Doom 3 for PC Reviews

Doom 3

Activision

Release Date: August 3, 2004

Also On: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

Metascore

Based on

83 Critics

User Score

7.5

Based on

719 Ratings

Summary Back to top

id Software's terrifying battle with the forces of Hell. A massive demonic invasion has overwhelmed the Union Aerospace Corporations’ (UAC) Mars Research Facility leaving only chaos and horror in its wake. As one of only a few survivors, you struggle with shock and fear as you fight your way to Hell and back, in an epic clash against pure evil. Built on id’s revolutionary new 3D graphics engine, DOOM 3 draws you into the most frightening and gripping 3D gaming experience everid Software's terrifying battle with the forces of Hell. A massive demonic invasion has overwhelmed the Union Aerospace Corporations’ (UAC) Mars Research Facility leaving only chaos and horror in its wake. As one of only a few survivors, you struggle with shock and fear as you fight your way to Hell and back, in an epic clash against pure evil. Built on id’s revolutionary new 3D graphics engine, DOOM 3 draws you into the most frightening and gripping 3D gaming experience ever created.… Expand

Starring: John Carmack, John Carmack, Tim Willits

Developer: id Software

Genre(s): Sci-Fi

# of players: 4 Online

Cheats: On GameFAQs

Rating: M

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Critic Reviews Back to top

Positive:

Mixed:

Negative:

100

Thunderbolt

It’s the atmosphere created by the outstanding people at id that makes Doom 3 standout from the crowd. The lights flicker on and off, enemies hide in the dark and wait for you, and you truly feel alone most of the time you’re playing the game, which is surprising considering there are other characters that you work with.

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IncGamers

The environments in Doom 3 are exceptional. The lighting and lack thereof is so well composed that, given the appropriate system, you will bleed into that reality. It does not look like a game.

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Play.tm

There are some great firefights where the odds are so heavily stacked against you that victory, when it comes, is an emotional event.

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DailyGame

The game has such an immersive, dark style that it stands out as one of the scariest games ever made. The action is intense and gripping.

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Game Over Online

The weapons are pretty unimaginative (all the imagination was in "Doom 1" – this is just a continuation) and are often useless (ever try using a rocket launcher in a small room? Well, there are about a billion small rooms in Doom 3). The BFG is fun as always, of course.

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Gamers Europe

An essential title. The best graphics ever seen, incredible sound and some superb horror FPS gaming all add up to one hell of an experience.

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Just Adventure

Possibly the least original shooter released this year. The enemy AI is standard but effective, the guns are big and beefy and it's basically a case of running around and pulling the trigger.

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User Reviews Back to top

Positive:

173

Mixed:

Negative:

D.Q.

Aug 7, 2004

I amped up my machine for this game and it's worth it. I was blown away by the graphics, it's like actually being in there and I amped up my machine for this game and it's worth it. I was blown away by the graphics, it's like actually being in there and that's 10x scarier than anything. When a game with this kind of evil pulls you right into it, it's definitely unsettling to say the least. I've been really limiting myself on when and how I play it. I only do a level per night and I go as slow as humanly possible to let my nerves get the full load of adrenaline and terror that each corner, closed door and hidden place where evil lurks provides. I was surprised with the story, it's like being dropped right in there, I wasn't ready to be so immersed in this kind of world.… Expand

Jul 30, 2005

Very intense game, full of non-stop action.

Matseb2611

Sep 27, 2011

Having completed Doom 3 twice on Xbox and once on PC, I'd give it a solid 9. In my opinion one of the better FPS games around. Doom 3 is veryHaving completed Doom 3 twice on Xbox and once on PC, I'd give it a solid 9. In my opinion one of the better FPS games around. Doom 3 is very intense and atmospheric and would keep you on the edge from start to finish. Should you let your guard down for a second and an enemy would pop out of nowhere and damage you greatly. Doom 3 manages to place enemies in all the right spots. Even later on into the game once you get used to monsters doing that, it still manages to make you jump. With some FPS games all you do is just shoot as many monsters coming your way as fast as you possibly can. No brain cells involved, just let all the ammo loose. *coughPainkillercough* With Doom 3 it's not like that. Enemies come out at unexpected moments, they ambush you, they actually use various attacks (as opposed to just plainly charging head on towards you). Now admittedly Doom 3 can get repetitive, because majority of areas and levels look very much alike. However the game at least puts effort in varying the gameplay slightly by introducing new monsters every now and then, which get tougher further into the game, and also you find a lot of new guns, such as minigun, plasma gun, rocket launcher, chainsaw and even the good ol BFG. And all this is done in fantastic graphics, which are truly mindblowing, managing to engross you. Apart from just going and shooting monsters, you do need to pay attention to things such as PDAs which you pick up from dead guards and scientists, and read through the emails and listen to audio logs, for they often have valuable information, such as cabinet codes and such. Although mostly linear, and lacking in bonus content, Doom 3 is still a solid game.… Expand

KyleS

Dec 24, 2008

This game was amazing for it's time. Even today I play it. You can make the game change to any resolution to anything you want through This game was amazing for it's time. Even today I play it. You can make the game change to any resolution to anything you want through the .cfg files but a lot of people didn't know that so it was hard to change it. It does support 5.1 Surround sound witch comes in handy for people with surround sounds. It actually makes the game scary because you know were they are but cant find them to realize they will jump out into your face. The weapons didn't look the best but still had some good choices. The adventure of finding PDA's to get into doors made it more then just a run a shoot game. The light though is the problem. Running around with a flashlight then having to switch back into another weapon made it hard but wasn't a total disaster. Over all a good games with some little miner flaws.… Expand

ChrisK.

May 29, 2006

When you hear, "You can't have a flashlight out at the same time with your weapon," you immediately think, "Oh, that's not cool." When you hear, "You can't have a flashlight out at the same time with your weapon," you immediately think, "Oh, that's not cool." You can't shut out a game simply because of one little minor inconvenience. The graphics are also a prequisite to Quake IV, more or less the same game engine. So please, don't differentiate the two. The story is probably the most common one everyone's been up to date about, hell's broken loose and you're out to stop it or kill lucifer or so on. The story isn't original but the gameplay is actually well done. If you're out to find a good story, don't look to Doom 3 or any of the previous Doom series. If you're out to just kill or die fighting giant spiders, then Doom 3 is your game. Please check out the demo before buying and then complaining. What I love about this game is that it keeps that meaning, "You can run but you can' t hide." You think you're safe in that corner, be my bloody guest.… Expand

AnonymousMC

Aug 11, 2004

I still remember the excitement I felt when I first played the original Doom. Actually I lie; I felt that when I played Wolfenstein 3D first. I still remember the excitement I felt when I first played the original Doom. Actually I lie; I felt that when I played Wolfenstein 3D first. Here was a game that truly started the 3D revolution - it proved that an immersive, first-person experience was possible on the computer and in my eyes at the time, I saw a future of photorealistic environments obeying the laws of physics where a story set in any world imaginable centred around you. As far as I was and are now, concerned this is where computer games will end up; the place where ordinary people can live extraordinary lives. Wolfy3D showed that the photorealism in computer games was going to be achievable, all it needed was a bit more beef under the hood of your PC. And so with relish (and not a little imagination) I ate up Wolfy. Then Doom. The sheer pleasure of exploring a basic, yet fundamentally believable environments - with guns - was every bit the revolution it deserved to be. Then came Doom 2, and I the magic was beginning to fade - I couldn't quite put my finger on it... the graphics were better, there were more demons... but I was enjoying it less... and not for the first time, I was reintroduced to the axiom; gameplay is king. Then came Quake, Quake 2 (fully 3D characters) and a multitude of followers. Every one improving on the previous one's graphics, making the world seem more real, but all forgetting the impetus that led them there. The search for the realistic world in your PC was continuing apace visually, but was neglecting the most importanct aspect; interactivity. Since then, the gaming community has periodically roused from it's creative slumber to give us the likes of Half-Life, Deus-Ex, Morrowind etc. Always we were waiting for what ID did next to point the industry back towards where it will eventually end up. And so we come to Doom 3. What are ID telling us now? Well for one thing, they are telling us that bump and specular mapping with polygon-heavy environs, dynamic lighting, physics, 5.1 sound, 2x antialiasing can run very fast on a moderate system (2.8G, 1G RAM, 9800PRO). To have created such a rich environment and have it run so well is truly impressive. And what they say about game 'polish' should be a lesson to all. Computer panel access, cut-scene integration, PDA, the use of positional sound and lighting - the whole game reeks of the time they took to make sure every last little experience is a cut above what has gone before - although I might have a small gripe about the quality of some bump and spec. maps (even on extreme) which are not always as detailed as some in Far Cry, or the heat effects which again are not always quite as realistic. But these are mere triffles when such a convincing world has been created as in Doom 3. But that is where the good ends. The only other thing to commend ID on is the name; this truly is the third Doom game. You walk into a room, you get attacked. Your press a button, you get attacked. You pick up armour; attacked. Don't look behind you? Attacked. New weapon lying on the ground? Attacked. Not been attacked for a while? Wall opens and you probably get the idea... Worse still, these aren't monsters that are waiting in corridors or ducts that you flush out or hear having an argument - you can't surprise these demons - they appear when you pass the pre-programmed point and not a moment before. Pass the point and you will no doubt hear the noise of a demon being conjured from an electric disturbance nearby (reminiscent of anything?) but even that is not needed. I once walked through a door backwards and saw two spiders literally appear out of nowhere. Okay you may say I am being picky, but that the designers could not have though of a better way to infest a world with shootables is very disappointing. You start to get the impression that ID spend the ENTIRE FIVE YEARS on the engine for this game but a week on the gameplay. Or maybe no time at all? All this really is is Doom 2004. If they took the time to copy the story of Half-Life (science installation goes wrong, opens portal from another dimension which infests installation with beasts), the beginning (walking round installation before disaster) and the method of beast appearance (ball of electricity) - you might as well just swap the word "Xen" with "Hell" - why did they leave out the friendly interaction and AI? Yes, there is NO AI in Doom 3 - demons see you as soon as they appear (i.e. you are close enough - even if hidden) and then go straight for you. The more I play thins game, the more it amazes me that they though so little about the games that have come before it (except Half-Life of course). There is no stealth, no headshots, no need for ammo conservation, no using friendlies, no branching routes, no branching story (you might think there is but there isn't), no respite from attack. No subtlety. Graphically, this game delivers as advertised; it is the benchmark. Concerning gameplay, it competes with the likes of Doom 1 and 2, Quake, Serious Sam etc. Quite how so many reviewers have ignored this is really quite amazing. But I guess there are many people out there who don't realise that gaming is about an immersive experience shaped by the player and the games where you run around shooting stuff that moves is a little... passe. This is a game has no brain and requires none from the player. For a game that took five years where we have lived as Freeman and Denton, I can only be disappointed in that.… Expand

KaitlynM.

Mar 31, 2005

This game is horrible! i mean, holy crap, the guns are so friggin stupid! they are all basically the same thing, they just look and soundThis game is horrible! i mean, holy crap, the guns are so friggin stupid! they are all basically the same thing, they just look and sound different. same damage and everything. and what is up with the AI? there is NONE! the enemies just run towards you in a straight line, it's friggin stupid! what were they thinking? and to think, they complained about only spending 4 years on it, when a much better game spent 6 years on it, and beat the living shit outta it. if you like this game, you have never played a real first person shooter.… Expand

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