Techtite's PC Game Reviews!

"I think this is as good a time as any to say that the original "Doom" game was fun, but it wasn't too scary. Doom 3 is a hardcore interactive horror film, that will make even the most diehard gamer turn on all the lights."

---from the review

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Sidebar :

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The Arachnotron Lives! "...so why not show him here," you ask? Well, I just found that seeing at all the classic characters in their new forms was a surprise worth keeping, for the most part. So; let's just say the arachnotron lives. Cool. 

Who's your (Martian) Buddy? There are a lot of little details to the game I loved. One was the constant mention of "Martian Buddy.com." What makes this web site so interesting is that; as of the release of this game, this web site actually exists. Go there, and it even gives you the code key for two hidden Martian Buddy chests within the game. What's inside them? Let's just say it's worth it to find these.

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Feel free to contribute. As always, review submissions are accepted!

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Doom 3

Click picture to order this game (PC/windows version)

A Techtite Review

How long is a "long wait"...? The original Doom's shareware mission was first uploaded to various online servers in December, 1993. As for its only "true" sequel (and some gamers would debate even that): Doom 2 came out in August, 1994. To put it mildly, Doom 3 was a long time in coming. Was it worth the wait...? To this critic, it certainly was.

The opening alone will be talked about for months. Looking at the fluid animation of a computer display in-game, one is apt to think, "This monitor is too detailed to be the real game yet; this is just an FMV." Surprise! The monitor pans out to reveal a whole control tower, in-game. See; in this game monitors show fluid video. Even some computers actually work. Cool...!

The interesting thing about Doom 3's single-player missions is that they are not a sequel, as much as a revival. After all; the original story of Doom was mentioned merely on the back of game boxes, so clearly, a "real" start to the story was needed. Doom 3 begins the story anew, with a new marine recruit sent to Mars, just before all heck literally breaks loose. What makes this all the more interesting is that, in the single-player prologue, nothing bad has happened yet. You get to be there, right at the start of it all. This is very effective when you traverse the lobby of this complex as it originally appeared, only to traverse it again when the place is "cursed," or whatever you call it. You even get to explore the labs where the rumored experiments took place; a treat even the original game didn't offer.

All of the classic Doom characters are back, from soldiers to Imps; from the "Pinky" demons, to the Hell Knights. Each character has had a completely high-tech overhaul, graphics wise, with Imps now having insect-like eyes, while pinky demons have bionic hind quarters (ouch). Prior to playing this game, I was particularly perplexed as to how Id Software could bring back the "Arachnotron"; a character so elaborate in its original 2D form, making it into a 3D model seemed barely possible. That being said: the arachnotron lives. Don't look for any pictures of these "boss" characters though; seeing them in-game is half the fun.

Are there new characters? Well, yes and no. I say "yes" because there are indeed new characters; I say "no" because I didn't like them much. Maybe it's because I love the classic characters so much, that I found the new characters distracting...? Maybe. I just don't think that spiders with upside down skulls are too scary. To me, they were just annoying. Likewise for the fly-babies (weird!), and what I like to call the "butt heads." I call them that because they are flaming skulls that literally butt heads with you, often pushing you off a thin bridge into the "instant death" lava below. Not that these moments were worth reducing the game's rating one bit; it just wasn't as fun to "fight" a flying butting head as it is to fight an arachnotron.

This isn't even getting into the mood of the game, which as interactive thrillers go, is one of the creepiest I've ever played (this being a compliment, in the world of thrillers). There is a very effective atmosphere here. One moment has you traverse the former living quarters of key personnel, some of whom were still in their beds when the dimensional rift occurred...and their fate isn't pretty. Although you do come across the occasional "survivor" like yourself, you'll more often come across the living dead, where the term "living" is very subjective. Some zombies have no head, while others have no lower jaw. One zombie will even come after you through a flaming gas leak, while on fire. I think this is as good a time as any to say that the original "Doom" game was fun, but it wasn't too scary. Doom 3 is a hardcore interactive horror film, that will make even the most diehard gamer turn on all the lights.

One controversial choice the game designers made was in making this not only a salute to a classic game, but a salute to classic gaming. After so many action-adventures that try to one-up the classic "shoot everything moving" formula, some gamers may grow tired of a game that is continuously "shoot everything, move to next room, repeat." So; yes, this is a salute to classic shooter-arcade gaming. However; you're talking to someone who owns every classic game collection ever made (Midway Arcade Classics, Intellivision Lives, etc.), so a salute to a classic gaming format sounds great. It's not like the game is too easy.

Not that the game doesn't attempt novelity at times. Among the many "let's see if fans like this" ideas Doom 3 introduces is the need for a flashlight at almost every other hallway. The challenge...? Unless you have the right game "mod," you cannot hold your flashlight at the same time as your gun. This is certainly a thrill-inducing game rule, and very unique, since no game to date has had good enough lighting to even attempt this. However; it doesn't make a whole lot of sense in the real world, since anyone would promptly duct tape the flashlight to their favorite gun. Whether this makes for a good game element depends on who you ask, though I did find it intriguing.

Mind you; this is the first time that Id Software has even attempted to offer a legitimate, story-driven single player mode. Barely any story ever unfolded in Wolf 3D or Doom, beyond simply "reach the big boss at the end of each level." With this being their first try, it's actually astounding how well they did. It may not have the character development of games that have used Id's own game engines in the past (I feel the need at this point to recommend Anachronox, dated "Quake 2" game engine or not). What's more, your character never says a word. Yet for the most part this single-player story is great. I was a bit dismayed when an apparently story-altering choice doesn't make any difference, though as the first real single-player story Id has ever offered, this is a fine looking job.

Even without a thoroughly interactive story, there's a surprisingly interactive world. Before going to Marine HQ at the start of the game, go to the cafe and enjoy a game of "Super Turbo Turkey Puncher III." PDA's of long-gone crewmen offer their audio logs, and even their private e-mail. Go into each new area of the base, and a monitor plays a tourist video of that lab's importance. This sets the mood perfectly.

Are there gripes? Well, here's where Doom 3's best feature comes in: the ease of making mods. How easy are we talking about...? Doom 3 isn't even out for a week, and already has 20 "mod" enhancements available online. The point is: this game is so modular, it makes barely any gripes worth mentioning, since someone will make a "mod" and eliminate the gripe in mere days. No sooner was I going to complain about how pitch black some fights were, when someone made a "mod" which attaches the flashlight to your gun. I'd complain about those silly looking fly-babies, but I'm sure a "mod" will quickly replace them with a giant wasp, or something. There's little to complain about here, and what there is to complain about won't last much longer. This game is very modular.

In the end, this is one of those games that is thrilling even when it doesn't intend to be. That is: even if you barely flinched when looking at all those glowing pentagrams on the floor, one cannot deny the technological thrills of Doom 3. From TV monitors that show fluid video, to the many times you'll see an enemy approaching via your simple flashlight; this is the sort of game engine that games will be based on for many more years to come. For this gamer, that's fantastic news.

---Techtite