| VGLN.com
PC >> Reviews
>> article
Doom III
by Jolex Del Pilar
Wednesday, August 25 2004
Well, from the box sitting on our desk, we can assume "it's done".
 |
|
|
Title:
Doom 3
|
Platform:
PC Windows, Pentium 1.5 ghz/Athlon 1500 XP, 384 MB Ram, 2.2 GB of HD space, at least a GeForce 2 level video card.
|
Publisher:
Activision |
Developer:
id Software |
#
of Players: 1, 4-player multiplayer mode |
Genre:
Action
|
Origin:
United States
|
Expected
Release:
August 2004 |
Grapevine:
The graphics engine and visual splendor of Doom III is right now unequaled on the market. Doom III is just amazing to look at. |
"When it's done..." has been the favorite reply id Software has given to gamers the past 3 years when questioned about the arrival time of the companies' much anticipated super-shooter, Doom III. Amidst rumors of this being John Carmack's "last game" (what a shame that would be), and numerous false alarm launch dates, Doom III has finally landed in retail shelves and has been under the glossy eyed gaze of gamers for the past two weeks now.
First things first, let's get rid of any bad news off the bat, Doom III isn't going to be for everyone. This is going to be for any number of reasons including an aversion to video gaming violence, those wit heart conditions, and simple personal taste. However, the largest group of nay-sayers will fall into one of the two following groups; those who cannot meet the system requirements, and those who desire a diverse and fulfilling online multiplayer experience.
Doom III is quite simply a game meant for people with DirectX 9.0 type video cards, Pentium 4 processors, or high end Athlons, and lots of system memory to spare. The game requires a 1.5 ghz Pentium (or Athlon 1500 XP), and 384 MB of Ram. The game nearly has the same requirements as the recently released Maya 6.0 (a high end, industry standard, modelling, and CG Animation program). Who actually falls into this category? Probably around 20% of PC owners. Our test system was a Pentium 4 3.4 ghz computer with a Nvidia 5900 Ultra, and 1024MB of PC4000 memory. Even with that monster of a system, we were still getting jitters and hops every once in a while when the action heated up. It's obvious that the game was scaled more towards "next year's" technology.
Secondly, the multiplayer experience is going to disappoint more than a few shooter fans, especially those who waited the 3 to 4 years for Doom III to be actually released. It consist of a death match, and team deathmatch mode with a maximum of 4 players per server. Yes, that's right, 4 players maximum. That may be fine for gamers coming from their Xbox's and Gamecubes', but for PC gamers, it's a real lack in Doom III's shine.
Now that we've got that out of the way, we can focus on Doom III's positives, which are numerous as you might imagine.
The graphics engine and visual splendor of Doom III is right now unequaled on the market. Doom III is just amazing to look at. From the real-time lighting engine (CPU taxing as it is), to the "thosands of poly" player/monster models in the game, Doom III just sings graphical splendor. While this eye candy comes at a price, namely how much money you can afford to spend on the newest graphics hardware, it is in this reviewer's opinion worth it. Without giving too much away, the opening scene was an immediate indication of how well id Software has orchestrated the visual excellence of Doom III. It features a short in-game engine cut scene of your character arriving onto the Mars UAC research facility. As the camera closes upon the face of Dr. Bertruger, a lead researcher on the facility, you could almost swear that this was an animated CG scene done on Maya or Lightwave. The skin textures, and the way the skeletal animations moved while Dr. Swann spoke was just jaw dropping.
Sure this Hell Knight looks great, but he'll gladly eviscerate you if you admire him for too long...
The story of the game centers on Dr. Bertruger and his experiments in teleportaion on the Mars facility. Of course, as is the case with all scientist who delve too far into the unknown (see Half-Life 2), all hell (hehe...) breaks loose, and you're caught in the middle of it all.
The game's is amazingly long, much longer than the previous two Doom games. It's set into three acts, all of which cumulate with a major boss battle at the end. You'll journey through every facility of the UAC research center, and even into hell itself. Along the way you'll meet many baddies such as zombies of many types, as well as old enemies such like imps, death knights, and even new horrors such as the spider-like Trites. Of course you'll have an array of awesome weaponry to do battle with including the shotgun, plama gun, and everybody's favorite, the BFG-9000.
The gameplay of Doom III is definitely tense, especially during the dark. With the sparse lighting in most levels, and the lack of a weapon with a mounted flashlight ala Halo (you must switch between gun and light in Doom III), id Software has really managed to set the sense of vulnerability in the game. This is especially obvious in encounters with imps, which have the ability to appear magically behind you out of thin air. Make sure you have a good optical mouse, you're going to be doing a lot of swering and swivling.
Still, even with the thrills and chills, Doom III has a slightly, dare I say it, repetitive tone to its pacing. You shoot, search for someone's keycard or PDA, shoot some more, pull a level, and... shoot some more. While it's not exactly a bad formula, it just seems like we've all seen this before....like in the original Half-Life. While I do understand why the designers chose to keep you solitary during most of the game, friendly A.I marines, or just general NPCs who "beg for your help" or cower in fear might have added more to the immersion, to take you away from the tension that builds during the game. In fact, I can only think of one instance where you find an NPC that last more than a few seconds before being brutally torn apart.
Still, the moments that Doom III does have are praise worthy though I won't spoil the game for those who have not yet had the chance to play the game. It's a genuinely scary game, something I haven't been able to say about a game since the original Resident Evil on the Playstation. While it won't be everyone's cup of tea, simply because a lot of PC owners won't be able to run it, it's still a big accomplishment for the industry in terms of how the game has pushed the limit of PC visual standards. Half-Life 2 is also looking like it will be doing the same. Additionally, if rumors are true that this will be John Carmack's last game as a technical director for a videogame (Carmack seems to be persuing privatized space travel now), then it is a great farewell title indeed, and epitomizes the contributions Carmack has made to our great industry in pushing the graphical envelope. A fitting finale to the career a true legend of our industry.
--- Jolex Del Pilar "pwning n00btards everywhere"
|
