The Bloodhound gang has a song lyric that goes “She was hotter than the sun, but not as bright”. This reminds me of Doom 3. Imagine Doom 3 as a Playmate of the Year. She’s gorgeous, has all the right curves in the right places. She is perfectly symmetrical, the perfect height, the perfect everything. Yet she’s dumb as a doorknob. You can’t hold a conversation with her, you can’t discuss anything with her. You can admire her beauty, but there’s no depth to her. This is the problem. All beauty and no brains ensue. Doom 3 is gorgeous. Let me repeat that, the game is downright gorgeous. John Carmack is a graphics rendering genius. The game is so beautiful; it will keep you in your seat gawking for quite some time. If there were ever a reason to get the latest and greatest video card, this game would be it. The game ensues. You start off as a nameless marine (again) on some Mars base (again). You encounter some fellow marines who chat; you encounter some other Marine who tells you where to go. You make it to an underground section of the Mars base and run into some guy who’s jibber jabbing about sending some message, yadda yadda, and then the Hell Gate opens and Demons infest the mars base…Dom 3 ensues. Now I’ll hand it to Id, that the first couple of levels of this game grab your attention. They trick you into thinking that you’ll eventually come across a team of Marines who survived and then you and your fellow devil dogs will fight the bad monsters to the death. However this never happens and you are left wandering (for about the first 7 missions) from one claustrophobic corridor to another. Repetition ensues. For about the first three levels I figured the repetitive corridors and opening locked cabinets would stop, but it continued for about ten. Needless to say this angered me deeply. Here was a game that is a prisoner of its own technical achievement. Due to the amazing detail in the levels, you aren’t really allowed to explore any vast areas, at all. Eventually the game does pick up and the levels do become a bit more creative, but it’s the same old same old. Find key card, open door. Saving humanity ensues. If you played Doom, you’ve played Doom 3, simple as that. There are absolutely no new game play elements within the game. Unless you count the fact that you can walk around blind with a weapon, or with a flashlight and defenseless. Whoever designed this element of the game should be fired. The fact that areas are so dark, yet full of monsters, makes it close to impossible to see what you’re shooting at. Yeah you can see the red eyes on some of the demons, or hear the zombies in the distance, which at first creates a sense of terror, but after a while creates a sense of ‘why am I bothering”? Why am I bothering ensues. The weapons in the game are a rehash of the same old weapons in previous Id titles. Pistol, Shotgun, yadda yadda yadda. I was completely distraught at the complete lack of well anything new. Nothing new ensues. Now so far this may sound like a pretty terrible game, which it is not. Certain points within the game actually had me quite frightened. The amazing dynamic lighting really showcases the graphic’s engine power and makes the entire world almost photo realistic. This sense of reality draws you in for a while, but eventually too much repetition kills this game. Killing the game ensues. As you progress through the game there are some memorable moments. Following a scientists with his flashlight providing the only light as you walk down stairs and through corridors is very fun, and scary at the same time. Coming across one of the many mini-walking-tanks-with-flashlight is fun as well. Some cool moments ensue. Overall the game simply falls flat. While Doom 3 is pretty to look at, and somewhat entertaining; it never keeps you satisfied for a sustained period of time. My disappointment ensues.
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
