Thrilling Experience
Gameplay: 8/10
Graphics: 10/10
Sound: 9/10
Lifeline: 8/10
Enjoyment: 9/10
Doom 3, the long awaited 'sequel' to ID Software's original and 2nd game of the series was hailed as one of the most impressive, frightening and best looking games to be released to date when it was first hit the shelves in 2004 for the PC. One year on and IDS have finally managed to port the game onto Microsoft's current generation console, the Xbox. The main advantage of this was that people who were left behind because they simply didn't have the mother of a system that was required to play the PC version could finally get their hands on one of the most talked about games of 2004. The reason the game was s hard to play fully on PCs was mainly due to the 3D graphics engine that was developed and used for the game on the Windows version. This meant a lot of players just couldn’t get the game and play it as it was meant to be played. If you could manage to run it properly however, you would find that the graphics within the game were absolutely amazing and in such high detail that sometimes you could actually believe you were in a real world simulation. So does the Xbox version live up to its predecessor? Well first let me fill you in on what this game is all about… as if you don’t know already.
Although FPS games are not particularly known for their story based gameplay and deep philosophical concepts behind the action, Doom 3 somewhat makes an attempt to implement a story into the driving force of the game. You take on the role of a nameless and voiceless Space Marine who is called to Mars for reasons either I did not pick up on or reasons completely unknown to anyone. Basically after about 5 minutes the plot kicks in and that's all that really matters. As it turns out, Mars has been infested with the forces of Hell, terrorizing the employees of the Union Aerospace Corporation, and well, killing them... brutally; as they do. So it's up to you single headedly to take down the entire force of Satan and his angry henchmen. Not exactly the most original story ever placed within a video game (or Doom for that matter) but it has to be said that the guys at IDS have at least tried this time round. The story however, let's face it; it's not the reason we play Doom is it?
Without a doubt, the greatest part about Doom in terms of achievement is it's representation through the media in which the game communicates with the user. Both the visuals and audio within Doom work fantastically together to create a totally realistic and intense environment for you to rampage your way through. Character models are crisp and clean with each one seeming almost flawless; veteran fans of the series will no doubt enjoy this tremendously as they will get to see most of the enemies from the first 2 games, fantastically re-formed and represented to a very high degree of realism. It's thanks to this high level of detail that Doom manages to truly capture your imagination and exploit them for all they are worth through the games limited yet effective scare-methods. Characters and enemies sound ultra-realistic and hardly ever fail to complement the graphics in a way that seems almost perfect.
The only problem I have with the graphics is that the endless corridors and settings do often feel like the same ones over and over; terrible deja vu. Because of the great work that went into making these areas as realistic as they are however, I couldn't bring myself to bump the score down just because of one bad point. As for the sound: As a whole, the voice acting is top grade quality and the sounds made by your surroundings really help to establish that intense feel of hell breaking loose. I feel a little bit of a soundtrack would have worked however, and our character could have voiced himself a bit more... I mean, throughout battling the forces of hell, and he doesn't say one thing. Put aside those couple of points however, and you have near perfection in terms of multi-media within a game.
After taking in Doom's impressive and very up-to-date visual style, you will find that the game's gameplay style is pretty much that of a basic FPS system with some minor significant features that ultimately need not matter at all. What's wrong with that I hear you say? Well, nothing really, but there's nothing spectacular about it either, especially for this day in age where reinvention in going around us all the time in the game's industry. Fans of the original games will probably either find this a very bad thing or a very good thing. For example: You could either get bored and annoyed that it plays almost exactly like the originals, or you could love the fact that ID have stuck to their roots, and created a very much 'old-school' type FPS with updated graphics. However, it doesn't matter what you think of the likeness of the gameplay, it is still great and serves its purpose; to deliver an intense shooter that never fails to get low on action.
As mentioned above, the game does try to scare you pretty often. Although incredibly atmospheric and scary at first, Doom will tend you get a little repetitive in the whole 'fear' department. Eventually you will get over it and will find yourself most likely wondering why you were hiding behind the couch the day before.
The core weapon system is practically flawless and the interaction between you and the game is also near perfect, making Doom a high quality product in terms of making sure 'everything that really matters, works': Which deserves to be recognized, although is pretty much expected nowadays. One major difference between this version and the PC version is that although you will find, levels have been cut down a little to save disk space, it has not been in vain. The Xbox version features a very enjoyable and interesting twist on the campaign mode which puts you and another player within the same campaign mode to battle the forces of hell together via Xbox Live, Co-Op mode! Not only does this add a lot of replay value for the game, but it's an added feature that extends the whole experience of Doom to a new level. I mean, what could be better than teaming up with a friend over the net to take down the forces of hell?
A weaker point to the game's gameplay element is the constant reading you have to do in order to progress through the levels. Throughout Doom you will collect personnel’s PDAs, which in turn hold either audio or textual logs that personnel made before they were slaughtered. In most cases, the logs will hold precious information needed to open storage rooms for armory and weapons etc, which you will need. So I know what you're saying; ''so you have to do a bit of reading, so what? It can't be that much of a big deal''. Well, no it isn't. However, after the 30th odd time you've had to do it, you will probably curse the day PDAs were invented. Not only does it interrupt the games atmosphere and action, it is frankly boring and pointless with the exception that it contains the key to some impressive weaponry.
Enemies within the game are actually pretty easy as well, with the exception of a couple of ultra-powerful foes, you'll find yourself blasting through them easily with hardly any trouble at all. I think the main reasoning behind this is that there isn't that much of a variety that they through at you and most of them don't necessarily have that much of a variety of manoeuvres. So after a few encounters with them, you will most likely know which weapon to equip and when to duck & dive. This creates a strong sense of hassle rather than sheer urge to kill. So yes, AI isn't that impressive but it certainly isn't flawed. It's pretty basic really, offering a small hint of challenge mainly through the number of enemies rather than the quality of them.
So if you enjoy simply running around high detailed environments and engaging in intense shoot-outs with demons of hell with more than a handful of weaponry with hardly anything in-between other than a few scares then you will most certainly enjoy Doom’s style of play and take it in with great happiness. If however, you're looking for something innovative and modern such as Half-Life 2 then this may not make you the happiest of people. The gameplay as a result has a very decent score mainly because it's almost flawless and serves nothing that necessary makes you think ''this is crap'', but at the same time, it doesn’t make you say ''Wow! Look at this!'', unless you haven’t played a FPS before.
It's suffice to say that Doom has survived its transition to the Xbox console, and in fact in some ways it succeeds on showing it's PC predecessor how it should and could have been. What’s even better is that you don't need to sell your soul in order to get a hold of a computer capable of playing one of the greatest games of 2004. So if you've been waiting to play Doom 3, but couldn't run the damn thing, don't wait any longer- pick this game up straight away! You will not be disappointed. Veteran fans of Doom will most likely love this instalment of the series and even people who have never experienced the thrill of Doom before will more than likely come out seeking more. Visually stunning and ground-breaking, frightening and action-packed, Doom will thrill you and give you a gaming experience that deserves to be tried at least once.
Final Grade: 8.8/10
