A simple formula enhanced by it's dark style and chilling nature (In-depth review).
STORY
Supposedly a remake of the first original classic Doom, the story goes a little more deeper than the previous. While the simple premise of the UAC opening a gateway to hell on their Mars military base is all the same, the key difference is the characters and side plots. First off our hero is still the same old nameless silent protagonist who in the game is just referred to by others as "Marine", which while correct you'll most likely know him as "that Doom Guy". Yet you'd think being the centre of the game's attention that would be it? Well not only have we been given a key antagonist (no, its not Satan) but allies and neutral aligned characters. The antagonist is a one "Dr. Betruger" how looks an awful lot like Anthony Hopkins. From the first time you see him you know he's bad news and boy is that the case later when he starts making hand gestures out of sight spawning demons at will, but don't worry, it is no where as cheesy as that sounded to you. Another is a Dr. Swann who at first wants nothing to do with you and seems to be on a mission to save his own hide, but of course when it hits the fan in his department guess who he want to clean it up? And finally there's "Sarge" who as you've quickly guessed is your superior sergeant. He usually gives you your objectives via earpiece but like the entire game events will change against your favour. While none of these characters are particularly memorable, it at least gives a more epic picture to the game with more going on. Another neat feature is the PDA files. Every once in awhile you'll stumble across one or two of these personal mobile computer logs (usually on the owners corpse… pleasant) and while not required to advance the plot in most cases they not only give you codes to help you unlock weapons and equipment storage lockers but make the whole UAAC complex seem all the more real. They aren't generic corpses for horror effect (well they are but there's this to), they were people with backgrounds. PDA's, whether audio, text or video can give you an interesting insight to the UAC, being it scientists suspicions on the program, new discoveries and theories or maybe just someone wishing their Earthbound loved one a happy birthday or vice versa (pretty poor birthday eh? Getting mauled by hell spawn). Many will probably just shrug of these and get straight into the gore and guts but for me, without them the plot is paper-thin. But at least it ends with a great satisfying climax. But the run up takes you across many parts of this base, and even Hell itself at one point. You don't need to think about the consequences of your actions due to the plots linear nature but you most likely won't care since there's nothing to think about. These are demons, so blow them away back to the pit! I once read a Christian review of Doom 3 and they were (of course) drawn away due to the gore and satanic imagery. Yet what he failed to realise is its pretty clear throughout that Hell is bad, the demons are bad, the military is bad… so overall killing demons and stopping the forces of hell? How could you not get anymore "righteous"?
SOUND
I won't lie to you, there isn't much variation in sound effects, but at least what you get is good enough for its genre. Every level you'll constantly hear air venting, electrical malfunctions and the odd metal structure collapse. Since much of the level is set within the now ruined military base, there's nothing else for it. What does help however is the groans, screams, cries and roars that echo down the blood-soaked corridors. And better yet half the time they never amount to a battle or one on one. On your first play through or long awaited replay, you'll be deceived as much as possible to add the sense of unease and overall unpredictability to what basically is the most straight forward of first person shooters. The voice acting is neither here nor there. People do seem oddly calm about the situation most of the time but it's not cheesy, so be grateful for that… Others like Betruger are truly menacing and he'll have his share of villainess laughs as you descend further into the dark abyss. Others like the crying girl before her obscure and surprising death, which I won't ruin for you is also just as haunting. Gun play is generic as expected yet its that generic noise is real noise and so the weapons and ballistics sound perfect and even better, will cause splatter and squelch noises on impact with flesh to match the dark style of Doom 3.The sound really does make this game. What's more the very few moments of music that creep up (mostly in boss battles and cinematics) work with the events, usually in the form of fast paced rhythmic heartbeats or religious chanting. And finally the theme music is brilliant, a heavy metal soundtrack that never gets old!
GRAPHICS
For their time the graphics were revolutionary and affective. Reviewing this game nearly 4 years latter its still affective as ever. Environments do become somewhat repetitive maze of metal halls but the odd change of pace like Hell, Caverns and Mars' surface make up for it yet it's a shame they could of be more involved to begin with. Luckily the monsters and gore with the odd hellish vision help to vary things a little. The characters and monsters move realistically along with a rag doll death but when a character talks you'll easily notice his lip sink to be way out of place. What's more the rag doll doesn't last long as most enemies disintegrate in fiery ash. Nice effect but you would like to look more at the creatures. The many beasts you'll encounter are varied but more importantly twisted and frightening. While most are a departure from their original Doom counterparts, you'll still get the feeling that they are what they are. The imps come up enough times like the original and the hell knights still make you panic… and in other cases the Revenant and Archviles still look the same and the Mancubus look even better! And while it's a shame the gaps were filled in with mindless unoriginal zombies, they still look creepy enough to fit in. In a couple of cases this isn't so sadly. The floating Cacodemon's look rather cartoon like and overall not as evil and some new enemies like Cherubs and Ticks are completely oblivious to what game they should be in. Other foes like the teleporting Wraith can get credit and the Maggots, while unnecessary due to their similarity in combat attacks to the Imp do look right at home. The bosses are menacing enough to be called so and are intimidating enough to course panic within the first few moments of battle. Overall the enemies might not look so much like the original Doom but at least they feel like Doom, which overall enhances the gameplay experience. The graphics are outdated but then again Half Life 2 and F.E.A.R. have been beat and people still love those, and the same applies to Doom 3. It might not wow you like it first did and Gears of War has now but that's not to say it makes the game unplayable and not chilling. Having played both versions the PC on right settings is better than the Xbox as a side note but not by that much.
GAMEPLAY
Like previously mentioned, it's a standard shooter. To be precise for some people you could call it a "corridor crawler". While we've made some developments since then, Doom 3 still succeeds in its engrossing experience. Sure you just end up shooting the odd demon every so often but when mixed with the sounds, remise and demons along with the over the top satanic blood orgy can be a nice reminder of the original point of games. I can see many Doom fans being turned off by the drastic change of pace and I can understand but others games that stick to it like Painkiller don't have that Doom feel to it. It's hard to explain but this game does feel like a Doom experience. Weapons are fun to use despite you already playing with something simular elsewhere but you do get the satisfaction when blowing heads off with the Shotgun or mowing down eneimes with the Chaingun and when you break out the Chainsaw, Soul Cube or BFG, the game becomes more original. Multiplayer is basic and by now pretty much dead, co-op is a neat feature that critics seem to rave about but for me personally, thinks of it this way. What's more haunting, alone or together? There's a good chance you'll go back and play it again but it will be along wait since you need to forget every twist and turn to experience what the game has to offer… that could take up to 3 years depending on your preference but the games length of roughly 15+ hours with the expansion Resurrection of Evil, you'll get your money's worth of enjoyment out of it.
OVERALL
Doom 3 is technically outdated and despite what I said about the dark chilling nature of the game, I wasn't scared but then again NO game has. The gameplay is basic and you've probably played a lot of FPS since then BUT that isn't a good reason to shrug it off altogether. If you want a blast from the not so distant past, like Doom was awhile back then Doom 3 should satisfy those looking for something not to overdone like many FPS's these days try (and fail) to be. Horror fans should defiantly give this a look and those who want the Doom experience can still get it, it's a difference enough experience but one none the less.
Pros:
- Simple yet enjoyable first person shooter action
- Feels like Doom
- Atmospheric
- Great looking characters and monsters
- PDA diaries enhance plot
- Graphics still sharp enough
- Rocking soundtrack
Cons:
- Dead multiplayer
- Predictable if replayed soon after
- Basic FPS formula gets noticable
- Aged for some people