Amazon.com: Doom 3: PC: Video Games

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298 of 326 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Engine, Potential, but Big Mistakes, August 6, 2004

By	R. L. Hodges (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Fun:3.0 out of 5 stars

I, like so many others, was an original Doom 1 & 2 customer back in the "download it from the local BBS" days. I couldn't wait for Doom 3 after learning about it a few months back.

Now that it's been out a few days (I bought it the morning it was released), here's the deal:

1. The engine is incredible. The sound and graphics are top notch, as is the overall environment, physics, etc. These guys at id always show everyone else how games are done. Everyone will now copy them for the next 5 years until id does it again. However, it's far more of a hog than we're being told. This is a game that forces you to buy a new computer (much to the industry's delight), just like all of id's other games (each Quake release forced us to buy new machines). I have a brand new Dell 3.2 GHz machine with a GeForce FX and 7200rpm drives. For Doom 3, I had to kick all the detail and graphics settings down to rock bottom, and also down to 640X480 jsut to keep it from being a slideshow. It's now merely "playable" (still looks great!). As computers and graphics cards get faster, this is really going to be cool, so id was wise to go way over the top detail, performance and feature-wise. Technically speaking, this game will enjoy along life (if other things are fixed - keep reading).

2. Creep factor - not nearly the frightfest we were hyped up on. This is basically you walking around in an "Alien" movie. Not a single goosebump while playing it at work. If I have to play it at night to get goosebumps, then it's not that scary. Fright factor of the old DOS Doom was way more scary than this one. The original Doom game truly SCARED us, and scared us JITTERY. It was mesmerizing and all-encompassing. It was a combination of atmosphere (the levels were downright intimidating and revolutionarily epic) and originality. Doom 3 just feels like you're a pest control guy from Orkin who's wandered into an "Alien" movie.

3. The gameplay is great, but monotonous. Here we are in the 22nd century, and still holding flashlights? Heck, I strap on a little battery-powered head lamp when going out to my wood pile so I can use my hands and have light AT THE SAME TIME. A high-tech space marine doesn't have a combat helmet with a light on it? Or nightvision? I've played this game less than 6 hours and I'm already sick to death of getting killed because I'm holding a flashlight instead of a weapon. This aspect of the game is not only ridiculous and unbelievable, but downright stupid.

4. The monsters are great. Too bad you don't get to appreciate them. They're so fast you never get a good look at them. It's so dark when you drop your flashlight to shoot them that you never get a look at them. You have to kill them so fast that you don't get a good look at them. And when you do kill them, they vaporize, so again, you never get a good look at them. This is a real bummer, because the game is all about the monsters. One of the fun aspects fo the original Doom games, at least when it was "new", was seeing that pile of guts laying there after you rearranged his internals with a rocket.

5. I agree with the "Doomed 3" review - this game is all about finding PDAs to get through doors. Boring, redundant, and gets in the way of playing the game. This is a lame attempt to add storyline and "cerebral content" to a game that, for obvious reasons, needs none. I mean - a revolutionary computer game forcing you to use a simulated PDA to get through a door? It's ridiculous, tedious and interruptive. Give me Quake 2 any day, where every door works so I can go in there and waste monsters. There is such a thing as too much realism, such as flight simulators being so complex that they're no longer fun. Doom 3 gets very close to this problem - not good for any game, especially a shooter.

6. Hallways. As brilliant as the surroundings in this game are, I'm sick to death of hallways. Doom 1 and 2 had wide open areas where you could enjoy really fun long-range shots with rocket launchers and get good views of your enemies before pulling the trigger. You got to see huge hoardes of monsters out in the open and have lots of fun blowing those groups apart with long range rockets, plasma and BFG. Atmosphere is incredibly important, and hallways get boring really really really fast. What's the point of having a rocket launcher in this game when you're always in rooms too small to use it without blowing your own face off? This forces a very boring "pick them off one at a time as they jump you" gameplay scenario.

7. Weapons - fantastic. I love the reloading function. They did a great job on the weapons, and it couldn't be better. Now they need to give us some wide-open spaces with daylight to actually use them to their full potential. One thing I mes sis the bodies flying. When you hit an Imp in Doom1/2, the body went flying as it came apart. I haven't seen that in this game so far, and I really miss it. That was not only realistic, but VERY realistic.

8. Speaking of daylight, we're on MARS, for crying out loud! Let's get out there in the Martian terrain and have some fun! THAT would be atmosphere! Enough with all this crappy "dark hallway" stuff. It's putting me to sleep. Now, I confess I'm not all the way through the game yet, so hopefully the whole game isn't like this. I have faith that it eventually improves.

9. Speaking of darkness and gameplay, the endless darkness everywhere seems rather obvious that it's otherwise a very boring game without the suspense of being in the dark. Not good. This game is all engine and little fun in the sense that the original doom games were. Again, hopefully this improves as you go through the game.

10. This game REQUIRES serious multiplayer network ability, and id really blew it here. After giving us the Quake games, Return to Wolfenstien, etc., there's just no excuse for this limited, wimpy 4-player-only stuff. Shame on you, id. You guys know darned well that this would piss us off. And DOOM 3, of all games. If there was a game that needed to be perfect in network multiplayer capabilities, it's this one. And after games like the Quake series, I can't believe id botched multiplayer up so badly - the one function that makes their games legendary. If it would have taken another year to get Doom 3 out the door with the multiplayer abilities it deserves, we all would have been more than happy to wait for it.

11. This game is REALLY going to shine when the general public starts creating new levels for it. That is, if the guys at id release a level editor (have they?). Also multiplayer networking MUST be brought up to at least Quake 3 capability. This MUST happen, or Doom 3 will be a flash in the pan due to boring environment, lack of industry standard multiplayer networking, monotonously predictable monster attacks and ridiculous darkness darkness darkness.

12. Game's awesome, but only because of it's potential once people start creating custom levels for it and the assumption that multiplayer will be fixed. Doom 3 without multiplayer "warfare" capability just will not do.

I highly recommend the game, it's great. Could be better, but it's still top notch, especially for the single player.

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43 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Third and Best Doom So Far!, August 2, 2004

By	Will Culp "Livin' After Midnite, Rocking Till... (Greenville, South Carolina) - See all my reviews

Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars

Doom 3(2004). The Third PC Game In The Doom Series.

Back in the Early 90's, when the computers where still hitting their stride, and video games were the last thing on people's minds, two revolutionary games were released. Those games were 'Wolfenstein 3D' and 'Doom'. Both games became immensely popular, so it's no surprise numerous sequels have been released for each game. 'Doom 2' was a worthy followup to 'Doom', but brought nothing new to the table. Now, in 2004, Id releases 'Doom 3', in full 3D surroundings with realistic graphics! So, is 'Doom 3' an overhyped disaster, or the game that lived up to everyone's expectations? Read on to find out!

Game Ratings-

Graphics- 'Doom 3's biggest draw has been its revolutionary graphics, so it's no surprise here what to expect. Character Designs are scarily real, the atmosphere you walk in feels almost as if you are in it, in other words, you feel the blood on the walls, and see the demons jumping out of the shadows, as if it's real. A very surreal experience. 5/5

Play Control- Although I'm not a huge fan of PC controls, there's nothing to complain about here, as 'Doom 3' easily places the FPS controls to make it easy for the gamer, and I found it a breeze to run around and blast demons. 5/5

Plot- 'Doom 3', much like 'Half-Life', has a phenomenal, and deeply horrifying plot. 'Doom 3' revolves around a Lab on the Planet of Mars accidentally opening a portal to hell, and you must fight off Mars and through demons to survive. The story is very enthralling, and once you start playing, it's hard to stop! 5/5

Challenge- 'Doom 3', while not as challenging as 'Half-Life', is still puzzling and hard in many ways. Most of the game, you are forced to fight multiple enemies at once, it dark surroundings(Much like the Aliens Vs. Predator series), and one of the most challenging things about the games is recovering after getting scared after a monster jumps out of nowhere. Also, as with the old games, you will be asked to recover keys, cards, etc. to continue your game, which is always a challenge. 5/5

Replay Value- 'Doom 3' is basically a Single Player game, and once you finish, really the only thing you can do is replay it. There is Multiplayer, but it only allows up to 4 players and isn't nearly as fun as the Single Player adventures. I wasn't too impressed. 2/5

Sound/Music- 'Doom 3' sports excellent sound, so good, in fact, that I found myself muting the sound for fear I would scream! In extremely dark, quiet rooms, when a demon jumps out of nowhere, making a ton of noise, it can get very scary! The sound is flawless in other words! 5/5

Fun- 'Doom 3', although not much different from other FPS's, still remains incredibly fun, and blasting your way through the demons to escape Mars will have you hooked once you pick the controller up!5/5

Overall, 'Doom 3' is a very good sequel to the first two Doom's, and now that it's got 3D and Pixel-Shaded atmospheres, it brings a whole new aspect to the game! Well deserving of all the hype, but I can't wait for 'Half-Life 2'!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED TO FANS OF FIRST PERSON SHOOTERS, THE ORIGINAL DOOM GAMES, AND PEOPLE WHO WANT TO BE SCARED! WARNING- DOOM 3 REQUIRES A REALLY GOOD COMPUTER, AND ALSO IT'S VERY SCARY AND QUITE VIOLENT AND DISTURBING! NOT RECOMMENDED FOR PEOPLE UNDER 13!

Also Recommended-

Doom 2- PC
Half-Life- PC
Unreal Tournament 2004- PC

Thanks For Reading!

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30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Game, August 4, 2004

By	Kotoski "Kotoski" (Texas) - See all my reviews

Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars

Id Software revealed Doom 3 in 1999 to both fanfare and criticism. Id Software promised a thrilling single-player game, some rudimentary multiplayer and of course, a brand new engine from Carmack and Co. I've waited impatiently, and while (without counting the presentation) Doom 3 doesn't break new ground, it follows the norm very well.

Id Software has crafted Doom 3 with a rather engaging story, for a first person shooter at least. It is the year 2145 and the people at Earth are running out of natural resources. What can be done? Well, various corporations, including the Union Aerospace Corporation have built facilities on Mars that will allow Earth to gain natural resources from the red planet. When you begin the game, you are armed with absolutely nothing and have the task of finding a scientist and completing other basic tasks. As you progress, and it doesn't take long, you begin to realize that something is clearly not right and then, well, all hell breaks loose. For fans of the classic Doom games, it is important to note that Doom 3 is id Software's retelling of the original Doom not a continuation of the story line.

Although there is an emphasis on story, it never brings down the pace of the game too much. Most of it is told through cutscenes and the rest you'll learn from your trusty PDA, a new addition for the series. The PDA allows you to receive email, audio messages, codes and other useful information. Some of this is meant to help you understand the story (so you can know exactly why all hell broke loose), while other information is meant to help you advance through the game. Even other messages (including the spam messages) are meant to add humor to the otherwise cold game.

Let's be honest, the reason that many of us have been waiting for Doom 3 is because of its rendering engine. John Carmack and the others at id Software have continually raised the bar for graphics with each successive engine. Id Software pushed the PC to the limit with the original Doom, then brought true 3D with Quake and has now created the most technically impressive game I have ever seen. Even up against recent heavyweights like Painkiller and Far Cry, Doom 3's visuals are a notch above. Using pretty much every graphical technique available like normal mapping, self-shadowing, per-pixel lighting and others that my frail brain cannot understand, the Doom 3 engine is sight to behold. Some games that use normal mapping appear too "shiny" or have a "plastic" look, but Doom 3 does not. All of the indoor environments are meticulously designed with working computer monitors and what not. Furthermore, these environments are incredibly interactive and you'll often have enemies creating their own doors from walls and stairs. A fully functional physics engine lets you toss around boxes and soda cans, and the enemies as well. The animation system is simply breath-taking, and is enhanced by the shadowing system in the game. The weapon effects are plentiful, as well. Everything casts realistic shadows and further enhances id Software's view of Mars.

Of course, to get the full splendor, you'll need quite a powerful system to run. On the my best, I was able to play at 1024x768 on high settings and get playable framerates. Just for giggles, I played the game on a 2GHz processor, 512MB RAM PC with a nVidia Geforce FX 5200 and found that was able to play at 640x480 low. Even at this resolution the game looks wonderful. HardOCP has a full and detailed article regarding Doom 3 hardware which is recommended reading. Click here to take a look at it.

While a lot of the presentation relies on the kick-ass graphics, the audio in the game completes the atmosphere. Sure, you can run the game with stereo speakers, but to get the full experience, you'll want to hook up the 5.1 speakers. Id Software has used surround sound to a great degree, and you'll be able to hear enemies coming before you can see, adding to the realism. Otherwise, the sound effects and voices are crisp and solid, as expected.

And then there's the actual game portion of Doom 3. As I said above, Doom 3 doesn't really differ from the standard FPS action of shooting things that move. Most of the time you'll move around the claustrophobic areas in the levels, shooting one of the game's many disturbing enemies. Thankfully, it isn't all run and gun and there are numerous times when I actually jumped back because a monster popped out of nowhere. A friendly looking set of stairs can tear apart, and you'll have a monster ready to feast on you. A lot of what makes Doom 3 different is the atmosphere, which includes plentiful amounts of gore and blood, and the dark, creepy environments. The fear is heightened because you can't use your flashlight and a gun at the same time. This forces you to rethink your strategy since you'll need the flashlight to see otherwise pitch black areas, but you don't want to be caught off guard.

The game's weapons should be familiar to FPS fans but work very well, given Doom 3's gameplay. At the beginning of the game, you'll only have your fists! Thankfully, before any real action starts, you'll have the flashlight, a pistol and a bit later the shotgun. The pistol is a decent weapon but only if you run out of the powerful shotgun shells. Later in the game you'll receive a machine gun, which is rather accurate and fast, a plasma gun, which is basically a sci-fi machine gun and a chaingun, which is much faster but less accurate. You'll also find grenades, the fan-favorite rocket launcher (which looks awesome), and the devastating BFG (Big F'ing Gun) 9000, which will wipe out the enemies in the current screen. There's also a mysterious Soul Cube, which is quite powerful and beneficial. Ammo is rarely scarce in the game, allowing you to have fun looking at the pretty weapon effects.

You'll find the typical Doom enemies in Doom 3, albeit with a 2004 makeover. These monsters include an assortment of demons, zombies, flying skulls, spiders, imps and the lovable pinky. Many of these will shoot at you, forcing you to take them out quickly. The larger enemies in the game take quite a few shells to take down, but they aren't very smart. They'll just keep coming at you while you shoot them. This is a little disappointing and takes a bit away from the horror. Of course, you'll be plenty scared when they break through something or come out of a shadow.

Multiplayer in Doom 3 is limited to four players, although id Software has made it clear that future mods may support more players. A basic interface lets you join or create a game and works well. There are five maps, including Edge 2, a remake of the much-loved Edge map and four game modes. The most interesting mode is Tournament where you battle an opponent directly. Once they die (or you die) another player, who is waiting, gets a turn. The other game modes are Deathmatch, Team Deathmach and Last Man Standing, all of which are exactly what they sound like.

Although multiplayer is simple in the nature, the graphics engine adds to the experience. For instance, Doom 3 features per pixel hit detection, so it is possible to shoot between someone's torso and arm. The lighting and shadowing provide areas to hide and forces you to be smart about using your flashlight.

To be honest, when Doom 3 was announced, I didn't expect anything more than a technology demo to prove how powerful the engine was. While I wasn't entirely incorrect in this statement, Doom 3's gameplay (for which the single-player mode alone is fifteen hours plus) offers enough thrills to warrant the $54.99 purchase. And thanks to id Software's support of the modding community, we'll see some kick-ass mods in the near future.