Doom 3 is a gripping ride through hell and back, but relies too much on old school mechanics and gameplay.
Doom 3 marks the third title in the old school first person shooter series, starting back when 3D gameplay was still relatively new and wowing audiences with it's possibilities. The original "Doom" and "Final Doom" (which turned out not to be so "final") - were classics of the day, way back in 1996, when the addictive nature of shooting hellspawn and the heightened tension and creepy atmosphere creating a fearful gameplay experience which, for the time, was amazing.
Doom 3 then harks back to the early age of first person shooting games, essentially it is a remake of the original. You don't need to play either of the original games to enjoy this ultra-violent gore fest, but if you have (and there are few who haven't) then you may enjoy this game's "behind the times" feel and reimagined enemies. Sporting some incredible graphics and sound, it seems strange that the game has taken a backstep in what is primarily it's main objective. The gameplay appears at odds with it's design, whether this is deliberate for fans or just a jaunt for easier times, the fact remains that the gameplay of Doom 3 is back when games were living in simpler times.
But the game industry is ever-changing and growing. In it's most poignant stage, it evolves, and many genres are created, merged and changed as tastes change. I guess Id Software didn't get the memo on this, and instead worked together to make a compelling title but with the gameplay of which we all grew out of long ago. This wont make you dislike the game, on the contrary, Doom 3 packs an amazing punch - with some genuinally scary scenes, some ultra gory fighting and some of the most intense and rabid enemies you might ever see. Playing as a nameless and faceless Marine, you are dispatched to Union Aerospace Corporation's Mars Research Facility - which is beset by a number of problems.
This allows you to have a good view of the game's structure, how it looks, sounds and feels. The atmosphere of the title is right up there with the very best, and you are introduced almost immediately to the PDA System - your own Personal Digital Assistant. Some cutscene's as well as some misplaced PDA's allow you to get a feel for the facility's atmosphere, and the paranoia of some of the employees stationed there. Paranoia is apt I suppose when talking about Doom 3. Not long into the game, all hell literally breaks loose and you are on your own fighting off waves of enemies of the demonic kind. However, after some early play - you'll find it becomes predictable - with enemies spawning behind you which will at first supply you with shocks, but later you become desensitised to that kind of fear, and the game doesn't make up for it later on.
The arsenal that you are supplied with is rather small - though you do have all the staples of first person shooters such as a handgun, plasma gun, machine gun, chain gun and shotgun. Unusually, you can also make use of a Chainsaw as well - which easily carves through enemies, and naturally doesn't require reloading, making it a good option for taking out large groups of zombies. But not all enemies come after you in slow motion. Hellspawn comes out in a variety of ways, with enemies rushing you, jumping up, clawing, biting and throwing flaming balls of fire. It's intense stuff, and they evade, dodge and try to mess you up. There are some demonized humans as well - who make use of machine guns and shields as well, and these are probably the hardest enemy in the game, especially when there are a few - as they have a higher degree of intelligence than the standard sorts of enemies you can easily plough through.
Unfortunately the game derives its suspense and tension early on from the demonic enemies, with them leaping out of the darkness giving you some genuine thrills. But this doesn't work time after time, and the same shock tactics are used throughout the campaign and have a lesser effect as you go on. Your first objective is to meet up with the squad you are originally assigned too, but as luck would have it, you never make it. The omission of some team gunplay is shocking, considering even Doom 3's predecessor's offered it. This is offset ocassionally by a little robotic guard who will cover a pre-determined distance and take out all enemies for you, but it isn't the same.
The length of the game isn't questionable - with a over-long 15 hour minimum fight through hell. This is probably to make up for the game's poor online play, with generic maps and modes on offer. Do yourself a favour and keep out of this altogether, it has a very tacked on feel and doesn't make the game any better for it's inclusion. For some unknown reason, you are given no identity whatsoever in the game, and as such - Doom 3 provides many other people to the story, which fleshes out the experience somewhat, but it's done in an ineffectual fashion. Essentially, there are many PDA's lying around. You require them to get through areas you dont have access too - and they each have a number of emails, voice logs and more to take you out of the experience.
While it is a nice touch - this is presented in a way that actually takes you out of the game, and many gamers may not care for that. It is all optional of course to read through another's presonal memo's to self and emails - which occassionaly provide clues, such as locker codes. However - this could have been given more thought, as it's ineffectual to the experience, and doesn't tie together with the games atmosphere it is so deperately trying to achieve. But there are many fear-inducing moments, when the screen will suddenly turn red, give some static and laughing can be heard. You are stationary - and you actually feel like whatever has got to those people is trying to overtake you. This can happen at any point, and it's fear inducing, but again doesn't change. Like the game itself it is formulaic - done once you've seen all that it has to offer, as it doesn't change throughout the course of the experience.
Neither does the environments. Spoilt silly by a number of high ranking games of late, I was hoping to see some variety in the games environments - especially with the incredible graphics on offer. But unfortunately - the game is a monotonous trench through ever darkening corridors of assorted beasts that hunger for your blood. Fair enough that with the setting, Id Software have been genuine to provide an authentic atmosphere of a research base set on another planet. But there is just so much more that could have been done, and while the game looks incredible, it's environments are sorely lacking of any real identity. They don't feel lived in.
Sound is one of the major factors with setting the mood of any game, so thankfully Doom 3's is of one dripping with suspense. Moody and low, it kicks into some high ranking, decibel crashing rock when there is enough going on, which can actually make you pick when a situation may arise. The music is suspenseful - and while you may not remember it afterwards, it does a considerably good job at providing a good level of fear and tension. The Sound Effects is what really brings the experience to life, with a number of environmental and monster effects that give the game it's fear. This isn't a game for children, with Horror literally jumping out of the screen in waves. Steam shooting and lights fading, the games atmosphere is brimming with exciting hellish opportunities to make you jump - and the effects is what really help create this.
Overall though, with it's decidedly old school gameplay, Doom 3 is a fantastic ride through Hell and back. If there was a little more variety to it's environments or to how you play, this would have scored higher but nonetheless, this is a great game dripping with atmosphere and extreme violence. Fun while it lasts - I recommend this to all who enjoy things that go bump in the night, or jump out from the darkness and try to rip your face off.