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Doom 3 Review (continued)
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Manufacturer: Aspyr Media
Find all Aspyr Media reviews
ESRB Rating: Mature
Platform(s): Mac OS X, Macintosh
Release Date: March 13, 2005
Average Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
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Retail Price: $39.99
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More User Submitted Doom 3 Reviews
Date: 2006-10-29
Marine, I Can't Believe You're Still Alive!
And neither could I. I got the video game bug recently and so I set out to play some of my old favorites, as I usually prefer classics to the overly complicated new video games. So I started playing DOOM because it is rather quick to play and you can play for small periods of time without getting too sucked in. However, then I heard that during all the years of ignoring video games a new game in the DOOM series, DOOM 3, had been released. So, I got this and became completely engrossed! For the next several days it was just hours and hours and hours of non-stop, terrifying action. They've perfected something that I enjoyed about the Resident Evil series, which was that sense of terror that builds as lights go out or you hear guttural noises behind you, etc. If played in the dark, it is easy to get a little spooked! I liked that you're given a flashlight, I think this not only provided for better game play, but also enhanced the scariness, because you can't attack with your flashlight out, but without it, sometimes you can't see where the enemies are, so you're constantly switching between them. At first I was disappointed that there wasn't automatic vertical targeting, as I was playing this on my laptop and not a controller; but, I finally got to where I was able to fire and aim rather successfully. The story line is a sort-of reworking of the original DOOM story, but way more in-depth. I liked how this seemingly normal mission that you set out on just keeps spiraling and spiraling bigger and bigger. The monsters just keep getting tougher and tougher, and something I liked about this that the old games never had was that you need to use certain weapons to defeat certain enemies more easily. In the old games, I just always used what I had, and maybe saved some big stuff for episode ending bosses. However, in this game, there is more strategy in spray patterns, fire rate, etc. and the speed/size/strength of the enemy you're taking on. Also, the addition of the PDA was a nice touch, allowing you to delve deeper into characters and search for clues. So, check this one out, pretty great game!
Date: 2006-07-13
Good, but Dark
The graphics of the game are awesome, but I find myself using the flashlight tool much too often for my liking. If the game was a bit brighter (not by changing your screen settings), the game would be 5 stars!
Date: 2006-01-15
Light years ahead of the other first person shooters!!!
I finished playing Doom 3 a couple days ago. All I can say is wow.
Anybody who has anything negative to say about this game, is probably somebody who is allergic to things being perfect, and always finds something bad to say about whatever they're judging.
The main complaint about this game is that theres too much time being spent inside dark hallways, and that people want to fight out on the martian surface. But it's perfect as it is. It works in the storyline. It would be hard for me to believe that somebody actually got bored while fighting inside all those "dark hallways".
I'm playing the game on a Dual 1.25Ghz G4 Tower, ATI Radeon 9000/64mb Vram. I play it on Low Quality/800x600 resolution. It looks great!
If you're looking for a game that takes you for hours upon hours through an intense horrifying cinematic gaming experience, and an interesting storyline, BUY THIS GAME.
One more thing I have to say is...
The ending to this game is so amazing, I would have played through the rest of the game 10 times over, to be able to play the ending once. It's the exact opposite of an anti-climactic game. There is no way anyone would be displeased with the ending. It's SO satistying. It's so perfect. It couldn't have been done differently.
Overall this is by far the best game I have ever played. I enjoy playing Call of Duty, Knights of the Old Republic, Return of the King etc, but no game ever created comes close to Doom 3 in any aspect.
This game is a masterpiece.
Date: 2005-12-03
Review for the Alaska and Military Members Apple User Group
In 1994 I played a seminal piece of shareware that did something no game before had. It scared the heebie-jeebies out of me! The game was, of course, Doom. I remember backing up against walls only to hear the unearthly growl of a monster on the other side that sent a shiver up my spine. Fast-forward ten years and iD Software is doing it again!
Despite the number in the title, Doom 3 is really a reinterpretation of the original. Under the much-touted graphical improvements is a serious fleshing-out of the story. In short, the Union Aerospace Corporation's (UAC) research outpost on Mars mistakenly opens a gateway to Hell during a teleportation experiment and a single Marine is left to repel a demonic invasion.
Though embracing spiritual elements, iD has created a plausible future world with sufficient detail to maintain a suspension of disbelief once you're immersed in the game. The story is worthy of attention but even more interesting are the variety of well-implemented devices used to carry it.
In addition to conventional cut-scenes, supplemental plot information can be picked up by overhearing the conversations of non-player characters and by using an in-game personal digital assistant. On the PDA you can watch videos that describe facilities and weapons, read the emails of UAC employees, and listen to well-acted audio logs that explain the decline of Mars City.
Since those plot layers are optional, the story unfolds only as far as the player desires, allowing gamers to adjust the balance between story and action to their liking.
Obviously the graphics are great. The system requirements are high, but they make Doom 3 the unmatched visual leader on the Mac. Under those good looks is fairly traditional first-person gameplay with a large arsenal of familiar Doom weapons, lots of running and shooting, and some clever (yet easy) puzzles.
One way that Doom stands out is interaction with the environment. Mars City is full of interactive computer displays that are accessed without leaving the first-person game view as touch-screens, keeping the player immersed in the world. Such displays are common and used to access supply lockers, control equipment, and download data to the PDA.
It's the superb emphasis on suspense and horror that really makes the game fun though. If played in the dark, with the volume up, there is no reason this game shouldn't make you jump a few times.
Critical to the atmosphere of fear is the combination of eerie sound effects, purposeful lighting, and great cinematic timing. All this wizardry is so essential that the gameplay is molded around it. For example, you aren't allowed to hold your flashlight and a weapon at the same time. You have to choose between lighting your way or keeping your guard up with no idea what might lie ahead.
Unfortunately those elements don't make the multiplayer games special because everything boils down to a Quake-like run, jump, shoot scenario. Online play is also less forgiving of a system on the low end of the requirements. Still, the maps are beautifully derived from the solo campaign, some elements (such as light switches) are still interactive, and the in-game menus are both accessible and useful - a welcome improvement over games that use a text-based console for things like voting.
When played properly and alone, this game is a thrilling ride and a nice contrast to plotless shoot 'em ups. Doom 3 distills the best parts of a haunted house, a horror film, and a shooting gallery into a single satisfying package.
If you want a scarier story than what's been in the theaters lately or if you're a serious gamer, Doom 3 is well worth it. Anyone else who meets the system requirements should at least download the demo.
Date: 2005-10-26
woot
I don't actually own the mac version of this game but i do own and have beaten the PC version almost 3 times. I have, however, downloaded the new mac demo which runs pretty well on all low at my base line ibook G4 1.25 GHz with 256 mb of ram ati radeon mobility 9200 32 mb Vram. For the majority of the time, i get around 10 fps for the first 5 minutes or so and then it just seems to speed up. Some areas, I actually get about 45 fps which is pretty amazing. So anyways, i bought a 1 gb ram upgrade which, i hope, will allow me to play the game on low at 1024x768 with like 40 fps or so. What might have helped the most is that i downloaded the ATI radeon drivers for the mac version of my 9200
from the ati website. If you want to play this game on high or something, don't even try it becasue not only will you get bad performance, but the program automatically turns on like an ultimate pixel shader needing thing that will make the game look like crap on a 9200. I remember the pistol was all chromed almost like pure silver and the faces were two toned: they were half the light tone and half the dark tone.
in terms of gameplay overall from playing the PC version, the game scares you quite a bit if you play it for the first time for the first couple hours of gameplay and then here and there later on. When i played the mac version, i tried to remember everything but of course i failed and i was still scared a few times. Not the most insane fps but a pretty good game in terms of horror
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