Doom 3

Title: Doom 3
Platform Played On: PC
Release Date: August 3, 2004
Date Played: August - September 2004
Time Played: 12 hours
Completed (Y/N): Yes
Score: 4/5



Opinion:
News of a new Doom game reached me soon after ID's E3 2002 announcement, and naturally being a  huge fan of the series I was ecstatic. I couldn't wait for its release.

Imp in Doom 1/2 vs Doom 3

We have just recently moved into freshly built Vista Del Campo and started our second year at UCI when Doom 3 came out. Naturally I dropped everything and grabbed myself a copy.

Doom 3 is a remake of the original game. It starts with a not so special day and you (THE marine) arriving on Mars and reporting for what ought to be uneventful duty. In the first 30 minutes or so you can explore the base and interact with various set pieces. I remember being extremely impressed by seeing TVs with video broadcasts running, and interactive elements such as arcade machines and window blinds. Interactive objects unrelated to the main story were still a rarity and monitors with perfectly crisp (sometimes even interactive) video was unheard of. Doom 3 made a great impression right out of the gate.

Shortly after your arrival on Mars, all hell breaks lose and you become the lone marine who has the fate of the world in his hands. Right off the bat (even prior to the chaos) you are treated with familiar scenery, a homage to the Doom 1 and Doom 2 classics. The UAC (Union Aerospace Corporation) boxes and logos, and the protagonist's iconic green armor. Since this game is a remake of the original Doom the monsters make a comeback in all of their 3D glory. Every single enemy is true to the legacy from their look to their unique attacks, in most cases the same strategies can be applied as with the decade old Doom 1 and Doom 2.  This makes Doom 3 exceptionally enjoyable for any fan of the series.

Cyber Demon in Doom 1/2 vs Doom 3

I spent months playing Doom 3, and even got my roommate (more like apartment mate, since all four of us had our own bedrooms) Jeff onto it. I would watch him play it with volume cranked up and lights off, and since I knew when the scares were going to happen, I would scream and shake him to scare the hell out of him. It was priceless. One day I was coming home from class, and noticed that he was playing it, and his window was open... lucky me :) . I snuck up and yelled as loud as I could right into the window, which was right next to him. Holy bajesus that was awesome. I scared the s#!t out of him. I love Doom 3. Personally one of the scariest moments for me was the mirror scene near the beginning of the game.  I am pretty sure that I had to turn it off for a bit after that happened.

Although this is a remake of the first game, it does also feature monsters introduced in the second game, the Revanant (skeleton dude) is one of the examples. I imagine that this decision originated from the desire for variety and depth, something that is basically required nowadays in games.

In general people have two complaints about Doom 3, one is that its a narrow corridor shooter, and another is that it relies too much on closet monsters (things jump out to scare you). And in general I am not a big fan of either of those mechanics; however, I think Doom without them is not Doom. These are the precise mechanics that the originals relied on. A sudden disappearance of a wall and lights being shut of as dozens of enemies poured towards you is what made the original games scary, and the early 90's technology is what shaped it into a corridor shooter. Those factors define Doom, and those factors is what makes Doom 3 so great. Without them, might as well call the game something else.

Overall Doom 3 is exactly what I would want a remake to be, it keeps true to the originals while at the same time pushing the envelope with its state of the art gaming engine.  The art direction is spot on, and I am glad to see all of the monsters from the originals making a comeback. Doom 3 is an excellent shooter that is a hybrid between the early 90's and modern FPS. I would definitely recommend it for anyone that likes atmospheric sci-fi horror shooters.

Revenant (left) and Demon (right) and Their Doom 1/2 Counterparts.