Gamenikki
Systems
Screens
Summary
pros
- Graphics are among the best on the Xbox
- Sound helps create intense atmosphere
- Environments are more varied than Doom 3
- Nostalgic fun with the addition of old Doom games
cons
- The gameplay is tired and in need of a change
- Voice acting is laughable at times
- Artifact is not integrated as seamlessly as hoped
final score
7
The Review
Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil
- Number of Players: 1-4
- Genre: First-Person Shooter
- Developer: Vicarious Visions / id Software
- Publisher: Activision
- ESRB Rating: M
- Online: Yes
- Supports: Xbox Live, System Link, Communicator Headset
I remember the months (years?) leading up to Doom 3. I was always searching for the newest screenshot or in game movie, and whenever I read a preview my loins quivered with anticipation. However, once I actually played the game I was left disappointed. Yeah, the game looked fantastic. There was no denying that. However, the gameplay just was not as solid as I expected. The enemy AI was relatively tame, and everything was just way too dark. Doom 3 really boiled down to an impressive tech demo for people with constantly dilated pupils.
Because I had been burned a bit by Doom 3, I really did not pay much attention to its expansion pack, Resurrection of Evil. Yes, I heard the rumors that the environments were more varied, and the new guns and enemies sounded intriguing. However, I felt that I could hold strong in the face of this promising news and not buy the expansion pack.
The story for Resurrection of Evil is...well, stop me if you've heard this one. You play as a nameless marine who happens to walk into a hellish situation (get it?...HELLish!!!). While if I was the marine I would leave Mars and begin a standup comedy tour because I am incredibly funny, your character ends up with his hands on “the artifact”, and becomes an errand boy for a Dr. Elizabeth McNeil. Wild hijinks ensue, and there MAY be zombies and demons. I really do not want to give too much away here, folks.
Let me begin by focusing on the new additions to the Doom universe. Primary among these is the aforementioned artifact. This artifact may or may not have something to do with the events happening on Mars. As you progress through the game, you can defeat certain enemies and gain artifact powers.
These powers are bullet…um…Hell time, berserker mode, and invulnerability. As the game goes on, you WILL need to use the artifact. However, I had a problem with the implementation of the artifact. The artifact runs on HUMAN SOULS!!! All this is fine and fits into the Doom universe well. However, there are times when there are piles of dead humans waiting to have their souls harvested.
The first one or two times I saw this it helped build up the tension. I knew that I would need to use the artifact, and I knew there would be a HELLish firefight. Unfortunately, as the game wore on, I realized that I rarely, if ever, used the artifact when there weren’t a bunch of human souls lying around. Not only did this take away from the fun of using the artifact, it took away some potential surprise moments, which is what the series thrives on.
There are two new weapons that make an appearance that are more traditional than the artifact. The first, and more hyped, of the two is the Grabber. The Grabber is essentially a version of Half-Life’s Gravity Gun. While it is a copycat gun, I enjoyed using the Grabber. Its most useful, and fun, application is when you catch large projectiles from an enemy and throw them back. Not only do you save ammunition, this adds an aspect of skill, however minor, that the series desperately needs.
The second new gun is the double-barreled shotgun. Let me be frank…this gun is incredible. I know that some people will complain about its slow load time, but when you consider the fact that it can annihilate many of your enemies with one shot, reload time is not much of a factor. There were stretches where I would use the double-barreled shotgun exclusively for upwards of an hour. The gun is that good.
Because I had been burned a bit by Doom 3, I really did not pay much attention to its expansion pack, Resurrection of Evil. Yes, I heard the rumors that the environments were more varied, and the new guns and enemies sounded intriguing. However, I felt that I could hold strong in the face of this promising news and not buy the expansion pack.
"...The second new gun is the double-barreled shotgun. Let me be frank…this gun is incredible...."
As one could have imagined, I buckled, and jumped at the chance to review Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil for the Xbox. Did it build on the Doom 3 engine and build a fun game, or did it just serve as another wonderful tech demo? Well, I know this sounds like a copout, but it is a bit of both.The story for Resurrection of Evil is...well, stop me if you've heard this one. You play as a nameless marine who happens to walk into a hellish situation (get it?...HELLish!!!). While if I was the marine I would leave Mars and begin a standup comedy tour because I am incredibly funny, your character ends up with his hands on “the artifact”, and becomes an errand boy for a Dr. Elizabeth McNeil. Wild hijinks ensue, and there MAY be zombies and demons. I really do not want to give too much away here, folks.
Let me begin by focusing on the new additions to the Doom universe. Primary among these is the aforementioned artifact. This artifact may or may not have something to do with the events happening on Mars. As you progress through the game, you can defeat certain enemies and gain artifact powers.
These powers are bullet…um…Hell time, berserker mode, and invulnerability. As the game goes on, you WILL need to use the artifact. However, I had a problem with the implementation of the artifact. The artifact runs on HUMAN SOULS!!! All this is fine and fits into the Doom universe well. However, there are times when there are piles of dead humans waiting to have their souls harvested.
The first one or two times I saw this it helped build up the tension. I knew that I would need to use the artifact, and I knew there would be a HELLish firefight. Unfortunately, as the game wore on, I realized that I rarely, if ever, used the artifact when there weren’t a bunch of human souls lying around. Not only did this take away from the fun of using the artifact, it took away some potential surprise moments, which is what the series thrives on.
There are two new weapons that make an appearance that are more traditional than the artifact. The first, and more hyped, of the two is the Grabber. The Grabber is essentially a version of Half-Life’s Gravity Gun. While it is a copycat gun, I enjoyed using the Grabber. Its most useful, and fun, application is when you catch large projectiles from an enemy and throw them back. Not only do you save ammunition, this adds an aspect of skill, however minor, that the series desperately needs.
The second new gun is the double-barreled shotgun. Let me be frank…this gun is incredible. I know that some people will complain about its slow load time, but when you consider the fact that it can annihilate many of your enemies with one shot, reload time is not much of a factor. There were stretches where I would use the double-barreled shotgun exclusively for upwards of an hour. The gun is that good.
Written by: Bill Shaeffer