Doom 3: A Helluva Tech Demo

*Akasha* · August 10, 2004, 10:20 AM

Doom 3 is a well-crafted, accessible testament to the power and promise of technology to create a new medium that puts players directly at the center of an experience -- a medium in which, unlike books and movies, there ain't nothing vicarious about it.

The game has been garnering mixed reviews from hard-core gamers -- a sign that developer id Software has succeeded in making a title for the rest of us.

Doom 3 combines eye-popping next-generation graphics, enveloping sound design, moody immersion and a shallow learning curve. In doing so, it points the way to gaming coming into its own as entertainment for the masses -- even if it falls a bit short in some aspects.

The game is far more than just a decade-later update of its classic forebear, the original Doom, which broke ground with pioneering onscreen 3-D graphics.

Yes, the plot is similar. You're a space marine on a Martian base where hell literally breaks loose because of a scientific experiment gone wrong. Your mission is to pick up any and every weapon and shoot your way through hordes of possessed fellow Marines and assorted hell spawn to protect humanity from the encroachment of evil.

What's different is that Doom 3, unlike the original Doom and its successors, isn't about simply shooting throngs of oncoming monsters. The difference lies in the newest title's dependence on the latest graphics technology, particularly the ability to deliver advanced lighting effects.

The result is a new emphasis on building a pervasive sense of dread about what might jump out of the dark next. Interactions with other characters combined with cut scenes and information delivered to a PDA pull the story along by delivering what amounts to a plot, as well as clues to puzzles that have to be solved to move through the game's multifarious levels.

Doom 3 gets knocked in part because it doesn't break new ground in game play. Some geeks complain that the ability to interact with other characters (the ones who haven't been possessed) is straight out of the 1998 classic Half-Life. Moreover, they complain that the injection of plot and reliance on mood results in a slower pace and an experience that is, well, boring.

That may be true for the hardest of the hard core, who have become a little insensate and are constantly looking for the next game to up the action ante. For everyone else, the pace and manner in which Doom 3 unfolds amount to a vastly more interesting experience. In this Doom, survival is not just a function of the itchiness of your trigger finger, but of your curiosity and ability to look around and explore. The difficulty seems set at just the right level to make the experience a rewarding one for the mainstream player who doesn't have unlimited reservoirs of time.

It's true that certain factors limit Doom 3's accessibility and appeal (although not enough to have kept the game from pretty much selling out the first 2 million copies that shipped in the United States last week). The first is that there isn't the kind of audience for a violent, gory, sci-fi horror game that there is for Spider-Man 2, let alone the upcoming The Sims 2.

The second limiting factor is that immersion in the experience comes at a steep price -- mainly in the form of beefy, expensive PCs that are still out of the reach of most of the potential game-playing public. Indeed, the game will ultimately be best played with 512-MB video cards that still practically don't exist.

Which brings us to the ultimate rap on Doom 3: It succeeds less as a game and more as a technology demo.

Even if that were true -- well, so what? Doom 3's ultimate accomplishment lies in its exploitation of the latest technology to show us the kind of alternate-reality experiences that gaming is poised to deliver, and just how powerful those experiences can be.

True, we are not there yet. Still, it's a very good thing that we can happily immerse ourselves in Doom 3 and its other cutting-edge brethren -- Far Cry, Half-Life 2, and even The Sims 2 -- to fill the time while we wait.

Information Source : Wired News

boscolio · August 10, 2004, 03:21 PM

i've been playing DOOM 3 on and off for a few days now. the one flaw of the game is that it forces you to stop playing. it's such a stressful and nerve racking environment that i can't play for more than 2 hours in a single sitting. even then i get really paranoid about my surroundings, expecting some demon zombie thing to jump out of my oven and claw my face. :oops:

*Akasha* · August 10, 2004, 11:36 PM

OMG that's SO not a game for me then... I don't play a game and I think that a zombie is about to jump out and eat me....

R2D2 · August 11, 2004, 06:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by boscolio

i've been playing DOOM 3 on and off for a few days now. the one flaw of the game is that it forces you to stop playing. it's such a stressful and nerve racking environment that i can't play for more than 2 hours in a single sitting. even then i get really paranoid about my surroundings, expecting some demon zombie thing to just out of my oven and claw my face. :oops:

I cant wait man... I cant wait man...

Magnus · August 13, 2004, 01:47 PM

I really want to try out Doom 3, mainly because my computer can run it and it's Doom 3! Have read that it is very intense and keeps you constantly on edge, I think they described it as a 20 hour cardiac episode, so I don't know if that's good. My house has lots of Dark corners, but hey if you're not worried about some demon-zombie-cow (why not) jumping out of the corner every once in a while to smite you with it's undead bovine fury then.......

I have no clue where that was going but I still wanna try it!

R2D2 · August 13, 2004, 03:41 PM

those people I have heard talking about it says you get pretty psyho playing it too much... they prefer taking a break after an hour of gaming....

*Akasha* · August 13, 2004, 05:31 PM

Why is it when you know of something that will most likely scare the pants of you, cause you nights of bad sleep due to your over active imagination and give your boyfriend endless opportunities to make you scream.... you have this insane desire to do / watch / play it anyway?

Magnus · August 13, 2004, 11:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Akasha

Why is it when you know of something that will most likely scare the pants of you, cause you nights of bad sleep due to your over active imagination and give your boyfriend endless opportunities to make you scream.... you have this insane desire to do / watch / play it anyway?

Well in this case for me it's mainly because it Doom frickin 3! Doom was basically the start of the shooter genre, and now that they have a new one out after however many years of inactivity, you just gotta try it to see how much it's improved/changed.

Bah, sequels and there drawing you in to see if it's like the game you remembered

R2D2 · August 14, 2004, 03:07 AM

actually Doom 1 was the first fps i played along with wolfenstein "3d".... Doom made me so scared when i played it at that time... I remember it clearly... but it was SO fun at that time... and undoubtly the best GAME at that time!!

Lord BlackFoxus · August 15, 2004, 12:09 PM

I myself already wanted to scream after playing Painkiller. :-#
Besides I want Half-Life 2 because it was the New Age of FPS.

August 10, 2004, 03:21 PM	#2 (permalink)
boscolio Member Character Info boscolio 60 Gnome Warlock Azgalor US PvP Guild: Dark Echo Talent Spec: 43/7/11	Doom 3: A Helluva Tech Demo i've been playing DOOM 3 on and off for a few days now. the one flaw of the game is that it forces you to stop playing. it's such a stressful and nerve racking environment that i can't play for more than 2 hours in a single sitting. even then i get really paranoid about my surroundings, expecting some demon zombie thing to jump out of my oven and claw my face. :oops:

August 13, 2004, 01:47 PM	#5 (permalink)
Magnus Member	Doom 3: A Helluva Tech Demo I really want to try out Doom 3, mainly because my computer can run it and it's Doom 3! Have read that it is very intense and keeps you constantly on edge, I think they described it as a 20 hour cardiac episode, so I don't know if that's good. My house has lots of Dark corners, but hey if you're not worried about some demon-zombie-cow (why not) jumping out of the corner every once in a while to smite you with it's undead bovine fury then....... I have no clue where that was going but I still wanna try it!

August 13, 2004, 03:41 PM	#6 (permalink)
R2D2 Member	Doom 3: A Helluva Tech Demo those people I have heard talking about it says you get pretty psyho playing it too much... they prefer taking a break after an hour of gaming....

August 14, 2004, 03:07 AM	#9 (permalink)
R2D2 Member	Doom 3: A Helluva Tech Demo actually Doom 1 was the first fps i played along with wolfenstein "3d".... Doom made me so scared when i played it at that time... I remember it clearly... but it was SO fun at that time... and undoubtly the best GAME at that time!!

August 15, 2004, 12:09 PM	#10 (permalink)
Lord BlackFoxus Member	Doom 3: A Helluva Tech Demo I myself already wanted to scream after playing Painkiller. :-# Besides I want Half-Life 2 because it was the New Age of FPS.

August 10, 2004, 10:20 AM	#1 (permalink)
Akasha	Doom 3: A Helluva Tech Demo Doom 3 is a well-crafted, accessible testament to the power and promise of technology to create a new medium that puts players directly at the center of an experience -- a medium in which, unlike books and movies, there ain't nothing vicarious about it. The game has been garnering mixed reviews from hard-core gamers -- a sign that developer id Software has succeeded in making a title for the rest of us. Doom 3 combines eye-popping next-generation graphics, enveloping sound design, moody immersion and a shallow learning curve. In doing so, it points the way to gaming coming into its own as entertainment for the masses -- even if it falls a bit short in some aspects. The game is far more than just a decade-later update of its classic forebear, the original Doom, which broke ground with pioneering onscreen 3-D graphics. Yes, the plot is similar. You're a space marine on a Martian base where hell literally breaks loose because of a scientific experiment gone wrong. Your mission is to pick up any and every weapon and shoot your way through hordes of possessed fellow Marines and assorted hell spawn to protect humanity from the encroachment of evil. What's different is that Doom 3, unlike the original Doom and its successors, isn't about simply shooting throngs of oncoming monsters. The difference lies in the newest title's dependence on the latest graphics technology, particularly the ability to deliver advanced lighting effects. The result is a new emphasis on building a pervasive sense of dread about what might jump out of the dark next. Interactions with other characters combined with cut scenes and information delivered to a PDA pull the story along by delivering what amounts to a plot, as well as clues to puzzles that have to be solved to move through the game's multifarious levels. Doom 3 gets knocked in part because it doesn't break new ground in game play. Some geeks complain that the ability to interact with other characters (the ones who haven't been possessed) is straight out of the 1998 classic Half-Life. Moreover, they complain that the injection of plot and reliance on mood results in a slower pace and an experience that is, well, boring. That may be true for the hardest of the hard core, who have become a little insensate and are constantly looking for the next game to up the action ante. For everyone else, the pace and manner in which Doom 3 unfolds amount to a vastly more interesting experience. In this Doom, survival is not just a function of the itchiness of your trigger finger, but of your curiosity and ability to look around and explore. The difficulty seems set at just the right level to make the experience a rewarding one for the mainstream player who doesn't have unlimited reservoirs of time. It's true that certain factors limit Doom 3's accessibility and appeal (although not enough to have kept the game from pretty much selling out the first 2 million copies that shipped in the United States last week). The first is that there isn't the kind of audience for a violent, gory, sci-fi horror game that there is for Spider-Man 2, let alone the upcoming The Sims 2. The second limiting factor is that immersion in the experience comes at a steep price -- mainly in the form of beefy, expensive PCs that are still out of the reach of most of the potential game-playing public. Indeed, the game will ultimately be best played with 512-MB video cards that still practically don't exist. Which brings us to the ultimate rap on Doom 3: It succeeds less as a game and more as a technology demo. Even if that were true -- well, so what? Doom 3's ultimate accomplishment lies in its exploitation of the latest technology to show us the kind of alternate-reality experiences that gaming is poised to deliver, and just how powerful those experiences can be. True, we are not there yet. Still, it's a very good thing that we can happily immerse ourselves in Doom 3 and its other cutting-edge brethren -- Far Cry, Half-Life 2, and even The Sims 2 -- to fill the time while we wait. Information Source : Wired News

August 10, 2004, 11:36 PM	#3 (permalink)
Akasha	Doom 3: A Helluva Tech Demo OMG that's SO not a game for me then... I don't play a game and I think that a zombie is about to jump out and eat me....

August 13, 2004, 05:31 PM	#7 (permalink)
Akasha	Doom 3: A Helluva Tech Demo Why is it when you know of something that will most likely scare the pants of you, cause you nights of bad sleep due to your over active imagination and give your boyfriend endless opportunities to make you scream.... you have this insane desire to do / watch / play it anyway?