It’s been 7 years since I’ve gone to Hell. It’s odd coming back, but it’s home. The sights and sounds haven’t changed much over the years, but it still fits like an old glove. I’ve got a chain gun hanging next to my plasma rifle. I’ve got hordes of zombies and demons waiting for their chance to make this my grave. Let’s do this!
When Doom 3 was first released way back in April of 2005, the earned rave reviews from the critics. Now, iD Software is rereleasing the title as Doom 3 BFG packaging together Doom 3, Resurrection of Evil, and The Lost Mission as well as a few much needed upgrades. The controls have been completely revamped for consoles and a new checkpoint save system has been added to give a bit of a modern touch to the series.
I sat down with the guys at iD today during QuakeCon and got to try out a new level from The Lost Mission. After taking a few minutes to calibrate my 3D glasses, they handed me the controller with a simple warning. “This is going to be a little tough.” Either the difficulty has been ramped up or I’m just not as good at Doom as I remember, but it didn’t take long for skull demons to start gnawing on my face.
The controls felt spot on during my demo with the PS3 edition, and although I’d still prefer a mouse for the game I can’t say anything negative about it. The armor mounted flashlight was also a godsend since I no longer had to choose between being able to see or being able to hold a weapon. The textures seems to have minor updates across the board, but don’t expect this to rock your world on the graphics front. It’s still a 7 year old game, albeit a very good looking one.
As for the 3D gaming, your level of enjoyment may vary. I’m personally not a fan of 3D technology, especially since it has been used as a crutch to cover up less than stellar camera work in films, but I will tip my hat to its use here. Reloading my weapon did feel like I was pulling the gun closer to me, and I’m fairly positive at one point I tried to duck out of the way of a rocket.
It may have taken me a few chances, but eventually I reached the end of my quest. Countless bullets and rockets were fired into the torsos of demons and as I stood upon their broken bodies to bask in a moment of glory, I listed to the screams of agony from the souls trapped in Hell.
Doom 3 BFG is exactly what it promises to be, a stellar Doom title.
It’s good to be home.
Published: Aug 2, 2012 10:01 pm