Warbie
Party Escort Bot
- Joined
- Sep 13, 2003
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Doom 3 is a tough game to judge. The gfx, sound, and resulting atmosphere are as good as it gets, the attention to detail excellent. In a game world so wonderfully realised it's easy to find yourself lost in the experience. The problem is (imo) this experience is both rather shallow and uninspired.
For a game that's meant to be scary Doom 3 doesn't deliver. Relying on cheap shocks rather than a well crafted sense of foreboding - a monster jumping out of a vent is as good as it gets. Unsurprisingly, the novelty wears off all too quick. Don't expect any intelligent psychological tournement, this is Friday The 13th part 6, not The Shining. If anything, Doom 3 manages to take the horror genre a step back.
While the fighting can be frentic and exciting, despite the poor AI, it soon becomes repetitive. First Person Shooters don't get more 'no brainer' than this. 'But this was the case in the originals' I here rabid fans cry. 'Doom 3 is just a realisation of the original concept' (massive cop out btw, an excuse for all its shortcomings) The difference being the original Doom threw enough bad guys at you to stop it becoming tiresome. Doom 3 doesn't ('but this makes the experience tense, more frightening', 'less is more' etc. See above - when handled in this way it doesn't) The end result is occasional bouts of very average combat in the dark.
Nevertheless, Doom3 is just so damn impressive! (How can anyone dislike something so pretty?) We don't notice how average the fighting is because we're too busy watching how beautiful it looks. That is, untill we find ourselves bored and don't quite understand why.
The atmosphere draws you in and holds you tight like no other game i've experienced (if for only brief moments) For this reason alone every gamer should try their hand at Doom3. I've also found myself struggling to keep interest and frustrated its lack of substance (for a massive Doom, horror game, and first person shooter fan, this speaks volumes) Expectations too high? Perhaps. But this is Doom 3! It should have been amazingly fantastic, leaving no doubt in anyones mind that it is a classic)
How does one score such a game?
It can't get 10/10. These titles come around once every few years, and are examples of the best gaming has to offer. Doom 3 is no HL or Zelda OoT.
9/10? So many games are superior to Doom 3 (on almost every level) yet just fail to become classics, 10/10's. Doom 3 doesn't deserve to stand shoulder to shoulder with Metroid Prime or Baldur's Gate.
8/10 This is about right imo. In so many areas Doom3 shines, in so many others it shuffles its feet. A very good, engaging, polished, and solid title that offers hours of enjoyment
However, it could/should have been so much more (which is the biggest shame) and doesn't live up to its pedigree.
For a game that's meant to be scary Doom 3 doesn't deliver. Relying on cheap shocks rather than a well crafted sense of foreboding - a monster jumping out of a vent is as good as it gets. Unsurprisingly, the novelty wears off all too quick. Don't expect any intelligent psychological tournement, this is Friday The 13th part 6, not The Shining. If anything, Doom 3 manages to take the horror genre a step back.
While the fighting can be frentic and exciting, despite the poor AI, it soon becomes repetitive. First Person Shooters don't get more 'no brainer' than this. 'But this was the case in the originals' I here rabid fans cry. 'Doom 3 is just a realisation of the original concept' (massive cop out btw, an excuse for all its shortcomings) The difference being the original Doom threw enough bad guys at you to stop it becoming tiresome. Doom 3 doesn't ('but this makes the experience tense, more frightening', 'less is more' etc. See above - when handled in this way it doesn't) The end result is occasional bouts of very average combat in the dark.
Nevertheless, Doom3 is just so damn impressive! (How can anyone dislike something so pretty?) We don't notice how average the fighting is because we're too busy watching how beautiful it looks. That is, untill we find ourselves bored and don't quite understand why.
The atmosphere draws you in and holds you tight like no other game i've experienced (if for only brief moments) For this reason alone every gamer should try their hand at Doom3. I've also found myself struggling to keep interest and frustrated its lack of substance (for a massive Doom, horror game, and first person shooter fan, this speaks volumes) Expectations too high? Perhaps. But this is Doom 3! It should have been amazingly fantastic, leaving no doubt in anyones mind that it is a classic)
How does one score such a game?
It can't get 10/10. These titles come around once every few years, and are examples of the best gaming has to offer. Doom 3 is no HL or Zelda OoT.
9/10? So many games are superior to Doom 3 (on almost every level) yet just fail to become classics, 10/10's. Doom 3 doesn't deserve to stand shoulder to shoulder with Metroid Prime or Baldur's Gate.
8/10 This is about right imo. In so many areas Doom3 shines, in so many others it shuffles its feet. A very good, engaging, polished, and solid title that offers hours of enjoyment
However, it could/should have been so much more (which is the biggest shame) and doesn't live up to its pedigree.
