When you mention the word Doom not only does it conjure images of a post apocalyptic world where Nukes have gone off and the last surviving humans cling on to life as radiation sickness takes over for their last days. But it also conjures fond memories of one of the early first person shooters that have paved the way for many of the greats that we know and love today.

The original PC Doom was released in 1993 and with its hell spawn enemies and hard as nails marine lead hero, captured the hearts of many players as they wandered through maze like levels picking up weapons and killing as many foes as possible just to survive to the next level.

Doom II was released towards the end of 1994 on the PC and once again captured the imaginations of players worldwide as they continued the struggle of lone kick ass marine and his fight against the creatures of hell. Well since then there have been a number of similar games such as Duke Nukem and subsequent Doom games on other systems, such as Doom 64 on the classic Nintendo 64 home console. Well let’s fast forward to 2005 some 11 years after Doom appeared on the PC in which gamers are once again faced with the denizens of evil on the Mars outpost where it seems some experiments have gone horribly wrong and all hell has broken loose, literally. Welcome marine to Doom 3; the latest and perhaps the most terrifying Doom game to date.

Gameplay:

In a nutshell the game play in Doom 3 has hardly changed since its early incarnations on the PC back in the 90s. It’s basically you, a lone marine, a flashlight, a few weapons and plenty of ammo verses the hellish creatures that spawn from the dark recesses of the Mars outpost. The game starts pretty mundane with your character arriving by shuttle on the Mars outpost; and whilst skipping some of the opening scenes from the recent PC version you are quickly introduced to life here in this dark yet technologically advanced location out in deep space.

No sooner have you taken in a few sights then it’s off to check in with your commanding officer for a briefing of your first mission. However during the route to your superior some cut scenes display a picture of things not going too smoothly in the outpost. With little investigation you will discover first hand for yourself as the game grips you by the scruff of the neck and drags you into its darkness the more you play.

Doom 3 is all about exploration, weapons and killing and that’s pretty much what you will be doing throughout the course of the game. Armed with a pistol and later on in the game a shotgun, machine gun, grenades, pulse weapon and the like your job is simply to carry out objectives being barked by your commanding officer over the radio as well as survive.

However it is not so easy as the Mars outpost becomes filled with all manner of deadly creatures and zombies that seem intent on taking you and any other survivors out. These creatures seem to either appear from the shadows or teleport behind or near you, so quick reflexes are a must here; and whilst the AI on display is a little basic these guys are loveable all the same. It also becomes clear that your weapon selection is key to your success. With a simple tap on the d-pad you can instantly change weapons to suit whatever situation is at hand. Obviously some weapons work better than others against specific foes and seeing as ammo can get scarce if you are inaccurate or too gung ho you could encounter problems if you’re not careful. The same applies to health and armour pickups which although there seems to be plenty lying around if you look hard enough a little bit of tactical use can help greatly, for example why pick up that health pack when your health is at 97 out of 100; because at any time an enemy can suddenly get the jump on you and take a chunk out of it so its best to save it perhaps?

As far as exploration is concerned then usually it’s a case of finding the correct security clearance to open specific doors which hinder your progression. These come in the form of activating terminals to key cards and of course files which are downloaded to your PDA device. The PDA is a wealth of information and can often house emails and audio files from other personnel. What is good is that you can play the audio files whilst still playing the game rather than having to listen to them via a menu screen. Often these audio files will give an insight into things going on in the outpost and will often give codes for many of the locked supply cabinets which can prove to be very useful in times of need.

Graphics:

The first thing you will notice when you start playing the game is how atmospheric the environments are. Whilst they are mostly dimly lit corridors and rooms the level of detail is extremely high. The contrast between light and dark has been produced with the highest calibre to create some outstanding effects on Xbox. The use of normal mapping and other such techniques is obvious here and creates a look that is simply a joy to behold; and whilst you are eager to shoot at things that move in the shadows one cant help but be blown away by the atmosphere created in the game.

The enemies themselves are extremely well designed and suitable for a game of this type and also look fantastic as they shuffle or pounce towards you. The satisfying splatter of blood, bone and sinew is great when shooting enemies at close range with the shotgun, followed by the disintegrating burning effect as enemies dissolve before your very eyes.

There also seems to be a lot of interactive objects such as dead bodies and boxes, barrels and the like and rightly so as the game uses the Havoc engine to great effect especially in the rag doll department as enemies flail or react accordingly when shot. The graphics do an excellent job of conveying a futuristic arena of destruction, amass with technology and design features. One has to give kudos to the level designers for coming up with these visions and then converting them into the game as they really are beautiful indeed.

On a more negative note then one can’t fail to mention that there are some frame rate issues at times and perhaps the forced head movement when moving could make some players a little sick. However other than feeling sick whilst playing these things are forgivable as there is simply too many positives that detract from these minor gripes. I simply feel sorry for those who suffer sickness from these types of games as they will truly be missing out.

Sound:

The sound is also another highlight of the game and is another feature that provides plenty of the necessary atmosphere in the game. The chances are that enemies will be heard before they are seen and with a good sound set up will sometimes give you an edge in pinpointing the direction of foes moving towards you in the dark. The weapons effects sound great and meaty enough, especially the shotgun but it’s the enemies themselves that each has a distinct sound that you will learn to love and fear. Things like the moans of zombies to the shuffling of spider like feet or the roar of demons which will keep you on your toes throughout the game.

There are some reasonable performances from the voice actors here and the radio banter at the beginning of the game really does set the mood and tone of the game. Your character is one of few words and will make grunting sounds when jumping or getting sliced up by enemies. Other non playable characters can be interacted with and these are convincing as well as they either go about their business, cower in fear or perhaps aid you on your mission. Overall the sound is top notch and I recommend that you turn the volume right up for best results. Sadly you cannot change any of the sound levels in the options but I think the mix levels that is on offer is about right anyway.

Longevity:

Doom 3 is not the longest game to beat, especially on the default difficulty, however it does come with extra levels of difficulty for the hardcore players and multiplayer options via split screen, system link or Xbox Live. The big bonus for Xbox owners is the inclusion co-op play over Xbox Live where 2 players can battle the hoards of demons in tandem. This mode is a condensed version of the single player experience and is definitely an excellent inclusion to the package.

The multiplayer modes are typical scenarios that you would expect from a game of this type including death match modes and some other team based games. These will obviously prolong the Doom experience and again are a welcome addition to the game. For those of you who ordered the Limited edition version of the game will be treated to the early versions of Doom and Doom 2 which are a nice nostalgic addition. However when compared to Doom 3 they really do look poor in comparison and for me anyway I felt no need to play them after experiencing the delights of the main game.

Overall:

Doom 3 is a worthy title to be ported over from the PC and the developers have done a great job in doing so. With some excellent graphics and sound the game really does draw you in from the very beginning. Whilst the game play isn’t as complex as other first person shooters as it’s simply a case of kill or be killed in the mindless sense (but would you have it any other way), the fact remains that Doom 3 is an engaging, scary and highly entertaining title. I would recommend this title to anyone who owns an Xbox and is looking for a decent high octane action first person shooter, as there never seems to be a dull moment in the game. Doom 3 is also another excellent showcase title along with Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory and whilst Xbox might be on its last legs before a new Microsoft console is released, definitely shows that there is much life in the old dog yet. Get Doom 3 now, as those demons need to be killed as it’s up to you to take the bull by the horns and do your job.