Hey everybody
this is just about 3 pages long so if you want to just skim through it i completly undrstand (thats what i did for everyone else)
also i had planned on using a lot of screenshots but that plan fell apart over complicated attachment issues
enjoy! (or try to-just humour me)
DOOM 3
Hell has erupted into the Union Aerospace Corporations research base on Mars. Most of the population is dead, dying or trying to eat you. You -the anonymous and silent Space Marine- are the last hope of stopping the invading hoard of demons from getting to Earth.
Welcome to DOOM 3, which had finally made its highly anticipated debut on the X-Box. It?s a pretty straightforward port of the PC version with a small number of alterations.
DOOM 3 is a retelling of the classic DOOM which made gaming history in 1993 by being the first decent game of the FPS genre. The plot is simple. You are that man with no name.A Marine. A ??Space?? Marine. You are transferred to the UAC base on Mars just in time for a terrible teleportation accident (or was it an accident?) that lets hell explode into our dimension. Now there are Zombies, Demons and a creepy looking mad scientist all trying to get you. You basically just have to smash, shoot and incinerate everything in your path for 40 horror filled levels.
But the most hyped thing about DOOM 3 isn?t the plot (with good reason) it?s the graphics. They are fantastic on the X-Box even better then some of the PC versions that couldn?t afford the extensive upgrades needed to play it. (Lousy 200 Euro graphics card THAT DIDNT WORK!) The bloodied halls of the UAC are extremely well rendered which adds tremendously to the dark claustrophobic atmosphere that prevails throughout.
Make no mistake about it this game is scary and it fully deserves the ??18?? stamp. Enemies burst out of closets, sneak up behind you and attack from the shadows making you jump at every turn.
The level design is nearly identical to the PC version with a few alterations along the way especially in the first few hours of play where sections some might remember from the PC version are missing (such as the super turbo turkey puncher game at the start).
The levels are still unfortunately pretty basic and linear. You go down halls, through doors ,kill demons , repeat as necessary. It does get kinda boring after a while although there are a few good set piece levels particularly your visit to hell midway through. The old DOOM format of finding the blue key to open the blue door is still there except now you are looking for PDA?s which contain audio logs from the recently deceased employees of the UAC which help (somewhat) to advance the plot although the developers seem to have gone a bit too far in trying to explain why there are chainsaws on Mars.
Sound is another aspect where DOOM 3 shines. Weapons and enemies sound great as does the voice acting which helps with the lacklustre plot. You do get a very creepy feel from some cut scenes but more so from some of the scientists audio logs which are filled with fear and paranoia and ageneral sense of foreboding. Also the main menu and credits boast a kickass thrash metal track by former Nine Inch Nails drummer Chris Vrenna.
The actual fighting is satisfyingly brutal as your enemies disintegrate, explode and go on fire. Get close enough to zombies with a shotgun and BOOM! They explode in an spectacle of blood and organs.Mmm gotta love that unnecessary violence.
Gameplay does get progressively harder as the bigger enemies get more numerous. It is nothing to difficult for an experienced gamer though you will find the quick save option extremely valuable at times.
The enemies are varied enough (though the same fat, sweaty, bald zombie kept following me everywhere. You know the one im talking about) Demons include but are not limited to the imp (easy),Spider like trite (annoying) and the huge Hell Knight (Godamn hard).
The few boss fights are memorable enough though it doesn?t really require much in the way of intelligence to beat them- fire at them with your guns for a while without dying and you should be fine.
In order to combat your enemies you have all the usual weapons as seen in other DOOM games ranging from the traditional -pistol, shotgun, Rocket Launcher- to the futuristic -Plasma Rifle, BFG (thats Bio Force Gun wink,wink) and the handy ??Soul Cube?? a device that looks like a paperweight but kills any enemy in a single hit. Gotta love that chainsaw most of all though.
Then we come to the problem with the flashlight. Unlike most FPS?s nowadays in DOOM 3 you cannot use a weapon and the flashlight at once but rather must keep swapping between them. While this does add to the atmosphere on occasion it is easily the most annoying aspect of gameplay as in the predominantly dark levels you must choose between being able to see what?s about to eat you or shooting wildly in the dark. ??Ill just get out my BFG to shoot this guy and?. Oh crap I cant see! ARRGGGGGHHH!
The single player campaign is long and should have you satisfied for a while at least. Unfortunately the split screen and online multiplayer which was so lacking in the PC version hasn?t changed much. A handful of small maps is available which really limits things for those l337 n00bs out there. When games like Halo 2 have over 10 maps (and more coming) to choose from you know you have an inferior product.
Another big feature of the X-Box version was the inclusion of a co-op mode in the single payer campaign with the second marine being an distinctly Irish looking redhead. (??Faith and Begorrah look out behind you! Oh turrra loora lorra) This allows you to play through many of the game?s levels with a friend included the much missed super turbo turkey puncher provided you have 2 X-Box?s ,two copies of the game and a system link cable. It is fairly entertaining as one player can distract large enemies while another hits it from behind. The areas where dozens of the smaller enemies come at you at once become fairly easy when you have two miniguns to blow them away with.
The launch of the DOOM 3 on the X-Box neatly coincides with the release of Resurrection of Evil the first expansion pack to the PC edition and it certainly would encourage me to go out and buy a copy (if I had a good enough graphics card that is). I cant say the same of the upcoming DOOM movie though.
So for those who didn?t or couldn?t get a chance to play the latest edition of the DOOM saga on their computer DOOM 3 for the X Box comes highly recommended if you are looking for a good, simple, bloody FPS. If you are looking for something more challenging and story driven I suggest you wait for the next big PC port for the X-Box ,Half-Life 2 also featuring a silent hero.
So in conclusion:
+Graphics
+Gameplay
+Sound
+Enemies
+Weapons
+ Co-Op
+ Sound/voice acting
+ Length
- Plot
- God damn flashlight!
- Repetitiveness
- Linear levels
- Split screen/Online Multiplayer
Score: 7 ? out of 10 for NTSC
C+ for GameRevolution
or 3 ? stars for Gamespy
-crazylegs
this is just about 3 pages long so if you want to just skim through it i completly undrstand (thats what i did for everyone else)
also i had planned on using a lot of screenshots but that plan fell apart over complicated attachment issues
enjoy! (or try to-just humour me)
DOOM 3
Hell has erupted into the Union Aerospace Corporations research base on Mars. Most of the population is dead, dying or trying to eat you. You -the anonymous and silent Space Marine- are the last hope of stopping the invading hoard of demons from getting to Earth.
Welcome to DOOM 3, which had finally made its highly anticipated debut on the X-Box. It?s a pretty straightforward port of the PC version with a small number of alterations.
DOOM 3 is a retelling of the classic DOOM which made gaming history in 1993 by being the first decent game of the FPS genre. The plot is simple. You are that man with no name.A Marine. A ??Space?? Marine. You are transferred to the UAC base on Mars just in time for a terrible teleportation accident (or was it an accident?) that lets hell explode into our dimension. Now there are Zombies, Demons and a creepy looking mad scientist all trying to get you. You basically just have to smash, shoot and incinerate everything in your path for 40 horror filled levels.
But the most hyped thing about DOOM 3 isn?t the plot (with good reason) it?s the graphics. They are fantastic on the X-Box even better then some of the PC versions that couldn?t afford the extensive upgrades needed to play it. (Lousy 200 Euro graphics card THAT DIDNT WORK!) The bloodied halls of the UAC are extremely well rendered which adds tremendously to the dark claustrophobic atmosphere that prevails throughout.
Make no mistake about it this game is scary and it fully deserves the ??18?? stamp. Enemies burst out of closets, sneak up behind you and attack from the shadows making you jump at every turn.
The level design is nearly identical to the PC version with a few alterations along the way especially in the first few hours of play where sections some might remember from the PC version are missing (such as the super turbo turkey puncher game at the start).
The levels are still unfortunately pretty basic and linear. You go down halls, through doors ,kill demons , repeat as necessary. It does get kinda boring after a while although there are a few good set piece levels particularly your visit to hell midway through. The old DOOM format of finding the blue key to open the blue door is still there except now you are looking for PDA?s which contain audio logs from the recently deceased employees of the UAC which help (somewhat) to advance the plot although the developers seem to have gone a bit too far in trying to explain why there are chainsaws on Mars.
Sound is another aspect where DOOM 3 shines. Weapons and enemies sound great as does the voice acting which helps with the lacklustre plot. You do get a very creepy feel from some cut scenes but more so from some of the scientists audio logs which are filled with fear and paranoia and ageneral sense of foreboding. Also the main menu and credits boast a kickass thrash metal track by former Nine Inch Nails drummer Chris Vrenna.
The actual fighting is satisfyingly brutal as your enemies disintegrate, explode and go on fire. Get close enough to zombies with a shotgun and BOOM! They explode in an spectacle of blood and organs.Mmm gotta love that unnecessary violence.
Gameplay does get progressively harder as the bigger enemies get more numerous. It is nothing to difficult for an experienced gamer though you will find the quick save option extremely valuable at times.
The enemies are varied enough (though the same fat, sweaty, bald zombie kept following me everywhere. You know the one im talking about) Demons include but are not limited to the imp (easy),Spider like trite (annoying) and the huge Hell Knight (Godamn hard).
The few boss fights are memorable enough though it doesn?t really require much in the way of intelligence to beat them- fire at them with your guns for a while without dying and you should be fine.
In order to combat your enemies you have all the usual weapons as seen in other DOOM games ranging from the traditional -pistol, shotgun, Rocket Launcher- to the futuristic -Plasma Rifle, BFG (thats Bio Force Gun wink,wink) and the handy ??Soul Cube?? a device that looks like a paperweight but kills any enemy in a single hit. Gotta love that chainsaw most of all though.
Then we come to the problem with the flashlight. Unlike most FPS?s nowadays in DOOM 3 you cannot use a weapon and the flashlight at once but rather must keep swapping between them. While this does add to the atmosphere on occasion it is easily the most annoying aspect of gameplay as in the predominantly dark levels you must choose between being able to see what?s about to eat you or shooting wildly in the dark. ??Ill just get out my BFG to shoot this guy and?. Oh crap I cant see! ARRGGGGGHHH!
The single player campaign is long and should have you satisfied for a while at least. Unfortunately the split screen and online multiplayer which was so lacking in the PC version hasn?t changed much. A handful of small maps is available which really limits things for those l337 n00bs out there. When games like Halo 2 have over 10 maps (and more coming) to choose from you know you have an inferior product.
Another big feature of the X-Box version was the inclusion of a co-op mode in the single payer campaign with the second marine being an distinctly Irish looking redhead. (??Faith and Begorrah look out behind you! Oh turrra loora lorra) This allows you to play through many of the game?s levels with a friend included the much missed super turbo turkey puncher provided you have 2 X-Box?s ,two copies of the game and a system link cable. It is fairly entertaining as one player can distract large enemies while another hits it from behind. The areas where dozens of the smaller enemies come at you at once become fairly easy when you have two miniguns to blow them away with.
The launch of the DOOM 3 on the X-Box neatly coincides with the release of Resurrection of Evil the first expansion pack to the PC edition and it certainly would encourage me to go out and buy a copy (if I had a good enough graphics card that is). I cant say the same of the upcoming DOOM movie though.
So for those who didn?t or couldn?t get a chance to play the latest edition of the DOOM saga on their computer DOOM 3 for the X Box comes highly recommended if you are looking for a good, simple, bloody FPS. If you are looking for something more challenging and story driven I suggest you wait for the next big PC port for the X-Box ,Half-Life 2 also featuring a silent hero.
So in conclusion:
+Graphics
+Gameplay
+Sound
+Enemies
+Weapons
+ Co-Op
+ Sound/voice acting
+ Length
- Plot
- God damn flashlight!
- Repetitiveness
- Linear levels
- Split screen/Online Multiplayer
Score: 7 ? out of 10 for NTSC
C+ for GameRevolution
or 3 ? stars for Gamespy
-crazylegs
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