Doom 3 on the Xbox

[Pauline]

Hia Ladies..

Doom 3 comes out here in the UK. on the 8th of this month and it's been a long wait.. what i want to know with all the hype is...

Has anyone played it already on either the Xbox or PC?

Will it or is it worth shelling out the money for it?

Has it been worth the wait for the third edition?

I loved playing the originals on the PC and also on the PSX (playstation) over and over... it's what got me hooked on FPS's.. till Halo arrived that is..lol

I would have had it on our PC but our's is not upto standards to play it..

All comments and advice welcome..
Thank you

Pauline

[CJ]

Hi all,

Pauline,

I'm on the very last level of Doom3 and it's a tough one. Get ready for quite an update on the Cyberdemon! The game came out, here in Canada, on the 4th of April. I bought it and started playing it on the very same day.

Video games have always been a part of my life but what I saw when I first downloaded the Doom shareware episode back in 1993 just hooked me. Since then, I've been a fan of the FPS genre. And the genre ramped up very impressively. Doom and Quake on the PC. Goldeneye on the N64. Half-Life, again on the PC. Halo on the XBox.

I'm a bit of a Doom collector. Dooms I and II on diskettes (both 5 1/4" and 3 1/2"), Dooms on CD, the Doom novelizations, SNES and N64 Doom carts, the Doom Collector's Edition on the PC, loads and loads of downloaded WAD files, Doom posters, and, finally, Doom3 on the XBox.

Let me tell you, Pauline, I've been hearing about this game for just over two years now, and it was well worth the wait. What can I say other than "it's one hell of a game!" Literally. (Trust me on that one.) The graphics are astounding (no frame-rate issues that I could spot) and the sound effects are the creepiest noises I've heard this side of my nightmares. At some point, Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails was onboard to produce a soundtrack but that was nixed, unfortunately. Too bad, 'cause he did an amazing job on Quake. Still, his erstwhile drummer, Chris Vrenna, lays down the atmosphere like you wouldn't believe. The gameplay does tend to become a bit repetitive (find key, gain access, find exit, all the while shooting away at anything that screams and moans and grunts and roars) but it's all done very much in the spirit of the original Doom. I give the game a 10 out of 10. Make sure you get the Collector's Edition; you'll have access to the classic Doom and Doom II plus ID Software interviews, special programs, and concept art (this last feature has a creepy soundtrack all its own). My suggestion: run out and get it (just be mindful of where you're pointing that plasma gun! ).

Love,
CJ

[Pauline]

CJ.. Thank you for your insite on the game. I do have Quake 3 Arena and Unreal+ Unreal Tournament on the PC. and have i played them to much.. naaa no such thing.. lol

I also as Fps's have both Serious Sams. funny games., Return to castle Wofenstein, No-one lives forever 1 not 2.. (play female agent like bond), Alien Vs Predator 2 +expansion Primal Hunt.. somewhere i have Hexen and Heretic which i havn't played in a fair few years... and a few more i cant remember off the top of my head..

With Doom 3, I would have been expecting to be looking for keys for accessing as with the traditional original's, and know there are no maps. As i am restricted on finances i may not be able to afford the collector's edition so i might wait a couple more weeks or upto a month.. (getting more restless as the days go by..lol)..

Is it true from what i have read that the Chainsaw runs out of fuel?

I completed (clocked) Halo 2 within three days. (with breaks.. eating, sleeping ect.) and from what i have heard that Halo 3 will be released on the Xbox 2 ([-X Microsoft)

Doom 3 on the Xbox was originally supposed to have been released in the U.K. in the Feb month and did i have a tantrum when i went to the shop and was told it was going to be released in april.. not in the shop/store but did when i got home.. lol

Doom 3 on the Xbox is also (from what i have read) supposed to be different than that of the PC one.. as Doom 3 was built up from scratch on the Xbox as that was the original contents of how it was going to be released.. It wasn't till l8r that they (the creators) decided to release a PC one.. Wonder if they will release a extension like they have for the PC

Thank you again

Pauline

[CJ]

Hi all,

Pauline,

The Collector's Edition is worth it. It's only about $10 more than the regular version. I guess that works out to about £4 more. With Doom3, I made an exception and bought it new. I usually buy my games used. Perhaps you could wait a couple of weeks more?

As for the game itself, no, the Beavertooth (chainsaw) does not run out of fuel. And, yes, it's true what you've probably also heard: you cannot wield a weapon and the flashlight simultaneously. The environments are very dark, so you do need the flashlight, but the button configuration makes it very easy to quickly switch from one to the other (and you need to be fast when you sweep your beam and come face to face with an Imp or the massive pitbull-like "pinky"). The online PC Doom community has made available a patch that allows you to "tape" a flashlight to your weapon (like what I imagine a real Marine would do in those circumstances) but doing so bypasses the intent of the game's creators. They did it that way as a "gameplay device" and it's very, very effective in raising the tension. (By the way, I thought I was on the last level yesterday but it turns out that the real "boss battle" is yet to come... goody for me!)

You're right, the creators built up Doom3 with the XBox version in mind almost from day one. They released the Resurrection of Evil Expansion Pack for the PC and you can bet that there'll be additional content available for the Box, too, either as an XBox Live downloadable or on one of the XBox magazine disks. The big difference between the PC and XBox versions is that there are multiplayer features on the XBox not available on the PC. Personally, that's not a big draw for me as I'm a hardcore solo campaign kind of player.

Just to let you know, all your fave creatures are there, with the exception of the Arachnotron (they had actually made plans to include it, but then dropped it for some reason). A major surprise: the Cacodemon is no longer that almost lovable, slow-moving "fuzzy ball" it was in the original games... it got quite the makeover, so be warned.

Here are some of the games I either own or have played (and replayed): Doom, Doom II, Half-Life (and its various expansions), Half-Life 2, Hexen, Heretic, Goldeneye, Unreal and its successors, Quake and its successors, Halo, Halo 2 (took me just over two days), Prince of Persia: Sands of Time (technically not an FPS but very close--an outstanding game), Run Like Hell (another awesome SF/Horror creepfest, much like Doom), Breakdown (never saw a first-person view of vomiting in a game before this one), Turok (in both its N64 and XBox incarnations), The Thing (based on the John Carpenter movie based on the Howard Hawks movie based on the John W. Campbell short story), 007: Everything or Nothing, Time Splitters 2, XIII (go figure: a "cartoonish," cel-shaded FPS), and a few others. Aside from the FPS genre, I'm also a huge fan of "exploration" games like the Myst series of adventures (Myst, Riven, Exile, Uru, Revelation) and Benoit Sokal's Syberia and Syberia II (where you get to play a character named "Kate Walker"... and boy does she ever walk!). These games appeal to my softer, less frenetic side. Still, if you're into "horror survival" games (à la Silent Hill and Resident Evil series), nothing, absolutely nothing beats The Suffering (of which the sequel is coming out in a few months). Its main attraction is that you can play in either first-person mode or in third-person, whatever you prefer.

Anyway, all this to say that I think you'll enjoy Doom3. It's always the case that games are never as good as the first time you play them so you have a definite treat coming your way. Enjoy!

Love,
CJ

[Curly(SO)]

Hi!

I am not a games fan myself, but Ed is. I noticed this thread as I heard Ed talking about Doom 3 to my daughter. He won't play it unless other people are in the room as it's just too damn scary BTW, he says thanks for the tip for the flashlight patch

I will take a peek at the game next time Ed plays it, to see just how scary it is!

Love,
Curly(SO)

[CJ]

Hi all,

Curly,

You're welcome for the patch tip. Make sure Ed doesn't bypass the "Easter egg" near the end of the game (look for a brick in the wall stamped with the Id corporate logo, in a passageway leading to the final confrontation with the Cyberdemon).

If you want to heighten the "scare factor," do this: play the game with the room's lights off and while wearing headphones (this is, in fact, what the game's designers suggest). The headphones are an asset because a key feature of the game is your ability to tell which direction some of creatures are coming from. A bit of an advance warning, in effect.

I hope Ed enjoys. But your daughter? I don't know how old she is but just keep in mind this game is rated "Mature" (adults) for a good reason.

Love,
CJ

[Pauline]

Hi ladies

Over here in the UK. Doom 3 has got a classificatin of 18 which is the highest rate this country can give for any game or film

The main ratings are

U (Universal For All)
12
PG (Perental Guidence)
15
18

There are pobably a couple in-between but i dont keep up with all that now like PG-13

I had already decided to play it in the dark and with the headphones on b4 reading up on that.. now all i have to do once i have the game (next month) is decide which sized telly to play it on.. lol

Pauline

[Curly(SO)]

Yeah, Ed's been playing with headphones on too.


Our daughter is 15 next month, and no, she won't be playing Doom 3. Ed was talking to her about how scary the game was, she doesn't want to play it, she's happy with playing The Sims 2 at the moment

Love,
Curly(SO)

[Pauline]

Hia ladies...

If my typeing is a little shakey its cause i picked it up tday and is on the first level.. yes the Collector's Edition and had a little go on ultimate doom first. was tired from shopping so will continue l8r when its darker.

Pauline

[CJ]

Hi all,

Well, I finished Doom3 (on "Marine" difficulty) a couple of days ago. It was everything I'd hoped it would be, and more. A truly satisfying experience for this fan of FPS and Horror Survival genres.

And now, a word from our sponsors.

People who know me are always amazed that I'm into these kinds of games. They can't figure out what such a sweet-tempered, slightly docile, person such as myself can find of value in this kind of violent fantasy. Well, it's pretty simple, actually. I'm a "repressed" person living in a repressed society. I've long ago acknowledged that I have a dark side (not violent, just dark) and this kind of entertainment is merely an outlet for that side; like scary movies or novels that plumb the depths of human alienation, games such as Doom3 are cathartic. Detractors often decry the existence of such entertainment when there's already so much violence in the world. "Why add to it?" they ask. Well, if you consider joystick twiddling and button mashing violent activities, then I agree. But these aren't violent activities. They're games. Lines of code written to provide a thrill (and we seek that thrill enough to want to shell out US $50 or more to get it). Detractors also say that such games incite others to violence (as has been the case in a few widely reported cases). Well, I have news: if you look for this kind of cause-and-effect relationship, absolutely anything that is a cultural artifact can have undesirable effects on fragile minds. Rape, murder, incest, kidnapping, cannibalism, for example, are all themes we can find in the fairy tales of the brothers Grimm. With the advent of television, a child of today sees more sexual situations and violence, including killing, before he or she is eight years old than most adults saw in their lifetime a mere sixty years ago. Should fairy tales, television, and games (and paintings, plays, sculptures, films, books, and music, for that matter) be banned for this reason? No. I don't think so. What's important is that these things be understood in their proper setting, that they be contextualized, and used or enjoyed responsibly.

Anyway, back to the personal. I need to point out that I enjoy games in general, not just your basic "run 'n' gun." (By the way, just because there's already much violence and horror in the world, I like my own games to be "escapist" in their depiction of violence; with very few exceptions, I don't play war- or crime-themed games--zombies and evil aliens will do me fine.)

In the end, I play a video game for pretty much the same reason I listen to music... I want the experience to match my current mood. Sometimes, I listen to Vivaldi's Stabat Mater and sometimes I listen to Nine Inch Nail's Downward Spiral. Likewise, sometimes I play Riven (soothing and relaxing visual and aural atmospherics in the context of exploration and discovery) and sometimes I play Doom. Or, when silence calls, I don't play at all.

Below is a screenshot from Riven, followed by a screenshot from Doom3. To me, they're both just games. They're meant to be enjoyed. And enjoyable they are.

Love,
CJ

[Pauline]

HIa Ladies..

Voilence has been with the human race since day one.. Cavemen/women had to kill to eat (for survival) and cover their body's with the fur that they had, then there was rival communities who would fight for dominance to kill or be killed.. So the theory that games, music, film ect effects us to be violent is not true, it is in human nature that the violence and restraint comes from. I am not highly educated but thats the way i see it.

Nursary rhymes.. like Hansel and Gretel.. they push the witch in the oven and burned her alive.. and we tell that to our children, we try and most suceed in teaching our children right from wrong yet we tell them from an early age its ok to murder

CJ.. How many levels are there on Doom 3? as i have reached the Hell levels.. 2nd or 3rd and was wondering thanks

Pauline

[CJ]

Hi all,

Well, Pauline, you're nearing the end. You're back on the Mars base for a final cleanup and then head off to the archeological excavation to locate the main "portal." You'll face an Adversary there that will require fancy footwork. I managed to bring him down with just a chainsaw and the Soul Cube. Good luck!

Love,
CJ

[CJ]

Hi all,

A few months ago, I wrote: It's always the case that games are never as good as the first time you play them...

Well, how wrong I was! I've been playing Doom3 again, lately (on a more difficult setting), and it's just as awesome the second time around, let me tell you. The replay value of this game is very high. One thing I hadn't noticed the first time around (and that's sort of a drag) is that, although you can do online multiplayer matches, you cannot play with an opponent on the same machine. Too bad, as my friend Carole and I would've loved to do a bit of co-operative cleaning up on the Mars base. Oh well, we settled for the classic Dooms, where such co-op play is available.

For the fun of it, here's another screenshot (of a couple of critters this time):



Hope you have fun!

Love,
CJ