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id Software has a tradition of creating some of the best game engines around. This go-round they bring us the Doom III engine, show-cased with the hot title that brings back memories for many gamers. Based loosely on the original, this title doesn't bring major media hype - no, it brings over a decade of standard rulesets to the table, just waiting to be broken. Is this title worth your time and money? That's precisely what we're going to figure out.
You are a marine, reporting for duty at the Union Aerospace Corporation's Mars research facility. When you arrive and get over the initial shock of how beautiful everything is, you will learn more about the actual story. Without giving away too many details, you will be shot into a plethora of situations and story elements that when added up, present a much deeper tone than most give credit for. Throughout the game you will find yourself, if able to stop and smell the roses, being constantly beckoned by your PDA - a personal data device which contains email and other types of information. If you come across someone else's PDA, you can download their data into your own. This enables you to read the clumsy persons' email and listen to recorded audio logs. Your PDA also hosts one of the greatest little features - pre-recorded video. By picking up video disks, you are able to watch small videos that highlight and detail information throughout the game. For example, in the beginning you are able to download a PDA which will allow you to watch and learn about the facility itself. Later examples include medical reports and weapon schematics and details. These video disks, as well as videos that play on information terminals and other monitors, are all actual videos playing in-game - a feature often overlooked. This feature really emerses the gamer into the whole research facility scenario through the use of the computer monitors, information screens and projected presentations. The most obvious tool, arguably one of the more fun aspects of the PDA, is the fact you are able to actually download and read other people's email if you can find their PDA. The irony is that their email is also flooded with spam from your friends at www.martianbuddy.com. Many things are explained through the PDA, such as why they need chainsaws on Mars (a fact some would argue makes little sense). Without a doubt, the PDA is one of the most interesting and obvious easter eggs in the game.
Gameplay is fast and furious while at the same time slow and scary. The game does not put you into the driver's seat from the get-go. There is much to explore and gamers who really take their time to do this will have a much better experience. The facility obviously has problems with fluctations in their lighting, a problem often discussed in the emails of employees. You are given a flashlight as part of your gear, just a small perk of being a marine on the facility. The flashlight in itself is just as important to the game as any weapon, regardless of the situation. This is one of the first games to force users to adjust to the lighting situations - or run into walls and shoot their feet in the dark. You are unable to hold the flashlight at the same time as a weapon, a point of high criticism yet not really discussed or seen as a true element of gameplay. The flashlight is one of the most important aspects of gameplay for the one-handed effect alone - without the flashlight you will be lost in some parts of the facility. Upon turning a corner in a poorly lit area, you may have your flashlight out, scanning the next room for enemies and notice there is one right in front of you - after screaming you hit the last inventory key and blow the creature away. That is a trick often overlooked and most necessary to survival. The game teaches you how to properly use this tactic very early on, especially the screaming tactics. id Software knew exactly what they were doing, preserving the dark, scary environments by preventing overuse of a flashlight and also providing a key that always switches between the flashlight and the last weapon held. Without this key, it would truly be a nightmare. This is one of a few surprising tactics you may not notice you actually use throughout the game and as such it is rarely given credit. Instead, the flashlight is often frowned upon for the one-handed effect.
Graphics. The so-called heart of what everyone wants from this engine and game. They are by far the next generation, built ahead of it's time to keep ahead, the graphics are outstanding. Shadows and lighting are hands down the best on the market. While other games and engines tout shadows in the future, there are none quite like Doom III and unlikely there will be for many months, maybe a year. There are four levels of predetermined graphics levels in the options, based upon how much will be on the screen at once. To show an example of this, medium quality uses low-to-none for compression and provides the best quality for cards with 128MB of memory while ultra quality is designed for over 500MB of video data - when choosing this level Doom III gives a warning saying it is not recommended to play with this setting. In the future, this will change and it will not be such a daunting option, however the medium and high quality levels are nothing to scoff at. By changing the cache the game uses, you are able to get a more stable environment and this is a plus, however it does not always set this properly by default. Throughout the game you will find computer screens which you can interact with. When you move your cursor over these screens, a mouse pointer will appear and you may select options, operate machinery and punch in security codes. Touting over 500,000 lines of code to write these screens for the game, they are one of the more overlooked features. Although the engine is more advanced, the options were made to be very simple. Unlike it's predecessor, the Quake III engine, it automatically selects certain options. One such example is the fact it forces the use of 32-bit color, making things look as optimal as possible on any given setup at the sacrifice of minute performance.
The audio is just what you would expect, positional stereo or optional surround. The game captivates the player with consistant noises where they belong and silence where they do not. Through the use of audio logs, recorded by many workers on the base for sending in reports on progress and other details with their email, players are given important information such as door codes and lock combinations to storage vaults (which often contain ammunition and other important items). The audio logs also serve as an aid to understanding the situation on the base as well as other story elements. As you play the game, you will likely notice trends in the use of sound. When a creature spawns it usually makes a certain sound. Walking around, you may hear footsteps or other giveaway noises and this will surely be something to look out for. One of the more exciting uses of audio is to lure the player into certain areas, by the use of voice and whispers. Accompanied sometimes by shadows, these alone are enough to provoke the gasp reflex.
Usually a very negative tone is taken when multiplayer is mentioned concerning Doom III. The reason for this is because it is limited out-of-the-box to just four players and co-operative play is not available on the PC version by default. Boasting deathmatch, team deathmatch, capture the flag and a few other modes, for some fans the multiplayer will be a big hit while others will be disappointed. Multiplayer requires a broadband internet connection which cuts out a large base of players as well. Little in the way of innovation, the multiplayer is seemingly average and nothing out of the ordinary. We would like to add that there are mods for up to 32 players, however conditions such as these were not tested. Quite a few co-op mods are in development as well, but none were tested.
A unique feature of the game is that the editor, very similar to the radiant tool, is actually built into the game itself. Using the articles on this site to set things up, it is quick and easy to get started and work on some levels of your own for multiplayer or singleplayer levels. With some time and patience, you will be on your way to making some great levels and mods for the game in no time flat.
There is so much more to discuss than what this article can even begin to describe. Most seem interested in the graphics, however this game had quite a bit more added to the table. The PDA was a good tool to immerse the gamer like none before in this genre and this signifies a shift from pure hardcore deathmatch to a more subtle exploratory tone, one enhanced by the one-handed flashlight tactics and seedy lighting. Rebuilt upon a classic, this game itself will be a classic. Some argue the game was thrown in to showcase the engine, however quite a bit of time was invested into the game and the strategic layouts of data through the use of your PDA, the in-game movie sequences and innovative, fully-interactive GUI screens say otherwise. Overall it was an enriching experience anyone interested in scary movies and games should not be devoid of. Just don't be ashamed, grown men have cried and fallen before the pinkie monster.
Video: 9/10 - The technology is absolutely great, no doubt about that, however there's obvious lines on characters too often where textures meet and some poor animations as far as humans go here and there, overall best on market (who knows, Ultra Quality can't be used properly)
Audio: 8/10 - Whispers and screams all very befitting, most weapon sounds work good and the music is good as well, audio is repetitive when monsters spawn, etc. making it easier than expected, 6-channel audio a plus
Gameplay: 10/10 - Innovation meets tried-and-true, flashlight was crucial element in several ways, lighting plays a big part in the feel of the game, the PDA brings you into the game, most things explained through a better than average story with details to back
Replay Value: 75% - Classic past-time meets newfound technology, captivating although long, most may find this title urging them to play again, possibly unlikely they will play through the entire game though - Nightmare difficulty a plus for hardcore gamers who will want to play it again, has multiplayer and possibilites for coop with friends through mods
Overall: 8.5/10 - Much higher than expectations, the attention to details and wonderful key setup, simplicity and technology streamlined into a wonderful title with more of a story than you could have dreamed for, keeps you up at night long after playing and paranoidal delusions will set in - Good graphics, good audio and use of, use of weapons, monsters and engine showcased effectively and strategically, trusted map editor and better mod support, has a pewter monster for Collector's Edition, only four players in multiplayer by default
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