🚀 go-pugleaf

Here are my opinions on some matters relating to Doom 3.

1. The Flashlight

    In my opinion, when a person sits down to play a video game, he or she
must be willing to suspend disbelief while playing so that the game can be
enjoyed.  This means that if a particular element of a game is not handled
as realistically as it could be, it isn't necessarily a flaw--games are not
supposed to perfectly mirror reality.  If they did, they would all be
similar and we probably wouldn't want to play them.

    All games represent a departure from "reality" in some way.  Indeed,
when the time comes for us to actually colonize mars, open portals, and
combat the legions of hell, we will probably have some nightvision goggles
or a tactical light to strap on our weapons to make it much easier.
However, there is no reason why a game cannot deny us these things to alter
the gameplay experience.  Sweeping a room with a flashlight to look for
enemies and then switching back to your gun to fight them in a dark room is
a different game than running around with a light that is always on.  With
the flashlight set to an easy to reach key on your keyboard it is easy to
toggle back and fourth, and in my opinion, fun.  In Doom 3, you have to
fight the forces of hell in a dark nasty place where sometimes it is hard to
see--that's the game.  If you want goggles and sunlight, go play Far
Cry--you can play both and probably should if you have the time.  There is
no reason why someone with atleast 7 working fingers can't get the
flashlight thing working for them.  It is supposed to be dark!

2.  The gameplay is simple
    Doom 3's gameplay is simpler than Far Cry.  You don't need to lay down
in the prone position and you really don't need to lean around corners in
Doom 3.  The enemies aren't that smart in Doom 3.  They run at you out of
the dark screaming like banshees--just shoot them.  That is all Doom ever
was about and that is what this game is about, more or less.  If it was any
more complicated it probably wouldn't be called Doom 3. After playing Far
Cry this is a refreshing change--actually, a bold move by id.

3. It reminds me of other games I've played, namely, Half-Life
    No game is entirely original.  Before Doom there was Castle Wolfenstein.
Then there was Quake and Quake 2 and blah blah blah.  Id software wrote the
book on first person shooters, but then you have Half-Life (an evolved doom,
if you will?) Jedi Knight, Quake, Quake 2, Unreal, Quake 3, and now Doom 3.
None of those games were that original. All of them borrowed from sci-fi
fiction and the basic premise is that something goes wrong at some facility
and all hell breaks loose. Or, you get stranded somewhere really weird. It
is a genre.  The story is just an excuse to go around shooting things.

4. The story sucks

Ships coming to take the forces of hell back to earth is no better or worse
a premise than any other first person game.  They are all rediculous.  Even
the best video game story lines would probably be too stupid for a direct to
sci fi channel movie. One day, when the game industry is even more ginormous
than it is today, "real" actors and studios may sign on to polish things up,
but for the time being, rent a movie or get a good book if you want story.
If the cut scenes aren't your thing, press escape and skip them.

My 2 cents.

~Chalky