Doom 3

"This is how all remakes should be"

Doom 3 Review

This is the first review I've ever written, so I hope you'd excuse me if the article would look too "unprofessionally written". Also, I've never played the PC version, so I won't be able to make any comparisons. The good thing about this, though, is that I'd be able to review the game based on its own merits.

Doom 3, as you may already know, is a retelling of the first game. So you could consider it as a remake than a sequel, much like what Metroid Zero Mission (GBA) is to the first Metroid (NES/Famicom). No complaints here, since the first Doom, and eventually its sequel, is regarded with a god-like status in the gaming community. And like Bourne Identity, the remake is absolutely better than the original. The game is set in the future in a UAC research facility on Mars. You were sent there, along with other marines and the Councellor, to investigate UAC's current project that was having some sort of problems, like workers mysteriously disappearing, or had gone loony. Then, with no further notice, all hell breaks loose, literally. Demons suddely sprout, annihialating almost all personnel in the facility. You stand among the survivors (eventually becoming the only one), and you have to survive long enough to send a distress signal to Earth, figure out what's going on, and save the day. That's the gist of it, and the only one you really need to know of the game's story.

FPS aren't really well-known for good storylines. Mostly, it's "Who cares what he's fighting for? I'm still going to pump lead to these grunts' carcasses!" Doom 3 is no different. Most of the time, you won't care about the story at all and just concentrate on beating the crap out of the hellspawns. But if you took the time to delve into its story, however, you still won't be disappointed. Another good thing is that the story doesn't unfold via cut-scenes. Not that the there aren't any, but the few cut-scenes that they have are very short and are merely there to add to the game's aura. You get the story by downloading e-mails, audio, and video clips of the former workers in the facility via your PDA. Most of them aren't required, though most of the time you get very useful information from some of them, like passwords for a locker that contains much needed ammo and/or health packs. You'd also delve into the personal lives of other workers there, like those workers that play a sort of Dungeons and Dragons board game, etc. These tidbits of information are completely irrelevant to the main story, but are otherwise very amusing, especially if you're able to correlate one e-mail to the other. Some also delve into the research being conducted at that facility, and from them, you'd be able to piece together what happened.

Graphically, the game's simply outstanding on the XBOX. I've heard that the PC version's graphics are mind-blowing, though admittedly, I haven't seen it yet (my very outdated PC won't be able to handle it). But the XBOX version can stand up to its own. They've made very good use of lighting effects (and the lack of light, thereof) to add to the game's thrilling aura. Frame rate has also been consistent throughout the game, so much so that if there were any sort slowdown, I failed to notice it. I don't believe it to have the best graphics on the console (as I find Halo 2's better), but is among the top.

The game excels in the sound area as well. Sound effect, especially the armaments, are crisp and quite realistic. Every blast and pump of lead really adds up to your adrenaline, making the game more exciting. Couple it with the techno-rock background, and you're in one hell of a ride (pun not intended). You'd also benefit the most when you're in a surround sound set-up. The game has a lot of dark areas, with lots of enemies lurking, and the only way to spot them is to either use the flashlight in every corner in the room, or to use the grunts and other sounds made by the enemies to have a clue to their location. Yup, you'll be able to discern where the sound is coming from, and even discern whether they're near or far. Most hell spawns will hiss before attacking, so figuring out where they are wouldn't be much of a problem. And trust me, it's spine-tingling to hear a hiss at the back in a very dark room.

The gameplay stays true to what you've come to know and love in the genre (something which the series has pioneered, by the way, and had been copied by countless other "me too" titles for over a decade now). So there really isn't anything new that you haven't seen before in other FPS games, but they're entitled to it as this is the game that made the genre to begin with. It's common knowledge that FPS aren't really meant for a gamepad, but id was able to handle it pretty well for this game. There's a auto-assist aiming much like the one implemented in the Halo series, and it works very well. Cycling through your weapons is a chore, however, and it quite daunting that you're only able to map up to four weapons in the D-Pad for quick selection. Then again, this is a D-pad limitation, and a quick selection is better than none. It is also quite frustrating at times when you have to quickly change from flashlight to your weapon in some of the darker areas. This set-up, understandably, adds to the chill factor of the game, as you panic to quickly switch to your shotgun to pump lead to a zombie or hell spawn quickly approaching. But still, you'd still wish you could stick that darn light to your shotgun, or something. Don't even think marines wouldn't think of doing just that, especially when you take into consideration that the storyline's in a future setting. At least the PC version had a "duct tape" mod that attaches your flashlight to some of your weapons.

Also, this is quite a challenging game. You'd always find yourself either frantically looking for an ammo or health pack; and though there's actually ample supply in every stage, it still feels like there isn't quite enough. Luckily, the game incorporates a save anywhere feature, and I'd advise you to use it often because you're liable to die often. Even still, for some odd reason, you'd never feel the game's cheating on you. Also, enemy placements are constant. So if you repeat that certain level, you'll be assured where your enemies'll be coming from. Boss battles pack quite a wallop as well, and is quire rewarding if you were able to defeat them. Also, as opposed to other games, defeating the bosses do not automatically break the game's pace because hell spawn will attack you almost immediately once you're though with the larger threat. Almost too often, I'd die in the hands of these "lesser" spawns after defeating the stage "boss". It's how challenging this game is, and this is how much I'd stress that you SAVE.

But no matter how hard the game becomes, it's still quite satisfying and addicting to blow your enemies up to smithereens. Using the BFG is as thrilling today as it was then. My hat's off to id software for making a game that feels almost new, yet staying true to its roots. This is the way all remakes should be. And the excitement not only comes from nostalgia, by the way. Even if you've never played a Doom game before, you are going to enjoy this game until the campaign's end and beyond. Too bad I don't have a XBL account, so I won't be able to give a review of how the multiplayer component fares. But remember: this is the game that made fragfest a reality. If the single-player is so good, I'm betting my hat off that the online component's going to be a blast.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 04/21/05