"What is Two Years to those Damned for Eternity?"

Intro:

It wasn't a lifetime ago that we were all cracking away at Doom3, but rather a mere 8 months. Since then, master engine creator id Software has collaborated with Nerve Software to bring us once more to the shores of Dante's Inferno in the first of what will surely be numerous Doom3 expansions, Doom3: Resurrection of Evil.

---Just the facts---

Story: 7/10

As anyone who is even mildly interested on D3:ROE already knows, the story takes place 2 years since the original Doom3 story arc. Like all good evil corporations, Union Aerospace publicly wrote off the nightmarish holocaust left in the wake of the previous invasion as a mere "technical difficulty," and one not to be concerned with. After a faint beacon of unknown original is detected on Mars, UAC opens the Martian excavation program back up to full status under the guidance of Dr. Elizabeth McNeil, the female Gordon Freeman of our time. Our protagonist, you, is played by an all too similar and yet, somehow geeky silent type combat engineer who seems to share our brand of “right place at the right time” luck and one can imagine where it goes from there.

Graphics: 10/10

Intuitively, the graphics in D3:ROE are as good if not better than its predecessor. New textures and animations as well as bigger, more expansive locales lend themselves well in creating a new feel to an already familiar terrain. The illuminated blinking of wall panels, new lighting sources from just about every crevice imaginable as well as true to life details such as broken stairways, decayed piping and abandoned archeological equipment all greatly add to an atmosphere of true isolation and hopelessness. It will take a true powerhouse of computer hardware to fully realize the vision id and Nerve Software have set forth to paint for us, but even on its lowest settings, everything from the grinding teeth of an up close Imp to the radiant particle effects of your humming blue plasma gun look simply spectacular. In short, it is always a good sign when it takes your non game savvy friend a few moments to realize your not watching a movie on your comp and that you're the one controlling the action.

Sound: 10/10

All the blood curdling notes to Doom's atmospheric symphony are back. Monsters screeching, humans screaming, software computing, generators humming, light bulbs breaking, metal grating clanking...all played in perfect surround sound quality which will once again immerse even the most veteran combatant of the Doom series, and down right scare the crap out of those new to the franchise.

Controls: 10/10

Largely dependant on what hardware you're running. In a perfect world, the game is played fully optimized and the controls shine like a nickel in summer. Fast responsive firing times coped with easy to execute movements result in fast and furious game play which is essential in surviving the volley of burning death you will almost immediately be engulfed in. Unfortunately, in real life, more than a few will lack the hardware to flawlessly play this expansion, which seems to tax system requirements even more than the previous installment, resulting in a decrease in frame rate and even control response. In short, if after playing the first few minutes for the game you realize that your system noticeably cannot render the game properly, try reducing settings or installing on a newer comp altogether. There will be boss fights that are simply ridiculously graphic intensive, and one simply will not survive if even a second or two of game play is missed.

Multiplayer: ?/10

Not much to say here actually. On par with the original, adding new levels and play options. I haven't had a chance to fully explore this aspect of the expansion, but rest assured, id and Nerve have not forgotten you multiplayers.

---My personal Spin---

Everything I have painted thus far has painted D3:ROE to be an amazing expansion. The graphics are great, sound incredible, and it plays like a dream. So what is the problem? One word: creativity.

New Weapons (AKA, Full Steam Ahead): 8/10

As an unexpected bonus, D3:ROE presents us with three new hellish weapons to use against our demonic oppressors, the Double-Barreled Shotgun, The Artifact, and The Grabber.

The Double-Barreled Shotgun is by far my favorite weapon of the new roster, as I'm sure many a veteran Doomer would agree. I mean, talk about improving on perfection: take the firepower of the shotgun, double it, and wrap it in a next gen skin and you have what dreams are made of.

The Artifact on the other hand, is quite otherworldly, and serves as a conduit of hell's power which can be weld by the user. As bosses are defeated, new powers such as bullet time slow motion, instant berserk and even temporary invincibility become available. Powered by a never-ending supply of damned souls, The Artifact is one trinket that should not be left behind.

And now we come to the most controversial of items, The Grabber. The Grabber is essentially a gravity gun which can carry small objects for short distances, hurl them at enemies, and redirect fireballs and other energy based projectiles. Now, for the sake of argument, I'm going to assume the developers already has the idea of The Grabber in their heads way before HL:2 came out, and as such it is a coincidence. Regardless, the only thing I can compare this weapon to is HL:2's Grav Gun, and when doing so The Grabber seems to come up short. In HL:2, the Grav Gun enabled the player to grab and throw just about anything one could find in a post apocalyptic earth that wasn't bolted down, with different physical properties accompanying them. Crates were heavy and broke on impact, but Chinese food containers were small and did nothing, for example. In D3:ROE, it seems that the developers were hard pressed to come up with exactly what items could be thrown on a Mars base. The result: Rocks, Boxes and Office Equipment. It wouldn't necessarily be bad, but rocks throw and bounce the same as lamps, which in turn, throw and bounce the same as huge filing cabinets. Moreover, the weapon needs no ammo, and can hurl projectile attacks back on the attacker with devastating results, making similar weapons like the rocket launcher nearly obsolete. The idea is cool, but the execution feel rushed in an attempt to fill a nitch that seems to have opened up in the world of FPS.

New Creatures: 7/10

Everyone likes new creatures, especially ones from hell. But this is a mixed bag as well. The new Imp-like creatures called Vulgar are cool in that, "oh good, another annoying Imp creature" kind of way as are the new and improved Mancubus class killers, Bruisers (complete with haunt-your-dreams mandible monitor display and duel rocket launchers...yum). But then you have the new bosses, the hyped up for a big let down group called The Hunters. In short, they are three elites of hell apparently sent to kill you, or something along those lines. The problem being, they all look like they came from a "Make your own Hell Knight" flash game. They are all of similar design, give or take a pair of legs, and basically exist to test your skills as a player. Again, not necessarily a bad thing, but if I was given my one shot to wow someone with a cool boss fight or two, I would put all my creative energies into giving them something creepy to remember, and not just a bigger glowing version of something I just killed 4 of in the last hallway.

Just Plain Old Creativity (AKA, Loosing Steam): 6/10

I assume Nerve Software had the most influence over what went into D3:ROE, and it seems to show in the game's pacing. Having become the caretaker of such a powerful engine, I can imagine how one would be so excited to put it to the test and craft a masterpiece out of another. However, good intentions seem to wear thin about a third into the game and instead, it seems to end up resorting to the same old locales, doomish stereotypes and point A to point B action anyone who has played Doom has already been through, be it for better or worse.

The beginning of the expansion feels like an experience all its own: new locals, new items, new weapons, new fancy UAC videos on your codec, the whole works. But as the game progresses, you notice that the new features give way to the old. Suddenly locales look striking familiar, enemies more so, and those neat little bells in whistles in the form of audio dialogue and downloaded video simply cease to be. It's as if the creators saw the end of Doom3, said "OMG, we have to run with that," predetermined a last boss and tried to build an expansion around it. It starts off strong, the end was already written, and what was left in between is essentially a lot of filler. Is it inferior to Doom3? Not in the least. But again, it ceases to distinguish itself as an individual experience and in that regard; it would have been just as worth it to play through the original one more time.

Conclusion: 8/10

Why the heck did you even read this far anyway? Well, in short, D3:ROE is a worthy sequel to the Doom3 powerhouse. It adds a new shiny coating to an already sleek car, and it's because of its relatively close release to the original that may cause many to have a bad case of deja vu.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 04/06/05