Doom 3: BFG Edition review

Remakes are the order of the day in the gaming industry at the moment, and the latest dose of nostalgia comes in the form of Doom 3: BFG Edition.

Doom 3 has received the HD treatment with bags of extra missions and trophy support. It’s going to take more than extra content and a face-lift to be worthy of consideration, but one of the old school greats deserves some attention. Those who weren’t around for the hayday of the Doom franchise should sit up and pay attention, this series is one of the main reasons the FPS genre is where it is today.

The game starts off on Mars, where you take control of a Marine that very quickly realises something sketchy is afoot. These sketchy things take the shape of various demonic baddies trying their very best to give you continue-screens as often as possible. As far as a story is concerned, it’s little more than what is absolutely necessary to make the game move forward, but that’s generally all an FPS needs.

The game’s structure is no departure from even the most cutting edge current gen FPS, you go from one point to another, picking up PDAs to unlock doors and new guns if you’re lucky (or in an exploring mood) and you kill everything that wanders between the two points. The game’s environments create a very eerie and tense atmosphere, with little lighting and an abundance of shadows for the creepy hordes to come at you from.

Unfortunately is the case with most HD remakes that the graphic improvement falls far short of what the console is capable of. HD is essentially a euphemism for marginally up-scaled graphics. These up-scaled graphics suffer from a few issues though, as the human character models feature pretty angular heads and frequently suspect lip-synching. There is also an occasional glimmering line that moves horizontally down the screen that can get annoying, which seems to happen mostly during the sparse cutscenes. Granted, this is in comparison to what we have available today, considering this game is 8 years old, it can be forgiven for a few stray hexagonal heads.

As should be expected from a game as dated as this, the gameplay is quite simplistic and offers little in way of progression or development. The shoulder buttons are used to cycle through weapons backward and forward, which can sometimes become troublesome when trying to locate the appropriate weapon, only to be killed in the process. In addition to the weaponry, there is also a torch to help light your way, giving only about 30 seconds worth of light before going into a recharge period. In the original game, it was impossible to use the torch and a weapon simultaneously, until the PC community created a mod; this mod has mercifully been included in the BFG Edition. Overall, the control scheme is passable, being adjusted for console users adequately. There is a lack of customization though, so no toggle for sprinting/crouching or remapping of buttons.

Sadly, the guns sound very un-gun-like – all the small caliber weapons sound like a peashooter with various firing speeds. The score is minimalist to the point of forgetting it’s even there, but this does well to maintain the tension and encourage a healthy dose of paranoia to accompany you through dark and blood stained corridors.

In addition to a solid campaign there is the inclusion of the two expansions, “Resurrection of Evil” and “The Lost Mission”, boosting a good few hours of extra gameplay. The multiplayer is still present, but due to the Doom 3’s overall lack of hype, it isn’t very well populated and doesn’t really have a hope of holding its own against the quality of competitive experiences available today. What may yet redeem Doom 3 BFG Edition is the fact that both Doom and Doom 2 are included, essentially making this a Doom Collection. Both Doom and Doom 2 also come with their own expansions, and these definitive classics are worth having on your shelf.

Something that will undoubtedly hinder its general appeal is the convenience modern FPS titles have spoiled us with. Small features in Doom 3, like cycling backward or forward through weapons to get to the desired one, would get a new game crucified. 8 years ago it wouldn’t have bothered anyone, but gamers used to new mechanics where everything is smooth and accessible might have little patience with these quirks.

In terms of atmosphere, the game is still solid – the combination of the score and lighting (or lack thereof) create a survival horror offering that can still keep up with the best of them; but it might not be sufficient to justify new gamers getting into the series.While it’s far from being a bad game, one can’t overlook the many ways in which it pales in comparison to newer titles. While it offers incredible value for money, the majority of gamers interested are likely to be those who have played all 3 games already. Tons of content and access to 3 historically significant games should be able to convince some players to venture into some old-school shooting, but those who have left the past firmly behind might be better off spending their money elsewhere.