Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

10 to 20 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Worth playing"

Doom 3 takes place in an interplanetary facility in the later half of the 21st century. Technological advancements and breakthroughs are evident across the compound which adds more jaunt as you, a newcomer, and a marine from Earth venture forth in this one helluva facility at first, as you nose around, observe weird contraptions and read what your co-workers are doing around via the computer or from talks.

But, as soon as you scan through some of their PDA's and listen to their audio logs and from their small group discussions, you soon find out that obscure happenings occur inside the facility.Higher ups refuse to believe that the supernatural forces are at work and the medical team diagnosed those who said so as schizophrenic, having delusions, plain stress, etc.. but the truth comes out eventually as you proceed further into the game.

While doing you first errand, a major disturbance occurs and some people suddenly turn into mindless zombies, others who fought back are killed brutally. Creatures appear out of nowhere and furthermore, a third-party mercenary group is also involved. All are hostile and will not give you the freedom to strut around the compound as you plan your means of escaping the hell hole.

The game play has nothing special to offer more than the typical first person shooter game, the weapons aren't that futuristic and analogous to the time line with the exception of the plasma gun. They are decent enough though, but the factor that amazes me is the game atmosphere. The levels are designed perfectly to match the situation you are in. In a dark corridor for instance, you just have this gut feeling that something is about to happen. You can't tell yet what type of creature you would be facing, where it would come from or how many are they. They tend to attack you from the rear while you are busy figuring it out and while you curse it, blasting its hideous face then all the while another one pops out of nowhere attacking you from another direction. You need to study and take advantage of your surroundings and its objects.

Another thing that makes this game great is the turn of events. Some makes you want to rush for the open button because you are outside, and running out of oxygen, not to mention being chased down by ugly creatures. Most of the time, you will have to use your flashlight because it pitch black. Since you can't hold a weapon and a flashlight at the same time, you have to be alert. Listen carefully for any grunts or heavy breathing and get ready to swap your light for a gun because they lurk in the darkness with you, or its just some broken down machine making weird noises but you were to scared or cautious to check it out immediately. The sound effects and background music also adds up to pack Doom 3 an unforgettable nightmarish escapade.