Did anyone else skip over Doom 3, then go back later and realise it's good?

[ChrisP.Lettuce]

I rented Doom 3 back a little whiles after it first came out. I was pretty passive about it, I didn't expect too much more to come out of the Doom name.

After being spoiled earlier on by Halo and Mechassault, I think my reception to anything other than constantly getting my nuts fried by lasers was non-exsistent. So as console gaming started to turn into a blank and depressing void, I moved back to PC games. (Strategy, RPGs).

I warmed up the old PS2 and Xbox to play some Shadow of the Colossus and I was going to play through the Halo campaign again, when I tripped over Doom 3 in my drawer. All these years I unknowingly stole it from the corner store and they never called me about it. I popped it in and had a completly different experience. It was a bit slow at times, but I found it completely gripping and intense. Even the bits I had already played.

The sound is outstanding. The lighting is beautiful. The graphics are actually not too gross. The gameplay is predictible, but for some reason this time around I found it more fun. It totally got under my skin. Playing it in the dark gave me chills rawflemow.

What I want to know is, was this experience unique to me? Did someone else out there share this epiphany with me?

 

[goestoeleven]

I played it not long after it came out on PC, and found that it was a resounding "pretty good" sprinkled with moments that were bone-chilling or even brilliant. The first couple of levels were jaw-dropping and truly terrifying, but before long it settled into a much more predictable routine of "enter room, lights go out, monsters appear, shoot, read e-mail, repeat". While it certainly gets points for production value, gameplay-wise it was trying to repackage ideas that had been around since 1994 (see: System Shock) and tell us that it was something new and innovative. Not that I expected major innovation from a Doom game, but it was just kind of disappointing to see all of the gut-wrenching suspense and atmosphere of the first few levels devolve into, well, Doom.

Still, Doom is one hell of a fun series, and Doom 3 managed to keep me entertained, if not exactly exhilarated, to the end.

 

[tiredinnuendo]

I took awhile to get into it for other reasons, because when I first purchased it, I realized that I didn't have the PC needed to run it, because I was (at that point) running on two year old technology. So I got sad and I put down Doom 3 and went back to doing other stuff until about four months later when I finally picked up a new PC.

Excited to try out Doom 3 again, I loaded it up and started playing, only to quickly lose interest after about six levels or so. It's nothing personal, mind you, but unless the shooter has a positively top-notch story, I get bored and then forget about it. Same thing happened with F.E.A.R. But I digress.

A year later, I was looking to kill a few hours on the PC when my internet dropped. I looked over the single player games I had and decided to throw Doom 3 back in for another try. It took me awhile to get into it, but once I got to Hell, the game held my interest until the end.

Looking back on it, I don't think I'd say Doom 3 was great for me, but I'm glad that I gave it enough second chances that I got to see the last quarter of the game. F.E.A.R. on the other hand.... well....

- J

 

[uberlad]

the only part i remember about doom 3 was how the demons spawned out of nice little convenient closet spaces tucked around corners... there was no attempt to hide the fact that it was terrible level design 90% of the game.

mmmm cheap horror.

 

[goestoeleven]

I took awhile to get into it for other reasons, because when I first purchased it, I realized that I didn't have the PC needed to run it, because I was (at that point) running on two year old technology. So I got sad and I put down Doom 3 and went back to doing other stuff until about four months later when I finally picked up a new PC.

Excited to try out Doom 3 again, I loaded it up and started playing, only to quickly lose interest after about six levels or so. It's nothing personal, mind you, but unless the shooter has a positively top-notch story, I get bored and then forget about it. Same thing happened with F.E.A.R. But I digress.

A year later, I was looking to kill a few hours on the PC when my internet dropped. I looked over the single player games I had and decided to throw Doom 3 back in for another try. It took me awhile to get into it, but once I got to Hell, the game held my interest until the end.

Looking back on it, I don't think I'd say Doom 3 was great for me, but I'm glad that I gave it enough second chances that I got to see the last quarter of the game. F.E.A.R. on the other hand.... well....

- J

Funny you'd say that about FEAR because I was pretty hooked by it. I mean, it was never scary (my reaction to the 'scary' bits was almost always "oh, that's cute, they're trying to be creepy.") but the AI and the slow-mo made for some fantastically intense gun battles. Still, as far as recreating the movie Aliens (which, let's be honest, is what all of these action-horror games are trying to do, whether with aliens, demons, or ghosts) Doom 3 wins.

 

[tiredinnuendo]

Funny you'd say that about FEAR because I was pretty hooked by it. I mean, it was never scary (my reaction to the 'scary' bits was almost always "oh, that's cute, they're trying to be creepy.") but the AI and the slow-mo made for some fantastically intense gun battles. Still, as far as recreating the movie Aliens (which, let's be honest, is what all of these action-horror games are trying to do, whether with aliens, demons, or ghosts) Doom 3 wins.

I'm not the best one to ask, "Hey, what did you think of this new shooter?" because my answer is generally, "I didn't finish it." For the record, I did finish FEAR, but I didn't care for it because at least other games sort of *try* to mix it up. FEAR basically had you fight the same five guys over and over again. Every once in awhile you'd fight a really durable guy or a tank. That's it. The AI was fantastic and I liked playing with bullet time, but the variety wasn't there for me.

My favorite horror shooter (for it's ability to scare me, not really for quality), was playing as the human in AvP, and to a slightly lesser extent, AvP2. This supports your theory that Alien is the basis for all good horror shooters.

- J

 

[LordLocke]

I can't say Doom 3 managed to leave that much of a mark on me- I played it start-to-end, but I'll be damned if you can get me to actually remember more then a few key points about the game. Then again, as it's been said- it was a game that started rather well that eventually wound up as... well, Doom. Better or worse, one could trace it's roots back to it's predecessors without trying too hard.

In some ways the game excelled, in others it was designed ten years out of date. It was fun, but I probably wouldn't replay it without outside prodding.

 

[Count_de_Monet]

Doom 3 held my attention for an hour and a half then I turned the computer over to my brother and never picked up the game again.

Also, I'm glad other people out there were as underwhelmed by FEAR as I was. I really couldn't get into it at all and ended up quitting early. I do have a history of not finishing games, especially shooters, because I tend to get bored, stop playing and forget that I never finished them. I think I fully completed HL, HL2, CoD1, MoH:AA, and maybe one or two other first person shooters but that's about it.

 

[goestoeleven]

My favorite horror shooter (for it's ability to scare me, not really for quality), was playing as the human in AvP, and to a slightly lesser extent, AvP2. This supports your theory that Alien is the basis for all good horror shooters.

- J

Ah, yes. AvP was fantastic. It's a shame AvP2 was so scripted - it took out most of the scares. I'm not sure if the enemy placement in AvP was random, but it sure felt like it. God, playing as a marine was heart-stopping.

 

[TheCrimsonPunisher]

I played it not long after it came out on PC, and found that it was a resounding "pretty good" sprinkled with moments that were bone-chilling or even brilliant. The first couple of levels were jaw-dropping and truly terrifying, but before long it settled into a much more predictable routine of "enter room, lights go out, monsters appear, shoot, read e-mail, repeat". While it certainly gets points for production value, gameplay-wise it was trying to repackage ideas that had been around since 1994 (see: System Shock) and tell us that it was something new and innovative. Not that I expected major innovation from a Doom game, but it was just kind of disappointing to see all of the gut-wrenching suspense and atmosphere of the first few levels devolve into, well, Doom.

Still, Doom is one hell of a fun series, and Doom 3 managed to keep me entertained, if not exactly exhilarated, to the end.

I loved Doom 3 they way the redone the enemies was awesome (bonus points for making the Lost Souls look like thier retro counterparts from the old dooms on the expansion pack Ressurection of Evil oh and 3X bonus for bringing back Super Shotty!! DB Shotgun= sex lol)the Hellknight was just a big hulking thing it was awesome. Cyberdemon was all "I AM GOD" with it being all immortal except for the soul cube thing. My favorite parts were Hell...they got real creative with Hell. Though I hated that some enemies were not included like the Arachnitron and its Mommy the Spider Mastermind....oh well other than those gripes I still play Doom 3....im just a Doom guy.

 

[werepossum]

I liked Doom 3 okay until I hit the Hell levels. Nothing I hate much more than jumping puzzles. Hello! Can't see my feet! I was pretty bored with it by that time anyway. It had excellent pacing and voice acting and interesting little side bits, but it got very repetitive.

I loved AvP2 - it's probably my favorite game. The original AvP I thought too short and too hard, at least on the larder difficulties (which you needed to access all the levels. You go through these tiny rooms, and then aliens run in. Very easy to kill, but the acid blood flies all over the room. Pretty soon I'm dead from blood splatter. Also, the excellent since of dread in AvP2 was, for me, just not there in AvP.

 

[The Irrelevant Gamer]

I picked it up on release, and thought it was good.

 

[neems]

Agreed on the AvP, was absolutely terrifying. Never played Doom 3 (never played much of any of the doom / quake series, just bits here and there), the concept just seemed a little... tired.

Recently, the scariest FPS I have had the pleasure of playing would have to be STALKER. Running around the tunnels with full dynamic lighting on and the lights off... time for an underwear change. Oh, and Condemned, if you can call it an FPS.

Ellipsis boy.

 

[SUMFUC]

I loved the game, but never got around to finishing it for some reason. I'll finish it...someday.

 

[Pulsifer]

Still, as far as recreating the movie Aliens (which, let's be honest, is what all of these action-horror games are trying to do, whether with aliens, demons, or ghosts) Doom 3 wins.

Do yourself a favour and pick up Alien Versus Predator sometime. If you can say that after playing as a marine in the first two games, my hat's off to you, sir.

 

[Artinam]

Yeah I agree, Alien Versus Predator 1 and 2 made me try out Doom III and discover its a pretty sweet game.(Unless your playing some vague Co-op mode wielding Chainguns and other stuff).