Face it. Unless you are the CEO of nVidia, there is no way in hell your PC is going to be able to run this game. The only thing you'll ever get to see is the installer, so here is my review of what $55 will get you.
First up, the intro has some of the best
CG I have ever seen since I saw a screenshot of End of Days
Technical support is conveniently provided
by that guy from the Goonies.
Next came one of the puzzle elements in
the installer. It involved a lot of thinking, which I am not used to doing.
Nevertheless, such gameplay additions provide a welcome distraction from the
endless action scenes of clicking 'next' that you find in most FPS installers.
Behind the open windows, you can see a preview of what the actual game will
look like!
Unfortunately, the plot of the installer
wasn't very original. I kept getting this feeling of deja vu as I read through
the prologue.
The blue bar blew me away.
Here is one of the crucial points in the
Doom 3 experience. Interactive choices like this show how id has really tried
to break away from the linear gameplay that plagues many installers.
Halfway through the installer, there was
another cameo! This time by Bruce Banner. He seems a bit skinnier these days.
**SPOILER WARNING**
Overall, I was very impressed with the
Doom 3 installer. It had cutting edge bitmap graphics, sound effects, and a
blue bar that grew bigger. However, at one point during the third cd, things
stopped reading. I thought this was just a really suspenseful moment, but after
half an hour I realised that it was just fucked up. If iD are able to work out
the technical glitches with the third episode, they will have a fine product
on their hands.
**Update**
By reading Christopher Llyod's livejournals, I discovered I am able to transport
myself to the blackouts I will have in my adulthood. Here is a preview of the
future, when the game becomes playable on normal machines!
Below are some screenshots of the brighter
and more scenic parts of the game. I can't imagine how much time was spent developing
the amazing engine needed to render this crazy shit.
The sound effects are very nice and sexual
with lots of moaning and groaning. I wish I could tell you what the monsters
are like in the game, but despite having killed over 80 of them, I still haven't
seen a single one because it's so fucking dark. Gameplay wise, Doom 3 is very
unique. You walk around the whole level with a flashlight in your hand, trying
not to bump into walls. Suddenly, you hear a noise, indicating that you are
about to get eaten alive. You shit yourself, swing around, and shine the flashlight
until you see something that is not a wall. You quickly put away the flashlight
and take out your shotgun so you can kill it. At that point you can't see shit,
but pull the trigger anyway. After a few shots you have to switch back to the
flashlight to see if the enemy is dead yet. No? Crap. Ok switch to shottie again
for another round. Then back to the flashlight of course so you can see if he
dropped anything.
As testament to the accomplishments made in computer science over the past decade,
each of the save game files for Doom 3 are larger than the entire game of Doom
1.
Overall, the game is just one big commercial
for Maglite.
You think I am kidding don't
you. Hey, at least you wont have to close your eyes when you get scared!