To be perfectly honest with you Epinions.com members, I've never played a Doom game in my entire life. So that points out that I have no experience whatsoever with the series. I have kept an open and cautious mind while I was playing Doom 3. So here's my review...


NOTE: This IS NOT a review on the Collector's Edition!!


You are a marine, one of Earth's toughest, hardened in combat and trained for action. Shortly after you report for duty at the Union Aerospace Corporation's Mars research facility, a massive demonic invasion overwhelms the base, leaving chaos, horror and uncertainty in its wake. As on of only a few survivors, you must use overwhelming firepower and all of your combat skill to battle through the demon hordes, find out what went wrong and prevent the evil from spreading. Only you stand between Hell and Earth.


4/5 stars

Game-play:
While playing Doom 3, I noticed that this is a first-person shooter(FPS) and realized it's a straight-forward game which means all you do is run around areas(hallways, corridors etc.) and other parts of the ship fighting/shooting off the demons, finding codes to which unlocks doors which may contain information, an exit or even worse- demons. Since this is a straight-forward game, it can get boring at times but keep going, you'll thank me later.
There is hardly any jumping around so thats another reason this is a straight-forward videogame. I don't know why the developers would put a jump button on the controller anyway.
The real reason you are on the ship is to find a missing marine who or may not be on the ship. While doing that, you try to find out what the hell happened on that ship and why is there a demonic possession on the ship.
You have your weapons to help you which are very simple(Pistol, Shotgun, Machine Gun, chainsaw etc.). Also, you have a flashlight which you know the idea of what that is used for but I'll explain anyway. The flashlight is used when you are in a very dark and I mean very dark area and you use that to see if anything is hidden or waiting. Also, you can use the flashlight to hit the demons and cause little damage. It's very handy indeed! But there is one problem, the flashlight is hand-held so there is no flashlight/gun.
Your PDA is very important which tells you or speaks to you about very important details on revealing the mystery behind the demonic possession. It can also show you emails, audio logs and sometimes code keys in which you can use to unlock areas of the ship. It also tells you your objectives and information about your weapons and inventory. It is very important and use it frequently!
The Soul Cube is an object that us used when you kill five demons and those kills makes the cube grow stronger. In turn, when the cube is full, it can be used to destroy the toughest demons out there.
Along with the rest of the game-play is Cooperative Multiplayer and Competitive Multiplayer.
Cooperative Multiplayer is unlocked after you finish the single-player. In Cooperative Multiplayer, you play with a friend over the Internet. You play the whole game over but with a friend who is very handy which that person helps you open a door that needs two people operating it at the same time.
The Competitive Multiplayer is played when four marines battle each other to see who has the most kills of the demons.


4/5 stars I took off a point since it is a straight-forward game.

Graphics:
This category is probably is on everyone's minds. Yes, the game has gorgeous graphics. The settings are sensational and very realistic. Although you don't interact much with it, it still looks damn good! The monsters look great and varied. They have rich detail in them. The design of the creatures are simply-terrifying which is in a good way. Just seeing one pop out of nowhere is just scary! I wouldn't want to see that when I wake up in the morning! The character models which includes the monsters and the regular people you come across have rich detail in them too. They look so real, it's scary! Also, we come across some monsters that look so weird looking, we just don't know what the hell is it. That also makes this game scary. The Xbox has a great hard drive that produces such great results. The blood also looks really good too. The special effects are really great too. Seeing fire is just great. Also, the lighting texture is great too. Also, Hell looks great too. It has never been so terrifying. Well, no one lives to tell about that.


5/5 stars

Sound:
Brrrr! I got shivers just thinking about it. That was in a good way by the way. Just thinking about the shrieks of the monsters, hearing pipes hissing, doors opening and just plain walking just sounds damn good. The shrieks of the monsters are terrifying and loud. While you walk, you hear metal clanging as you run across it just adds another point in this category. Even the voice-work is top-notch. Also, the voices to the mouthing of the character models are top-notch. A perfect score in this category.


5/5 stars

Control:
Doom 3 has to be one of the best games you can control over the Xbox. It has easy lay-out plan. They are adjustable to fit to your liking. The aiming is perfect. The controlling of your player is just brilliant. It's very easy! The controls are listed as followed:
A button is to jump
B button is to change over to next weapon
Y button is to go back to previous weapon
X button is to reload your weapon
R thumbstick is to look/aim
L thumbstick is to move player
Clicked R thumbstick is to zoom
Clicked L thumbstick is to crouch
R trigger is to fire/activate
L trigger is to spring
Black button is to access your PDA
White button is to turn on flashlight
Directional buttons is a quick weapon select
Right button is to pause
Left button is to save


5/5 stars

Scare-Factor On The Planet-Mars:
Well they did say there is no human existence on Mars...but something is out there and it's scary as hell! Literally! Doom 3 is a prime example of a game that gives you scares that you think is not going to happen but they do happen. Also, Doom 3 gives you scares not by just the monsters jumping out(although you will get scared because of that) but also the sound. Hearing hissing from the monsters to groans all the way to accessing your PDA is downright tense. In one level that I experienced, you walk down a long hallway with lights on but then the lights go out and you hear sinister laughter. I was so scared to walk through it, I tip-toed. I tip-toed through the hallway but while I was walking, I saw 3-4 images of the big buff dude with a chainsaw that sort of looks like LeatherFace from Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It wasn't real until I got safely out of the dark hallway. When I got out of that hallway safely or so I thought, I was scared to death! So all that worrying about what's hidden in that dark hallway that I was going through was a waste. This is NOT a game for the weak of heart. This is one of the scariest game ever to be made!


5/5 stars

Lasting Appeal On Mars:
Well the single player lasts about 20 hours. The multiplayer and online play makes the game last a little longer but not much.


4/5 stars

Thoughts On My Visit To Hell On Mars:
Doom 3 gave me what I expected except for the straight-forward game-play. I wanted the scares(got them serves well), I wanted the beautiful graphics(got them well done), and just to have a fun a** time. I got everything I wanted and a bit more. I got the easy controlling(it comes rarely in games so treasure the controls on this one), the sound which gave me the chills by just hearing my own footsteps! After all and all, I really enjoyed my playing with Doom 3. It was a journey to Hell on Mars but it sure wasn't Hell while playing.



Reviews:

The Perfect Alone In The Dark Nightmare
-ROLLINGSTONE

Too Lifelike For Comfort
-TIME Magazine


One Of The Most Scariest Game Ever Made
-The Associated Press


10 Out Of 10
-XBN Magazine



Doom 3 is rated M for Blood, Gore and Intense Violence

Recommended: Yes