EG Expo 2012: Doom 3: BFG Edition
It’s been eight years since Doom 3 graced PCs and then, a little later, the original Xbox. Now the game has been re-vamped, ready for it’s re-release and at Eurogamer we got hands on with the daddy of FPS franchises.
I’m told that not only the visuals to the game have been updated, but Doom 3 BFG Edition also includes Doom, Doom II, Doom 3 and some of the additional content which never made it to the final version of the game. So expect some new levels and content.
One of the biggest visual updates has been the introduction of 3D to the game. Watching others on the game at the show, while waiting in line to play myself, was incredibly disorienting – I felt my eyes strain as I was trying to see what they were doing; the visuals doubling and slightly blurry without the special glasses on.
But then it was my turn on the game and I tell you what, the 3D graphics, coupled with the headset provided at the show, really did help immerse yourself in the game – more so than other 3D games I’ve previously played. The in-your-face enemy attacks in 3D added to the tension and atmosphere the game is going for.
The graphics and lighting effects looked good, perhaps not amazing, but solid and detailed enough. But I guess that’s to be somewhat expected from a game that is updated and not brand new.
Speaking of the lighting effects, the darkness is one of the key elements to creating the atmosphere in Doom 3 and your ‘handy’ torch is just as it was before – with a terrible battery life.
I wish this was something that the developers had updated. I get the idea of having a torch to help you see in the dark and I understand that having its battery life deteriorate as you use it makes you appreciate it more. But having the torch only last about 15 seconds, before you need to let it recharge, is bloody ridiculous.
It’s meant to be the future, I’m fairly certain that even these magical torches that recharge on their own will have a longer battery life than a few seconds. The torchlight, while handy, isn’t exactly game breaking – you can’t suddenly light up an entire room, revealing all enemies nearby; you just see where you shine your light at a bit more clearly.
If anything I think it would be a more scary experience if you were to turn a corner and suddenly your light shines in the face of a monster. If it’s dark most of the time, you just blunder around and expect monsters to be hiding in every shadow.
I would give you a graphic description of my time on the game, but it wasn’t actually that interesting. I believe they had the full game on show, because everybody seemed to playing very different moments in the game and where I picked up from the previous player had me navigating around a few cramped corridors, which I promptly got lost in.
I ended up revisiting the same three or four rooms over and over, trying to work out what I was meant to be doing. I found one computer, which activated an air pump or something (there were alarms going off stating that a pump was broken). But after that I literally couldn’t find anything except for a locked door, and no key.
I like it when games don’t hold your hands and let you work things out for yourself, but Doom 3 (and I remember this as an issue from the original) has a habit of really making you guess how to get from point A to point B. In the end it turns out that I had missed an emergency access ladder hidden away in a corner, which led me up to a higher level where I had to find another pump to activate.
Final thoughts:
Despite some of my complaints, I did enjoy revisiting Doom 3. The problem is that all the niggling issues of the original version still seem to be there, including the spawning enemies.
Ultimately the appeal of being able to play the ‘main’ titles in the Doom franchise (there’s no Final Doom or Doom 64) and also the added content, will draw some gamers in.
At the end of the day, it is a well-made title and the new updates to visuals (while perhaps not mind blowing) are good – especially in 3D mode, which really does make it feel more immersive.
About the Author
~G~ Was the co-creator of DreamcastersRealm and SEGANerds with Chris – both sites now pretty much defunct, though both sites still hanging around the Internet ether in some form or another. Currently a co-host on the OnLiveFans Cast with Chris, Ryan and Sean.
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Do want!
Sure I have Doom 3 on a disc right next to me, but it seems to finally be an updated version for new machines and all that.
Though they say mods aren't supported and that just sorta stings. Though knowing them they know they have to support it quick.
I'm looking forward to this re-release.
