Doom 3

"Doom 3: Rekindling of Old-School Single Player Immersion, With Enough Atmosphere to Suck You in Deeper With Every Step. Desire More? Then Rent First."

WARNING:
This review may contain very minor spoilers.

INTRODUCTION/SUMMARY:
First things first. Doom 3 is not Halo or Half Life, let alone some pie in the sky first person survival horror RPG where every decision you make impacts the events unfolding around you. It is not a story-driven adventure with impressive AI, it isn't a multi-player centric graphics showcase, and it certainly isn't an extremely deep first person RPG. So what is it? Doom 3 is pure, heart-pounding, blood chilling, soul thrilling terror.

Forget about genres. Forget about "survival horror," "first person shooter," "first person adventure," and all of the other now meaningless shoe horn categories we so frequently apply to games today. To be sure, Doom 3 IS a first person experience. And it IS all about horror. But survival and shooting, despite being your primary goals in Doom 3, won't be on your mind anywhere near as much as running and hiding under your covers like you just saw your worst childhood nightmare brought to life, and have suddenly reverted to the age of five. Doom 3 is simply the pinnacle of atmosphere-driven FEAR in the videogame industry. If you don't need fast-paced multi-player action, open-ended NPC interaction, or logical story arcs to enjoy a game - if you love the feeling of being completely and utterly sucked into a deeply personal, single-player experience like the ones from days gone by (only amped up as far as current hardware allows) and of being totally terrified, despite the fact that you know "it's only a game..." - then run to your nearest retailer and pick up Doom 3 right now. Period. If you're like me and that's what you crave, then Doom 3 is as good as it gets, no if's and's or but's.

If you're unlike me however, and you need more, then read the rest of the review to find out what Doom 3 probably lacks in your eyes. Doom 3 is a superb game, but is not without it's flaws.

GRAPHICS: 8/10
I score this area of Doom 3 first because of it's much ballyhooed engine, designed to push even top of the line PCs to their limits, supposedly presenting the most richly detailed visuals ever seen in a videogame, etc. So what does this translate into for the Xbox? Well, quite a bit surprisingly. Doom 3 on the Xbox features bump mapping, real mapping, dynamic self shadowing, and probably the hugest number of light sources ever seen at one time on a home console (if you count the projectiles and disintegrating corpses of enemies). These are the game's strong points, and together they serve to create an eery, hyper-realistic environment, that seems to move, groan, and almost "breathe" around the player. Every light source is independent from all others, and creatures cast moving, elongating, elastic shadows that lend Doom 3 a disturbingly real aesthetic quality. When combined with the high level of detail and clarity the game sports, as well as the smooth framerate (which shocks me to be honest) all of this combines to make Doom 3 one of the best looking games on Xbox - if not the best. That's the good news.

The bad news is that Doom 3's graphics may prove to be an acquired taste for some. The techniques used to render Doom 3's amazing visuals differ quite a bit from any other game (currently) available on the Xbox. Even games that use similar real mapping techniques such as Chronicles of Riddick, don't quite match up to Doom 3's unique visual flavor. This can be a blessing and a curse. Many players may prefer the smoother, glossier (albeit technically less rich) visuals of Halo or it's sequel. This is akin to how Halo 2's graphics were technically richer and more detailed - more "real" - than those of Halo, yet many people still preferred Halo's cleaner, "shine" look to the higher-res look of Halo 2 which, to some, looked "plastic."

Take that difference of opinion three steps further, and you have Doom 3. Combined with the darkness, making creatures and characters more difficult to see clearly, this makes for a mixed bag that will have some singing Doom 3's praises, and others cursing it's visual finery as being somewhat off target. It ultimately comes down to a matter of opinion, but it's worth noting nonetheless.

CONTROLS AND INTERFACE: 8/10
Doom 3's controls are customizable, and there are several presets to choose from. They are all accurate, and easy to use. The typical "Halo controls" (left stick to strafe and move, right stick to look around and aim) are in full effect, and are put to good use. There is also an optional auto-aim feature for those not so accustomed to first person targeting. The only real complaints in this area are the omission of greater analog precision - Vicarious Visions and id opted to keep the sprint button, rather than using the analog joysticks to fuller effect by allowing walk/run to be pressure sensitive - and the relatively slow player movement speed. These can be overlooked however when one considers the equivalent pace of enemies and the small size of most levels.

AUDIO: 10/10
Doom 3's audio MUST be heard in surround if at all possible. If you have the requisite hardware, do use it. Every sound you hear heightens tension, makes you want to look over your shoulder, alerts you to emerging danger, leads you ever deeper into the nightmarish reality of the Mars base (and elsewhere...) or sets a dark, haunting tone that will remain with you for hours - or even days - after you put the controller down. The voice acting in cut-scenes and PDA files is phenomenal, and a testament to the work that went into Doom 3's plot, thin though it may appear to some. Weapons, though this opinion is contrary to most, have appropriate force and impact. One or two weapons may lack the low frequency "thud" some might desire, but it works fine for this reviewer.

PRESENTATION AND GAMEPLAY: 9/10
The combination of Doom 3's interface, visuals, audio landscape, animation, cut-scenes, and haunting imagery, add up to a - frankly - disturbing experience. If you truly suspend disbelief in the outlandish reality that Doom 3 takes you into - which is not difficult - then you will find yourself suitably immersed before the first shot is fired. The UAC Mars base is a living, breathing world, which welcomes you with open arms, lulling you into a sense of safety and clear purpose - until, that is, all hell breaks loose. From that point forward, you will be pummelled with terrifying sights and sounds, of a level of realism unmatched in videogames. You will learn more and more of the sinister plot to bring hell to the installation - and ultimately to Earth - through PDA audio and video files, as well as emails from now dead - or soon to be dead - UAC employees.

The imagery will become more and more terrifying and disturbing, until it threatens to spill over into your real life, making you start and twitch at the slightest noise, and experience anxiety when seeing light cascade from behind a half shut door in your home. It will suck you in further and further, like you're being digested by some hideous demon yourself, until you finally come out on the other side. Be afraid - be very afraid. If you aren't, then Doom 3 will quickly solve that for you. The only detracting point from this area of Doom 3, is that the levels are a bit shorter and smaller in scope than one might expect. This does nothing to lessen the impact of the game, however.

CONCLUSION AND FINAL SCORE: 8/10
In the eyes of this reviewer, Doom 3 is an easy 9 or 10. However, to be fair to those with different tastes, I have tried to be objective. I will conclude by saying that if you can settle into a protracted single-player experience - and I use that word seriously - EXPERIENCE - then you will undoubtedly either enjoy Doom 3, or be too frightened to finish it, depending upon who you are.

If you're hankering for faster multi-player action (which Doom 3 provides in spades, but not to the degree or quality level upheld by many other first person shooters on the market), or crave a more open-ended experience with greater Halo-esque plot points, then prepare to be disappointed. Go in with the right expectations however, and Doom 3 will blow you away - along with hordes of demons, a few hundred UAC marines, and likely a good bit of your mental stability for a few weeks to come.

You have been warned.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 04/12/05