In defense of Doom 3 (before completion)

Doom 3 is actually fairly special to me in two ways. Its actually quite nostalgic in a later life sort of way, but also its probably the 2nd dumbest case of loving something I just can't for whatever reason complete. The other only thing meeting that category might be a souls game, any others I probably know the reason to. Naturally I stand in a minority. Doom 3 isn't hated or really neglected, almost everybody knows it even to the point where we can call a certain graphical style "doom 3-ish". Its just that its considered very unerwhelming, and stands at the opposite of everything Doom itself was revered for. It was slow, it was dark, it was linear and obviously scripted, and its balance was questionable. It had fallen into the Half-life style of gaming where you walk down corridors, get exposition, loot, and aggressors all in one room before moving on. By contrast Doom was a fast circle strafing horror themed maze FPS where you hunted for keys, and stacked up on tons of weapons blasting apart everything from start to finish with no fluff getting in the way aside from written episodic transitions.

Fact is despite whatever I like, I'm going to admit that the way shooters worked in their fads is they got progressively more open and yet caused old fans to get more hostile. Half-life and halo's time was in the middle of it, and Doom is the first mine opened in the perceived golden era (and the COD era marks the worst we've seen yet being extremely open, but people of all kinds throwing a fit about it). So you're essentially taking an iconic game with fantastic older values, and turning it into....

everything else that exists right now. That's just as horrible as the rumors that we were going to get Call of Doom for Doom 4.

However I'm beating around the bush. Truth is right now I'm here to defend it. I feel like there aren't quite enough people bringing about its good side, and even with the good in mind very few actually bring up any emotional attachment (other than maybe scare cam videos... or disappointment that it wasn't like Doom 1/2). ...and admittedly also cover why I can only predict of why I can't get myself to bother with completing it.

Long ago, on a planet not so far away...

So back probably late in middle school, my Dad would pick me up early on Fridays and we'd occasionally stop at a gas station for a snack or drink. That's where a new treat kind of started, every friday I was trusted with an energy drink. That was pretty new for me since before I was "too young" for them, and to this very day I still love those things. Its not so much about the energy as much as it is that I hate conventional corn syrup stuffed sodas and just love that strange unique taste E drinks have. However I'm digressing from the core subject. I think the very first one I picked was the weird one named after a car chemical, and was bottled up in a big plastic bottle with a valve cap on top. It was NOS, and its honestly kind of the mountain dew of E drinks... well, before mountain dew actually got involved. Got home, surfed for demos on what was at the time the newly discovered client of steam (and I sure loved demos at that time), One of those was Doom 3, which I knew was a series with some kind of reputation. So I was quick to start it up, grab my NOS drink, and was introduced to this incredible intro that still makes me feel all good inside to this day

So good to listen to that for a video game theme, and man was I glad to return to that years later with the BFG edition on PlayStation 3. At the time though, I think that may have been my first taste to the side of PC gaming I love most to this day. Those sciency feel to its games and interface, the darkness contrasting with an ambitious looking planetary trip, and then all that atmosphere from the menu to the opening act. It was amazing. I didn't realize how much I would miss it, but those industrial halls, the audio logs and (the outdated) PDA tool, and the creatures and that suspense when everything goes from good to complete horror all felt so great in the moment and are a big part of why I love FPS gaming.

Science, why have you betrayed us!?

I played the demo for a good while, and was truly and fully immersed into it for its intro. I was checking every corner, listening to every NPC, trying to grab every scrap of objects, and being emotionally attached to the bigger moments. I remember walking into one room with the "help me" whispers and actually trying to see if I could find the source (while being equally as terrified). Sometime after that I kind of just stopped. Maybe at the time I was scared, but I don't really know. Thing is I just stopped, kind of like I did now. Weird. However it was one of my first true examples of what I could enjoy from PC gaming, and just sort of represents that field in my mind. Its part of what I also love about Alpha Prime, one of those games that very much gets the "looks like doom 3" glance. Actually without cheating figure out which games these 3 screenshots belong to: game 1, game 2, and game 3. One is doom 3, one is a certain other ID property running off the same engine, and then there's Alpha Prime. Without the HUD it would probably be pretty difficult.

Alright enough sidetracking, and we're done with the nostalgia. Present day Doom 3 is still pretty fun. I got a lot further (obviously), and I've mowed down tons of enemies, seem many cooler things, and generally had a good time with how it progresses. It is mostly old school in the exact way I want, having health packs, enemy variety, cheesy cut-scenes and story line, atmosphere and imagination, and of course crazy weaponry. It took a little bit to get used to the weapons though, but the gunplay and reactions come off as slightly weaker than my memory would make it seem. Naturally every time I see footage that cues me in on what's ahead, my excitement endures and I know that I need to take those steps that I have yet to do. Its a true FPS adventure in the exact way I want it... right?

Stuck on Mars...

Well okay here's a funny thing. When you call yourself a corridor shooter, its the implcation of a linear driven game that has you going from point A to B for the majority of your objectives. This includes Half-life, Metro, nearly every military shooter (including older WW2 types), Quake 4, Halo, even Serious Sam and Far Cry 1 (which have massive outdoor places), etc. There's a ton of them out there, and its just a type of common format. However its not literally hallways, small rooms, and janitor closets. Doom 3 didn't get that memo, and its probably the most lengthy corridor shooter I've ever played in. I know at some point you go into hell and that probably stirs up the scene quite a bit, but out of 6+ hours of play I have only seen differing types of halls and tiny rooms. There is absolutely no variety save for literal seconds spent outside on mars. Although this in theory shouldn't effect gameplay, it still exhausts the player's will.

However with Doom 3 yes it actually does effect the gameplay, and this is what older fans are probably most correct to be disappointed in. You see probably the next best example of a game this repetitive in its environment would probably be Space Marines, but yet I've loved and put considerable more hours into that game after completing it. What's the difference? Well Space Marines manages to re-use open enough areas that you'll be bombarded with a full force of enemy hordes to such a scale that Serious Sam might have to sue them for stealing his spotlight. Doom 3 on the other hand throws its most at you in small doses every hour or so. Some of the most intense moments have come from it simply spamming its tiny spider enemy at me, which isn't nearly as effective as say an open field full of diverse enemies like Doom 1/2 had at points. Maybe it changes once again when things shift to the hell scene, but that hasn't happened at a decent rate. Doom 3 really is just too slow for its own good, and while I appreciate its gameplay so much at face value I can't help compelled to reach a stopping point and go to something else. So naturally I play for some amount across 3 days, get my value, and leave for some other game only to come back months later asking myself why I don't finish Doom 3.

Hallways shooting simulator 2004

Conquering a nightmare

Despite what I've said, I still love the game and think it still deserves some good credit to its name. Its not a bad game, far from it. It has a ton of the trends I love and associate with great shooters, it has fun weapons, and it has some later level stuff I'd love to see. Its one of those games that leaves me feeling like I'd have a hole in me if I never beat it. I need to see it through sometime, and I plan on beating it. So with the latest edit on my last Now Playing, you might be able to see I wont be focusing on Mass Effect 2 like I wanted to. Unless I get that up and running, I guess my current plans are to finish Doom 3. Sure the game may have pacing issues or predictable level design, but honestly its still a blast to play and its the one game in a legendary shooter franchise I feel some kind of strange attachment to. Rather than be Doomed, I say its time to play and enjoy Doom 3.

Lets rock!