Doom 3 PC Game Review -- Was it Worth the Wait in 2004?

by Thomas Theuerkorn, North Carolina USA

Doom 3 Full Review

"When it's done!" This vague timeline and sporadic rumors made Doom 3 one of the most anticipated games of 2003 and eventually 2004. August 2004 was the month of truth for this games release. Was the wait for DOOM 3 in 2004 worth the wait (and money), or is it just another overhyped game that will be forgottensoon into2005?

The original Doom (shareware) made big waves back in 1993 and ever since is considered one of the most influential 3D computer games ever. Given all the hype and actual facts, the third installment might as well re-create a portion of that impact on the gaming industry.

With more games of the genre in the pipeline, Doom 3 may not have such a distinct role as its original version. Half-Life2 avoided the clash by being delayed many times now. And military oriented gamers will find new material this fall with Battlefield 2.0 and the highly anticipated extension to Call of Duty. In anticipation of the final drill on the way to become the ultimate soldier (mentally anyway), it's now time to focus on slaying the Undead's most frightening monsters. (... or upgrade your computer. you pick!)

toc
Quick Orientation:
Objective of the Game
Key Features
How does it play? incl. cheats
System Requirements & Tweaks
Summary
Online Resources


objectiveTHE OBJECTIVE

Everybody who knows Doom and Doom II doesn't need an explanation what Doom 3 is all about. For everybody else, objective and gameplay are pure to first person shooter standards: Survive vicious attacks of the Undead and kill them all in return!

In Doom 3 terms that means: "A massive demonic invasion has overwhelmed the Union Aerospace Corporation's (UAC) Mars Research Facility leaving only chaos and horror in its wake. As one of only a few survivors, you struggle with shock and fear as you fight your way to hell and back, in an epic clash against pure evil."

Caution: Doom 3 might inflict photosensoric induced epilepsy and headache over the intense gaming experience. If you're prone to this condition make sure to have sufficient lighting available, eventhough that almost ruins the gaming experience.

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featuresKEY FEATURES

The new graphics engine is probably the most discussed feature of DOOM 3 and especially the detail and lighting effects. However the toll is great and hardware requirements steep. An example for the raised bar in gaming graphics is the flashlight with its volumetric effect and actual lighting. There are even particles moving thru the light beam, though that's a rather simple overlay effect of an animated 2D texture. Speaking of animations, the environment holds a bunch of video screens and other displays, some of them interactive and most with stunning graphical quality.

The developers tried to deploy physics as close to the real thing as possible and interaction is mostly correct, but nothing that stands out when comparing it to the latest games like Painkiller. Then again, it's situated on Mars and of course I have no idea what physics are like 'up there'.

DOOM 3 borrows heavily from Hollywood and deploys similar elements to create nerve wrecking suspense. It's almost like a mix of Silent Hill 3 and Unreal II and some elements of SplinterCell (not the stealth part), which may be the most notable character of the gameplay. Fear the unknown, and wonder what's in that dark corner (could be needed supplies or another monster). Darkness as the most dramatic element is complemented by excellent sounds that scare the **** out of you even before actually engaging in a fight. For instance, you walk thru an extremely dark corridor with sparks flying and suddenly a voice whispers: "Help me!" If that doesn't freak you out (in the dark room you're sitting in), the next monster pouncing on you sure will. (For the full effect turn lights off and volume up.)

The story unfolds in a linear way, but there is little handholding and most facts must be found unprompted. Means, some tasks are not essential or particularly spelled out and their solution is found in data files picked up on the way. The trick is that one has to pay attention to what's going on and inspect pretty much every screen for information and interact with every gadget provided. Everything is designed to be 'believable' and that's one major difference to fantasy games like Painkiller.

Other than that, DOOM 3 keeps close to it's roots (DOOM) and offers much refinement over the old classic. (Sequel rather than reinvention.) Still, there are a few details that set DOOM 3 apart from the crowd.

The use of a virtual PDA is nothing new since Sam Fisher relied on his PalmOS Device in Splinter Cell. DOOM's version is much more sophisticated and acts as log book, e-mail, audio/video player and access code generator. The use is not the most intuitive I have ever seen but after some time quite manageable and helpful. Make heavy use of your PDA!

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HOW DOES IT PLAY?:

Manual: Looks okay and delivers only the basic detail for most aspects of DOOM 3. Many things seem to be left for the gamer to find out (like most weapons, monsters etc.), but that should not proove too big of a problem given the limited depth of most shooters. The included keyboard map, however, comes in handy as a quick orientation.

Graphics: The game that puts mid-level systems to work, and makes you crave the next upgrade. Not because it's generally sluggish (like Halo) but to enable graphics quality unseen before. Even though it feels a little like a 90's SciFi movie, graphics are awesome and currently exceed even the best PC (in extreme settings). Everything is very (!) dark and LCD screens may not be the best monitor to play DOOM 3 on. This game is demanding, but conservative in its automatically determined configuration. (Give me a break, 640x480 proposed resolution on a Radeon 9700?) Nevermind the cool graphics engine, but textures have a little bit of a low-res feel to them and fall into the same strange discrepancy between hype and reality like Halo. Anyway, the interface (HUD) is unobstrusive and minimalistic. (No mysterious 'enemy radar' etc.)

Violence: As many shooters, this game is M-rated for good reasons. The 17+ rating is based on the graphic nature of the gore, which is less than many other games. The more real graphics and physics get, the harder it is to distinguish between reality and a game. Games like this don't make serial killers, but they might lower the threshold for critical individuals to dangerous levels.

Controls: Very simple. Just like Painkiller and of course DOOM, it provides basic controls for motion (W-A-S-D), firing and interaction (LMB). No complicated key sequences (a la Unreal Tournament 2004) to remember in the middle of a hot fight. One exception is the intentional but still annoying use of either a weapon or the flash light. Did I mention the game is dark? Well, you need to shuffle between guns and the flashlight (F) quite frequently. Another quirk may be the unusual lack of an alternative firing mode and the use of the RMB for jumping (= Space). Other than that it's easy to work and follows standard guidelines. I just wish i could hold the flashlight while using another weapon. After all, I do have 2 hands!

Sound: Starting with a long sequence that somehow reminded me of Unreal II and Halo, the voice acting seems strangely unemotional at first, but one gets used to it. Somewhat surprising is the rather weak noise by the footsteps and the weapons and any kind of interaction. There is no pushing background score, but very intense noise that makes you suspect something bad to happen every moment ... as it sure will. Up to 6 speaker 3D sound allows to spot threats better than by sight and sure emphasizes the intense gameplay. I am using a JBL Creature 2.1 sound system and have to believe the marketing pitch on that one. It still sounds good though. Sound is your best ally since graphics may be great but threats are very hard to see in advance and audible clues easier to notice.

Animation: My reference for excellent character animation used to be Tron 2.0 by Monolith and it may be fair to say that DOOM 3 may have replaced this reference for now. Especially in the cut-scenes (rendered in realtime) character animation is impressive and mostly anatomically correct. At least from what I can tell, since nobody knows how zombies exactly move. Somewhat special are the animated guns and with it the hands and extremities. My jaw dropped the first time seeing 'my' hands in action - fully textured (hairy) and correctly shaded.

Physics: Interaction with the environment is minimal and I am somewhat surprised that Mars seems to have the same gravity as Earth. Then again, Unreal II already convincingly sold me the same story for another distant planet and I guess it must be true. In my opinion though, Doom 3 doesn't set itself apart from other good examples like Painkiller and in a few instances it seems that the latter may have a slight advantage. his becomes most visible in the interaction with enemies, as DOOM 3 doesn't give much feedback on where and how severely the monster got hit by my last shot. (Painkiller has limbs moving under the impact and objects dangle upon hitting them - courtesy of Havok 2.0.)

Weapons: What were they thinking, only 3 basic weapons? Well at first anyway, and the use of fists and the flashlight as weapons sure must be considered unusual for a straight-laced shooter. (Though it's kind of funny to knock out a zombie quicker with bare fists than 4 shots from the pistol.) Initially equipped with a pistol, a flashlight and your fists the odds seem against you, but by finding other weapons that sure tilts in your favor (most of the time). The arsenal is completed by a shotgun, machinegun, chaingun, grenades, plasmagun, rockets, chainsaw and the infamous BFG ... most of those already well known from DOOM - the original. A little bit off the beaten track is the Soulcube, absorbing energy from killing demons and ready for destroying the most powerful demons on the fifth. If you know Painkiller's Demon mode, this is somewhat similar. Before you accuse id Software of gun control and complain about the lackluster of magic weaponry, keep in mind that the game has been balanced to fit those weapons. Besides, how realistic would it be to carry 20 different big-caliber weapons and the necessary ammunition? However, especially the pistol feels a little on the slow side regarding reload time, but that my be due to my underpowered system. Strangely enough, there is no alternate firing mode. (No aiming as in Call of Duty and no second weapon as in Painkiller either.)

Progress: Excellent! It's all there, automatic checkpoint saves and the option to save at any time if so desired. As it turns out with every game that does it right, the makers of the other games like Halo and XIII in particular should take a close look for their next attempt. Doom's save system is excellent and pretty much on par with shooter primus Call of Duty and the recently reviewed Painkiller.

Enemy AI: Well it's ironic to talk about (artificial) intelligence in a 'dumb' shooter. Using darkness and the element of surprise as their main skills besides insane aggressiveness, it's not much about tactics and multiple solutions. The goal is clear (Fullfill objectives and kill everything that gets in the way). The game is not setup to sneak by or outrun enemies and try different tactics in order to succeed. In the end, there's little to no strategy required.

Difficulty: At the beginning of the game one can choose between 4 different levels. With Marine being the second 'easiest' and considered Normal. That's the level I tried first and it feels about right to me. The greatest dificulties come from the dark environment and zombies that take several shots before expiring. (Can be tough in close quarters.) Unfortunately, DOOM 3 does not allow to change difficulty level within a game and requires to start from scratch if the chosen difficulty turns out too easy or to hard. On the positive side, there are no hard-to-master jumping puzzles of the kind that drove me nuts in a few instances in Painkiller.

Longevity: Streamlined levels and single solutions per level provide little incentive to go back and try it again. However, this absolutely okay with me. Expect SP mods and additional MP levels to be released soon as the DOOM community is rather large. Long-term fun is guaranteed.

MultiPlayer: Have not yet had a chance to explore this mode and will update once I have actual test data. Nevertheless, MP supports Internet (TCP/IP) and LAN (TCP/IP) play. It provides the ability to play audio chat lines in-game for purposes of taunting, congratulating, or for team-specific requests and instructions ... like "Great game", "That sucked", "Die already", "Pull back" and "Prepare for attack". Something that has been seen in Unreal Tournament 2004 already.

Cheats: To use them, press [ctrl] + [alt] + [~] simultaneously to open the console. Then type in the codes! [from GameSpy.com]

benchmark = Show game benchmarks.
freeze x = Freeze game action for x seconds.
gfxinfo = Show graphic card info
god = Enter (or exit) god mode. You won't take any damage.
noclip = Enter (or exit) noclip mode. You can walk through walls.
com_showFPS 1 = display frames per second.
give all = give all weapons and ammo.
give weapon_machinegun = get weapon (one clip of ammo).
give weapon_shotgun = get weapon (one clip of ammo).
give weapon_plasmagun = get weapon (one clip of ammo).
give weapon_bfg = get weapon (one clip of ammo).
give weapon_chainsaw = get weapon (one clip of ammo).
give weapon_rocketlauncher = get weapon (one clip of ammo).
developer 1 = Turn on Developer mode.
(Required for some of the other cheats to work.)

For the most complete list on the net go to ...
http://www.cheathappens.com/show_cht.asp?ID=15954

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SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

Not unusual anymore, DOOM 3 requires DX9.0b and a compliant graphics board (w/ at least 64MB video ram) even though it's not specifically spelled out the choice of compatible boards suggests the need for T&L hardware to handle the detailed models and effects. In other words, similar restrictions to compatible hardware as in Enter The Matrix, Tron2.0, Thief: Deadly Shadows, and Halo apply. If that's too steep for your system, take a look at XIII or Painkiller.

Officially compatible graphics boards:

- ATI Radeon 8500, 9000, 9200, 9500, 9600, 9700, 9800
- ATI Radeon x300, x600, x800
- Nvidia GeForce 3/Ti series
- Nvidia GeForce 4MX series
- All Nvidia GeForce 4/Ti series
- All Nvidia GeForce FX series
- Nvidia GeForce 6800 series

Minimum Requirements: id Software calls out an Intel Pentium Pentium 4 1.5 GHz or Athlon XP 1500 processor and at least 384MB RAM along with an 8x Speed CD-ROM drive (1200KB/sec sustained transfer rate). The harddrive must have 2.2GB of uncompressed hard disk space available (plus 400MB for Windows swap file). That's actually surprisingly 'low', at least compared with Unreal Tournament 2004 and Enter The Matrix. Of course one will also need a DX 9.0b compatible 16-bit sound card and compatible mouse, keyboard. Updating all drivers to the latest version is highly recommended.

Note: The OS is limited to Windows 2000 and XP. DirectX9.0b is included on the disc. I just upgraded to DX9.0c and the installation program claimed that my version is not compatible but let me decline the installation of DX9.0b anyway. Good choice, since I have yet to run into any issues. DOOM 3 mostly uses OpenGL graphics routines despite the DX9 requirement.

My system (2.4GHz P4, 1GB RAM, Radeon 9700 Pro w/ catalyst 4.7, ATA133, WinXP, DX9.0c) runs the game reasonably smooth with video options set to 1280x1048, noAA, and most settings equivalent to the High Quality mode. However, a faster system is highly recommended as mine gets a little sluggish when too much is going on at the same time.

Catalyst 4.9 has been released and the cautious note on the performance gain with 'older' Radeons like my 9700Pro seem to confirm. There is a slight boost, however, noticeable in gameplay and measurements seem to confirm a gain of up to 3 FPS. Not huge, but still right around 5% - 10%. Further, there is a Doom3 patch 1.05 currently in beta and once that's fully released I will update again.

ATI hardware owners Catalyst 4.9was been releasedin September 2004 andthe cautious note on the performance gain with 'older' Radeons like my 9700Pro, is a slight boostof up to 3 FPS. Not huge, but still right around 5% - 10%

There is currently a 'popular' tweak circulating that may or may not improve gaming performance (not sure what it depends on). In the DOOM 3 directory, find the file DoomConfig.cfg (i.e. Program FilesDoom 3 ase).
Edit the line: seta image_cacheMegs "xx" ... and increase "xx" to over "100". Some gamers reported significant improvements. However, it's not going to turn a slow computer into a speed demon and results may vary. My system wasn't impressed with any setting and the same section ranged from 14 - 50 fps regardless whether this parameter was set to "20" (original) or "256". That may have to do with parameter "seta image_useCache" set to "0" (= off?) Enabling this switch ("1"), however, crashes the game at startup. I guess I better wait for Catalyst 4.9 to become officially available. ;-)

An in-depth tweaking guide for ATI boards without the hype ...
http://digitalelements.org/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=216&mode=thread&order=0&thold=-1

NVidia user should check this guide for tweaking your board ...
http://www.digitalelements.org/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=220&mode=&order=0&thold=0


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summaryCAN YOU PREVENT EARTH's DOOM?

First things first. This game is NOT for you if ...
- you're under 17 (M-rated)
- you're looking for brain gymnastics (try URU or Syberia)
- you're on a tight budget (even for DOOM 3, $55 is expensive)
- your PC has the age of your grandfather (in computer years)
- you're prone to photosensoric epilepsy
- violence in a computer game doesn't appeal to you
- dark rooms with vicious monsters scare you

For everybody else, DOOM 3 delivers all the goods and meets pretty much all expectations, including those concerns that many PCs may be a little underpowered for this beast of a game. If system and money are a concern, take a look at the excellent Painkiller ($29).

DOOM 3 is a great game and prepare to spend a lot of time in front of your PC in tension. That will be for various reasons though ... from upgrading to tweaking to actually playing and eventually to wind down from the 'stress'. The gameplay alone creates immense suspense and gets your heart rate going. It's one of the most successful attempts to create this kind of immersion in a computer game. Don't get too ambitious with the graphics settings since sluggish game performance puts you at a disadvantage in close quarter fights. Either way, don't forget to turn your brain back on after you're done playing. ;-)

It's easy to claim that DOOM 3 is the best game in the series by a wide margin. An ultra refined classic! The best game ever? Well, that may be to big of a bite to chew on for any game. But one thing is for sure, games like DOOM 3, Half-Life2, UT2004, Tron 2.0 and Painkiller make it easy to shrug off console-centered releases of some games. With those guns in the toolbox, who needs Halo2? (Halo who?)

Given the unusual high price and mixed reviews based on some disappointment, I expect prices to drop relatively quickly. Look out for that bargain. About $40 seems like a fair price to me.

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Pros
Extreme graphics, intense gameplay, 'playable' on mid-range systems, 'coolness' factor

Cons
Expensive, steep system requirements, dark graphics, not much beyond the traditional shooter theme (DOOM)

The Bottom Line
Expectations are high and DOOM 3 delivers, though it may never reach the status of the original.

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onlineONLINE RESOURCES:

Official Site:

http://www.doom3.com

Fanclubs and useful tips:
http://www.planetdoom.com (Dedicated Doom community)
http://www.cheathappens.com (browse for Doom 3)
http://www.teamradeon.com(ATI related info)

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Wow, strong review, thanks for that.

Editor in Chief http://www.bargainPDA.com and http://www.SPOTstop.com

 

Great review. I'm not a big fan of 3d shooters though. Honestly, once you've played one, you've basically played them all, and it's just the same recycled gameplay with some new graphics, and sounds. But then again, a lot of people seem to like that. Oh well, a good game for FPS fans, heheh!

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nice writeup! the rendering capabilities of the doom3 engine are unmatched, but the plot leaves something to be desired. id makes a ton off of licensing their engine technology to content creation companies. there is a market (and a price) for seeing such a amazing new tech, but if you are saving your $ for storyline, character depth, multi-player intearction, or dazzling ai/physics then i hear half life 2 is the game you want. might be nice to have a half life 2 review from the same reviewer along with a comparison and contrasting of the two games.

 

I second that. Id love to hear a review of HL2, I have not picked up that game yet and I do have Doom3. BTW, I think your right on with the review of Doom3.



Comming Soon !!
3.80GHz P4
2GB PC4200 DDR2
2-60GB 7200rpm UATA 8MB Cache - Raid 0
8X DVD ± R/W Drive D/L
8X DVD/24X-10X-24 CD-R/W
Nvidia GeForce 6800 Go 256MB
TV Tuner with Remote
Built-in 5.1 Sound
8.1 Channel S/PDIF Output
10/100/1000 Gigabit E. Controller
7 in 1 Flash Media Reader
Metallic Red Paint
Logitech MX510 Optical USB - Painted to Match

 

Thanks for all the positive feedback.

rpmpda: You will be interested that the Half-Life2 review is just around the corner (end of this week).

- Thomas

 

"You will be interested that the Half-Life2 review is just around the corner (end of this week)."


Cool...just got word that my new laptop was shipping out today!! Can’t wait to test it out on a few games with everything cranked up all the way!! I loved Half Life so looking forward to your review.


Comming Soon !!
3.80GHz P4
2GB PC4200 DDR2
2-60GB 7200rpm UATA 8MB Cache - Raid 0
8X DVD ± R/W Drive D/L
8X DVD/24X-10X-24 CD-R/W
Nvidia GeForce 6800 Go 256MB
TV Tuner with Remote
Built-in 5.1 Sound
8.1 Channel S/PDIF Output
10/100/1000 Gigabit E. Controller
7 in 1 Flash Media Reader
Metallic Red Paint
Logitech MX510 Optical USB - Painted to Match

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by theuerkorn