Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3300 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: ACTIVISION
• Released on: 2004-08-13
• Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
• ESRB Rating: Adults Only
• Platform: Windows XP

Amazon.co.uk Review
The long awaited release of Doom 3 sees it claiming two of gaming’s highest accolades: that of having the best graphics ever seen and of being the scariest video game ever made. The question of graphics seemed a pretty open and shut case from the moment the game was announced--this is the first new title from legendary developers iD Software since Quake III: Arena and as such it features completely new graphics technology.

The reason the game is likely to win the Dr Who award for behind the sofa gaming is in the way it chooses to use its awesome new graphical power. The game’s storyline is a loose remake of the first Doom game (from way back in 1993) but the style of gameplay is actually radically different. This is more like a first person Resident Evil than anything else, with corpses lunging out at when you least expect it and monsters scattering their innards all over the place whenever you introduce them to the business end of your shotgun.

In actual fact though it’s not the graphics that are the most disturbing aspect of the game but the sound, with every unknown noise ratcheting the tension up so much that by the time a monster actually does appear it’s almost a relief to tangle with them. Doom 3 is not for the faint hearted and that’s not a warning to be taken lightly--anyone keen on wearing oversized women’s shirts will have a coronary within minutes. But for everyone else this is exactly what the doctor ordered. --David Jenkins

Manufacturer's Description
Science has unlocked the gates to the unknown. A Sci-Fi horror masterpiece, DOOM 3 is like nothing you've ever experienced. Dramatic storyline, pulse-pounding action, incredible graphics, and revolutionary technology combine to draw you into the most frightening and gripping first person gaming experience ever created.

Customer Reviews

Unmissable
Having played a thousand first-person shooters from the utterly awful (Kingpin) to the truly great (Half-Life 2), I actually came to Doom 3 late, being put off by the mixed reviews.

So, upon loading the game, I guess my expectations were lowered somewhat. Following a long load-up, fairly standard fare a la Half-Life ensued in the early stages of the game, where you are allowed to wander and explore the base you have just been assigned to. The predictable start inevitably leads you to the crunch point where everything for the people of the base goes right down the toilet, following the opening of the gateway to hell (tch, not again).

However, from the moment the first scientist claims that 'the Devil is real' (and promptly attempts to nibble your ear), you are trust into what I can only describe as a completely interactive horror experience. The graphics are immense, with excellent set pieces and neat touches like shadows being thrown across the screen from the (recently deceased) hanging bodies. The creatures that lunge from every shadow also feel terrifying, even if you secretly know that you'll probably take them out easier than your weekly rubbish on collection day.

But it's the sound that had me wanting to turn the evil thing off, simply to calm down. The clangs, scrapes, villianious laughter, screams and echoes are expertly placed and executed. Coupled with the graphical genius, the atmosphere alone makes the thing so damn playable.

And then you get the chaingun. I could go on describing just how much fun it is cutting things in two (ditto the chainsaw); but I'll leave it. Instead, I'll just urge you to go and try it out yourself.

Like a nightmarish cross between Theif, Half-Life, Aliens and Event Horizon, Doom 3 gave me faith in the first-person shooter again.

Avoid at your peril.

A worthy sequel to the Doom series
Doom III is probably the most eagerly anticipated PC game so far. With the ground-breaking/genre-defining original Doom and it's sequel Doom II being a couple of the most popular PC games of the early nineties, it was always clear that there would be massive attention paid to any sequel, not least one that has been in development for so long.

So the biggest question amongst PC gamers is 'was it worth the wait?' I will attempt to provide my own answer to this question. I must admit I was impressed from the word go by the included Doom III T-Shirt - not terribly well made but the thought was there!

What strikes you about the game from the very start is the sheer quality of graphics - the smooth textures and objects give the game an incredibly lifelike look - aided by a good quality graphics card with anti-aliasing turned on of course. The game is noticeably dark most of the way through but this adds to the tense atmosphere in my opinion and is not a shortcoming like many other reviewers seem to think. The frequent need to switch between torch and weapon means that the player needs their wits about them all the time.

The enemies look fantastic and are, for the most part, updated versions of their Doom/Doom II counterparts complete with new moves and abilities. Imps leaping at you, full-stretch, from the shadows and Lost Souls dodging your attacks before flying at you at insane speeds all add to the quick pace of the game and put you on edge. The new enemies look great too and are well thought out, such as the creepy Cherubs and the Chainsaw Zombies. The one enemy I missed was the Cacodemon but this is the only disappointment I can think of.

The levels are mostly well designed and often very large, sprawling, and maze-like albeit not to the same extent as Doom/Doom II. Unfortunately the levels are also the biggest flaw with the game - they are not varied enough and there are only so many generic dark military-looking coridoors you can go down before you start to get bored. There are some fantastic features in the levels, however, such as fully moveable and rotatable lift platforms, and shatter-proof windows that look out over the Mars surface.

The weapons are well designed, sound realistic and all have their own particular uses. Whilst I have my favourites as I'm sure most other gamers do too (such the incredibly powerful and satisfying-to-use Chainsaw!), I am half-way through the game at present and still find myself switching back to more basic weapons when necessary. The pistol is probably my only redundant weapon although even that comes in handy sometimes for blowing up barrels.

The PDA feature is probably my favourite aspect of the game and is a fantastic way of developing characters and plots as you disocover new data/video disks, and deceased colleagues own PDAs - constantly building up a catalogue of e-mails, audio-logs and videos.

Another great feature is the ability to go outside into the oppressive Martian atmosphere. As the game progresses you need to do this for longer periods of time and the need to pick up oxygen tanks to avoid suffocating makes these parts of the game very nerve-wracking - you are forced to act as quickly as possible which is not at all easy for me, being a very slow and cautious player.

All things considered and despite the odd shortcoming, I would class this game as a success, definitely worth waiting for, and a worthy sequel to the Doom series. I have no doubt that all the hard work ID have put into this games development has not been in vain.

Doom 3
So...Doom 3. It's FINALLY out, but has it lived up to the emmense hype?
Well it depends how you view it. As my fellow reviewers have pointed out, the game has a simple storyline with a even simpler structure. Get that key, kill that zombie etc. Many may find this structure tedious and boring...
Yet isn't that structure the whole point? ID created this game not as a re-designed version of Doom, but as a sequel to Doom II. The random running-around-shooting-things atmosphere of Doom II kept us all incredibly entertained, so why shouldn't this? The weapons are larger and more brutal, the atmosphere MUCH scarier, the gameplay much smoother and, above all, the graphics are absolutely gorgeous.
Personally I find the criticisms of this game unsupported. You simply cannot go out and buy a Doom game and expect Deus Ex-esque intelligence and storyline! The whole POINT of Doom, my friends, is to have a blast, and this game does not disappoint.
[and yes, they still have the BFG :) ]