DOOM 3

PN Review continued... An aspect of Doom 3's visuals that might be criticized is the oppressive darkness that pervades most of the game. There are in fact very few environments that are brightly lit and many areas where scanning with one's virtual torch is required to reveal the gloomy surroundings. Besides the fact that this probably helps to cut the demands on graphics processing (since only parts of the screen need to be rendered), there is of course a perfectly valid rationalization for so much inky blackness: id had set out to create the "scariest single-player FPS ever" and placing the player in forebodingly dark settings is obviously an effective way to help achieve this. The darkness also creates a sense of claustrophobia, even paranoia - and gives the many baddies plenty of hiding places from which to launch their frequent surprise-attacks. Teleporting demons attack at regular intervals. Another potential gripe is that Doom 3 seemingly does not have a lot of visual variety in its many connected levels. Indeed, the most dramatic change in visuals is presented when the player is occasionally forced to venture outdoors onto the Martian surface and when he reaches the fiery Hell section, but otherwise most of the action takes place indoors in similar-looking corridors and rooms. As suggested above, though, closer scrutiny really shows how much variation there is in the graphic design - from the layout of a whole level to the smallest details of the decor. For me, Doom 3's visuals never became boring. In fact, I grew to love the look of my surroundings and delighted in the gradual transitions as I progressed through the game. The character models should also be mentioned: both the good guys (the few that you actually come across) and the many monsters are very convincing, both in their overall look as well as their motions. Life forms, occasional robots and inanimate objects all have a solid and convincing feel to them and appear perfectly integrated into the environments. There is nothing cartoony about the inhabitants of the Mars base and this further helps to heighten the sense of "being there". Incidental or special visual effects such as flames, plasma trails, lava streams, toxic sludge, steam & dust clouds also look the business - although, interestingly, there weren't any water effects to be seen... Hellish visions frequently confront the player. Other visual elements which I found to work well are the interactive graphic interfaces and video clips which appear on monitors or inside the player's PDA, as well as the pre-rendered cut-scenes that play at several crucial stages in the game (often to introduce a new area or monster). Although I think that cut-scenes can be a design crutch when used to advance a story in lieu of the player experiencing things first-hand, I can't really fault the ways in which the id guys used them here: the few scenes were not distracting and brief enough not to spoil one's immersion in the action. In fact, the "red screen" scare scenes were usually quite effective in creating a sudden jolt at unexpected times (probably helped by the first-person view being maintained throughout). As far as graphics goes, there is basically nothing I can find fault with: Doom 3 looks amazing and oozes quality throughout. One reviewer felt some things in Doom 3 seemed "plasticky", but I really can't support that view - I would much rather agree with the assessment that Doom 3 is "the most polished game ever". Things look real, lived-in and grimy: a bit like the movie Alien, in fact - and I just love it. Next Page >

PN Game Reviews: Doom 3 > 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9

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