Akka
Moody old mage.
I'm surprised to see that no other have made a thread about this game (the only other being to talk about a fake e-bay auction, not the game itself).
So, well, I'm voluntering ^^
It's, basically, a retelling of Doom first of the name : you come as a security guard in a science station on Mars (it was Phobos in the first game, here it's directly on the planet) that deals with many experiment, including teleportation.
And then, all Hell break loose (and trust me, it's more than just an expression).
I just finished it today. Wow. That was a blast. The game have some somehow serious shortcomings (far too linear, really, really FAR TOO LINEAR ; a bit simplistic on the gameplay side, not much variety in the kind of landscape - dark tunnels for about 95 % of the game - even if it was expected ; some tricks, like the "light flickers and a monster appear" or "you take a bonus and this make a pannel move in the wall and a monster appear") are REALLY overused, but it also has incredible strenghts :
- First, as it's the first thing that will blow your eyes, the engine. It's simply incredible. Dynamic lights everywhere, and photo-realist-like models. It's, of course, quite gluttonous, and require a good card and computer, but it's not THAT demanding (runs quite smoothly on my 2200+, 1 Go RAM and Radeon 9700). The details are impressive, and the lights are just, well, awesome. Half of the game is the lights and shadows, and it's the first time I REALLY noticed an ennemy coming from behind because I saw his shadow before he reached me (you know, the kind of things you only see in movies).
The models are simply gorgeous, and life-like. They are incredible of details and animations. The final boss is a masterpiece.
- Second, the ambiance. This game is all about ambiance. It's dark, it's spooky, it's full of anguish and despair and cries in the dark. It's the first game since the first Doom where I was REALLY scared playing it. No joke. Of course, you have to play along (ie : play at night, all lights off, alone and with a good sound). But then, it's an horrible experience, in the meaning that you will hope to never live it for real. After some jours, I had to stop playing, simply because my nerves gave up and I couldn't take any more. Pressure is constant, and the whole game is creepy and gory. There is not that many monsters (there is still plenty, just less than oone could expect from a Doom), but it's on purpose, to put the player on his toes, always waiting for something, most of the time horrible, to come.
It's REALLY a game that deserve it's restriction to 18 years-old and more. Really. Never let a children plays it, unless you plan to have him awake in cries in the middle of the night for several weeks in a row. Yes, it's that frightening.
The whole game is a kind of survival horror, with emphasis on "horror". It's not hard as a game, and you rarely die, but you are constantly scared about something popping in front of you, or spooky things happening, creepy sounds or voices, demonic laughters, ugly monsters and so on.
These two things are the pillars of Doom III. For the old-timers, there is also the pleasure to see most, if not all, of the "good old friends" coming back : imps, dog-like demons, hellknights, mancubi, cacodemons/elemental of pain, archviles, lost souls, revenants, THE cyberdemon, and many others. Yes, they're back. For you.
*evil laugh*
So, well, I'm voluntering ^^
It's, basically, a retelling of Doom first of the name : you come as a security guard in a science station on Mars (it was Phobos in the first game, here it's directly on the planet) that deals with many experiment, including teleportation.
And then, all Hell break loose (and trust me, it's more than just an expression).
I just finished it today. Wow. That was a blast. The game have some somehow serious shortcomings (far too linear, really, really FAR TOO LINEAR ; a bit simplistic on the gameplay side, not much variety in the kind of landscape - dark tunnels for about 95 % of the game - even if it was expected ; some tricks, like the "light flickers and a monster appear" or "you take a bonus and this make a pannel move in the wall and a monster appear") are REALLY overused, but it also has incredible strenghts :
- First, as it's the first thing that will blow your eyes, the engine. It's simply incredible. Dynamic lights everywhere, and photo-realist-like models. It's, of course, quite gluttonous, and require a good card and computer, but it's not THAT demanding (runs quite smoothly on my 2200+, 1 Go RAM and Radeon 9700). The details are impressive, and the lights are just, well, awesome. Half of the game is the lights and shadows, and it's the first time I REALLY noticed an ennemy coming from behind because I saw his shadow before he reached me (you know, the kind of things you only see in movies).
The models are simply gorgeous, and life-like. They are incredible of details and animations. The final boss is a masterpiece.
- Second, the ambiance. This game is all about ambiance. It's dark, it's spooky, it's full of anguish and despair and cries in the dark. It's the first game since the first Doom where I was REALLY scared playing it. No joke. Of course, you have to play along (ie : play at night, all lights off, alone and with a good sound). But then, it's an horrible experience, in the meaning that you will hope to never live it for real. After some jours, I had to stop playing, simply because my nerves gave up and I couldn't take any more. Pressure is constant, and the whole game is creepy and gory. There is not that many monsters (there is still plenty, just less than oone could expect from a Doom), but it's on purpose, to put the player on his toes, always waiting for something, most of the time horrible, to come.
It's REALLY a game that deserve it's restriction to 18 years-old and more. Really. Never let a children plays it, unless you plan to have him awake in cries in the middle of the night for several weeks in a row. Yes, it's that frightening.
The whole game is a kind of survival horror, with emphasis on "horror". It's not hard as a game, and you rarely die, but you are constantly scared about something popping in front of you, or spooky things happening, creepy sounds or voices, demonic laughters, ugly monsters and so on.
These two things are the pillars of Doom III. For the old-timers, there is also the pleasure to see most, if not all, of the "good old friends" coming back : imps, dog-like demons, hellknights, mancubi, cacodemons/elemental of pain, archviles, lost souls, revenants, THE cyberdemon, and many others. Yes, they're back. For you.
*evil laugh*
Ah well, I'll probably be able to borrow it from a friend. 
(850 Mhz, 384 MB SDRAM, 3D Prophet NVidia with 8 MB RAM)
It used to be a very good one...three-and-a-half years ago...
