$9.99Is DOOM 3 worth it?
DOOM 3 is worth it if…
- you want a horror shooter that creeps instead of sprints
- you like dark corridors, scarce light and things waiting in the vents
- you prefer tense, methodical fights to arenas full of enemies
- you enjoy stories told through terminals, video logs and audio recordings
- you want the 2004 original, the remaster and both expansions in one place
Screenshots
The dark does half the fighting
This is a horror shooter first. The Mars base is a maze of narrow corridors and sliding doors where the lights flicker, something scrapes in the ventilation, and a demon can burst out of a room you already cleared. In the original 2004 version you carry the flashlight and the gun in different hands, so at the worst moment you choose between seeing the thing and shooting it. The BFG Edition bolts the light to your armor so you can do both, which is calmer, and some will tell you calmer is also less scary. Either way the sound design carries the dread: creaking doors, noises behind walls, screams from somewhere you cannot see. You creep, you listen, you flinch.
Two versions, two expansions, two classics
You get both faces of the game. The Resurrection of Evil expansion sends you back to the abandoned facility two years later, chasing a mysterious beacon buried in the ruins, with six new demons including the Hunters, a double-barreled shotgun, demonic powers, and the ability to slow time or throw gravity around. And tucked in the BFG Edition are DOOM from 1993 and DOOM II, ready to play.
How is this different from other DOOM games?
Is DOOM 3 as fast as the other DOOM games?
No, and that is the point. The series is known for running, gunning and huge crowds of enemies, but DOOM 3 slows everything down: fewer enemies at once, more creeping through the dark, more managing your ammo and health between fights. It plays more like survival horror than an arcade shooter. If you want the fast version of DOOM, the DOOM and DOOM II games included here deliver exactly that.
Can you play it solo?
Yes, the whole game is built around a singleplayer campaign, and so are both expansions. You play a marine surviving a demonic invasion of the Mars research facility, and the story unfolds as you go, told through computer terminals, video logs, audio recordings and conversations with the people you find. There is a multiplayer mode too, but the campaigns are the reason to be here.
Should you play the original or the BFG Edition?
Both are included, so you can pick per mood. The BFG Edition runs better on modern systems, has checkpoints, and lets you shoot while the flashlight is on, which makes it the comfortable choice. The original keeps the harder choice of light or weapon, and with it the stronger scare. A fair way to play: start with BFG for comfort, then try the 2004 version to feel what the fuss was about.
Is it still scary after all these years?
More than you might expect. The dread comes from the dark, the sound design and the ambushes rather than from graphics, and those hold up: things jump out of vents, enemies reappear in cleared rooms, and the base stays oppressive from start to finish. The BFG Edition's brighter lighting and mounted flashlight take some edge off the fear, so if scares are the main draw, the original version is the sharper experience.
