Xbox Doom 3: how is it?

[Ritchie Nolasco]

Has anyone here played or finished Doom3 on Xbox yet? How was it? Worth purchasing on Xbox?

[Tappy_Tibbons]

I'm still playing through it right now. I will say that certain parts from the PC version have been cut, including a few of the most atmpspheric parts. The biggest omission out of the game IMO? When you';re about to die in the PC version, the screen turns red and your vision looks kinda like an old black and white movie...I've got no CLUE why they took this part out as it was one of the freakiest parts of the game. There are some new aditions though, you will notice, were not in the PC version, so I guess it goes both ways.

Though I cannot judge the co-op or multi yet, I can say that the collectors edition has been an excelelnt purchase considering all the extras in the package.

Buy it, but if you've played the PC version, you will be disappointed, if you have not, it will blow your mind.

The graphics are among the best on XBox by far, if not the best.

[Glockstar]

It. Is. All. That.

I suppose the big question for a lot of people is: how are the graphics? Well, I might be the wrong person to answer that. I see so many great looking Xbox games... Chronicles of Riddick; Halo 2; Chaos Theory; Ninja Gaiden... that graphics, to me, are almost an afterthought anymore. I do know that, like those games I just mentioned, Doom 3 sports some awe-fangled kind of technology (or two) that's supposed to set it apart from all others - graphically speaking - but it's all over my head. I can tell you when a game doesn't look up to snuff, but I don't know if I'd want to list what the greatest looking games of this generation are. That said, if I absolutely had to name a number one... I'd go with Doom 3.

I guess the other thing I want to talk about at this time is actually another #1 one milestone that this game has obtained: Doom 3 is, without a doubt, the scariest game I have ever played! #@$% me.

I surprised myself earlier this year when I gave Resident Evil 4 a rent. Scary games are not my thang. I could barely play Return To Castle Wolfenstein! But even more surprising was the fact that I've had no real problems getting thru RE4. Oh the atmosphere is definitely spooky, but it feels more... Halloween-y... to me than anything. It feels like fall; it feels like October. But I like Halloween; I love fall. I don't want to say that I'm dissapointed, but... I am rather surprised. I'm sure that it's because I psyche myself up for it tho'. However... no amount of psyching-up, or anything, is working work for me for Doom 3! It's amazing, because there's not too much in this world that is more obvious than a re-made first-person-shooter. I mean, it's Doom fer crying out loud - I know exactly what to expect with this game! And I'm pretty sure I know what's to happen next... and yet this game still... absolutely... freaks... me... out. I tremble. I actually tremble when I play it. #@$%... I get the shakes when I'm just standing still in the game. Forget about when I'm advancing down the sometimes pitch-black (and I mean pitch-black) corridors - with just a flashlight in hand - I'm about to wet myself when I know I'm in a safe area. It's the ambient noises is what it is. It's the sound effects. It's the music. There's so much tension! It's the screaming in the background - and over the comm.channels; it's the things that fall off the walls - for no reason; it's the tentacles that come shooting out thru the cracks in the doors. #@$% this $#!%; I'm trembling just thinking about it. Doom 3 is the epitome of horror. I don't know how I continue on... but I do. :D

I hope the rest of you are having as much fun as I am - between D3 and Chaos Theory (which gets my vote for GOTY btw) I am in gaming heaven (again)! I can't stop thinking about these two games! I have come so close to calling in sick to work, and/or telling the boss that I'm sick and I gotta leave early... just so that I can get my fix of one, or both, of these games... :o

[Kult]

It. Is. All. That.

I suppose the big question for a lot of people is: how are the graphics? Well, I might be the wrong person to answer that. I see so many great looking Xbox games... Chronicles of Riddick; Halo 2; Chaos Theory; Ninja Gaiden... that graphics, to me, are almost an afterthought anymore. I do know that, like those games I just mentioned, Doom 3 sports some awe-fangled kind of technology (or two) that's supposed to set it apart from all others - graphically speaking - but it's all over my head. I can tell you when a game doesn't look up to snuff, but I don't know if I'd want to list what the greatest looking games of this generation are. That said, if I absolutely had to name a number one... I'd go with Doom 3.

I guess the other thing I want to talk about at this time is actually another #1 one milestone that this game has obtained: Doom 3 is, without a doubt, the scariest game I have ever played! #@$% me.

I surprised myself earlier this year when I gave Resident Evil 4 a rent. Scary games are not my thang. I could barely play Return To Castle Wolfenstein! But even more surprising was the fact that I've had no real problems getting thru RE4. Oh the atmosphere is definitely spooky, but it feels more... Halloween-y... to me than anything. It feels like fall; it feels like October. But I like Halloween; I love fall. I don't want to say that I'm dissapointed, but... I am rather surprised. I'm sure that it's because I psyche myself up for it tho'. However... no amount of psyching-up, or anything, is working work for me for Doom 3! It's amazing, because there's not too much in this world that is more obvious than a re-made first-person-shooter. I mean, it's Doom fer crying out loud - I know exactly what to expect with this game! And I'm pretty sure I know what's to happen next... and yet this game still... absolutely... freaks... me... out. I tremble. I actually tremble when I play it. #@$%... I get the shakes when I'm just standing still in the game. Forget about when I'm advancing down the sometimes pitch-black (and I mean pitch-black) corridors - with just a flashlight in hand - I'm about to wet myself when I know I'm in a safe area. It's the ambient noises is what it is. It's the sound effects. It's the music. There's so much tension! It's the screaming in the background - and over the comm.channels; it's the things that fall off the walls - for no reason; it's the tentacles that come shooting out thru the cracks in the doors. #@$% this $#!%; I'm trembling just thinking about it. Doom 3 is the epitome of horror. I don't know how I continue on... but I do. :D

I hope the rest of you are having as much fun as I am - between D3 and Chaos Theory (which gets my vote for GOTY btw) I am in gaming heaven (again)! I can't stop thinking about these two games! I have come so close to calling in sick to work, and/or telling the boss that I'm sick and I gotta leave early... just so that I can get my fix of one, or both, of these games... :o


Hey Mr. Oddworld, you scarred of the dark littleboy? hahahahahahahahahahahah
:D

Doom 3 on Xbox is decent, does not hold up against the PC's killer version! (Don't play the PC version Glockstock! Might be just a little too freaky)
Yeeeeahhh! Riddick is better still, Halo 2 better even still and so on!
Doom 3 is nothing more than a simple shooter with sweet visuals.

Halflife 2 blows everything away!

[Glockstar]

Man... I've been playing D3 almost exclusively lately... because I've been thinking that I'm close to the end. Every nite I get proven wrong though. :(

Is this a long game, or does it just play that way?

Forget what I said earlier about me not being able to differentiate one great looking Xbox game from the next and forget what I said about this game being one of the best... there's no denying and no doubt about it - this game is the best looking game I have ever seen!

[Renzatic Gear]

It's a good 15 hours or so, I'd say. Not super long, but not drastically short either.

[Kult]

Man... I've been playing D3 almost exclusively lately... because I've been thinking that I'm close to the end. Every nite I get proven wrong though. :(

Is this a long game, or does it just play that way?

Forget what I said earlier about me not being able to differentiate one great looking Xbox game from the next and forget what I said about this game being one of the best... there's no denying and no doubt about it - this game is the best looking game I have ever seen!

I heard SC-CT is even better looking?
what's your take?

[Glockstar]

It's a good 15 hours or so, I'd say. Not super long, but not drastically short either.

Aha. Well, that's 3 to 5 hours longer than what I was guessing.

Btw, I just got into hell. And... the game has taken a turn for the worse.

[Renzatic Gear]

lol, you'll be glad to know that Hell only makes up a small portion of the game then. You've still got a bit more to go, it doesn't end there.

[Glockstar]

Yeah, good thing. I actually got thru Hell last nite. And was extremely relieved. If for no other reason than the fact that I got my flashlight back. :D

While it's true that I was getting extremely ticked with that portion of the game while I was playing it, less than 24 hours later I was actually reflecting on it rather fondly.

Everything that I was loving about Doom 3 disappeared during those levels last nite. The graphics; the sounds; the gameplay - I thought it all sucked here... and so during that time all the faults that I had probably overlooked before - or forgiven(?) - came into glaring light. Particularly the load times. I was not having any fun staring at that skull mask thing every 20 seconds. Where the game was once a 9 on my ratings-scale, I think it dropped to below 5 at this point. In fact, I didn't think I was going to finish it there. :o

But then today all I could think about was the good things - and in retrospect that ends up including the overall atmosphere of the levels and the accomplishments it took to get thru them.

Still, it was good to back to "reality". And it wasn't long before I was going goo-goo and ga-ga all over again. The sounds of the game - particularly the ambient/background effects and music are abso-effin-lutely amazing! (They were just annoying in Hell; it was just... all noise.)

I (finally) finished the game tonite, btw. I'd guess that it took me around 15 to 16 hours total. (And I'm pretty sure that the Xbox version is a lot shorter than the PC version.) Of course, I'm slow. I'll be the first to tell you. I gotta check everything out, ya know? Here I am playing Doom, letting out a couple of quick exhales before I bust into this next room... and then I see a flashing light "out of the corner of my eye" - and I gotta go investigate. Then I'll just stand there looking at it - amazed - I'll look up...down... all around... inspecting and admiring the Carmack's and Vicarious Visions' work. Like I probably stood there in front of the Reactor (reminded me of Event Horizon) for at least 5 minutes... at least... just soaking things in... listening. Heh, I even left and came back!

I don't know where this game will ultimately end up on the Glockstar Scale, but preliminary voting has me thinking 8.5. We'll see though. If the game sticks with me - if I find myself thinking about it for some time to come - I'm sure it'll get back up to the 9 status.

You ever get yourself an Xbox Beer? I know you played the PC version - on a high-end PC ... I would love to hear how the Xbox version compares. 'Cause I'll be honest with you, I really can't imagine it looking any better. These visuals are jaw-dropping! Easily the Xbox's best.

I'm also wondering if I'm the only one that thinks this game rocks.(?) It didn't seem like you PC guys thought very highly of it (either). What's wrong with all of you?!

[Renzatic Gear]

I played the Xbox version here the other day actually. Surprisingly it runs really damn smooth and wasn't buthered in the transition.

I'd say if you want the PC equivalent it's running at medium setting, 640x480, with all the OGL2 effects turned off. That means the textures are a little muddier and you're missing the heat haze and all the cool distortion effects, but overall it's a pretty favorable comparison.

I haven't played it long, but the biggest difference I noticed (besides some of the levels being cut up a bit) is that the intro stops when you walk through the scanner and talk to the guy at the desk, whereas in the PC version you start playing as soon as you get off the ship. Not a huge deal overall.

lol, and I did like the game..I just didn't love it. It had it's moments, no doubt, but compared to Farcry and HL2 it came off a little too simplistic. If it were more like Doom 1 & 2 I would've liked it better, but as it is I just consider it a pretty alright game, but not a great one.

[Glockstar]

Cool.

But I want to clarify that I wasn't just picking on you eggheads... er, I mean PC guys... Ren, when I said 'what's wrong with all of you'. I mean, other than the pro-reviewers it seems like I'm the only guy that thinks this is a AAA game. Yuck! Come on y'all, don't leave me all alone with those clowns! You'll make me think there's something wrong with me!

-

I might get crooked looks when I say this, but I must insist that D3 is a Survival-Horror game first and foremost. An S-H game with a smart first-person viewpoint. (Yaaay!) I know it's (essentially) a remake of one of the first FPSs ever, but I think Carmacks idea of what Doom is and what it should be is much more than what was. The FP viewpoint just naturally calls - and allows - for more action than a third-person game but I think that to think of Doom 3 as just a first-person shooter is wrong. There have been a lot of innovative FPS's since the last Doom, and you know ID is going to put out a game that's on the cutting edge, so to speak (and they did!)... so I'm telling you, the lack of squad-based tactics, vehicles, and super-smart enemy A.I. is intentional. That's just not what this game is about.

[Kult]

Cool.
Come on y'all, don't leave me all alone with those clowns! You'll make me think there's something wrong with me!

I think the only thing wrong with you, is that you don't respond to questions very well!

Who is the clown?

[Jupiter_x]

/\ /\ Yeah I concur! I used to think he was a cool Xbot.....now I don't even pay attention!

[Kult]

/\ /\ Yeah I concur! I used to think he was a cool Xbot.....now I don't even pay attention!


I find the friendly ones in these forums are the GC, PC and PS2 guys:
Gadfly, Renzatic, Trebor.....what is up with that waco-freak though....what a tool!

Xbots are too angry MO!

Pure Jokes man! :rolleyes:

[Jupiter_x]

/\ /\ Again I concur!

Hey there Renzatic!

[Jupiter_x]

Anyway! I am currently playing the Xbox version of Doom 3, quite impressive to say the least, too bad the outdoor environments are cut though. Stranger still, If I play long enough on the Xbox version and then go and play the PC version, I can really see the difference.

I will give Xbox credit where it's due....no other console could pull this game off...this well!

[Renzatic Gear]

...so I'm telling you, the lack of squad-based tactics, vehicles, and super-smart enemy A.I. is intentional. That's just not what this game is about.
Hey Jupiter X!

See, that's not what I don't like about the game. I was expecting it to be an oldschool shooter, and the first hour or two was an absolute kick in the ass. But after that you start noticing that they use the same pattern all throughout the game...2 guys teleport in front, 1 guy behind you. It got to the point where I was able to tell just when I was gonna get jumped, and it quit being scary to me by that point.

Plus the levels were pretty linear and easy. I never got lost in the game like I did in Doom 64, and the enemies wern't so difficult that it ever put up a challenge. Overall it was fun, looked awesome as hell, but fell too short of it's heritage.

On another note...they cut out the outdoor scenes? Did the nix the monorail ride? That was one of the coolest parts of the game and it'd be a shame if Glock missed out on it.

[Darwin]

Stranger still, If I play long enough on the Xbox version and then go and play the PC version, I can really see the difference.

I own and have played both version. And I will say that I find the Xbox version of Doom 3 to be far superior to the PC version. The reason: the Xbox version has a consistent and stable framerate (at least in the single player). My PC version skips from 60 fps to 5 - 10 fps in certain areas where there are moving parts in the level (I have the FPS printed on the upper right of the screen, using that console command). Each monster that appears seems to knock down the framerate another 10 - 15 fps. Kinda hard to aim a reticule of your gun when this happens. The Xbox version, however, remains at the same smooth framerate the entire time, regardless of how many enemies. I REALLY noticed the difference after playing the end of that one level where you get the bezerker pack and 12 or so zombies come out at you. Choppy as hell on the PC, no slowdown at all on Xbox.

Also the fact that all your controls are right at your fingertips makes the Xbox version so much better to play. I don't have to take my eyes off the screen at all, unlike the PC version where I am hunting for my keyes sometimes.

[Jupiter_x]

I own and have played both version. And I will say that I find the Xbox version of Doom 3 to be far superior to the PC version. The reason: the Xbox version has a consistent and stable framerate (at least in the single player). My PC version skips from 60 fps to 5 - 10 fps in certain areas where there are moving parts in the level (I have the FPS printed on the upper right of the screen, using that console command). Each monster that appears seems to knock down the framerate another 10 - 15 fps. Kinda hard to aim a reticule of your gun when this happens. The Xbox version, however, remains at the same smooth framerate the entire time, regardless of how many enemies. I REALLY noticed the difference after playing the end of that one level where you get the bezerker pack and 12 or so zombies come out at you. Choppy as hell on the PC, no slowdown at all on Xbox.

Also the fact that all your controls are right at your fingertips makes the Xbox version so much better to play. I don't have to take my eyes off the screen at all, unlike the PC version where I am hunting for my keyes sometimes.

I will say that D3 on the control stick somehow fits, I love it! On my PC though I rarely get a hiccup and the framerate is always 60 and above (I am running in optimal mode too) I find it alot easier on the PC though, X version seems more challenging! I give them both the nod.

[Glockstar]

See, that's not what I don't like about the game. I was expecting it to be an oldschool shooter, and the first hour or two was an absolute kick in the ass. But after that you start noticing that they use the same pattern all throughout the game...2 guys teleport in front, 1 guy behind you. It got to the point where I was able to tell just when I was gonna get jumped, and it quit being scary to me by that point.

Plus the levels were pretty linear and easy. I never got lost in the game like I did in Doom 64, and the enemies wern't so difficult that it ever put up a challenge. Overall it was fun, looked awesome as hell, but fell too short of it's heritage.

First off, let me say that I must agree with Jupiter X (though I'm sure he's loathe to hear that): I thought (this Xbox version of) Doom 3 was pretty danged challenging. Particularly after the halfway point. (Or somewhere around those parts.) The Hellknights, especially, are hard as hell. (Pun realized, but left in.) There were a couple of pretty puzzling moments there too. Sucks to hear that the XB version was trimmed down (or whathaveyou) but it sounds to me like the difficulty may have been increased.

And yeah, I learned that the enemy never - or very rarely - strikes alone, and that they almost always appear in flanking positions. But knowing that, and adjusting to that, never diminished the game for me, because that... spontaneity... was not one of the things that really spooked me (all that much) anyhow. Seriously. That's where the action was, but that wasn't where the horror was. Although, I do have to admit that "they got me" everytime within those first minutes of firing the game up.

You say you never got lost, Beer? Dang. I got lost all the time. Everytime I had to backtrack, I got lost. So you know I got lost a lot. I know the game is linear, but it does still require you to go back thru many areas to get to where you ultimately need to go - areas that always to seemed to change - even if ever so slightly - after certain objective-events. Maybe this is just me, but it seemed like everytime I took a step backward I'd be instantly lost. I eventually grew to accept it. Though accepting didn't seem to help my cause any.

Unfortunately for me, I don't know all that much about Dooms "heritage". I never really got into the original Doom. All because I cannot stand WASD controls. I enjoyed watching the game be played, but you know I never saw the whole game. And even if I did, you know that's not the same.

Fortunately for me, I get to rectify all of that with this Limited Collectors Edition of Doom 3! :D

But let me apologize in advance right now, for I must admit that I will be going into the originals with a more comparitive mindset than a pretend-you-were-there one. Soory.

.
On another note...they cut out the outdoor scenes? Did the nix the monorail ride? That was one of the coolest parts of the game and it'd be a shame if Glock missed out on it.

Oh don't you worry! They sure as hell didn't! And neither did I! That was one of the coolest parts of the game. In fact, that was when I really stood up and start lauding Doom 3. I don't want TMG to hear this, but that's one of those scenes that I was alluding to when I said, 'wait until you get to this part'. I hate to overhype things... but I really thought that part was one of the coolest EVAR!!!

[Renzatic Gear]

Hey, have you played it co-op yet? Also, can you play the original Dooms co-op as well?

If you can it'd be the one reason for me to pick up a copy. Playing oldschool Doom 1 deathmatch would be an awesome nostalgia trip...I played the Playstation version linked up with 2 TV's way back in the day.

[slade]

Man Glock, don't ever play a real Survival Horror game. If you got lost in Doom 3, you'll never get through Silent Hill 2.

[Jupiter_x]

Oh don't you worry! They sure as hell didn't! And neither did I! That was one of the coolest parts of the game. In fact, that was when I really stood up and start lauding Doom 3. I don't want TMG to hear this, but that's one of those scenes that I was alluding to when I said, 'wait until you get to this part'. I hate to overhype things... but I really thought that part was one of the coolest EVAR!!!

This game and particularly this part in the game definitely deserves the hype. I admit I enjoyed it as much the second time around on my Xbox. That controller "s"...Wow!


Hey, have you played it co-op yet? Also, can you play the original Dooms co-op as well?

If you can it'd be the one reason for me to pick up a copy. Playing oldschool Doom 1 deathmatch would be an awesome nostalgia trip...I played the Playstation version linked up with 2 TV's way back in the day.





Damn! I need to utilize my 6 monts free Live coupons and try this game in Co-op!

I remember the playstation "linked" daze. All my buddys and I crammed into the tiny living room of my one bedroom apt. loud music (koRn, Rage), Pizza, wings....booze.....oh the memories!

[Glockstar]

Hey have you played it co-op yet? Also, can you play the original Dooms co-op as well?

If you can it'd be the one reason for me to pick up a copy. Playing oldschool Doom 1 deathmatch would be an awesome nostalgia trip...I played the Playstation version linked up with 2 TV's way back in the day.

I haven't gotten into any other game modes yet. But per the instruction manual:

* The Collectors Editon of Doom 3 includes both Ultimate Doom and its sequel Doom II.
* Split-Screen Multiplayer... up to four people can play. Cooperative and Deathmatch.

You just can't take the Classic Doom games online. :(
And I think only Doom 3 can be played via System-Link.

-

Man Glock, don't ever play a real Survival Horror game. If you got lost in Doom 3, you'll never get through Silent Hill 2.

I know it's against normal conventions, but I consider this game to be a real Survival Horror game. But I'm sure you're right about SH2. :p

[Fivespot]

My Doom 3 impressions thus far (I haven't finished it yet).

First and foremost, this is a basic FPS similar to the original Doom. Since Doom partly pioneered this genre, I suppose its their right to stick to the absolute basics. Weapons and objects are for the most part very traditional (shotgun, machine gun, hand gun, plasma gun, etc...).

Gameplay is mainly set in corridor type settings which are linear and confusing at times due to back tracking and due to the corridors looking similar at points. I hate to admit this but I've walked in circles a few times thinking I was making progress.

The enemies are fairly dumb and don't make much effort to evade attacks. This quality is similar again to classic FPS fare.

Graphics is where this game shines! It looks wonderful.

Overall, I'd rate the game a 92 out of 100. Its still a great game if you can accept it as a traditional FPS w/souped up graphics and online capabilities on the XBOX. Plus, the collectors edition extras are fabulous.

I hope to finish this game soon and will then try the online co-op and deathmatch.