Doom 3 is a pretty good game that is marred by its horrible “atmospheric” lighting.
Doom 3 has more of an actual story than the last games in the series. You are still a nameless space marine, but this time the rest of the game has a real identity and it almost seems as if it’s a retelling of the first game, or a flat out redo of the game. This is an odd decision, but far be it from me to argue with giving one of my favorite games of all time an actual story.
You are a new transfer to a UAC base on Deimos, one of the moons of Mars. Within about an hour of your arrival all hell breaks loose, literally of course, and you will find yourself besieged by the forces of the underworld. However, this time it seems as if the demons being unleashed isn’t an accident. It seems as if someone has purposely allowed the monsters into our realm. It’s up to you to find out who has done this, to what purpose and, most importantly, to stop them.
Of course, since this is Doom, you are going to be stopping them with all sorts of really cool weapons. Of course many of these weapons are staples of the first person shooter genre at this point, but Doom is really the progenitor of these weapons. Pistol, shotgun, chainsaw and even the BFG are all here, amongst others. Of course you have a new weapon in the grenades and a… uh, flashlight, but some of the older weapons have received some really cool upgrades, such as the plasma rifle. I am however very sore at the absence of the double-barrel shotgun. This is the greatest weapon in any FPS ever and to not use it was so aggravating I can barely put my annoyance to coherent words.
The controls are all very responsive and you will find yourself dodging the enemies and their gunfire easily. Exchanging gunfire with some of the zombies or imps is incredibly exhilarating. The AI of some of these monsters is very intelligent and they will put the crush on you if you aren’t careful. Zombies will seek cover, imps will climb walls and leap at you and the demons, the ones Doom fans will remember as “Pinkies” of old, are going to barrel after you knocking everything out of the way. Heck, there were a few terrifying areas where they barreled through big windows to come after me. This scared the ever-loving crap out of me and after I got rid of them, I had to take a break from the game. That right there is some scary gaming.
This game is a graphical powerhouse, even though it doesn’t look as good to me as the PC version. All of the character models and especially the enemies look absolutely gorgeous. Let an imp get in your face and you will see what I’m talking about. Even the environments and debris on the planets surface look great. However, don’t let this praise get to you, you wont be able to see most of the wonderful graphics. Much of the game is so dark that you will barely be able to see where you are going, much less the environments. Don’t let the Doom bashers get to you too much though, you can see where you are going enough to play through the game. However, some times it is a bit annoying and the graphics are washed out by the darkness. So while it does heighten the tension, it also takes away from being able to enjoy the sights.
Speaking of the tension caused by being in the dark all the time, this game has a very Resident Evil feel in that regard. What I mean by that, is that very often the enemies will pop out of nowhere, going for a cheap scare almost like a bad horror movie. When an enemy busts out of a grate to come after you, this is scary. When you are going around a darkened corner and an imp leaps at your face, that is incredibly scary. But not being able to see a monster coming because it is too dark, that is annoying. Plus, most of the monsters will come after you only after you go for pick ups. So if you go for some ammo, keep your eyes and ears peeled for a monster coming after you. It’s very annoying and feels ridiculous that picking up health prompts another enemy to attack you.
The audio in this game is just as good as the graphics though. All of the voice acting is pretty good and this is very important as much of the games story and tips on where to go are told to you through voice logs in PDA’s you will find. There is little to no music to speak of besides the menu music and the music that plays at the credits. These are cool, but overall the sounds of the planet are going to be your companion. Shrill enemy screams, the stumbling sounds of zombies and the howling sounds on the surface of the planet will all immerse you in the game.
Doom 3 is a great game, don’t let the lack of 10 that I have given it tell you otherwise. Even though I have complained about the darkness, it is all offset by the good in this game. Bad lighting and cheap scares don’t stop this from being a really fun playthrough. Overall, Doom 3 is a good game, but it does have its failings. So long as you understand this, then you will have a great time. Pros: Outstanding graphics, the enemies are all very deadly and intimidating and the final boss is incredibly awesome.
Cons: Too dark to see the beautiful graphics, some “surprise moments” feel cheap and forced and the final areas of the game are very frustrating.
Score: 7
Recommendation: If you can get it cheap, buy it. Otherwise, wait for the price to drop.