Introduction
Today we are going to review a game that I did not like much when playing. Doom 3, why did I not like this game so much? There is only one way to find, by reading this review! Doom 1 and 2 are fast-paced first-person shooters, giving you a split second decision in many situations. Retreat, or fire? There are a few, where the hell did that demon come from? See what I did there? Doom 3 takes a very different approach to the series, sit back and relax, as you will need to follow a very story driven experience!
What did I think before playing Doom 3?
While initially, I was very excited to play Doom 3, I mean, Doom 2 builds perfectly on Doom 1. Using the same formula, but improving on it drastically with new weapons, new enemies, and even new levels! There is so much to do in Doom 1 and 2, it keeps being fun to replay! Now, time to check on what to expect in Doom 3 on the Steam page!
The Steam page
https://store.steampowered.com/app/208200/DOOM_3/
It is immediately clear, we are going to find something very different in Doom 3. No longer will we have fast-paced shooting matches with demons. We are going to find ourselves in a horror game. We are going to wander around the dark and get jump scared on many occasions.(wait is that a decent sentence?) This is not what I think about, when I think, Doom. While it can still be fun, this aspect is not very appealing.
Rating
I rate Doom 3 with a 6.8 before playing.
I am here for a shooter game, not a, I need to trudge through the darkness with a tiny light only to see a weird alien crawl through a vent. It looks more like an alien, or a zombie. Where are the demons?
Story
This game is a reboot, meaning the events of the other two games never happened. You are whisked to a research facility on Mars. There you have to stop the demons, and apparently zombies while making life or death decisions. It is your job to contain the demons on Mars, whatever happens, they cannot go to earth!
Rating
I rate the story of Doom 3 with a 5.5
I rather watch the Doom movie again, that story was better. Oh my god, that was quite a horrible thing to say.
Gameplay
The gameplay of Doom 3 is very different compared to the other Doom games. You will be skulking in the dark through the Mars base while zombies will attack you. Wait, let me check that. Yes, zombies, from hell I guess? They are going to come at you with cheap jump scare effects. The fact that your flashlight is timed, and only lights up a small amount of darkness, does not help.
The controls are quite hard, at least with the controller, it might be better if I had used the keyboard and the mouse. Shooting feels a bit off. Maybe it is because it is much slower compared to other FPS games. This is mainly a horror game where you will be looking around endlessly in the same space while looking for a code. With no hint on where to find it, or what it even is. And, while you are looking around, environments are going to hit you hard!
There are fun weapons to use, and it makes combat fun. However, this should have been a better Doom 2, with lots of gore and demons. Instead, we are fighting demons, zombies and aliens. They should have just slapped a different name on this game.
Rating
I rate the gameplay of Doom 3 with a 6.4
This could have been much better, had it built on the fundamentals of Doom 1 and 2.
Sound and Graphics
Graphics
The graphics are actually very neat, considering this game is almost 20 years old. I enjoyed walking through the creepy dark base while finding a jump scare here and there. Those demons really look like aliens, then again we are on Mars.
Sound
The soundtrack is actually very good, it creates a perfect atmosphere. It immerses you in the game, until you cannot find the code for a door. Never mind that, the keypad things make fun beeping noises!
Rating
I rate the sound and graphics of Doom 3 with a 7.2.
The atmosphere is pretty neat but some of the graphic assets just don’t fit.
What did I think after playing Doom 3?
While I had fun playing this game, it just could not match with Doom 1 or 2, if you ask me, this game makes a huge nosedive. If you like horror games, mixed with shooting some things and solving puzzles then this game is for you. But if you rather have a fast-paced first person shooter game. Then it might be better to stick to the old Doom games.
The Steam edition also comes with DLC, you will be walking around in a temple with very annoying floating skulls. Luckily, you will soon get a weapon called the grabber. You can actually grab them, and they will die. I mean, if I can just grab a demon, then why should I not grab the demon?
Rating
I rate Doom 3 with a 6.7 after playing.
What were they even thinking?
What are my personal thoughts about Doom 3
While the beginning started out well, and I did have some fun. The locked doors with those stupid codes kept getting in the way. There were not even clear hints. I just want to waltz through the base while sweeping demon off their feet, and by that, I mean blowing off their feet, so they fall over.
Rating
My personal Rating of Doom 3 is a 5.2.
Doom 3 feels like a formula change gone wrong, while you may like it, this does not feel like Doom.
Last Words
Pros
- Face off with weird demons, zombies and aliens. Or are they not aliens? Who knows!
- There are many new weapons to use, there are less monsters to use them on however.
- Play through a solid campaign!
- There are many secrets hidden in nooks and crannies, mostly extra health and ammo
- The graphics have aged but they still look good.
- The soundtracks immerse yourself in the game, until a new cutscene appears.
Cons
- Doom 3 has a bad story
- This is not really a shooter, more of a horror game.
- Are those, aliens?
- Where is the damn code this time!?
I really hated those pads that you needed to interact with, like, who comes up with that? At least give me some kind of hint, so I do not have to walk around aimlessly for thirty minutes until I find it in the weirdest dark corner ever.
Final Rating
6.5
Let me know what you think of Doom 3 in the comments!
I hope you enjoyed reading this review, I hope to see you in the next review!
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I must agree, they wanted to make it more like some kind of ‘movie’ horror or sth. I glad they have returned to the previous gameplay/gunplay formula.
It was not scary at all.
Great review!
You are welcome!
Creatures are can be hard sometimes. Thanks for review!
What an odd decision to name a reboot of a series as “Doom 3” and to deviate from a tried-and-true formula…they were probably trying to appeal to what was popular at the time while still maintaining brand recognition, but you can’t have your cake and eat it too; new fans were going to be confused about the title and whether or not they should play the older and vastly different titles to understand the game, and they will likely criticize the game for trying too hard to do what other entertainment was doing at the time, while old fans were alienated (hah, because they can’t “DEMONize” anyone with no demons in the game!) completely! I’m glad they returned to and embraced the old formula, while not being afraid to try new things but under a different titling system, as seen with Doom Eternal.
Oh my god, that pun is amazing! I did enjoy the older games a lot more, as for the new Doom, less punching, more fighting!
DOOM games are not my type of games but it’s one of the bastions of FPS genre.
It was a game that I loved playing.
I love your review on this one. It was an odd one out within the Doom series. It felt like a movie, but slow-paced, and while it tried to enhance the horror aspect of it, it lacked the FPS action filled with demons other games offered.
Good review! While not resembling at all the previous Doom games, this one is a pretty good fps/horror game.
That was one of the first games where I experienced scripted events and enemies spawing behind you.
I have always hated enemies spawning behind you. For some reason, it just annoys me.
Not best Doom, but still good for me.
It’s one of those classic game I’ve never played
Haven’t seen much of this DOOM, I prefer recent or old ones, but still looks cool
Tnx for the review 🙏
You are welcome!
A decent game, though not quite a Doom game.
This is not, DOOM!
One of the best series
Should have been a Spin-off instead of a reboot. It’s not what we expect from Doom.
A spin-off would have been better.