Doom 3

"It could've been so much more."

Honestly, this has to be one of the most overhyped games of all time. It's graphics are impressive, but what about the gameplay? So does it add anything new to the FPS genre? How can a company like id software make a follow up to it's original? By making it a retelling of the original doom thats how. Is it the jaw dropping spectacular you were led to believe all this time? We'll see...

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PROS:

The graphic enginge, no doubt! Everything looks sick, the monsters look real and gross. The environments, beside being repetitive, look fantastic. The shadows will make you jump out of your seat. Overall, the mood is set perfectly for this game. Honestly, this game looks amazing. I have zero complaints in this category, the engine that the fine people at id software created is amazing. The weapon models look nice and realistic, most importantly thay look powerful. Character models are heavily detailed, almost to the point of looking quite real. You'll be most impressed by the monsters though, they all look like the terrors they are supposed to be. Not only this, but Vicarious Sisions took the time to build the game from the ground up to take advantage of the Xbox's power. Kudos for a company that took the time to make it perfect.

Judging by the port, I'd have to say it's about perfect. Everything id software did with the original is here. The entire single player game is maintained(although some araes were cut), all sound effects are in as well, all multiplayer modes are in, and the graphics are pumped to what the xbox can do. This has to be quite possibly the best pc to console game port ever made. No corners were cut for this port, this is hard work at it's best, folks. There is even a co-op mode included, but it won't exactly rock your socks off.

Overall the sound is solid. Voice acting is doen quite convincingly, as the game progresses you'll almost feel sorry for the poor souls lost in this huge mars facility. The addition of finding messages aroun the base really sets the tone of the game as you wonder what happened to the person who left it(my advice: try not to think about it). It's just too bad the gun sounds didn't fair too well.

Controls are fine. You swap between you weapon and flashlight with the click of the white button with ease. Everything is responsive from the get go. You can pick up and play as they share many of the same characteristics from other shooters.

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CONS:

The story is basically the retelling of the original Doom, so it's not really exciting. You play as the same unnamed marine from the first game, as you start to get your bearings, all hell breaks lose all over the place. You must fight your way through and save the day. If you have played the original doom, then you'll feel right at home. It's still boring, though.

Lame weapons noises really make those weapons that look powerful, sound like wusses. These are quite possibly the worst gun sounds I've ever heard in a shooter. Just wait until you hear the assault rifle, you'll cringe. The only weapon that sounds remotley powerful is the shotgun, but that is it. I wish id software worked on the weapon sounds as well as they did everything else. To be quite honest the weapons won't do anything for you either, as they're the bread and butter of FPS since the original doom. You know, the typical shotgun, assault rifle and grenade launcher thrown in. The BFG does make an appearence again, however ammo is so rare that you don't really get a chance to appreciate it.

If you're hoping for a good multiplayer portion, think again. It features the basic 4 player deathmatch mode made popular by the original doom. I know they wanted to go back to their roots, but this is rediculous. It has a small selection of maps to fart around in, but they're nothing to keep going back for. Also included is a new co-op mode, which is a seperate game itself. Vicarious took the single player game apart and made it accesible for to players. They also went the extra mile to make items exclusive to other players as well add more monsters in each area. However its over in a few hours, and it's really not that interesting. But, you can turn friendly fire on to make things a little more challenging.

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Note:

If you bought the collector's edition, you can add on another point to my review score, as the inclusion of the old school doom games make this game worth the purchase alone.

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Rundown:
+ Nice graphics
+ Near perfect port
+ Near solid sound
+ Controls great.
- Lame weapon noises
- as well as lame weapons
- Weak story
- Atrocious multiplayer

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To buy or to rent:

Defintely a rent. After a few days, you'll be taking it back. Or you'll want to.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 01/26/07