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Odds, Ends and a Verdict
It was inevitable. Now you get to
listen to me gloat. I’m pleased to say that, as it turns out, all of my
predictions in the my Doom 3
preview from a while back came true, except for Trent Reznor doing the sounds, but that
was completely true at the time. Same thing (sadly) goes for the Spider
Mastermind. There, I’m done.
Anyway, here’s to
some things I wanted to say but couldn’t find their place:
I’m really surprised at some of
the things I am reading online. One review complained about there not being
secondary-firing modes. How silly is that? Secondary firing modes work for
some games, and in Doom 3’s case, I’m glad they left it out. Doom 3 is an
in-your-face, simple but brutal, and supremely refined shooter. Others
whined about the game being too dark. To them I have to say this: maybe
there’s a reason for that. Hmm, could it be that maybe id wanted to make a
scary game? And maybe darkness helps their cause. Wow, what do you know,
that also explains the tight, claustrophobic corridors, too. Some people
compared Doom 3’s environments to the whole Library episode of Halo. Are you
joking? In Halo, they just took the same rooms and copied them over and
over. Every room in Doom 3 looks different. All kinds of different machinery
are to be found, shafts, etc. The game has enough variation in its room to
keep me interested while at the same time, not breaking the game’s dynamics.
Another thing people have
complained about is the game lacking replay value. And although this may be
true to a certain level, I view Doom 3 as one of those cool, action-packed
movies. Sure you know what’s going to happen because you’ve seen it many
times before, but you still get a kick out of watching it again. Doom 3 is
eye-candy. That, and I don’t know about other people, but personally, after
I beat a game like Doom 3, I enjoy going back with cheat codes and just
walking around blowing shit up. The game has many memorable moments I’d want
to relive. I couldn’t believe some of the other things I was reading,
particularly about how some people are disappointed with Doom 3’s
multiplayer. I could use a variety of words to describe such idiots, but I
will stop myself. Listen up: id Software said the game was going to have
mediocre multiplay from the beginning. They said that they were focusing on
the single-player experience from the very start. Looking back now, it
becomes evident that id delivered everything they promised they would, and
it’s silly to criticise them for silly things like that. If you want a great
multiplayer experience, get Unreal Tournament 2004 or the dated Quake 3.
So, keeping that in mind, we come
to it, the final judgement. With its strong and weak points, how does this
game stack up? And of course, the inevitable question: does this game live
up to the original? I think I can readily say that this game is great. It is
probably the best shooter I’ve played since the original Doom, and I guess
that answers both questions. My previous favourite was Quake 2, but id takes
the best from its formula and pushes it far beyond, all the while wrapping
it up in the glory of the original Doom. Oh yes, this is a Doom game.
There were several nostalgic moments. In particular, in one scene where I
found myself fending off a group of lost souls with my plasma gun. I really
did get that Doom feel. Or when I was fighting the cacodemon for the first
time. Or some of the later hell areas, which reminded me heavily of some of
the levels from the Inferno episode (Mt. Erebus in particular). Oh yes, this
is definitely a Doom game.
I really can’t understand why
everyone is being so critical of this game. At the end of the day, games are
made to be played, games are meant to be fun. People seem to have forgotten
that. And because this game is so highly-anticipated, everyone seems to be
intently looking for things to bash the game with rather than simply sitting
down and enjoying it. Many are saying it doesn’t live up to the hype, but if
this game is over-hyped, it’s the fans’ fault, for id released very little
material when compared to other big gaming titles like Half-Life 2 or Halo
2. I can’t imagine what fans expected, for Doom 3 lived up to be everything
I anticipated. It’s the fans’ own faults if the game disappointed them. My
message to you is: shut up, sit back, turn off the lights, and enjoy this
game as it was intended, because that’s all it is: a game. You aren’t
supposed to whine about how you think that enough detail was put into the
zombie fingernails, you’re supposed to enjoy it.
Mirrors can be a bit distracting...
And because this game is so
highly-anticipated, everyone seems to be intently looking for things to bash
the game with rather than simply sitting down and enjoying it.
Doom 3 really is great.
While it may not have as much replay value as some other games, in the end,
it does deliver an amazingly long (20+ hours) gaming experience, and its
definitely worth the 50 bucks it costs to get your paws on it. As I said,
Doom 3 delivered everything id promised it would: a solid, and scary
experience with atmosphere that sucks you in. Though many games have come
close, I would say that I haven’t been this immersed in a game since the
original Doom. So yes, it is a worthy successor, one that takes the Doom
universe and pushes it up and above anything that we could’ve imagined when
the original came out. It may have little replay value for some, but it’ll
definitely be a game that will be remembered, just like the eternal
original.
Final Words
But even after playing and
replaying Doom 3, the experience will not be over. Even when its amazing
graphics become dated. They are the first step towards photo-realism. And in
a few years down the line, when new engines are issued (such as the Unreal
3), Doom 3 will not simply fade away! Simply look at all of the other
classic shooters by id Software nearly
all have received some treatment from the fans and have had their graphics
uplifted. And every time, it surprised me how well; there is jDoom for Doom,
Tenebrae for Quake I, and Quake 2 Evolved for Quake 2. With new technology,
fans were able to implement Doom 3 technology (real-time lighting,
bumpmapping) to the dated Quake I engine. In a few years, when new
technology such as real-time soft shadows and displacement mapping, along
with models with even higher polycounts, come into play, imagine what fans
will do to give Doom 3 a facelift. There’s your replay value. My prediction
is that, five or more years from now, we’ll be replaying Doom 3 with
(nearly) photo-realistic graphics.
Now that four years of
anticipation have come and gone, it still goes on, and moves on, in the
hands of the modding community. Frag away and don’t look back, for the
future is as bright (in a dark and gloomy way). But I’m still not ready to
worry about that; excuse me, but writing this has made me want to replay
Doom 3 a few more times. And as for you, when I need a break from the
singleplayer, I’ll find you on the id servers, dancing under my crosshair.
Until then, over and out!
We've also got up a
second opinions page for those who don't want to just take our word. Any comments can be posted to the
forums.
Introduction
Graphics
The beginning
Hell invades!
Multiplayer
Mishaps that you shoot
Mishaps that you shoot (cont)
Odd, ends and a verdict
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