I was surprised that the game didn't use the technology at hand to create stronger atmosphere and sense of dread leading up to this moment - while it was obviously going to happen, it seemed a tad abrupt.
After that, players are thrown into the midst of pretty much a one man war against monsters that seem to be every size, shape and sort, going down various hallways and through areas. The game is a fairly linear experience, and stretches take place within tight quarters. A main issue I had with the gameplay is that players must pick up various PDAs that are scattered throughout the game in order to hear audio clips from people, learn information and get codes to open up lockers and other areas. Frankly, I hated having to concern myself with searching out little electronic devices when I'd rather be kicking some demon ass. The PDA is pretty essential, but it also does break up the game somewhat.
When you're actually fighting demons, they come at you intensely and with brute force, with some using weapons. Enemies come from all sides, and in the very dark areas where your character is required to use his flashlight in order to see where he's going, it's a matter of flipping back-and-forth between your light and your gun. Obviously, the character could have at least taped a light to his gun and it'd be nice if the weapons could have lights similar to "Halo"'s, but in this case, it's either/or, due to a decision to try and add tension. While I didn't think it added a whole lot of tension, I was able to get used to this and eventually, didn't mind it much.
Given the almost utter darkness of much of the game, it's often difficult to get your bearings. With some of the battles becoming rather repetitive (the look of the levels is great, but the design of the levels could be improved), fighting through the darkness is often at least pretty creepy, but it sometimes felt like a bit of a chore.
So, while the game is problematic in ways, it still manages to provide some solid primal thrills. The animation is astonishing, and that goes a long way towards providing some chilling moments, as the various beasts are definitely more than creepy. Enemy AI is fine, but not outstanding, as they come at you with varied (albeit rather simplistic/old school) attacks. Players choose from a fairly good variety of weapons, such as a pistol, chaingun, shotgun and chainsaw. The game largely keeps up a very strong pace, with the only "resting" moments being ones where you're listening to the growls in the darkness, waiting for the enemies to make the first move.
Overall, "Doom 3" offers up a high level of gloss, and the incredible amount of detail present in every image of the game is remarkable, and does add to the feel of the game. However, the designer's choice to not integrate much of a story and not really develop the main character at all (no one to really root for) makes this feel like a $100 million dollar movie with next-to-no screenplay. The astonishing look of the game works, but more effort put into the story would have really brought this close to greatness.
Warning: those who get motion sickness from some video games should definitely try renting "Doom 3" first - the flashing, darkness and movement will likely make people who are sensitive ill.
Gameplay:
Control is seamless and easy - I had no trouble picking up the game and getting into the game's handling without any booklet assistance. Multiplayer deathmatch and co-op online with a shortened, altered version of the game are also available.
Graphics:
"Doom 3" isn't quite perfect, but boy it's close. The image quality of the game is incredibly impressive, with every object in every screen showing a jaw-dropping amount of detail. While playing the game, I occasionally stopped (when possible) to admire some of the smaller details present in the particular scene. Everything has great texture and "feel", and lighting is outstanding. The framerate is first-rate, but there are moments where the load times start to feel excessive.
The animation is exceptional, with the monsters and other characters looking very impressive. Despite the almost complete darkness at times, the game's details still often show through - this is certainly one of the best (if not the best) looking XBOX titles I've seen. HD support up to 480p.
Audio:
"Doom 3" is presented on the XBOX in Dolby Digital 5.1. The game's sound and sound design is excellent in some ways and average in others. First off, the game's sound effects are a mixed bag: while the monster sounds are often incredibly eerie and effective, some of the weapons sounds are a bit weaker than they should be. On a positive note, the game's sound design puts the surrounds to exceptional use to deliver ambient sounds and more distinct effects.
Conclusion:
Rating Issues: "Doom 3" is rightly rated "M" (Mature) for consistent, very graphic monster violence.
Final Thoughts: "Doom 3" doesn't have much in the way of story, but, in horror terms, this isn't "The Others", it's "Resident Evil". While more story would have gone a long way in helping this to be a more complete, dramatic and immersive experience, the game is geared more towards shocking and spooking players by having monsters jump out of dark corners. The game is incredibly stunning in both looks and (mostly) sound, but it can become a little repetitive (and seem pretty linear) and some issues (such as the flashlight and PDA) take away to various degrees from the flow of the experience. Overall, it's a flawed but enjoyable game that should be looked into when it's on sale, but not for full price.
With the rise of "Halo" and other titles of the like in recent years, the first person shooter genre has gotten an even greater level of interest from gamers. The latest big-name title happens to be a familiar name from a legendary FPS series: "Doom". The third installment is essentially an "updated" version of the core game. While fairly standard at the core, the game has had its look and feel juiced up to a remarkable degree in comparison to the early PC "Doom" titles - this time around, it looks like you're playing a movie.
Your character is a marine in the 22nd century sent to Mars to investigate a research base that has had some increasingly strange events going on. The people living on the base have been hearing things and seeing things. Things that happen to be (drumroll...) h-e-double L. After a fairly lengthy introduction that has your nameless, personality-less character going on a recon mission, all hell (literally) suddenly breaks loose. While this moment was awfully freaky, I was surprised that the game didn't use the technology at hand to create stronger atmosphere and sense of dread leading up to this moment - while it was obviously going to happen, it seemed a tad abrupt.
After that, players are thrown into the midst of pretty much a one man war against monsters that seem to be every size, shape and sort, going down various hallways and through areas. The game is a fairly linear experience, and stretches take place within tight quarters. A main issue I had with the gameplay is that players must pick up various PDAs that are scattered throughout the game in order to hear audio clips from people, learn information and get codes to open up lockers and other areas. Frankly, I hated having to concern myself with searching out little electronic devices when I'd rather be kicking some demon ass. The PDA is pretty essential, but it also does break up the game somewhat.
When you're actually fighting demons, they come at you intensely and with brute force, with some using weapons. Enemies come from all sides, and in the very dark areas where your character is required to use his flashlight in order to see where he's going, it's a matter of flipping back-and-forth between your light and your gun. Obviously, the character could have at least taped a light to his gun and it'd be nice if the weapons could have lights similar to "Halo"'s, but in this case, it's either/or, due to a decision to try and add tension. While I didn't think it added a whole lot of tension, I was able to get used to this and eventually, didn't mind it much.
Given the almost utter darkness of much of the game, it's often difficult to get your bearings. With some of the battles becoming rather repetitive (the look of the levels is great, but the design of the levels could be improved), fighting through the darkness is often at least pretty creepy, but it sometimes felt like a bit of a chore.
So, while the game is problematic in ways, it still manages to provide some solid primal thrills. The animation is astonishing, and that goes a long way towards providing some chilling moments, as the various beasts are definitely more than creepy. Enemy AI is fine, but not outstanding, as they come at you with varied (albeit rather simplistic/old school) attacks. Players choose from a fairly good variety of weapons, such as a pistol, chaingun, shotgun and chainsaw. The game largely keeps up a very strong pace, with the only "resting" moments being ones where you're listening to the growls in the darkness, waiting for the enemies to make the first move.
Overall, "Doom 3" offers up a high level of gloss, and the incredible amount of detail present in every image of the game is remarkable, and does add to the feel of the game. However, the designer's choice to not integrate much of a story and not really develop the main character at all (no one to really root for) makes this feel like a $100 million dollar movie with next-to-no screenplay. The astonishing look of the game works, but more effort put into the story would have really brought this close to greatness.
Warning: those who get motion sickness from some video games should definitely try renting "Doom 3" first - the flashing, darkness and movement will likely make people who are sensitive ill.
Gameplay:
Control is seamless and easy - I had no trouble picking up the game and getting into the game's handling without any booklet assistance. Multiplayer deathmatch and co-op online with a shortened, altered version of the game are also available.
Graphics:
"Doom 3" isn't quite perfect, but boy it's close. The image quality of the game is incredibly impressive, with every object in every screen showing a jaw-dropping amount of detail. While playing the game, I occasionally stopped (when possible) to admire some of the smaller details present in the particular scene. Everything has great texture and "feel", and lighting is outstanding. The framerate is first-rate, but there are moments where the load times start to feel excessive.
The animation is exceptional, with the monsters and other characters looking very impressive. Despite the almost complete darkness at times, the game's details still often show through - this is certainly one of the best (if not the best) looking XBOX titles I've seen. HD support up to 480p.
Audio:
"Doom 3" is presented on the XBOX in Dolby Digital 5.1. The game's sound and sound design is excellent in some ways and average in others. First off, the game's sound effects are a mixed bag: while the monster sounds are often incredibly eerie and effective, some of the weapons sounds are a bit weaker than they should be. On a positive note, the game's sound design puts the surrounds to exceptional use to deliver ambient sounds and more distinct effects.
Conclusion:
Rating Issues: "Doom 3" is rightly rated "M" (Mature) for consistent, very graphic monster violence.
Final Thoughts: "Doom 3" doesn't have much in the way of story, but, in horror terms, this isn't "The Others", it's "Resident Evil". While more story would have gone a long way in helping this to be a more complete, dramatic and immersive experience, the game is geared more towards shocking and spooking players by having monsters jump out of dark corners. The game is incredibly stunning in both looks and (mostly) sound, but it can become a little repetitive (and seem pretty linear) and some issues (such as the flashlight and PDA) take away to various degrees from the flow of the experience. Overall, it's a flawed but enjoyable game that should be looked into when it's on sale, but not for full price.