[PC] Doom 3 - By grimsim1

DOOM 3​

​

Developer: id Software
Publishers: Activision (EU, US); Cyber Front (JP)
Release Date: 3 August 2004
ESRB Rating: M
Genre: First Person Shooter

Before I begin the actual review of Doom 3, I would like to mention a few things. Firstly, seeing as this is my first review on Romulation, I would like to apologise if I have not complied with any of the expected rules and preferences regarding reviews on the site. I have tried my best to ensure everything is properly dealt with. Secondly, I noticed a lack of PC game reviews on the forum. I largely play PC games in recent times and will hopefully be able to help expand the PC game review collection, as well as adding some PSX, PS2 and GBA reviews at times. With that out the way, I would like to welcome the reader to my review of Doom 3, a relatively good game, albeit one that has aged well in terms of the PC gaming timeline.

The original Doom series were considered a catalyst in the development and shaping of gaming as we know it today. For its time, Doom and Doom 2 were spectacular. Graphically superior to most games on the market, they built and defined the first person shooter genre with its unique style of play and unparalleled violence. Needless to say no one had seen anything quite like it before. Fast forward eleven years since the release of the original and we find ourselves in the wake of the release of Doom 3, a much anticipated sequel to the above mentioned games. Gamers all over the globe could not hide their excitement at the prospect of a new Doom game with updated graphics and gameplay, thus creating expectations far beyond what any game should have to match. Many people were disappointed with the result due to these expectations, however they failed to realise what exactly Doom had stood for all these years and what it was all about.

The game begins with you in control of an unnamed soldier, having just arrived on Mars to a facility created and owned by the UAC Company. This facility is run in order to invent and create technology capable of helping humanity improve and advance. Everything is going according to plan until you are sent by your leader to find a missing scientist in a remote part of the complex. Needless to say, the next bit is rather predictable as chaos breaks loose and screams of despair and murder echo all around you. Explosions and flickering lights greet your unsuspecting character. You are then thrust into a facility haunted by creatures from hell and given the task of finding your own way out of this mess. The story obviously lacks originality but let us not forget it was Doom that started the whole “facility in chaos” plot theme in the first place. However, due to the nature of gaming today, one expects that the least the developers could do is come up with something more original. Therefore this game could have done a lot better in this regard. It’s not a terrible disaster as you still find it interesting to investigate and find out what is actually going on and how the employees of the facility felt leading up to the “events”. The story does expand a little bit as you progress into the game, and about three quarters through you are treated to some interesting bits, yet you still feel like you are treading on familiar ground and have seen this somewhere before.

​

The gameplay is where Doom 3 really shines. The atmosphere this game manages to create is incredible. You actually feel a sense of dread as you slowly make your way through the hallways and rooms of the UAC facility. The lighting in the game is very unique. For the most part, the game is relatively dark, forcing you to rely heavily on your flashlight. Some gamers might find this pretty annoying; however, it definitely helps in creating the atmosphere and a sense of fear within you. Monsters jump out at unexpected times from unexpected places, startling you and causing a frantic shooting spree to annihilate your enemies. This causes a sense of trepidation within you as you make your way through the game. At all times you find yourself on guard as a monster could jump out at you from practically anywhere. The game also has a healthy selection of weapons. Everything from the shotgun, to the machine gun, to the hugely satisfying chainsaw has been included. One must not forget the BFG of course, as this is the most powerful weapon in the Doom series and needless to say, this version of the BFG does not disappoint.

​

The gameplay, however, also has a number of negative aspects to it. Firstly, and most importantly, the game is far too long. It could take you anything between 12 – 20 hours to finish depending on the speed with which you play. Normally a long game is a good thing; however, Doom 3 only offers so much satisfaction. After about ten hours of seeing the same corridors and rooms, one becomes bored relatively quickly and I often found myself struggling to play beyond longer than an hour at a time due to the repetitiveness of the level designs. Even the monsters become rather predictable and you can easily guess where they will pop out from. Boss fights can be interesting, however, most require simply blasting them with a powerful weapon for a while and they will go down faster than the Titanic. Interchanging between the flashlight and your weapon of choice can also become really annoying. I mean its well into the future, has no one invented a flashlight mounted onto a gun yet???

Bearing in mind that this game is 4 years old (from the time this review is written); the graphics still have a certain charm to them. Upon the release of this game, it was hailed for having the most amazing graphics anyone had ever seen. Today it cannot compare to the likes of Halo, Crysis and Mass Effect, yet the game still looks pretty good and the level designs add to the eerie atmosphere the developers have created.

​

The game is rated M and for good reason. This version of Doom builds upon the brutality of the previous two releases. Blood is to be found almost everywhere, including smeared on the walls. Because you are dealing with creatures from hell, pentagrams and satanic imagery is rife in this game and adds to the atmosphere.

​

The sound in this game is fantastic. The little sound effects that you can hear in the distance, the clanking of steel, the low growls of demons from hell all add to the powerful atmosphere portrayed in this title. Playing this game during the dark and with the sound turned up could really give you nightmares. Few games could create a sense of fear quite like Doom 3 manages thanks to the combination of sound and visuals.

Another drawback to this game is the fact that it has practically no replayability. As I mentioned earlier, the same corridors and monsters do get tedious and by the end of the game you will be happy to have it end. There are a varying difficulty levels, however nothing much else to play the game for again.

A few interesting bits the developers have included are the number of easter eggs this game has. There are many references to the original series and finding them yourself and actually recognising the significance therein is a largely satisfying experience. Another interesting bit is how when you approach a console or computer, you are given the opportunity to interact with it directly as opposed to going into a separate screen.

Doom 3 had some really high expectations to satisfy, and this was too much to ask from the people at id Software. This clouds the fact that they have still created a solid first person shooting experience that will excite the gamer for at least three quarters of this game, until repetitiveness settles in. In conclusion, this game is recommended and I believe it is a good progression for the series. It is still fun to play even though you do get bored towards the end, but I mean come on…its DOOM!!!!! That’s how it’s supposed to be. Pick up a copy now or eat some BFG cells!

Story: 6/10 Fairly unoriginal, yet let us not forget that Doom invented the idea originally. Still, you feel as if they could have come up with something more exciting.
Gameplay: 8/10 Most of the game is very exciting and fun, yet repetitiveness does eventually set in.
Graphics: 8/10 The game is old, yet the graphics still impressed me considering its age. Very nice.
Sound: 9/10 This is where it’s at. The sound is great. Sound effects all contribute towards the amazing atmosphere. Voice acting is not too bad either.
Replayability: 4/10 Why would you want to do this to yourself??

Total: 35/50 Great game and fun while it last. Well worth it if you can handle the repetitiveness you will face.

 

few things format-wise.

subject is [PC] Doom 3 - grimsim1
totals are out of 50, you gave an average. (I think)

not bad for a first review. everything else seems pretty good.
try and use photobucket for image hosting, I got some weird caption about fish (imageshack)

your format looks like its centered, (i didn't think we could do that), at least the reply box looks like it. try aligning it to the left side.

i hope you review more PC games because my PC can't handle a lot of the newer games.

 

My bad. Will remember that for the future.

Yes I did give an average but i have fixed it now to be out of 50 ;D

I am not getting any weird captions when i see the post ??? Will try change it as soon as possible though.

I have only centred the screenshots and not the text itself. Thought it would look better.

Thanks for the advice. will keep those things in mind.

And Loonylion, I have never deard of Doom 3 having an expansion but thank you for the heads up. will try get hold of it and incorporate that somehow in the review.

 

i actually liked doom 3. it doesn't go super fast like unreal tournament and anything similar to it. it plays like metroid except the treasure hunting part.

the one complaint is the lighting of course, you can't see anything. even when you shoot a gun and it hits a wall it doesn't create some sort of light effect. because it's dark, sometimes you'll have enemies coming from behind and you won't know where they are because you can't see.

the one thing i wish they implemented was body point weakness, something like resident evil 4 [you shoot the legs so they fall,...].

 

loony said there's a lighting patch.

 

Nice review grimsim1!

 

Good review, keep up the work.

 

Nice review grimsim1. Looks like a game i should try

 

Great review, grimsim!, I haven't played this game (despite serious recommendation), but it seems very good. Just another mistake, where you put "Story" in the analysis, it should be "Graphics".

Great work.

 

Thank you for all the corrections and responses.
It's great that so many people read the review and commented on it. It's a rewarding experience as I'm sure many reviewers know.
Am working on my next review and should be up real soon. Hope you enjoy it too.
;D

 

well the review was ok but it isnt too long.in fact it should be longer ;D
also the expansion pack was ok but i was just easy when u got that weapon that looks like the force weapon from half life 2 but anyway
doom 3 was silly on nightmare cause if i dropped somwhere specfic by accident then u'd find the soul cube an when easy, ye thats how i accidently won on nightmare ;D
anyway great game, still got it but i might get expansion again for pc sometime

 

notice you misspelled "quite" for "quiet"

 

Thank you. Error noted and modified.

 

I've played both Doom 3 and its expansion pack (although i didnt get very far into the expansion - got pwnt quite quickly, lol)

i actually liked the story line (the game's one is better than the movie anyway lol - though the movie was good too)

But otherwise good review (could have been slightly less biased - but i saw you tried at least) ^_^

I loved playing late at night with the volume up high - awesome experience hehe XD

 

never played doom 3 i still play doom 1. i do know people who had to overhaul there gaming rigs just to play this game. Myself i did not want to pay 2 grand just to play a game

 

My dad used to play Doom 1 - in fact, if it wasn't for him i probably wouldn't like FPS games half as much as i do now.
He used to also play Wolfenstein 3D (Classic - also considered the grandfather of the FPS genre)

I really think you should give Doom 3 a try though... you might find you like it (although it could go the other way too if you're really into the older stuff) - my dad plays Doom 3 now too and he loves it more than anything (his favourite game XD)

and nothing ever happened to Dad's or my computer trying to play Doom 3 so i'm sure your's will be fine ^_^

 

i was talking about the overhaul when the game first came out. once i get my new rig up and running i am going to check it out