theuerkorn's Full Review: Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil for Windows
"When it's done!" This vague timeline and sporadic rumors made this one of the most anticipated games of 2003 and eventually 2004. Well, it's apparently done and August 2004 is the month of truth. Was DOOM 3 worth the wait (and money), or is it just another overhyped game, soon to be forgotten?
The original Doom (shareware) made big waves back in 1993 and ever since is considered one of the most influential 3D computer games ever. Given all the hype and actual facts, the third installment might as well re-create a portion of that impact on the gaming industry.
With more games of the genre in the pipeline, Doom 3 may not have such a distinct role as its original version. Half-Life2 avoided the clash by being delayed many times now. And military oriented gamers will find new material this fall with Battlefield 2.0 and the highly anticipated extension to Call of Duty. In anticipation of the final drill on the way to become the ultimate soldier (mentally anyway), it's now time to focus on slaying the Undead's most frightening monsters. (... or upgrade your computer. you pick!)
DOOM 3 borrows heavily from Hollywood and deploys similar elements to create nerve wrecking suspense. It's almost like a mix of Silent Hill 3 and Unreal II and some elements of SplinterCell (not the stealth part), which may be the most notable character of the gameplay. Fear the unknown, and wonder what's in that dark corner (could be needed supplies or another monster). Darkness as the most dramatic element is complemented by excellent sounds that scare the **** out of you even before actually engaging in a fight. For instance, you walk thru an extremely dark corridor with sparks flying and suddenly a voice whispers: "Help me!" If that doesn't freak you out (in the dark room you're sitting in), the next monster pouncing on you sure will. (For the full effect turn lights off and volume up.)
The story unfolds in a linear way, but there is little handholding and most facts must be found unprompted. Means, some tasks are not essential or particularly spelled out and their solution is found in data files picked up on the way. The trick is that one has to pay attention to what's going on and inspect pretty much every screen for information and interact with every gadget provided. Everything is designed to be 'believable' and that's one major difference to fantasy games like Painkiller.
Other than that, DOOM 3 keeps close to it's roots (DOOM) and offers much refinement over the old classic. (Sequel rather than reinvention.) Still, there are a few details that set DOOM 3 apart from the crowd.
The use of a virtual PDA is nothing new since Sam Fisher relied on his PalmOS Device in Splinter Cell. DOOM's version is much more sophisticated and acts as log book, e-mail, audio/video player and access code generator. The use is not the most intuitive I have ever seen but after some time quite manageable and helpful. Make heavy use of your PDA!
Graphics: The game that puts mid-level systems to work, and makes you crave the next upgrade. Not because it's generally sluggish (like Halo) but to enable graphics quality unseen before. Even though it feels a little like a 90's SciFi movie, graphics are awesome and currently exceed even the best PC (in extreme settings). Everything is very (!) dark and LCD screens may not be the best monitor to play DOOM 3 on. This game is demanding, but conservative in its automatically determined configuration. (Give me a break, 640x480 proposed resolution on a Radeon 9700?) Nevermind the cool graphics engine, but textures have a little bit of a low-res feel to them and fall into the same strange discrepancy between hype and reality like Halo. Anyway, the interface (HUD) is unobstrusive and minimalistic. (No mysterious 'enemy radar' etc.)
Violence: As many shooters, this game is M-rated for good reasons. The 17+ rating is based on the graphic nature of the gore, which is less than many other games. The more real graphics and physics get, the harder it is to distinguish between reality and a game. Games like this don't make serial killers, but they might lower the threshold for critical individuals to dangerous levels.
Controls: Very simple. Just like Painkiller and of course DOOM, it provides basic controls for motion (W-A-S-D), firing and interaction (LMB). No complicated key sequences (a la Unreal Tournament 2004) to remember in the middle of a hot fight. One exception is the intentional but still annoying use of either a weapon or the flash light. Did I mention the game is dark? Well, you need to shuffle between guns and the flashlight (F) quite frequently. Another quirk may be the unusual lack of an alternative firing mode and the use of the RMB for jumping (= Space). Other than that it's easy to work and follows standard guidelines. I just wish i could hold the flashlight while using another weapon. After all, I do have 2 hands!
Sound: Starting with a long sequence that somehow reminded me of Unreal II and Halo, the voice acting seems strangely unemotional at first, but one gets used to it. Somewhat surprising is the rather weak noise by the footsteps and the weapons and any kind of interaction. There is no pushing background score, but very intense noise that makes you suspect something bad to happen every moment ... as it sure will. Up to 6 speaker 3D sound allows to spot threats better than by sight and sure emphasizes the intense gameplay. I am using a JBL Creature 2.1 sound system and have to believe the marketing pitch on that one. It still sounds good though. Sound is your best ally since graphics may be great but threats are very hard to see in advance and audible clues easier to notice.
Animation: My reference for excellent character animation used to be Tron 2.0 by Monolith and it may be fair to say that DOOM 3 may have replaced this reference for now. Especially in the cut-scenes (rendered in realtime) character animation is impressive and mostly anatomically correct. At least from what I can tell, since nobody knows how zombies exactly move. Somewhat special are the animated guns and with it the hands and extremities. My jaw dropped the first time seeing 'my' hands in action - fully textured (hairy) and correctly shaded.
Physics: Interaction with the environment is minimal and I am somewhat surprised that Mars seems to have the same gravity as Earth. Then again, Unreal II already convincingly sold me the same story for another distant planet and I guess it must be true. In my opinion though, Doom 3 doesn't set itself apart from other good examples like Painkiller and in a few instances it seems that the latter may have a slight advantage. his becomes most visible in the interaction with enemies, as DOOM 3 doesn't give much feedback on where and how severely the monster got hit by my last shot. (Painkiller has limbs moving under the impact and objects dangle upon hitting them - courtesy of Havok 2.0.)
Weapons: What were they thinking, only 3 basic weapons? Well at first anyway, and the use of fists and the flashlight as weapons sure must be considered unusual for a straight-laced shooter. (Though it's kind of funny to knock out a zombie quicker with bare fists than 4 shots from the pistol.) Initially equipped with a pistol, a flashlight and your fists the odds seem against you, but by finding other weapons that sure tilts in your favor (most of the time). The arsenal is completed by a shotgun, machinegun, chaingun, grenades, plasmagun, rockets, chainsaw and the infamous BFG ... most of those already well known from DOOM - the original. A little bit off the beaten track is the Soulcube, absorbing energy from killing demons and ready for destroying the most powerful demons on the fifth. If you know Painkiller's Demon mode, this is somewhat similar. Before you accuse id Software of gun control and complain about the lackluster of magic weaponry, keep in mind that the game has been balanced to fit those weapons. Besides, how realistic would it be to carry 20 different big-caliber weapons and the necessary ammunition? However, especially the pistol feels a little on the slow side regarding reload time, but that my be due to my underpowered system. Strangely enough, there is no alternate firing mode. (No aiming as in Call of Duty and no second weapon as in Painkiller either.)
Progress: Excellent! It's all there, automatic checkpoint saves and the option to save at any time if so desired. As it turns out with every game that does it right, the makers of the other games like Halo and XIII in particular should take a close look for their next attempt. Doom's save system is excellent and pretty much on par with shooter primus Call of Duty and the recently reviewed Painkiller.
Enemy AI: Well it's ironic to talk about (artificial) intelligence in a 'dumb' shooter. Using darkness and the element of surprise as their main skills besides insane aggressiveness, it's not much about tactics and multiple solutions. The goal is clear (Fullfill objectives and kill everything that gets in the way). The game is not setup to sneak by or outrun enemies and try different tactics in order to succeed. In the end, there's little to no strategy required.
Difficulty: At the beginning of the game one can choose between 4 different levels. With Marine being the second 'easiest' and considered Normal. That's the level I tried first and it feels about right to me. The greatest dificulties come from the dark environment and zombies that take several shots before expiring. (Can be tough in close quarters.) Unfortunately, DOOM 3 does not allow to change difficulty level within a game and requires to start from scratch if the chosen difficulty turns out too easy or to hard. On the positive side, there are no hard-to-master jumping puzzles of the kind that drove me nuts in a few instances in Painkiller.
Longevity: Streamlined levels and single solutions per level provide little incentive to go back and try it again. However, this absolutely okay with me. Expect SP mods and additional MP levels to be released soon as the DOOM community is rather large. Long-term fun is guaranteed.
MultiPlayer: Have not yet had a chance to explore this mode and will update once I have actual test data. Nevertheless, MP supports Internet (TCP/IP) and LAN (TCP/IP) play. It provides the ability to play audio chat lines in-game for purposes of taunting, congratulating, or for team-specific requests and instructions ... like "Great game", "That sucked", "Die already", "Pull back" and "Prepare for attack". Something that has been seen in Unreal Tournament 2004 already.
Cheats: To use them, press [ctrl] + [alt] + [~] simultaneously to open the console. Then type in the codes! [from GameSpy.com]
benchmark = Show game benchmarks.
freeze x = Freeze game action for x seconds.
gfxinfo = Show graphic card info
god = Enter (or exit) god mode. You won't take any damage.
noclip = Enter (or exit) noclip mode. You can walk through walls.
com_showFPS 1 = display frames per second.
give all = give all weapons and ammo.
give weapon_machinegun = get weapon (one clip of ammo).
give weapon_shotgun = get weapon (one clip of ammo).
give weapon_plasmagun = get weapon (one clip of ammo).
give weapon_bfg = get weapon (one clip of ammo).
give weapon_chainsaw = get weapon (one clip of ammo).
give weapon_rocketlauncher = get weapon (one clip of ammo).
developer 1 = Turn on Developer mode.
(Required for some of the other cheats to work.)
For the most complete list on the net go to ...
http://www.cheathappens.com/show_cht.asp?ID=15954
- ATI® Radeon 8500, 9000, 9200, 9500, 9600, 9700, 9800
- ATI® Radeon x300, x600, x800
- Nvidia® GeForce 3/Ti series
- Nvidia® GeForce 4MX series
- All Nvidia® GeForce 4/Ti series
- All Nvidia® GeForce FX series
- Nvidia® GeForce 6800 series
Minimum Requirements: id Software calls out an Intel Pentium Pentium® 4 1.5 GHz or Athlon™ XP 1500 processor and at least 384MB RAM along with an 8x Speed CD-ROM drive (1200KB/sec sustained transfer rate). The harddrive must have 2.2GB of uncompressed hard disk space available (plus 400MB for Windows® swap file). That's actually surprisingly 'low', at least compared with Unreal Tournament 2004 and Enter The Matrix. Of course one will also need a DX 9.0b compatible 16-bit sound card and compatible mouse, keyboard. Updating all drivers to the latest version is highly recommended.
Note: The OS is limited to Windows 2000 and XP. DirectX9.0b is included on the disc. I just upgraded to DX9.0c and the installation program claimed that my version is not compatible but let me decline the installation of DX9.0b anyway. Good choice, since I have yet to run into any issues. DOOM 3 mostly uses OpenGL graphics routines despite the DX9 requirement.
My system (2.4GHz P4, 1GB RAM, Radeon 9700 Pro w/ catalyst 4.7, ATA133, WinXP, DX9.0c) runs the game reasonably smooth with video options set to 1280x1048, noAA, and most settings equivalent to the High Quality mode. However, a faster system is highly recommended as mine gets a little sluggish when too much is going on at the same time.
ATI hardware owners should look out for Catalyst v4.9 (due in September) as some high-end boards (x800) are said to gain significant speed boost (for DOOM 3) of up to 30%. This addresses performance issues that are related to DOOM's supposed optimization for nVidia hardware and the reported OpenGL performance issues of ATI drivers. However, the older the board the less gain is to expect and my 9700 Pro supposedly gets very little boost. Upcoming catalyst 4.8 reportedly does not address any DOOM 3 related issues, but should bring some enhancement in the OpenGL support. (A beta release of v4.9 is already available from TeamRadeon.)
There is currently a 'popular' tweak circulating that may or may not improve gaming performance (not sure what it depends on). In the DOOM 3 directory, find the file DoomConfig.cfg (i.e. \Program Files\Doom 3\base).
Edit the line: seta image_cacheMegs "xx" ... and increase "xx" to over "100". Some gamers reported significant improvements. However, it's not going to turn a slow computer into a speed demon and results may vary. My system wasn't impressed with any setting and the same section ranged from 14 - 50 fps regardless whether this parameter was set to "20" (original) or "256". That may have to do with parameter "seta image_useCache" set to "0" (= off?) Enabling this switch ("1"), however, crashes the game at startup. I guess I better wait for Catalyst 4.9 to become officially available. ;-)
An in-depth tweaking guide for ATI boards without the hype ...
http://digitalelements.org/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=216&mode=thread&order=0&thold=-1
NVidia user should check this guide for tweaking your board ...
http://www.digitalelements.org/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=220&mode=&order=0&thold=0
[Update (10-Sep-2004): Catalyst 4.9 has been released and the cautious note on the performance gain with 'older' Radeons like my 9700Pro seem to confirm. There is a slight boost, however, noticeable in gameplay and measurements seem to confirm a gain of up to 3 FPS. Not huge, but still right around 5% - 10%. Further, there is a Doom3 patch 1.05 currently in beta and once that's fully released I will update again.]
For everybody else, DOOM 3 delivers all the goods and meets pretty much all expectations, including those concerns that many PCs may be a little underpowered for this beast of a game. If system and money are a concern, take a look at the excellent Painkiller ($29).
DOOM 3 is a great game and prepare to spend a lot of time in front of your PC in tension. That will be for various reasons though ... from upgrading to tweaking to actually playing and eventually to wind down from the 'stress'. The gameplay alone creates immense suspense and gets your heart rate going. It's one of the most successful attempts to create this kind of immersion in a computer game. Don't get too ambitious with the graphics settings since sluggish game performance puts you at a disadvantage in close quarter fights. Either way, don't forget to turn your brain back on after you're done playing. ;-)
It's easy to claim that DOOM 3 is the best game in the series by a wide margin. An ultra refined classic! The best game ever? Well, that may be to big of a bite to chew on for any game. But one thing is for sure, games like DOOM 3, Half-Life2, UT2004, Tron 2.0 and Painkiller make it easy to shrug off console-centered releases of some games. With those guns in the toolbox, who needs Halo2? (Halo who?)
Given the unusual high price and mixed reviews based on some disappointment, I expect prices to drop relatively quickly. Look out for that bargain. About $40 seems like a fair price to me.
To explain my rating, one star has been subtracted due to the hardware requirement, the price and a few little things as outlined in this review. These 4 stars don't compare to others in a sense that DOOM 3 didn't exist when Halo was rated.
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