Four years of long waiting have come down to this: Doom 3 is out, and while not the Second Coming of Christ, it is a damn fine game in it's own right.
The first thing you notice when you start Doom 3 is the graphics. Obviously, this is one of the game's biggest achivements. They look absolutely stunning, and will run well on even mediocre PCs, suprisingly. The lighting effects really seal the deal, though. All the shadows and lights are real time, and seeing a lamp swing around in the game creates very plausible shadows and other effects. Id uses this to great effect, and makes Doom 3 one of the scariest FPSs ever.
Now, we were all exepecting the best graphics in game in a long time, but nothing can prepare you for the skillful use of sound in the game. The shrieks and moans of the demons give you the chills and create a constant moodiness and tension to the game. The 5.1 surround sound works perfectly as well, and it saved my life on more than one occasion. The only problem I had with the sounds were some of the gun sounds, especially the machine gun and chain gun. They sound a little underpowered, when compared to the healthy "BOOM" and "ker-CHAK" of the shotgun. Do yourself a favor and play this one with headphones if you don't have a 5.1 sound system.
But the big question is: how does Doom 3 play as a game? Well, this is probably the most contested part of the game. At its core, Doom 3 is an old-school shooter, with the old-fashioned key hunts. The AI of the demons is pretty basic, whereas enemies with guns will use cover and move in tandem. But don't get me wrong, the game is a blast to play. Id set out to make a sequel to Doom and they did just that; Doom 3 plays like a Doom game should. The biggest difference between the new and the old is the pace. Doom 3 is deliberate, and requires you to scour every room for ammo and health.
The only gripes I really had with the game is about half way through, the levels start looking very similar, and seeing the same textures and corridors over and over can be a pain. But this is soon broken up when you reach Hell, which looks just like Hell should: fire, brimstone, cages, pentagrams, screams. The muliplayer is pretty weak, too, but this will undoubtedly be allieviated by the mod community.
Overall, though, you will be hard-pressed to find a better first-person single player experience that has been released in the past year. A must buy for PC gamers and FPS aficionados.
Briefly:
The Good - Unparalled graphics, sounds, and lights; scary as hell; good, old-school-meets-new-school gameplay.
The Bad - Ocasionally repetitive textures and level designs; weak multiplayer.
The Bottom Line - Doom 3 is here, and worth every penny. A serious contender for Game of the Year.
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