What I remember the most about Doom 3 is probably all the hype before it was shown. Everybody had kind of their own idea of what it would be like. It went all the way from "indistinguishable from real life graphics" to over the top violence and dismemberment, RPG elements and open world gameplay and so on. In the end I think it got to the point where it was impossible for the game not to disappoint everyone a little bit.
From what I've heard this far of Doom 4 it at least lives up to the hopes that I had for it, although I learned my lesson on high expectations with Doom 3.
I believe this was written on the inside of the Unreal Tournament manual cover:
This is a challenge To anyone who ever Took a man down in a 3D shooter And liked it. This is your last chance To prove that you are the best of the best. This is the gladiatorial arena of the future. This is a single-player trial by fire. A heavy weight deathmatch Championship of the universe For those willing to build a mountain of bodies And climb to the top In environments that stun. Against A.I. that kills. For those willing to stake their lives In the pursuit of victory... We salute you.
That sentence and the game that came with it spawned a love for FPS games in me that lasts to this day. I long for that moment where you were locked in the dance of death on the bridges of Deck-16 - dodging rockets and spraying bullets.
Reminds me of one of the sadder christmas stories of my life for some reason. I was 12 years old and all I wanted for Christmas was Mortal Kombat III for my SNES. I loved fighting games (still do) and I made sure everyone knew it would mean the world to me to get it. I didn't really anticipate to actually get it since money were kind of tight for my family back then. I lived in the country and there wasn't really any way to earn the money for buying games myself, so getting them for christmas or birthday was probably my only shot at getting games.
One morning - a couple of days before christmas, I wake up early, before my parents, and go into the living room. On a chair I notice something I almost couldn't believe: It's Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 - a game even better than Mortal Kombat 3!
I was almost exploding with happiness, but I realize it must have been an error. They had been wrapping gifts and accidentally forgotten it on the chair the night before. And so I contained myself, knowing that if my parents found out I had seen the gift, they might take it back, and went back to my room. On my way back I pass my brother who's going into the living room as I walk out.
Then comes christmas day. I quickly notice the gift under the tree and I plan how surprised I will look once I open it. Finally we get to the point where we get to open our gifts. I run over to it, tear off the wrapping and it's...
"Indiana Jones Trilogy"? This was of course not the game I had wanted. Knowing that my parents had spent a lot of money on it, I hold back my tears and manage to utter a thank you. Turns out my brother had told them I might have seen the gift, and they had gotten it exchanged just to be safe.
In the end I never got to own either Mortal Kombat 3 or Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3.
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