Doom 3 is the latest installment in the series of first person shooters from id that revolutioned first person shooters just over a decade ago. The earlier Doom games were strictly fast paced affairs, with killing hordes of monsters and not bothering to offer a compelling reason or story to go along with the action. In the decade since, FPSes have become tried to become more and more immersive, adding plotlines, scripted sequences, full motion video, in game cutscenes, and interactive environments. With Doom 3, id software has tried to develop a modern FPS that is technically sound, but in doing so, left out the fun that made their previous games legendary. You play the part of an unnamed space marine in the year 2145, sent to a United Aerospace Corporation (UAC) base on Mars on a routine mission that quickly goes terribly wrong. As you play the game, you'll notice there are more than a few passing similarities to Valve's Half Life. You're thrust into a research facility when all of a sudden all hell breaks loose, you'll chat with surviving scientists, you'll recover health from convenient health stations located throughout the levels, you'll ride a monorail. The feeling you got from Half Life is all here. At the start of the game, you are given a PDA, which allows you to download information from other scientists' PDAs and also view video disks that you acquire throughout the game. The information you gain through the PDA is at times valuable, which may include hints on your current objective, or allow you to open the various weapon and health lockers you'll encounter. You'll proceed through the UAC base, most of the time in dark areas, so, unlike most FPS games, you'll actually be using your flashlight a lot to illuminate dark corners and hallways. A problem is that you can't hold your flashlight and another weapon at the same time, which is a problem, since once you spot an enemy in a dark area, you won't see it again once you decide to pull out your weapon to kill it. For players who remember the earlier Doom games, you'll be treated to updated versions of enemies and weapons. Nearly all of the original enemies are back, including imps, zombie soldiers, cacodemons, demons, lost souls, mancubus, arch-vile, hell knights, and yes, the cyberdemon. However, they may not resemble too closely what you remembered them. They seem to all have lost their bright colors, and have all changed appearance drasticaly for the most part. All the old weapons are back, with one serious omission. That means you'll have have the chainsaw, pistol, shotgun, chaingun, rocket launcher, plasma gun, and the BFG9000. The one gun you'll miss is the double barreled super shotgun, which was a blast to use. There are a couple new weapons, the standard FPS machine gun, and later in the game, the powerful Soul Cube, in addition to your flashlight. Doom 3 does away with the style of its predecessors in deliberately slowing down gameplay and putting you in close quarters. There really aren't any huge outdoor areas where you'll be endlessly blasting monsters all around you while avoiding their attacks. There are intense battles, but they are over fairly quickly. Even with all the new technology behind it, the gameplay of Doom 3 is as simplistic as it gets. The levels are still very much linear, as you'll need to pick up X item or push Y button to open Z door to proceed. For all the new graphics engine and technology in Doom 3, there is remarkably little interactivity with your environment. Granted, the ability to break windows or blow up computers serves no purpose in gameplay, but these little touches would be nice. Given that id's games are synonymous with no nonsense action, some gameplay elements introduced in Doom 3 really don't jive. For example, for the first time in an id game, you'll be required to reload your weapons. I don't mean the time in between shotgun blasts, but the time you'll spend putting new shells/bullets in your gun. You can reload before you empty your clip/shells/cells, but the fact that you HAVE to may seem a surprise to id veterans. Another noticeable change is that there is no "always run" option, and you have a stamina meter, which limits how much you sprint. Also annoying is that your view will radically alter if you take heavy damage. One second you're looking forward with your shotgun trained on an imp, the next you're looking at the ceiling, making it harder to shoot your enemies. Sadly, the old Doom powerups are nowhere to be found. There are no cool light amplification goggles, radiation suits, invisibility, or invincibility powerups. The berserk powerup a rare appearance, though. One of the biggest problems with Doom 3 is the lack of variety of game settings. Most of the game takes place in the indoor UAC facility, and it's disappointing not to see more varied environments. While the first few levels seem interesting, they blend into a series of forgettable similar levels. Surprisingly, there is only one Hell level. And once you've finished the game, you'll get an unsatisfying ending which doesn't shed light on the plot. Also, for all the hype about the graphics, there simply isn't too much color to the game, as you'll remember most of the game in shades of black and white. If you're looking for a revolutionary FPS, Doom 3 isn't it. Even if you are an id fan, there's nothing really captivating or fresh about Doom 3. It's a step backward in gameplay from modern FPSes, yet lacks the fun of killing tons of monsters that the older Quake and Doom games offered.
I think this game is indeed the best game I've ever played. I like it because it scares me, though I've played it before. The gameplay is really rapid, you should always load your weapons, otherwise you would be torn apa... Read Full Review
This game is not for the faint of heart, the paranoid or the weak stomached. Playing this game alone in the dark with headphones at full blast is one of the most enjoyable if un-nerving experiances you can have with a ga... Read Full Review
