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Doom 3 (Xbox) Review
Doom 3 was released for the PC in the fall of 2004 and it introduced a revolutionary graphics engine that forever changed the way the world looks at the game industry. It has always been known that an Xbox version of the game would follow, but when and how was always the question that remained. Vicarious Visions is at the helm for the Xbox “version” and they have done an excellent job at bringing the fright fest to a home console. PC fanatics will be quick to point out that it doesn’t look as good as it should on high end PC hardware and that several sections of the game have been cut or modified due to technical limitations, but those complaints mean little to the Xbox owners who have waited years for the game to reach their living room, and in the very end, it was worth the wait.
 
For those that don’t know, Doom 3 tells the story of a space marine called down on assignment to a mars space station. The station is the leading area of technological experiments and development and ever since the scientists arrived, many strange things have been happening. People have heard voices, complained about seeing things and even gone insane. The population dwindles as the scientists find the station to be too much to manage. When you finally get on the job, things go horribly wrong. The gates of hell open and a horde of hellish beasts begin their bloody rampage. That just so happens to be the basic premise and unlike in the original Doom, the story deepens quite a bit. Don’t expect much enthralling narrative though. Most of the story comes in the form of PDA e-mails and video messages that you pick up off of fallen scientists. This is an effective, though hollow way of presenting you with a story. It achieves at keeping up the tension but it leaves a lot of room for confusion if you choose to skip some of the messages. The story really picks up towards the end and provides a memorable experience. It’s not Half-Life 2, but its not Daikitana either.
If you have had any previous experience with a first person shooter before then Doom 3 will feel right at home for you. The controls are perfectly fit to the Xbox controller and moving around is incredibly easy. You are equipped with a flashlight and keep it close because it is often vital to your survival. Most of the game is shrouded in darkness and you must rely on your flashlight to find the right path (or the enemy waiting for you on the ceiling). You have the classic Doom arsenal at your disposal with fan favorites like the Plasma Gun, Chain Gun and of course the BFG. To this day they remain very well suited for a first person shooter and cutting down enemies with a Plasma Gun never loses its charm.
The enemies you encounter may have familiar names, but they aren’t how you remember them. You have the typical basic zombies that were former marines, the fireball tossing Imps and of course the hulking Hell Knights. You will see most of all the Doom enemies from past games and even a few new ones. The game relies on scripted scares to pull it along and you will no doubt have a jump or two in your time playing it. The introductions for most of the enemies provide the prime scares while the audio uses its magic to drive you nuts. The AI is where some people may choose to fault the game. The monsters themselves aren’t particularly smart and if you look closely it almost feels like the previous Doom games. This can be both bad and good. If you loved the original Doom and appreciated its structure, then this will be just fine for you. If you were expecting something along the lines of Half-Life 2 in terms of cover tactics and attack patterns then look elsewhere. The game is pure spooks and shoots and this formula can only be faulted when you go to play it again, realizing the scares don’t hold up a second time. There are a few well placed boss battles but they are completely obvious. Once you go through a few empty rooms, find a bunch of weapons and health or see a giant portal, expect to be greeted by some giant beast. The boss battles are slightly more intuitive than basic enemy combat but they also fall into the repetitive tactics. Their sheer size and detail will make more than enough of an impression on you. The game will last people anywhere from 10 to 20 hours on a first play through and depending on how much your enjoy it, you’ll be back to play again.
Xbox Live modes have been included and the online co-op mode is the star. Being able to play through (a shortened) single player mode with a complete stranger (or a friend) is an unmatchable experience and its one you may find yourself playing over and over again. It may get repetitive but the sheer mayhem that occurs is worth the price of admission alone. Most of the game’s simple puzzles have been removed and the long bouts of hallway walking are gone. In my experience with the mode, I have played through the game four times and never once became bored due to the variety of people I played with. Just don’t play without a headset or you will find yourself missing the golden moments. Doom 3 also includes several other multiplayer modes that come with the same four maps that the PC version had. While they provide some excitement the maps become extremely repetitive after a few matches. Hopefully the possible downloadable content will remedy this in the future. If the game had come included with the Capture the Flag mode from the PC expansion then I could recommend this for the hardcore Live players, but as it is, if you don’t enjoy the prospect of co-op, then this is definitely not for you.
 
On the technical side, Doom III shines even brighter. Lets be clear in the beginning though. This is not the PC version. It has been cut, tweaked and optimized for the Xbox which is a significantly weaker platform than the current top of the line computers, so it is expected that fans of the PC version will notice a difference. Is it significant? Well when you look at the two together you will notice the PC version benefits from a higher resolution and sharper textures, and the Xbox version is a bit dimmer, muted and the models are made up of less polygons. Luckily for the enemy models the normal and bump mapping make it hardly noticeable and the detail on the enemies is still spectacular. The framerate tries very hard to stay in the 30fps range and gets it right except in the areas with heavy action and some odd slowdowns online. So once and for all, it’s not a 100% conversion but honestly, many of the people who played the PC version won’t be playing this one, so the review isn’t for them. It’s for all you Xbox fans out there and let me just say, this is seriously one of the best looking Xbox games to date.
 
If you’re a fan of the horror movies that rely more on sound than serial killers then you will love the game. Doom III uses sound to energize every part of the game. You will hear cries for help, monsters breathing, moving and even the sounds of them ripping you apart will be enough to shake you. Combine this with using a surround setup at home and you will have quite the ride. The voice acting is suitable and sometimes a bit cheesy but it always helps to pull you along. The opening theme is excellent and provides a good vision of what you will experience in the game. That combined with the sound effects makes for one hell of an ear trip.
Having (partly) reviewed the original it was important for me to point out the obvious changes but also how I actually enjoyed this version more than for the PC. At the time I didn’t have the best PC setup, the right speakers, the patience or the will to sit at a small screen and play such an atmospheric game, and with the Xbox version Vicarious Visions succeeded in providing me with the experience I didn’t quite take in last year. So if you have yet to experience the game or didn’t quite get it the last time (like me) then load your shotgun and get ready for one more (straightforward and linear) trip into hell.
Written by Joseph Bennett. Posted year 2005.
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Released on
April 3, 2005
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