Pros: Good graphics, good story and familiar FPS controls
Cons: Requires very powerful PC, graphics too dark, won't run with emulation software
The Bottom Line: If you've got a powerful system and like your wits scared out of you, you will enjoy the game. If you've got an eMachine, don’t even bother.
Gr8ful's Full Review: Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil for Windows
After a very long wait Id Software has finally released Doom 3 after much anticipated hype and marketing. I would have really loved to love this game as I was completely addicted to the 1995 predecessor Doom II. After playing the game for about three hours I found myself repeatedly trying to adjust my monitor and graphics to try to lighten the display but no matter what I did it was just way too dark. The game is a decent first person shooter but not so much different than most other FPS games out lately and frankly I was a little disappointed in the final product. It’s not that the game sucks or that it requires a powerful PC to play but a combination of little things that cause my disappointment.
Doom 3
The game storyline is set on the planet Mars at a research facility that also happens to power Mars City. I have not got that far into the game yet so I am not sure where the story is going to go but so far I have established this much of the story. The Union Aerospace Corporation have built a research facility on Mars and are experimenting with unlimited resources and unrestricted regulations. This combined with over ambitious leadership developed problems of an unnatural nature.
You play the role of a Marine and soon after your shuttle arrives on Mars, you are sent deep underground to find a missing scientist and up to this point the game is very slow moving. You are basically getting to know the controls and collecting things you need like your PDA (personal data assistant) and your side arm and body armor.
After locating the missing scientist all Hell breaks loose, literally. Some evil demonic source has literally exploded into our world and takes over the entire facility. This is where the real horror begins.
Gameplay
Using standard keyboard and mouse controls (W-A-S-D for movement, mouse controls point of view) you must collect weapons and armor as well as med kits and other things as you fight your way through the game. People are turned into zombies and ghouls but there are other more deadly things to deal with as well. The sound effects are eerie; zombies and demons will jump out at you around dark (very dark) corners. The suspense level is very high and more than once I jumped when attacked from a dark quiet room.
Sometimes the room is so dark you can not see what is attacking you. This is part of my problem with the game. A few dark places where you can’t see anything is great for suspense but the entire game is so dark that you really have to concentrate to see anything and use the flashlight whenever you are not fighting. After an hour of playing you might start to get a headache from concentrating so hard. On the other hand, concentrating on the screen so hard also makes the game scarier because things that come at you from the dark will give you a shock when they appear. Demons will crash through walls and staircases when you are least expecting it.
There are plenty of items spread about to pick up but you must look for them. If you don’t, you will run out of ammo and die very horribly, very quickly. Weapons, med kits and armor are not scarce but not abundant either so you must make good use of what you find. Making each bullet/shell count is essential.
Graphics
I have a very mixed opinion of the graphics of this game. What I can see is beautifully done and very impressive. People you meet actually articulate their words when speaking and faces are very realistic. The world in Doom 3 is a work of genius and someone had the great idea to make it very dark and gloomy. The problem as I have already stated is that it is too dark and gloomy, way too dark.
The special effects in the game (explosions, disintegrations and such) are done very well and are truly impressive.
The graphics requirements are extreme. The box states that the game only requires a 64MB hardware accelerated video card with DirectX 9.0b drivers but I will tell you now that if you don’t have at least a 128MB Radeon 8500, equivalent or better you may as well not even bother purchasing the game because all you will get is frustrated with the stop motion lag. Even with a Radeon 9800 pro I can only run the game at medium quality and have a smooth frame rate. Even so there are times in the game where the screen rate will drop to just barely acceptable. Doom 3 is a resource hog and should only be played on top end systems for the best experience.
Sound
Imagine you are in a subterranean industrial facility. Now imagine that the lights are almost all out. Imagine that you can hear the machinery humming, churning and quietly grinding all around you in every direction. Now imagine that you can hear screams and shouting in the corridors all around you.
Now imagine that you can hear something you don't recognize, something unknown grunting... no, gasping... no, growling... no,... rasping, no wait... shrieking... or maybe... eating. Now imagine that it is coming from in front of you, now... behind you..., now it's below you... now it's above you... getting louder. Now it's gone... but wait... what was that... ITS ON TOP OF YOU!
Welcome to the sounds of Doom 3. The sounds in this game are a credit to the designers and magnificently done. The game is very creepy and the sounds of the game make the creepiness downright scary. You can hear your footsteps reverberate in the darkness as you make your way through the Mars research facility and all around you are sounds of terror and fighting until it starts to get quiet and that is when each and every sound you hear is important and means something. Sound effects are tasteful and truly amazing.
System Requirements
The following are the system requirements as listed on the box. Following that are my personal recommendations for the game. DirectX 9.0b is included with the software.
System requirements:
* 100% DirectX 9.0b compatible 64MB hardware accelerated video card
* DirectX 9.0b and latest device drivers
* English version of Microsoft Windows 2000/XP
* Pentium 4 1.5GHz / Athlon XP 1500+ or higher processor
* 384 MB RAM
* 8X CDROM drive
* 2.2GB of free uncompressed hard drive space (plus 400MB for Windows Swap file)
* 100% DirectX 9.0b compatible DirectX 9.0b compatible sound card
My Recommendations:
* 100% DirectX 9.0b compatible 128MB Radeon 8500, Nvidia FX5900 or better video card
* DirectX 9.0b and latest device drivers
* English version of Microsoft Windows 2000/XP
* Pentium 4 2.5GHz / Athlon XP 2600+ or higher processor
* 512 MB RAM
* 32X CDROM drive
* 2.2GB of free uncompressed hard drive space (plus 400MB for Windows Swap file)
* 100% DirectX 9.0b compatible DirectX 9.0b compatible sound card
My personal thoughts
I like Doom 3. I wish I could say I love it but I can’t. I can only play for about an hour and I have to stop or I get a headache from concentrating too hard. The game requires too much in terms of hardware and most people do not have what it takes to run the game smoothly. The graphics are way too dark and this is really my biggest complaint.
The game has a good story and is very “edge of your seat” but I think it could have been done better, especially after all the hype and advertising. Even with all the gripes I have I still find myself engulfed in the demonic onslaught at least a couple times a week.
The best way to play the game for full effect is…
Wait until you are home alone. Turn off all the lights, unplug the phone and lock the doors. Turn your volume up loud and get the bejeezus scared out of you. It’s much like watching a good horror movie with high suspense. Turning the lights off also helps with the dark display.
Another beef
One thing I absolutely hate about the game is the fact that if you have CD emulation software installed, the game will not run. I have CloneCD installed for making backups of my installation discs and it is not emulation software, however I had to uninstall it in order to run the game. I have heard similar problems with Roxio 6 and Nero 6 as well. This is a big beef with me and a lot of other people as well and Id should remove this from the game with the first patch released but most likely will not.
Conclusion
If you have a top end system and like to have your wits scared out of you, you will enjoy the game. If you have an eMachine, don’t even bother. Low end systems will not play the game effectively enough to scare you and you will only get frustrated with it. Doom 3 is a good game that could have been a great game.
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