DOOM 3 Preview

Mars can be a lonely place. It can be even lonelier when almost all the members of your party are dead. But when you find out that demons killed your comrades and are intent on traversing back to Earth, the word “lonely” can be supplanted with the word “terrifying.”

Doom III is the retelling of the original Doom, and is being released by id Software and Activision, and developed by Vicarious Visions, for the Xbox. The goal in making this title was rather simple … the intent is “to make your living room the scariest room in the house.” 

This game essentially ports the storyline intact from the PC to the Xbox. The main differences are the co-op mode of play that has been added for the Xbox release and the fact that the controls have all be reconfigured for the Xbox controller. Even the framerate from the PC – 30 fps – has been maintained for the Xbox system.

The game features 30-40 hours of gameplay, and there are five multiplayer maps for the Xbox Live experience.  The game sports puzzles and mazes, and the weapon swap-out is typical of FPS titles. But this title prey on players with psychological terror. There are moments when hell takes over parts of the base. The scenes are akin to macabre nightmares of flayed bodies, living tentacles embracing whole rooms and ceilings, creepy crawlies and drop in from above, and zombies that pop out and try to do more than simply say boo.

Publishing and development officials, at the Activision Pre-E3 Editor’s Day, stated that “we think Doom III on the Xbox will be the scariest, best-looking console game ever.

“The goal was to make this the best single-player game that id has ever made.”

Why is the game only being ported to the Xbox and not to other consoles?

“The Xbox is the only console that can handle the way they did bump mapping, lighting and shadows, and only the Xbox can handle that.”

Officials also said that they wanted to make Doom III feel and play out like an interactive horror movie. They have done a good job with that. As impressive as the game is graphically, what really lends to the atmosphere and mood is the soundtrack. If you are looking to alleviate that eerie feeling and nervous tension, start by turning the sound off.

Doom III (Xbox) has been a long-awaited title, but from this first look, the wait will have been worth it.