by Ryan - August 31, 2004

You�re a space marine sent by the Union Aerospace Corporation to their Mar�s research facility. Everything is going fine until one day everything goes wrong. Sound familiar? Doom 3 is the latest sequel in the Doom series from Id Software that has been under development for several years with many promises. However, does it live up to all the hype Id Software has been giving us while it�s been under development?

Scared?...You should be!

Growing up I remember playing the original Doom and Doom 2 and being scared. Doom 3 continues this tradition and lives up to its title as a �Sci-Fi Thriller.� The original Doom was a pure �shoot-em up� game and Doom 3 continues this tradition. You will find yourself totally immersed and on the edge of your seat as you progress through the Mars Research Facility. Lights will flicker, ceilings will fall and creatures will jump through holes in the walls and attack you from every corner. The gameplay in Doom 3 is just marvelous. In addition to all these atmospheric effects, Doom 3 has a wide variety of monsters for you to blast through. Also, don�t forget all the classic weapons to dispatch them with!

Doom 3 has done a great job of immersing the gamer in this imaginary world. Doom 3 is a great on the edge of your seat thriller that will keep you scared throughout its entirety. Throughout the game, Monsters fall from the ceiling or hide in the dark recesses of a pit and jump out when you�re not looking. They also hide behind hidden doors that open only after you walk by. You are constantly guessing where the next monster is coming from and with a pair of headphones or speakers turned up loud you might just find your self jumping out of your seat. As you progress through the game, the levels only get darker and darker. However, you are given a flashlight, which in some areas can mean the difference between seeing a monster or being surprised by an attack from behind. Even if you are still surprised you might be able to dispatch them with one of the many weapons at your disposal.

The original weapons from Doom 3 are all there including the destructive chainsaw. Doom 3 has over 8 weapons to choose from all just as fun as the next to dispatch the alien hordes with. The flashlight being one of the first you obtain. A flashlight might not sound like much, but when you hit an alien with the blunt end they might find themselves hurting pretty badly. Next you have the customary pistol. Although not very powerful, there is plenty of ammo all over the base for it. The machine gun and plasma gun are next on the list. Both are very powerful weapons, but the plasma gun is able to deflect incoming rockets from the aliens. True to its deathmatch nature, Doom 3 also has a rocket launcher and BFG 9000, a powerful plasma gun, which you can use to clear out entire rooms or just one enemy in a fiery mess. Next, is an alien artifact called the soul cube. The soul cube was discovered amongst the ruins located beneath Mars and acts like a leeching device that steals the life force from your enemy and gives it to you. Finally, we have the chainsaw. The chainsaw is just a regular run of the mill chainsaw that seems harmless enough. However, when you start it up and begin to run through your enemies its massive destructive nature comes out. The creators at Id Software have once again provided you the tools with which to banish their demons in their extensive environments.

Id Software has done very well with what little they have been given. Since the story is based on a base that is in a contained facility, there is only so much they can do in ways of varying types of environments. Id Software, however, has managed to get some of the great Doom level creators of back in the day to aide them in making sure that each level varies enough so that you don�t get the d�j� vu feeling of having already been to that spot. The varying degrees in level design are truly marvelous. They take you from the space dock all the way down to the depths of mars all with surprises around every corner. One second you might be walking across a valley, then all of a sudden the walkway collapses and you find yourself gasping for air in the inhospitable environment of Mars. Doom 3 has truly great gameplay and, for us older game players, we will find ourselves reliving the days of DOS.

Oh my god is that real?

Just as Id Software promised, Doom 3 has set a new standard for gaming graphics. The graphics in Doom 3 are absolutely amazing! I have never seen monsters or levels as detailed as the ones in Doom 3. The graphics designers at Id created graphics that are truly ahead of its time. Even with the newest computer on the market, you still won�t be able to have all the graphics and resolution at the highest level. The smoke and lighting effects are enough to make most people gasp and can even be compared to the CGI that we are used to seeing in some movies. Even the flashlight has a glow much like that you would see in real life. The monsters have highly detailed skins and movement. They seem to come to life right on your computer screen, which further drags you deep into the world that is Doom 3. The levels are just as detailed as everything else. You will see snake like monster designs coming alive in the walls and flowing with amazing realism. Another great thing about Doom 3�s graphics are the fact that even if you are on an aging system such as a 1.5Ghz Pentium 4 you will still be able to play Doom 3, but if you have a high end gaming system you will enjoy amazing graphics that will truly test your computers limits. If you were looking for a reason to buy that new video card, Doom 3 is it.

Eerie Chanting

The �Sci-Fi Thriller� theme continues into the realm of sound. Throughout the game, strange and horrifying sounds are produced. One second you will be standing at the controls of a computer and then you will hear a loud clanging sound. You will keep playing thinking nothing of it. Then out of nowhere there is a loud roar heard and a monster leaps from what you thought was just a dark corner. Sometimes, as you�re walking down the hall, everything will go black and then you will hear a dark sadistic laughter that seems to send shivers down your spine. The ambient sounds are just as immersive. Everything from the sizzling of broken wires to the beeping of computers further brings you into the world and makes everything seem that much more real.

Fun? Oh yeah!

Doom 3 was an absolute blast to play. I haven�t had this much fun or felt as much a part of any game as I have with Doom 3. All the elements come together beautifully and truly make everything that much better. As you advance through the game, you are given more difficult monsters to dispatch and with the weapons you are also given creative ways to get rid of them. There is no more satisfying feeling then ripping apart a monster that just scared you with the chainsaw. After destroying them you get a sense of self satisfaction that you were able to dispatch them with just strength and on such short notice. There isn't much replayability for the singleplayer though. If you are one of those types who has to beat the game on the hardest difficulty, you may get some replayability, but for the average gamer, one play through and you will be satisfied. Although the single player was a great experience, I wasn�t too thrilled with its multiplayer deathmatch. Although, if you�re a fan of the old school style of deathmatch and just love the Doom name then you might enjoy it. Doom 3 is a very fun game and is definitely worth your money, although multiplayer lacks, its single player experience is still very worth it.

Keeping its roots

Doom 3 has held solid to the Doom series overall theme of surprising you at every turn. If you have played the classic and knew nothing about Doom 3, you would still be able to play Doom 3 for a few minutes and know it was a Doom game. Even all the original weapons are still intact and my, if you couldn�t tell, favorite weapon the chainsaw. The level design is just amazing and the attention to detail really shows that Id wasn�t just sitting around all those years while developing it. To you Id software�I take my hat off!

The End of your free time

Doom 3 was a great playing experience. It had all the things that made the classic shooter so much fun. If you liked the original you will definitely like this one. The graphics in Doom 3 are just amazing and have yet to be rivaled by any game. With fun weapons and great level design wrapped up in the package, you will have loads of fun for hours. What are you still doing here? Run out to the store and spend your money on something that will definitely prove to be a good investment!