Customer Reviews

Doom 3

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Wow. Doom 3 on the XBox... does it deliver? You bet!

Graphically, I was expecting to be blown away by the visuals but worried about the frame rate, especially having played the PC version on a high-end PC which still ran sluggish. My worries were unfounded though; D3 on XBox is smooth as silk with little difference in terms of detail from the PC version. The lighting, the locations, the textures all blend to fully emerse you in the levels. Never before have I felt so deeply swallowed by a game's emersive graphical atmosphere. (And let's not even discuss playing this game at night with the lights off!)

Sonically it's top notch. The breathy wails, the voice recordings, the mechanical creaking of the collapsing station all work in unison to convey the best sound experience you'll have. There's subtlety to the sound effects too - if you're leaving a particularly noisy area and a security door closes behind you, the sound from the previous room disappears. Open the door and just stand there and it's back even though you didn't move. That kind of level of sound control is phenomenal and is used very effectively.

The control system is excellent and the button layout intuitive - you can even assign favorite weapons to the D-Pad. I had no problems navigating the levels and felt any death was entirely due to my lack of skill and not a bad control layout.

And you WILL get killed in this game - it's a tough one even on the easy level. During play, pure fear urges you to run through the level hoping you'll escape with engaging the demons, but skill and patience should be the order of the day.

Gameplay - it's Doom. It's not GTA; there's no missions, sub games or careful strategies. Like the original (and games like Serious Sam) this is a straight forward linear slugfest with very little thinking required.

To be honest, even though I was aware before purchase the game was lacking in the gameplay department, I thought D3 might be 'boring' or repetitive... but it's not. It's an adrenaline filled, genuinely scary game that works despite the simplistic gameplay and 'samey' first half.

If you liked System Shock 2 and thought that game was scary then you'll be blown away by D3. Nothing comes close to it in terms of graphics and no other game has more 'boo-mammy' type moments.

Doom 3 is a unbelievable sequel to D2 and should be a part of every XBox owners' game library.

I picked it up last night and so far I think its absolutely awesome. I have never felt this immersed in an FPS environment since I first played Half Life on the PC. The graphics are simply jaw dropping, but I think the vaunted sound effects are a mixed bag. The radio chatter is great. The dependence on sound to alert you to the presence of unseen enemies has never been done better. On the other hand, some of the weapons sound pretty weak. And in some instances, crucial sound effects such as dialogue, gunfire, and monster noises are too drowned out and muted by background noise. But still, these aren't really major issues.

The whole idea of having to switch between a flashlight and your weapon does seem ridiculous from a logical perspective, but I quickly forgot about this and began loving this mechanic while actually playing the game. It definitely adds a strategic element to the game and enhances the overall creepiness and immersion.

Although the actual gameplay mechanics are very basic, this is unlike any other FPS I've played in awhile. The feel of the old Doom is definitely there though. But this time the presentation is 100 times more effective. But as far as FPS games go, this is not a Halo style shooting rampage. Its more of a 'survival horror FPS'. The pacing is more similar to that of a Resident Evil game than Halo. In the Halo campaigns you always feel like the unstoppable predator. But in Doom 3 you feel like you're the prey... like YOU'RE the one who's being hunted. You're not running forward, spraying bullets like a juggernaut, as in Halo. You're moving slowly and very cautiously. You're shining the flashlight in every corner of a room before you dare take another step forward. There's a constant sense of tension, and the effect is just awesome. I'm not necessarily saying its better than Halo. Both games are great in their own way. But they have a very different vibe from one another, which I find refreshing. Although its too soon in the game for me to know for sure, I'd guess that Halo probably has more longevity in the long run. But there's no denying the powerful experience in Doom 3. Its very obvious to me that the Id Software folks are true masters of the art form. Only true masters can stick to such a simple barebones gameplay formula, yet make it so fresh and effective.

To those who might be worried about the game being repetitive, I'd remind you that the entire FPS genre is repetitive. An FPS game is basically built around one moment of fun repeated over and over again. But when its done right (such as in Halo or Doom3) it keeps you enjoying every moment. Here's one scenario that has already happened to me numerous times in Doom 3: An imp pops up in the dark out of nowhere. I crouch just in time to avoid the fireball he chucks at my head (sometimes he hits me). I strafe/duck to avoid a few more fireballs as he closes the distance. When he's almost right in my face, I explode him like a watermelon with a well aimed shotgun blast. As I said, this scenario has happened numerous times, in a bunch of slightly different variations. And not once has it failed to put a big smile on my face. Doom 3 is great!

Single Player*:

Doom 3 is avant garde in the sound and lighting department. The strange sounds you hear bouncing along the piped walls seem to get more frequent the more time you take. You have no idea if they are in the distance, if they are right in front hiding in some unlit place. Hell, you hear them. A rattling corpes falls , dangling from the ceiling, it was this the rattling noise, nothing more, nothing less. Next noise and you might not be so lucky, cause the service lights of the complex just went out. Should you hold your favorite artillery in the dark or hold your flashlight to see your way through? Balance it out, perhaps, switching mindlessly between light source and twitching trigger finger.

This is Doom 3 and it's a perfect upgrade of what I'd expect the Doom 2 classic to be today. The graphics and mood are built with as much realism I've ever seen in a game. Things pop out from dark corners and lunge through opened doors, making you jump back more than once.

The controls in the game utilize the XBox R-type controller perfectly. The D-pad allows you to assign direction (^V<>) to your favorite lead/plasma/rocket/soul stocked wrist cronies. This allows for quick access. The concept of quick access is driven further with the incessant need to switch flashlight/artillery.

The single player story is told through dead people's PDAs. Pick em up (they're not using 'em anymore) and find access codes and tales of their experiences in their UAC Depts. It's an interesting way of telling a story that's been told before. I enjoyed this medium.

Online Co-Op*:

This is a great addition to the game, one that any XBliver will be very happy to have. Grab a buddy and go through the game together. I haven't solved the game in this mode, but the levels for Online Co-Op seem to be a little fewer and/or peared down from the single player game. It's a fun experience especially with a friend.


In closing, Doom 3 is a great dark masterpiece. It's very reminiscent of the old Doom games you remember from PC, seeing upgrades of your enemies and all that. You'll also remember that the enemies will come right at you, head-on, in a rather dumb sort of fashion, meaning they lack state of the art AI. That's a reason I chainsawed a star away from being a 5 star title. Don't expect flanking or running and hiding on the vermin's part. They come right at you. Many times this makes you jump back.

*The reason I structured this way is because I found the Single Player game the best experience of Doom 3. Don't cheat. Single Player meaning no spectators in the room and lights out. Stereo sound if you have it. The game is less atmospheric if you are talking to someone in the room or joking with your XBox live buddy at how fat his ex-girfriend is.

Doom3 is by far the most intense FPS ever made. I bought Doom3 the day it released and played through it in about 3 or 4 days. This game has it's pros and cons as every game does.

Pros: Great Graphics
One of the most frightening games I've ever played
Demon models are fantastic

Cons: Doom3's multiplayer could be alot better
Story can be a little confusing

Either way, Doom3 is a must play. Everytime you load up Doom3, it will be the most intense gameplay you've ever witnessed. If you enjoy this game, be sure to look out for the upcoming expansion for Doom3, Resurrection Of Evil for PC as well. To maximize the intensity, make sure you play at night, turn up the volume on your TV, and enjoy your experience.

And of course... like anyone would say, this makes the perfect horror/1st person shooter.

Doom 3 takes place on Mars, where you, the main character(can't remember the name) are thrust into an underground base full of dark corridors and technical anomalies. It's kind of the same setting as Area 51, just a lot darker. Anyway, most of you know the story, and though there may not be much to spoil, I want to keep what happens kind of secret because it's the reason why you'll get so freaked out playing this. Which is also a good reason why some people may not want to invest in this one. Yes it is a hell of a lot of fun... notice I said HELL. But it is also very gory and sometimes disturbing. In some later levels, you begin to see places where possible satanic rituals may have taken place, and even people crucified to upside down crosses. For younger people, they might want to stay away from this one.

However, this stuff doesn't bother me, it's what makes the game great, and so scary! So lets talk about gameplay. Overall, it is very repetitive, you walk down a corridor, a pentagram emblazes on the ground, an imp starts tossing fire balls, you duck, oull out your shotgun, and blast away. This happens throughout the whole game, minus some levels and the incredible Hell levels. Which may I please take some time to discuss. The developers on this one have done a fantastic job of bringing Dante's Inferno to life. Of course the hell in Doom doesn't look how Dante described it, but it's everything what many of us would think this place of torment looks like. The walls break away to form bridges, and screams and moans can be heard through the blazing walls. Trust me, when you get there, you'll get chills up and down your body. It doesn't help to hear the great dark ones cackles either.

All the weapons are great, including a pistol, shotgun, machinegun, chainsaw, rocket launcher, plasma gun, chaingun, grenades, BFG, and the Soul Cube. The best arsenal to defeat satan's dark forces.

Graphics are also really good. The lighting is very technical and put to great use in this one. Lights flicker, come on and off in a matter of seconds, and show some demons doing some frightening things. There are even times where it's pitch black and you can see absolutely nothing, except for your flashlight in front of you and the sudden imp that pops up behind you.

By the way, what is such a big deal about switching between your flashlight and gun people. It takes less than a second to press the white button once and then again. Personally, having this process to do also adds to the game, and makes it even scarier.

In closing, I would definitely recommend Doom 3... I still have yet to finish some of the campaign, and I also have to try the multiplayer, but I've played every level and know what happens. Anyway, go buy Doom 3, lock yourself in your room with the lights off, shades down.... and jump into hell.

I had this game pre-ordered for a while, I got the special edition because I wanted to play the old school versions of "Ultimate Doom" and "Doom 2." Back in August, when the PC version came out, I played it over at some friends houses. I wanted to get it for myself, but they said that even relatively up-to-date computers had problems running it. I owned an XBOX, and I decided to wait the extra nine months. Right now, I can say that the game was and wasn't worth the wait. First the good:

1. Excellent graphics, possibly one of the best drawn games on the XBOX.

2. The sound seems to have improved from the previous version on PC. The sound made when you fire the machine gun has a much better pitter-patter noise shall we say. Also, when you hold the PDA, it goes quiet, so that way you can hear the audio logs better.

3. Keeps you on edge and interested.

4. Simple and praiseworthy gameplay. Just 'run and gun.'

5. Online play

Before I go into the problems that I had with the XBOX version, I'd like to remind everyone about what id software said about the XBOX version. They said that at some parts of the game, the enemies would be different than in the PC version. For example, in the Hell level. When you enter the room where the gate seals behind you after you walk across that floating bridge, in the PC version a Mancubus comes out and fights you. In the XBOX version it's a Hellknight. But I've got no problem with different enemies. Todd Hollenhead said that because of the memory configuration on the XBOX, that "Doom 3" for XBOX would be a bit shorter. I'd say that's an understatement!
The BAD:

1. Much shorter game because of all the deleted parts from the PC version.

2. Lots of missing cutscenes, such as the one in the PC version when Bravo Team get ambushed by the Imp. There's a radio transmission of it, but it would have been much better to see it.

3. Nine months is a LONG time.

I wonder if they thought to put Doom 3 on two disks because then XBOX gamers would have been able to see all of the PC version. Oh well!

Overall, id software deserves praise for this game. I just hope that they keep the Expansion more intact.

Alright, first I wanna start of by saying it got an overall score of four starts cause I'm only on the tenth level.
This game is a whole lotta fun.
A durn disposible flashlight at your side, you explore the eerie depth of a Mars Research Facility, complete quietness will always be enough to scare you on the spot. You slowly walk toward a door, when you jump out of your seat. You hear a devilish, low voice, cackling in its unearthly tongue. You feel a loud vibration in the controller, and look behind you-what do you see? Alas! An Imp! The monster seen the most in the game. It roars a dramatic roar into the dark sky. What should you do, take out your gun, which you have now realized would take way too long, considering the gun you would have if you took off the flashlight has only one or two bullets left;or should you fight with what you already have out, the flashlight, which would do some damage, but not enough to kill the rascal before it kills you, with your twenty bars of life! What decision do you make? Yes!
You get your remaining pistol, and shoot your two shots. Bam! Bam! The imp shreaks in agony. But it's not dead. It throws an immense fireball at you, and swipes you with its sharp claws. You are dead.
oh, so incredible this game is with that intense feeling of anxiety at every single moment you take. It pulls you in, and like countless reviewers have said, it pulls you into the world of DOOM. It is so clever how they introduce every monster, the first time, and throughout its many apearances. Like the Pinky monster you see in all of the screenshots, mechanical legs, blood-sucking mouth, no eyes. You enter a really small room with a large glass window covering a third of it. You click on something on a computer, and enter a cutscene.
Outside of the small room is the vicous yet cute looking pinky,and tries barging into the room thru a door. The door doesn't break, but everytime the Pinky tries, the door gets mangled more and more. It gives up, and you enjoy a sigh of relief. Everything's safe...or so you thought! It rams into the glass window freely, and begins smashing you. Beautiful. Not seen much in today's games. They add too much boring, never ending gameplay, and forget that, in a way, a video game is an interactive movie, and Doom 3 knows this well, with adrenaline-pumpin' surprises, a thought-provocing plot/story, orchestra-ready music(Exept for the heavy metal theme), and gameplay taken straight from a Vin Diesel or Ah-nuld Shvorztennieger movie, or in the scarier sense, it plays along like an Alien movie more than anything.
Overall, by the time I beat this game, I'll know what I should expect from the ancient (well, about a decade old)art of FPSs.

P.S. Limited Edition, from $55-$60 if you buy it at a store, is well, well worth the price. two entire games maybe even lengthier than the third one are in the Limited Edition, and well...besides expanding the amount of gamplay of this one CD, it's also a buncha fun!

' E. Berry "zeetwo8 's review below really said it all. Especially how it makes you feel like you're there. This game can be absolutely unnerving to play alone/in the dark (no pun intended on the absolutely dreadful Slater/Dorf/Reid movie). The graphics are absolutely stellar. This is by far the greatest I've ever seen an Xbox game look, and I found this game far more enjoyable to play than either of the Halo's. I was absolutely engulfed from the beginning. When you first arrive on Mars, everything seems to be in order. However, you are slowly presented with hints that something seriously wrong is going on. Then, before you know it, all hell breaks loose. As you progress, you are presented with more and more bugged out (...). If you own an Xbox and haven't already played this on PC, do yourself a favor and buy it immediately.

This game is awesome. Immerse yourself in the chaotic world of Doom. Learn to use your weapon with deadly accuracy to mow down hells minions. You can get an XBOX 360 update disc for free from XBOX.com or call and give them your console information and they will gladly mail you a copy free of charge, so you can play this game and others on your console.

Ive had my xbox awhile and I heard Doom 3 was coming to it soon. saw a trailer for it and wanted to play it good thing I rented it i just finally played it a couple of days ago.As we all know the graphics are amazing but grapichs dont make a good game.The gams is quite repetive and it can feel like your just playing it to beat it and be done with it.The biggest problem is you walk threw the entire game and a couple of dudes pop out at you.When playing a Fps i want the gameplay to fast and hectic and slaughter everybody. (not a hardcore halo player but thats why I like it surrounded by 10 dudes and trying to take them out quick before they do the same to you) the storyline is weak but i didnt expect it to be grand.The ending however is disspaointing.

However it NEVER gets old running around with the chainsaw and grinding enemies up but that one part cant urge me to give it a 4 or a 5.The online co op is probally awesome but I dont
have xbox live. (I only bought the Xbox for Kotor not Halo) There are a nice assortment of weapons I hate a Fps that gives you 4 or 5. Also everyone complained about the flashlight and switching I never had a problem with it (mostly because i just ran threw the whole game with chainsaw anyone in my way was screwed and it takes a split second to switch back.)I do recommend the game for a rental if you are interested just dont buy it.