I am about the biggest Doom fan ever. I can't even count how many times I have played the first two games. I have been fascinated by this franchise since it's inception. The first Doom was maybe the most revolutionary game of all time. If it wasn't for that game, we wouldn't have all the great FPS we have today. Doom 2 was just as good & added some nasty new enemies and the double-barrled shotgun. Both games were looked at as masterpieces, although the simple gameplay has become a bit bland to some people. The reason I mention that is that with Doom 3, not much has changed in the terms of gameplay. Kill lots of monsters and survive to the next area.
With the Doom franchise having so big of a following, there is a lot of pressure for any game in the series to be the best. Final Doom (the last official Doom game before this one) was a disappointment. It added NOTHING new except for the new maps that you play on. I was personally very upset at how that game was released for $50 or so and offered nothing new at all. Since then shooters have come a LONG way. Most FPS are geared toward multiplayer these days, but that's not the case with Doom 3. This is a single-player game that has a multiplayer option. Another thing to mention is that this is not a sequal in the series. This is a remake of the original Doom. For storyline purposes, I thought I should mention that.
When you start the game, the first thing you will notice is how obviously gorgeous the graphics are. Before Doom 3 was released, the hype around the visuals was gigantic. PC guys were upgrading graphic cards like crazy. And by all accounts, Doom 3 lived up to all of that graphical hype. It's the best looking game I have ever seen. Does the translation to the Xbox hurt the title? Well obviously it's not going to look as good as the PC version, but it is still a gorgeous game and easily the best looking game to ever be on a console. Plus you don't have to pay hundreds of dollars to upgrade a PC.
I love the sound in this game. There isn't much music to speak of, but that's a good thing. I always turned the music off in the old Doom games. This game is all about atmosphere. The visuals and weird sounds you hear really make it feel like you are in the game. The monsters all sound pretty good and there is a surprising amount of voice acting in the game. Some of the weapons sound a bit goofy, but this is definately a game you can jack up the speakers with and drive your neighbors crazy.
Now we get to the gameplay. If you played the original games, you know there isn't much of a story here. It's basically just run around, find monsters, kill monsters, move to next area. Doom 3 tries to instill a story into the mix and does a decent job of it. Sure it's no Final Fantasy, but at least it's better than the story in the movie!! Anyway, you really aren't playing this for a killer story. You are playing this to kill a bunch of demons and have the crap scared out of you. And that's what Doom can still do: Scare you. You have to play this game in the dark. If you don't, you won't be able to see much. But a game like this SHOULD be played in the dark, by yourself, with the sound jacked up, after drinking a Monster energy drink or two. I jumped out of my seat a few times and due to the game having such a creepy atmosphere, this is the scariest game I have played in some time.
While the game is gorgeous, sounds great and is fun to play, it has a few problems that could hurt it in some people's eyes. The gameplay is very simplistic, just like the older titles. I like the 'old-school' feel of that, but a lot of people will get bored with Doom 3 in extended sittings. The game has a serious lack of variety in the enviroments. It's one dark creepy hallway after another. Unlike the older games, there aren't many outdoor enviroments at all. Some of the weapons just lack the 'punch' that they should. The shotgun was particularly disappointing, as it looks like a shotgun they would have in Halo. The Plasma gun is another that sounds goofy. Plus, it's bad when a game from 1993 has a better sound of a shotgun & plasma gun than this game. The grenades weren't all that useful, since enemies tend to be very fast and come running at you. And while there is a spider-type boss, I would have liked to see the Spider Mastermind make an appearance. On the collector's edition (which is easily worth the extra $10, since you get the original Doom games with it), it showed a developed, but un-used Spider Mastermind that they had developed for the game.
Other than those minor flaws, I absolutely loved this game. I can't wait to play the expansion pack, and I hope they consider making another Doom. Sure the gameplay here won't flex your brain much, but it's sure is nice to look at & it's fun to play. I recommend picking this game (the collector's version) up for the budget price of $20, get an energy drink, turn off the lights, turn up the sound, and play through all three games on the disc. You will not be disappointed.
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