Doom 3 (PC)

So, upon loading the game, I guess my expectations were lowered somewhat. Following a long load-up, fairly standard fare a la Half-Life ensued in the early stages of the game, where you are allowed to wander and explore the base you have just been assigned to. The predictable start inevitably leads you to the crunch point where everything for the people of the base goes right down the toilet, following the opening of the gateway to hell (tch, not again).

However, from the moment the first scientist claims that 'the Devil is real' (and promptly attempts to nibble your ear), you are trust into what I can only describe as a completely interactive horror experience. The graphics are immense, with excellent set pieces and neat touches like shadows being thrown across the screen from the (recently deceased) hanging bodies. The creatures that lunge from every shadow also feel terrifying, even if you secretly know that you'll probably take them out easier than your weekly rubbish on collection day.

But it's the sound that had me wanting to turn the evil thing off, simply to calm down. The clangs, scrapes, villianious laughter, screams and echoes are expertly placed and executed. Coupled with the graphical genius, the atmosphere alone makes the thing so damn playable.

And then you get the chaingun. I could go on describing just how much fun it is cutting things in two (ditto the chainsaw); but I'll leave it. Instead, I'll just urge you to go and try it out yourself.

Like a nightmarish cross between Theif, Half-Life, Aliens and Event Horizon, Doom 3 gave me faith in the first-person shooter again.

Avoid at your peril.

So the biggest question amongst PC gamers is 'was it worth the wait?' I will attempt to provide my own answer to this question. I must admit I was impressed from the word go by the included Doom III T-Shirt - not terribly well made but the thought was there!

What strikes you about the game from the very start is the sheer quality of graphics - the smooth textures and objects give the game an incredibly lifelike look - aided by a good quality graphics card with anti-aliasing turned on of course. The game is noticeably dark most of the way through but this adds to the tense atmosphere in my opinion and is not a shortcoming like many other reviewers seem to think. The frequent need to switch between torch and weapon means that the player needs their wits about them all the time.

The enemies look fantastic and are, for the most part, updated versions of their Doom/Doom II counterparts complete with new moves and abilities. Imps leaping at you, full-stretch, from the shadows and Lost Souls dodging your attacks before flying at you at insane speeds all add to the quick pace of the game and put you on edge. The new enemies look great too and are well thought out, such as the creepy Cherubs and the Chainsaw Zombies. The one enemy I missed was the Cacodemon but this is the only disappointment I can think of.

The levels are mostly well designed and often very large, sprawling, and maze-like albeit not to the same extent as Doom/Doom II. Unfortunately the levels are also the biggest flaw with the game - they are not varied enough and there are only so many generic dark military-looking coridoors you can go down before you start to get bored. There are some fantastic features in the levels, however, such as fully moveable and rotatable lift platforms, and shatter-proof windows that look out over the Mars surface.

The weapons are well designed, sound realistic and all have their own particular uses. Whilst I have my favourites as I'm sure most other gamers do too (such the incredibly powerful and satisfying-to-use Chainsaw!), I am half-way through the game at present and still find myself switching back to more basic weapons when necessary. The pistol is probably my only redundant weapon although even that comes in handy sometimes for blowing up barrels.

The PDA feature is probably my favourite aspect of the game and is a fantastic way of developing characters and plots as you disocover new data/video disks, and deceased colleagues own PDAs - constantly building up a catalogue of e-mails, audio-logs and videos.

Another great feature is the ability to go outside into the oppressive Martian atmosphere. As the game progresses you need to do this for longer periods of time and the need to pick up oxygen tanks to avoid suffocating makes these parts of the game very nerve-wracking - you are forced to act as quickly as possible which is not at all easy for me, being a very slow and cautious player.

All things considered and despite the odd shortcoming, I would class this game as a success, definitely worth waiting for, and a worthy sequel to the Doom series. I have no doubt that all the hard work ID have put into this games development has not been in vain.