izigame.me

Even after twenty years, there has not been any game that is even closely akin to DOOM 3, which I regard as one of the greatest games of all time. And to be frank, it was my introduction to DOOM back then; the previous installments before it didn't interest me — I found them to be lame and still do. Anyhow. I was drawn towards this game's graphics, the overall gameplay, and especially the sound design. As I got older, the story in the PDAs started to intrigue me. Furthermore, I slowed down to listen what the NPCs had to say.
DOOM 3 may not be as fast-paced as Eternal (or Eternal's prototype 2016), and yet both of them are my favorites. 2016 is just a prototype to Eternal—in the gameplay aspect; apart from that, it has a great soundtrack and a decent story coupled with intriguing Codex entries. DOOM 3 would have benefited greatly from the Codex entries, considering that there is no Hell-lore or information about the demons that I wanted to know so very much indeed.
And I want to make something clear, if it wasn't common knowledge already. DOOM 3 has no connection to other DOOM games. It's as if the previous games before it never happened. The Soul Cube in 2016 is just an amusing easter egg, and its capabilities are diminished to the point of being useful... only as a paperweight. In the canon timeline DOOMguy escaped—or was set loose—from Hell after the events of 64, and thus landing on Argent D'Nur, homeworld of the Night Sentinels. Now, back to the review.
DOOM 3 nails the atmospheric horror outstandingly, and you get the feeling from the get-go that something is not right with the UAC. It builds up to the Hell invasion nicely, far better than the initial Necromorph encounter in the original Dead Space — it shot its load prematurely. Still, the original Dead Space is one of my favorites! Although I get much more terrified when I'm playing the game from first-person perspective.
I really like that there is this detective aspect in the game (sort of), when using the PDA and the flashlight; investigating just what the Hell happened on Mars. PDA is a useful device in the game. Sadly, no Hell-lore, as mentioned previously. And the flashlight creates tension when switching from it to the shotgun (for example) in a dark place, and then back to it when all other lights have gone out. Also, DOOM 3 wouldn't be a great atmospheric horror-shooter if a flashlight was somehow jammed inside the armor, and being able to use it and the weapons at the same time; certainly not if the environments are more brighter than before!
All of the guns are awesome. Just to name a few. Pistol is quite powerful. Shotgun for up-close and personal. Only one shot is needed for an Imp, for instance. I can't imagine using a shotgun as some kind of a sniper rifle! The Chain Gun is an absolute beast (far better than in Eternal), obliterating stronger demons in short order. And I love the reload animations and the sounds accompanying them. Grenades are great as well! Dealing massive damage, and exploding on contact. It can also be cooked for tactical instances, so be careful with the timing.
Sentry Bots are just adorable! Just be mindful in the heat of action, so you don't end up being in their line of fire.
I just gotta say that the demon designs are superb! My personal favorites are: the Z-Secs and also their voices; Imps have the best design out of all DOOM games; Maggots are simply phenomenal; the Mancubi have some relation to Cthulhu and their voices sound so eerie; and especially the Tentacle Commandos. Oh, and of course, the Hell Knights!
Of all the soundtracks, one stood out the most (the main theme and the Arrival on Mars are also great): when Campbell is hunting for Sarge, armed with the almighty BFG. I would like to listen to a longer mix. And Campbell's seriousness always manages to get a chuckle out of me! I love it!
There was once a second villain, besides Dr. Betruger, named General Hayden—in the original DOOM 3. Some of his doings were imparted to Betruger, specifically the meeting with a very different Counselor Swann (but still a good guy in the end), and then later on casting some demonic magic on some hapless marine, turning him into a Tentacle Commando. Which reminded me of what happened to Paxton Fettel in the first F.E.A.R. game. He wasn't the main villain, originally. And there were three clone prototypes. The Eldest whose reflexes are totally off the charts, and who can see through other people's eyes into their mind. Fettel was a failure who served as an interrogator (by eating the flesh of his victims to steal their thoughts). And the third, named Conrad Krieg, was the perfect soldier. Krieg was ultimately combined with Fettel very literally, which is represented visually only by his outfit. Now, there are only two clone prototypes in F.E.A.R., but I digress. Hayden was supposed to be the boss in Hell. He was also the catalyst for Kelly's (Sarge's) downfall. There is some commentary, concerning Kelly's transformation process which I would've liked to see for real, that Kelly was somehow "crucified to a demon that was in turn sewn onto a tank. The Sabaoth uses Sarge's military training to benefit Hell's siege on humanity, making him both Judas and Christ." Wicked. But it was then "lost in translation", unfortunately.
The vanilla DOOM 3 is not optimized for modern computers or for higher resolutions, so I highly recommend using the Redux mod when playing this an amazing game!