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It has the same problems as Doom 2016 ’s Hell chapters, where outside of the occasional twist or new weapon you’re really just working your way through creepy arenas with just a sliver of narrative to keep you going. It may be one of the blandest horror games ever published. The real problem is that Doom 3 has nothing to offer outside of its initial concept. The problem with Doom 3 isn’t a lack of atmosphere, technological skill, or interesting gameplay mechanics, though its touch screens and PDA are more cumbersome than useful after the first hour of play. You can do substantially higher damage to your foes if you’re willing to risk them cleaving your health to pieces. By contrast, you’re rewarded for getting up close and personal when fighting demons and cybrids. Gun-wielding enemies like possessed marines reload just as slowly as you do, so you’re incentivized to retreat while they’re temporarily disarmed. Shotgun blasts are perfectly timed for popping out of cover or around a corner. But once you get into the flow of things, the game’s pacing makes perfect sense.ĭoom 3 expects you to duck and weave rather than just strafe in a single direction. The cramped levels leave only a few options for surprises, but the amount of ambushes can get annoying at times. Gore also tends to fly off enemies you’ve hit. Confirmed hits turn your reticle red, helping you zero in on your targets. Demons glow or cast a shadowy figure against the sparse lighting. There are often clear visual cues showing where to aim. It’s not the Halo magnum, but it gets the job done while still making you feel wildly out of your depth when you’re fighting demons in dark hallways. The developers expected you to heavily rely on the pistol given its deep ammo pool, relative precision, and fast reload speed. Doom 3: BFG Edition gives you constant access to your flashlight, while Doom 3 originally limited it to when you held your pistol, so I played like that was still the case. Going into the main campaign of Doom 3, I embraced the original gameplay style. Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil would do much to correct this. It’s just a slower-paced one with a heavier emphasis on lighting. Despite some genuine attempts at scares, it’s still an arena shooter. I find Doom 3 ’s notorious status more than a little ironic. Doom 3 has been seen as either a misunderstood work of genius or a sign that id Software lost sight of why people loved its games once co-founder John Romero left the studio.
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