Doom 3

"Doom 3 To Hell and Back"

Doom 3 is a horror first person shooter. The game was originally released on PC, then months later released on the Xbox. Doom 3 has stunning graphics, mind blowing creatures, and story line. It really is enough to keep you interested in the game for a long time.

Story 9/10 - You are a marine on the planet Mars. At first you are just sent to do an escort but once you go deeper into the labs of Mars, crazy and strange things start to occur. The scientist you go to rescue attacks you. Un-dead zombies crawl out of cracks, demons appear from nothingness...etc. You travel through the game receiving orders from your captain through your head set. As you progress onward you become weary of the evil mad scientist who just happens to control this army sent from another dimension, or hell. You encounter many weird creatures, and receive different objectives. But the whole plot is to stop the scientist from bringing the demons to earth, and escape mars.

Game Play 7/10 - It is a first person shooter. The controls were very easy and quick to learn. There's a pretty large variety of weapons to choose from. Computer A.I. in my opinion was very well assembled, but I didn't like the fact that demons always knew where you were... but I guess that's what makes the game more interesting and exciting. The boss fights were hard at times, but weren't impossible to beat. There weren't too many puzzles so you don't get lost too much, and it's straight forward where you need to go and what you need to do. The game was fun. Very straight forward though. There were no side quests. Not much freedom to roam around, or explore. It was simple but fun.

Multi Player Death Match 3/10 - In my opinion ... how long they took for coming out with the game they could have taken a little more time with the multi-player death match. I was severely disappointed with it. It was so choppy, and everything happens so fast you don't really have time to look around... and enjoy the crappy scenery. And yes, I mean crappy. Considering how beautiful the single player looked, I was so disappointed in how little effort they put into making death match. Not only that... it only supported 4 players via Xbox live or system link. They could have had split screen, but it lacked that. I suggest to anyone who plays this game not to buy it for the multi player feature. But on the other hand there was a multi player co-op mode.

Multi Player Co-op 10/10 - This is so much better than the death match mode, that it's ridiculous. In co-op mode you can play with a friend or a stranger via system-link or xbox live. Here you play through the single player story mode, but with a friend. There is slight changes such as you both need to be by some doors before they open, and more monsters and demons. Other than that there were no changes to the game play. It makes it so much easier to have someone pointing the flash light while someone guns down the demons. I was actually appreciative of the co-op mode, and I really think it was a great addition to the xbox version.

Audio/ Video 10/10 - I am not going to make separate paragraphs for audio and video simply because they both easily deserve a 10 out of 10. The graphics for this game were one of the best I've ever seen for an xbox game. The shadows, the textures, the lights- everything looked close to being real. The sound was superb. Eerie music, with blood gurgling screams, and demonic voices really set the mood to the game. The dialog was very well written and acted out. Together the stunning graphics and audio made the game what it is.

Re-Playability 5/10 While the game is fun, scary, and beautiful to look at... I felt no need to play it again. There really is no need to go back and try to “collect” anything, and with how dark the game environment is... it makes it impossible to look for easter-eggs and secrets. The only good reason to go back and play the game is on nightmare mode you start with the ultimate weapon- the soul cube. But other than that the game really has no effect of making me want to play it again.

To buy or to Rent? - My opinion is find a friend who has bought the game and will let you borrow it. Because if you rent it, you will want to play it through to the end. But once you buy the game and beat it, you'll be left with a feeling of “what now?”. The death match really isn't exciting at all, and the graphics and audio really made the game what it is. In my opinion- rent it before you buy it to see if you like it. If you are really into horror games, and first person shooters, however, this is a great game to add to your collection.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/27/05