Review - The same ole deal......

[Krehator]

In a nutshell: NOTHING WE HAVEN'T SEEN BEFORE.

If you're a brainwashed fan of Doom that will only rate the game purely on loyalty, you'll definately consider it to be the best thing since sliced bread. However if you're looking for something new, you won't be happy.

The graphics are awesome! The faces on the NPC's are extremely detailed. The quality of the visuals truly enhances the realism of the game. It is the best Doom yet without a doubt and it seems that ID really put a lot of effort into a good "makeover" of the game.

Every modern FPS is a clone of Doom. Id is responsible for the first real leap in FPS game history. Regardless of what Id has done in the past I was hoping that Doom 3 was going to show us something new in FPS. However it doesn't. There is nothing special about this game other than the upgraded graphics and audio. It's the same ole kill'em all slaughterfest. They didn't even include coop in the multiplayer, which in my opinion is a major mistake in any game that has multiplayer! It has been reapeated in countless articles and reviews that coop is disappearing from multiplayer games and it's a shame. Considering that Doom 3 hasn't offered any new suprises in FPS, they could have included coop at the very least. I expect it will come soon, if not from Id then from a 3rd party modder.

I played the game for a few hours and that's about all the enjoyment it offered. It didn't take long for me to say "been there done that", then exit the game. Maybe it's because I've played countless games but Doom 3 just didn't have the addiction factor. The other versions of Doom were addictive because they were new and unique.

If you are like me and many others who are looking for something new in FPS, you won't be happy. If you're just a die hard fan that would buy dried up dog crap if it was boxed with a Doom 3 label, then of course you will enjoy it.

[dulow]

I agree with you 100% I mean it took me for a ride for the first 4 hours now Its like wait a minute once I beat this game then what......If were to play it again all the scares would be gone casue I know when the monsters pop out and so on..Great game and all but I think it just may be a little to overyhyped...Now I just set back and wait for the mods...I think the modders will carry this game forward..

[TheVoid]

you guys are both basing your reviews on playing the first few hours of the game.

on a game that supposedly is 20-25hrs to complete, how on earth are you going to rate the game, based on playing less than 25% of the game?

also, id TOLD US LONG AGO that this was going to be a retelling of the old Doom, i'm not sure why you were expecting something different.

the thing i've been marveling at the most is the graphics, the sound, and occasionally the AI.

"nothing new"... i dont know if you've noticed, but Doom 3 is, at the moment, using the single most advanced and... NEW... game engine on the planet. if you think unified lights and surfaces is "nothing new" then i dont know what to tell you.

i do agree with dulow though, after everyones been thru the singleplayer game, twice maybe, if you wanna do Nightmare, just to see if you can make it, the modders will take this game and (no doubt) run with it.

if you think about it, modders are what made half-life such a stick-around kinda game. counterstrike anyone?

[Krehator]

[on a game that supposedly is 20-25hrs to complete, how on earth are you going to rate the game, based on playing less than 25% of the game?]

Does some new feature pop up during the other 75%? Nope.

[also, id TOLD US LONG AGO that this was going to be a retelling of the old Doom, i'm not sure why you were expecting something different.]

Hope. Id was a groundbreaking developer, I was looking for a surprise. I'm not bashing Id, they delivered what they promised. However like I said previously, "been there, done that".


["nothing new"... i dont know if you've noticed, but Doom 3 is, at the moment, using the single most advanced and... NEW... game engine on the planet. if you think unified lights and surfaces is "nothing new" then i dont know what to tell you.]

Yes it does offer improved graphics, I stated that. Yet, new engines are not new features. They are merely a natural progression based on hardware and software advancements. If I resave an old Word 97 document in Word 2003 does that change the important content of the document? When I speak of "new" I'm talking about features.

Like I said, this is the best Doom yet, it's just nothing inspiring. Sales will be high initially but will taper off quickly, mark my words. This game will be carried by modders as dulow said. It will require modding to keep it going because it really doesn't offer anything better than many other FPS games.

[TheVoid]

what exactly would you have liked to see? what would have made it wildly innovative?

[jls23]

you guys are both basing your reviews on playing the first few hours of the game.

on a game that supposedly is 20-25hrs to complete, how on earth are you going to rate the game, based on playing less than 25% of the game?

also, id TOLD US LONG AGO that this was going to be a retelling of the old Doom, i'm not sure why you were expecting something different.

the thing i've been marveling at the most is the graphics, the sound, and occasionally the AI.

"nothing new"... i dont know if you've noticed, but Doom 3 is, at the moment, using the single most advanced and... NEW... game engine on the planet. if you think unified lights and surfaces is "nothing new" then i dont know what to tell you.

i do agree with dulow though, after everyones been thru the singleplayer game, twice maybe, if you wanna do Nightmare, just to see if you can make it, the modders will take this game and (no doubt) run with it.

if you think about it, modders are what made half-life such a stick-around kinda game. counterstrike anyone?

OK here is where you are reading into this wrong. He wasn't talking about the storyling when he expected somehting new, he was talking about something groundbreaking. And he was right; doom was not that impressive or ground-breaking. I am a die-hard fan of doom, but I wasn't about to be blinded by the fact that it's another doom; in fact I treated it like a totally different game, which it is. Don't spend the $60 on this game, unless you've played it at a friends house and you KNOW you love it.

BTW the lights and shadows were nothing new or impressive. Let's be real, OK? the lights were awful and the shadows didn't even include self-shadowing.

[Ninja_of_DooM]

Ok let me ask you all one question: COuld you have done any better than ID? Be honest now. Are you n00bs in the position to whine on and on about it ? If you all have some better idea then tell me. What would you have done? The game was not meant to have a gripping plot. It was simply all about burning an incredibly great looking game onto your retinas. DooM never had such a agreat plot and DooM III was never meant to have a plot as it's strong point. It's merely a re-telling of the original DooM. Now if you're die hard fans like you claim you'll have known this all along. Why bitch about it? And if it's nothing you've seen before then answer me this: what was the last game to look as good as this?

[Krehator]

How did this turn into bitching? I simply provided my thoughts on the game. Did anyone hear me say "Doom sucks" or tear into it? Touchy touchy. Now I'm lit.

There will always be those that will get on their knees and start sucking away. They'd support the game even if the entire development team came over to run over their PC with a pickup truck and screw their wife.

What would have been a new feature? Hmmmm....
How about a new type of multiplayer mode instead of the same standard set of modes that are common among all games.
How about posession ability were you temporarily control an undead creature.
How about weapons upgrades than can be mixed together to generate many unique weapons combinations based on what parts you put together.

These are just examplex, good or not, they would have been something different. If I can come up with some ideas, these so-called developer Gods damn well could have. They just decided not to. NOT A PROBLEM. They're boring and uninspired people, I can accept that. I routinely run into people like this on message boards. ;) I JUST HOPED FOR A SURPRISE.

Since we are in the questioning mood......answer this:

What in this game other than it's name makes it stand out from other modern FPS games? What makes it better than quake, red faction, moh, cod, 1942, or any of the countless FPS games on the market? Gamers want innovation and new concepts. How can Doom possibly expect to be a success when it offers NOTHING creative? Supply and demand, ever hear of it??? The most succesful games throughout history offered new concepts. Everything else is cookie cutting. Face it, it's an undeniable fact.

New cool graphics don't count. It's 2004. Of course it will have improved graphics, what moron would release a game without up to date technology? Up to date graphics are a requirement these days because the whole game scene is stalled. Very few unique games have come out recently. If developers don't even take the time to update graphics then they truly are lazy and undeserving of recognition.

Now let me repeat myslef again because people just don't READ well. I said that Doom 3 is the best doom yet. BEST DOOM YET. BEST DOOM YET. However it's the same ole deal with new graphics. For me....that's not enough. I can play tons of games that do everything Doom 3 does and more. Yet the one thing that will change my opinion of this game is what it can be through modding. Modders are creative. Thank God we still have some artistic people left.

Damn.....I can't beleive that I can't have an opinion without getting jumped on like I shot someone's dog. I tried to be nice aobut it.

[TheVoid]

<shrug> point taken, however you gotta look at this side of things to:

if they had added all that level of complexity to it, build your own weapon, etc. you would have lost a lot of the Doom fans. Shoot first, ask questions later is exactly what most of us WANT out of an id game. That's what we've ALWAYS wanted out of id. Fast paced, furious action. Even this game, which is slowed down, you do a lot of walking, etc, is still very fast paced. Not a minute or two goes by when you don't have to deal with enemies.

I come to id for games for a couple reasons:
1) the action
2) the attitude
3) john carmack

all 3 of these are in this game in enormous helpings. there's plenty of action, almost more than you can handle at points. the attitude is on high. just like the original doom, you can tell this wasnt made by some business suit-wearing people, but by regular people messing with our minds. and before you call me a fanboy for adding point 3 up there, let me explain why i love having john carmack in on a project: its the cleanest code i've ever seen.

Doom 3, which has a lot more to load, loads in about a 5th of the time of Unreal Tournamet 2004, from click to menu. Quake 3 (at its time) loaded easily 3 or 4 times as fast as Unreal Tournament. You have to admit, carmack produces magic, and that alone is a good reason to keep an eye on id.

Yes, doom 3 is the same old formula. But, in my opinion, if they had changed it too much... they would have lost a lot of people.

[jls23]

Ok let me ask you all one question: COuld you have done any better than ID? Be honest now. Are you n00bs in the position to whine on and on about it ? If you all have some better idea then tell me. What would you have done? The game was not meant to have a gripping plot. It was simply all about burning an incredibly great looking game onto your retinas. DooM never had such a agreat plot and DooM III was never meant to have a plot as it's strong point. It's merely a re-telling of the original DooM. Now if you're die hard fans like you claim you'll have known this all along. Why bitch about it? And if it's nothing you've seen before then answer me this: what was the last game to look as good as this?

Don't you dare call me a n00b, n00b. I've been keeping along with eveything ID did; from the original Castle Wolfenstein (the puzzle game) all the way up to now. Just because I am unimpressed with something doesn't make me a n00b. And you don't have to know how to do something to be unimpressed. Most people are impressed by anything that the hype says is great; which includes Half-Life 2, Far Cry, among others. I think D3 is a great game, but the definately could have done better.

[Ninja_of_DooM]

I never called you a n00b now did I? I think you'll find I never said "jls23 is a n00b lololol"

[wyrmwood]

I was impressed until one point --- Within the first 20 minutes; walked into the bathroom, looked at myself in the mirror and got a cutscene of myself in the mirror with a blood red background with the eerie words on the loudspeaker: "Psychiatric consultation available" (or something like that, can't remember the words). Then I was blown away... Up until 3am completely immersed, not just playing a computer game, but taken somewhere else.

Krehator has got some damn valid points. I just disagree, I'm amazed with all aspects of this game, and I'm a die-hard BF1942'er, as well as halo, farcry, morrowind, etc... Just beautiful design, coding, writing - and the SOUND!!! Ok, I'm a sound designer so I'm biased but MY GOD! Never never never before have I experienced immersive sound like this - hits you on all levels. A bit miffed that Reznor didn't stick it out, but hey - Vrenna did great and Antkow picked up perfectly where Trent left off...

Any way, rambling on... I love it, and I'm a cynical, overly critical, generally unimpressed rhat bhastard. As far as Id rehashing the same old formula and not reinventing the wheel... Anyone remember Coke II? Yuck, what a bad-tasting joke... I'm glad they kept their foundation, I got what I payed for.

[Caden]

The Void i went all the way through doom 3 and i still agree with krehator's review. after so long, its just not scary. that was ID's objective if im not mistaken. they first few hours were making me wonder whats going to happen next. but the pop out of the roof thing gets old as does the run around trying to find a computer or pda with the key to get past a door. i thought the lighting was nice.

_____________________
I was impressed until one point --- Within the first 20 minutes; walked into the bathroom, looked at myself in the mirror and got a cutscene of myself in the mirror with a blood red background with the eerie words on the loudspeaker: "Psychiatric consultation available" (or something like that, can't remember the words). Then I was blown away... Up until 3am completely immersed, not just playing a computer game, but taken somewhere else.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When was this? i never saw it happen and i hopped around seeing how fake his jump looks.

____________________

Doom 3, which has a lot more to load, loads in about a 5th of the time of Unreal Tournamet 2004, from click to menu. Quake 3 (at its time) loaded easily 3 or 4 times as fast as Unreal Tournament. You have to admit, carmack produces magic, and that alone is a good reason to keep an eye on id.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yes i loved the load times it was heavenly. (unlike farcry which takes 5 mins and then lags in game anyways) He is a good programer, id say because he has a lot of experiance. i just found doom 3 to be boring, and a game only for the ones truely possesed by Doom. Reminds me of the blizzard fans that blindly by games with that logo. I bought Warcraft 3 and im never getting another blizzard game for $50 again. (yea yea go ahead and say how great the game is, westwood still owns RTS)

[wyrmwood]

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When was this? i never saw it happen and i hopped around seeing how fake his jump looks.



This was the very beginning - AFTER coming back from your "first mission" looking for the scientist. I just walked into the bathroom since the map had changed since the invasion, and blam - cool, short, warped little cut scene.

Looking for it will kind of kill the buzz, it's more of a rush as a random unexpected thing, but you should be able to find it. I'm starting over from scratch now that I've tweaked my hardware so I'll try to re-create it.

[Caden]

ah well i just got the no gib mod, maybe ill play agian

[Mystic]

I know whats wrong. When you fork out a small fortune for upgrades just to run a specific game you expect it to be worth the extra expense. It takes more than looks to do that so an awful lot of people are going to be ultimately dissappointed (how is that spelled??) once the novelty wears thin.

Think about this. If id said they had a great new game, its so well coded that it looks like its running on a top system with a 500 dollar video card etc but will run smooth on your 1.7 gig celeron (or amd equivalent) and it only costs 400 dollars, do you think it would sell???? neither do I but that is what a lot of folk have done with doom 3, Ive watched all the panic in these forums, folk desperately wanting to spend hundreds of dollars to play something that wasnt even out, even though they know all the video cards just got a price hike (they seen you coming )all because of a few screenshots and a mountain of hype. Well, the way I see it, if you are one of the ones who did all that upgrading to play a game and now you dont think it was worth it you got what you deserve.

[doomdiz]

I for one have no intention of bending over backwards financially for some video game. I have come to terms with the fact that my laptop cannot run D3, and will never be able to run D3. And I dont feel like spending any more money on something that will. Maybe I will win an X-Box in the near future. If not, oh well...tough luck!

[Caden]

Lol i upgraded my card last december before i knew d3 was comeing out. it just really really needed an upgrade. (i couldnt even run C&C Generals with it)

[Ninja_of_DooM]

LOL Caden. Still looking for a way to run RA on Xp? I'll give you the link if you need it.;)
Oha nd jls23, It's never a good idea to call someone a n00b just because you think they called you a n00b. And most certainly never make a threat you can't follow through on. And anyway, who's the n00b here? You've not even been here a year yet and you're calling someone who has a n00b? Please don't be aso childish.

:D

[Wicked Anime Kid]

Lol ninja, you just said something in Dutch thats really funny:p

Please don't be aso childish

You said Please don't be unsocial childish:p

[Ninja_of_DooM]

Well I suppose it's a double meaning WAK.:D

[TheVoid]

i wont say that part of my wonderment for Doom 3 is to see what they've done with all the original Doom characters (and i've been pleasantly, or not so pleasantly depending on how you look at it, surprised a number of times).

However, it's also exactly what i LOVE out of a first person shooter, which is precisely what you are criticizing. It's fast, fun, and scary. I know there's lots of macho guys running around going "that game was stupid, it wasnt scary at all" Well i don't know what to tell you. I've been sticking to the shadows, trying to catch up with my commander, wishing he would just hold still so i can be around someone thats not trying to KILL ME.

Whatever though, to each their own. I'm finding this game to be a great thrill, and others find it to be boring as sin. <shrug>

[Krehator]

It's not just Doom or Id that is at fault here by any means. The games that have been coming out are all just the same ole deal. A few have offered some new features but overall I think we might be in rut for innovation. Graphics keep moving along but nothing else seems to be improving.

Maybe I'm just gamed out. So many years of hard gaming I'm like a crack addict that can't find a better supply. *sick*

I'm happy for anyone that enjoys this game. In the end, all that really matter is if YOU enjoy the game and think it's worth the price.

The best part of this game is that it has the potential to be something more if players want it to be. All it takes is some mods and anyone can be happy with it, even me. Mod ability is a required feature imho, along with co-op.