Doom 3 - 16 Years Later

The year 2000.

For the past six years, Doom fans had been left wondering if Doom II would ever receive a follow-up. Its developers at id Software had stayed plenty busy with Quake, releasing three games in the series since 1996. But Doom, arguably the biggest and most important game in their back catalog, remained as it was 1994, with an active scene of modders keeping the dream alive but still clamoring for a proper sequel. Then came the announcement from developer John Carmack that Doom 3 was indeed in the works, despite notable workplace drama surrounding it. Ultimatums were made, people got fired, it was a whole thing. But hey, Doom 3!

The public got its first look at the game the following year, introduced by Steve Jobs at MacWorld of all things. And it looked incredible. John Carrmack of id Software So the big trick that were getting now is the final unification of lighting and shadows across all surfaces in a game. we do different things for characters, and different things for environments, and different things for lights that move versus lights that are static. 

And now were able to do all of that the same way for everything. Even more impressive was the E3 alpha demo in 2002, which featured a fantastic-looking slice of gameplay showing off its character models, lighting, and animation. All wildly awe-inspiring stuff, with its crazy real-time lighting and high-poly zombies and demons, with technology that unquestionably appeared to be years ahead of any other games on the market, FPS or otherwise.

Something that was confirmed once the demo leaked online the following November, which only hyped up fans even more. E3 2003 brought another trailer, but with it came the announcement that it wouldn’t be done anytime soon. And it was right around then that Doom 3 first hit my radar with this exact issue of Wired Magazine picked up at a snack shop at the Charlotte International Airport. 

Alongside all the Matrix sequel fanfare was this fantastic article by David Kushner, who was just about to publish his superb book, Masters of Doom. At the time, I knew Doom 3 was on the way, but in the midst of finishing high school and preparing to leave the US, I hadn’t paid much attention to it. But this article, those screenshots, these descriptions of how it would look and play?

Yeah, I went from not caring that much to going completely nuts in anticipation. I started religiously buying issues of Computer Shopper to keep up with all the latest hardware, fantasizing about building my own computer that could play Doom 3, and trying to save up the cash for GPU and CPU upgrades. Finally, Doom 3 hit store shelves on August 3rd, 2004, developed by id Software and published by Activision for Windows PCs. 

With ports being released for Linux, Mac OS, and the Xbox throughout the following year. But it’s this original 2004 PC release that’s the focus of today’s retrospective, because man, I’ve got some feelings regarding this one. For one thing, I’ve always felt that Doom 3 is a Doom game in name only, never completely filling the rambunctious demon-hunting shoes of its direct predecessors.

At the same time though, Doom 3 is one of those where the more time passes, the more I respect it for what it actually is instead of lamenting what it could’ve been. Eh I’m already getting ahead of myself though. Because to me in 2004, Doom 3 felt like a game from the future. That salivating Hell Knight gracing the box art with its muscly presence was unbelievably detailed at the time, I just had to play this thing. “The gateway to hell is open” indeed, and it required one helluva graphics card to go through it. Officially, Doom 3 was able to run on any 3D accelerator with 64 megs of VRAM and DirectX 9.0b support. But in reality? 

You’d want at least 128 megabytes and plenty of pixel pipes and shader processing to keep up with the game’s ample texture size and real-time lighting. In my case, I traded some spare parts to a friend for his old ATI Radeon 9800 Pro, which was a couple years old at the point I got it but still a notable upgrade from my 64 megabyte GeForce 2. And that’s how I first played Doom 3, on a system I cobbled together with an AMD Athlon XP 1.2 gigahertz CPU, 384 megs of RAM, and a 128MB 9800 Pro running the game at 640x480 resolution on low settings. And it was absolutely excellent!

From what I could tell anyway. While I was just psyched to be able to run this game from the future at all, what it really demanded was something like the Nvidia GeForce 6800 Ultra, a monstrous 512 megabyte card that was well outside of my price range. Cranking Doom 3’s graphics up to “Ultra” mode was possible without such a card, but it warned you straight up that this required a gargantuan amount of VRAM, so I didn’t get to play it that way until years later.

And we’ll be playing it maxed out here as well, using this original three-disc CD-ROM release from 2004, just with a widescreen patch applied for your viewing pleasure. Also inside the box is the manual, with a skull guy on front and 17 pages of instructions on how to install and play the game. Complete with charming little asides hand-scrawled into the margins, alongside the occasional bloody fingerprint and spattering of bodily fluid. 

Just wholesome stuff. And finally there’s this quick reference card going over the default controls for the mouse and keyboard, as well as an amusing number of notes and scribbles penned by the previous owner I bought this from. Also on here is this cute little note from id Software written in their typical tough-guy tone. “A Note of Caution: Doom 3 is a terrifying sci-fi horror game experience. It is not recommended for the cowardly or faint of heart.

However, for those who dare to face Doom 3 as it was intended: Lock your door. Turn off the lights. And turn up your sound. Enjoy Doom 3.” it’s just adorable. So let’s take their advice, lock ourselves in the dark for the next twenty or so minutes, and enjoy Doom 3 as the developers intended. yeah, that Doom 3 theme was an instant classic. 

Apparently Trent Reznor was being considered for the job, but instead the task went to Chris Vrenna and Clint Walsh, who together form the band Tweaked. As that rock in’ menu music does its thing you’re free to start a new game from one of four difficulty levels, followed by an intro cinematic of the story thus far. The gist of it being that the Union Aerospace Corporation are at it again with their Martian science experimentation weirdness.

Or more accurately, the UAC is back for the very first time, since Doom 3 is a reboot/reimaging of the original Doom’s story. Or maybe a prequel, depending on which version of which future retcon you want to stick with, but eh, doesn’t matter!

The point is you’re a silent space marine on his way to a posting on Mars in the year 2145. At the same time as Doom guy’s dropping in, so is UAC bigwig Elliott Swann and his beefcake bodyguard Jack Campbell. Upon landing there’s a whole section of Mars City for you to explore, largely as an excuse to learn the controls and ooh and ahh at the shiny graphics and fancy lighting.

Welcome to Mars.  I’ll be using Creative’s EAX sound mode, by the way, since it adds all kinds of room-filling roominess to the sound that’s entirely absent otherwise. From here you’re free to explore the facility at your own pace, enjoying the high-res signage and computer screens, admiring the real-time mirror reflections in the bathroom, nudging around random crap in the mess hall, following around that cool-looking security bot, and perhaps pounding your knuckles into a quick game of Super Turbo Turkey Puncher 3. But it won’t be long before you’re zoomed out the back of Doom guy’s skull and into a third-person cut scene, something Doom 3 enjoys doing to reveal notable plot points and new features.

Okay, there’s a few things we need to take care of first. This is your personal data assistant. You’ll need this to access all secure areas. If you get clearance for any security zones, it’ll download directly. It’s important so don’t lose it!

Doom 3 may have been set 141 years in the future, but the peak of portable technology consists of chunky PDAs with plain text emails and video discs. Fantastic. After this you’ll do a little Doom guy eavesdropping, with sunglasses dude, bodyguard guy, and evil scientist man talking about plot!

The board authorized you?

The board doesn’t know the first thing about science. All they want is something to make them more money. Some product. Don’t worry, they’ll get their product. After how many accidents? 

Tell me, Dr. Betruger, why are so many workers spooked, complaining, requesting transfers off Mars?

They simply can’t handle life here. They’re exhausted and overworked. If I had a larger, more competent staff and bigger budget even these few “accidents” could’ve been avoided...Oh yeah, Dr. Betruger?

Nothing suspicious there at all, I’m sure his heart is in the right place. Eventually you’ll make your way into the control room and report to Master Sergeant Thomas Kelly, stop by the armory to pick up your standard issue armor and sidearm, and reach your assignment at the decommissioned comm facility beneath Mars City. Where things go, ah. Very wrong, in the most unsurprising way.

What a twist, the UAC’s meddling in weird crap on Mars has opened up a portal to hell! 

The base’s employees and your fellow soldiers are being possessed by demonic forces, and hordes of gnarly hell beasts are popping up left and right. In other words, it’s Doom time, with one of the most atmospherically intense openings in the entire series. I say again, fall back to Marine HQ and await further orders! 

Yeah it’s a little slow to get started, but the moment it does its sheer chaos. Ya got frenzied screams and death over the radio. A pistol and a flashlight in your hands, never at the same time. And plenty of heavily scripted but nonetheless effective horror set pieces.

One by one, zombified workers and soldiers lumber their way on-screen, often from around corners, behind doors, or out of the pitch black darkness that permeates the majority of levels. And pretty much all of the first two Dooms’ demons return to the stage as well, in some form or another. Along with some fresh faces including maggots, wraiths, cherubs, and the nasty spider-like trites. Most of the game has you dealing with three or four of these freaks at once, while navigating the depths of the UAC’s military and industrial sites filled with underground passages, weird sci-fi machinery, and grungy metallic hallways that may as well be lifted from Aliens and Event Horizon. These environments make up the majority of the campaign, but there are a few notable diversions, including some outdoor sections that require picking up oxygen tanks to continue breathing and avoiding an unfortunate Total Recall situation.

Along with a couple trips to various Martian ruins and underground caverns, and even a trek or two to hell itself. Not a whole lotto time spent in hell, it’s more of a quick stop for brunch than a full-on vacation. But it’s there and it’s appreciated nonetheless. As are the piecemeal bits of story and Martian lore that’s revealed by talking to the occasional NPC, provided you can keep them alive. And also by picking up discarded text and audio logs, à la System Shock. These bits of story and flavor text are all optional really, but granting attention to them can pay dividends in that they sometimes reveal security codes, which open up certain rooms and storage lockers containing armor, ammo, and weapons.

Same goes for certain computer terminals and monitors that can be interacted with simply by aiming at them, moving the mouse around, and clicking the screen. “That’s a good trick!” Yeah man, in terms of overall atmosphere, Doom 3 manages to hold up nicely. I’ve probably played through this first area hundreds of times over the years, but it still provides a special kind of threat level that few games can match. 

Certainly back in ‘04 nothing else even came close that I’d seen, with two notable exceptions being the introduction levels of Unreal and the original Half-Life six years prior. Both of which feel like a clear inspiration, for better or worse. In a serious departure from its predecessors, Doom 3 is a game that’s more than happy to slow things down and take its time telling its story and nudging the player into increasingly dire situations, building up each room’s atmosphere at the expense of exploration and fast-paced combat.

Gone is the old school level design, controls, pacing, shooting, and atmosphere. And in its place is a distinctly mid-2000s “cinematic FPS” vibe, with no shortage of body horror, jump scares, and dimly-lit corridors. Your foes explode into blood, bones, and brains upon their death, demons constantly pop out from behind walls or creep up behind you, and the map design frequently funnels you through the dark to the next objective with little backtracking required. 

And I’m not saying it’s a bad thing either, this new approach absolutely worked for me back then. But the truth was that not everyone was down with how differently Doom 3 plays compared to its ancestors. Other than maybe Doom 64, both that and Doom 3 have always kind of felt like they’re cut from the same cloth in certain ways, but eh, that’s another topic altogether.

My point is that Doom 3’s pacing is entirely different than other games in the series, and for a 9-ish hour long horror shooter in the mid-2000s, it did the trick. I wouldn’t call it particularly “scary,” necessarily. More like “stressful and nerve-wracking,” with moment to moment gameplay that conveys the feeling of being in a nightmare. 

Like those bad dreams where you’re stuck in some invisible sludge while trying in vain to outrun your killer. That’s Doom guy, a strong but sluggish marine that feels constantly exhausted, with a useful but short-lived sprint mode that’s frequently low on energy. And you spend far more time skulking around in dark passages armed with a flashlight than you do circle-strafing around masses of monsters with a rocket launcher.

Heh, yeah let’s talk about the flashlight, that oddly-limited conundrum of a futuristic torch. Clearly the flashlight is here to show off Carmack’s real-time lighting technique, and hey, it’s impressive stuff so I get it. But it’s more than that, the flashlight is designed the way it is to provide a thick upper layer of tension to every encounter, since you have to swap it back and forth with your weapons constantly. Is it frustrating at times? Absolutely!

But it’s also a core part of the intended Doom 3 experience. Even if illogical. The UAC has sci-fi teleportation technology and access to the spirit realm, but hasn’t figured how to tape a light to a gun?

Har-dee-har just use duct tape, or the duct tape mod, or BFG edition, mleh-nuh-neh. Nah man, not for me. Play however you want to of course, use a mod or crank the gamma all the way up, but for me I’ve come to appreciate the sheer maddening darkness off it all.

The flashlight was a design choice that’s been ragged on since day one, but I’d argue that playing without it ruins a large chunk of the combat. Which isn’t ideal because honestly, the game’s just too easy as it is. Even on higher difficulties, Doom 3 isn’t that challenging of a game in terms of enemy encounters. Whenever I die, it’s almost always by something stupid, like falling down one of the concerningly large number of pits, setting off explosives too close to my face like a drunken fireworks technician, or the confusing armor system not working how you’d think. 

Armor absorbs 30% of damage dealt, but it’s entirely possible to run out of health and die with plenty of armor left since you still receive 70% of all damage. Not a fan. There’s also the straight up bad luck involving the enemy knockback effects that flails your view around, combined with weapon unpredictability.

The shotgun in particular is a tad weird. I don’t hate it, but it’s not great, despite its highly satisfying tendency to instagib low-level enemies in gratuitous fashion. Its main problem is that you have to be directly up against their midsection for the shotgun to do its thing. And even then, sometimes the spread is so awful that several pellets still miss your target. So killing an Imp might take one, two, or even three shotgun blasts, depending on how close you are and the randomness of the spread. 

Weak. So I often end up using the machine more often due to its reliable accuracy, even though it also has a pretty small magazine so the need to reload is constant. Or to be fair, it’s more that my compulsive desire to always have a full mag is constant. What I mean is, unlike the previous games, every gun needs to be reloaded in Doom 3. And while reloading makes sense as a tension raiser, it can get irritating having to reload so often with certain guns, like the chain gun and the rocket launcher.

Both are powerful to use, but that mightiness is met with limitations in both ammo capacity and scarcity, so they rarely get a chance to shine. Thankfully the new plasma rifle is fantastic though. It looks, sounds, and feels great, with no shortage of ammo lying around, and while its projectiles are slow it effectively vaporizes nearly anything. And it’s the best for taking out enemy projectiles mid-air. Especially handy against the Revenant and Mancubus rockets, and Cacodemon energy balls. 

Far less engaging are the hand grenades, which take up their own weapon slot and flop around corridors in kind of a strange way that makes them less than reliable. At least the chainsaw’s back with no fuel required, perfect for shredding practically every demon that dares comes close. And of course, the BFG 9000 makes its return as well, now able to be charged up by holding the trigger and launching green plasma that targets multiple enemies at once.

Finally, and this doesn’t come until the latter part of the game, there’s the Soul Cube. It’s a Martian artifact that dwarfs the BFG in the damage it causes, but only holding one shot at a time. After five kills you can toss it forward, ruining the day of anything in its path and restoring your health in the process.

Nice. And particularly useful against bigger demons like Hell Knights and Arch Viles, as well as the game’s few bosses. Notably the expected end-game Cyber demon which is positively gigantic and can’t be harmed using normal weapons. And yeah, that’s where Doom 3 ends!

The Hell mouth is sealed, Doom guy escapes with his life, and the forces of evil will have to wait around to rise again some other day. Forces of evil like this thing, which is shown to be still hanging’ around in hell just flying around waiting for a fight. A fight which came on April 3rd, 2005: Resurrection of Evil developed by Nerve Software, Doom 3’s one and only expansion pack. It takes place two years later, after picking up a signal from an abandoned site complex and the UAC reactivating the Mars Research Program like a bunch morons, and sending in a squad of cannon-fodder to investigate.

Huh. Some things never change around here. Yeah you’re telling me, random grunt who’ll be dead soon. And this time around, instead of the old silent Doom guy you play a new silent Doom guy: a combat engineer investigating the abandoned site on a quest to find Doctor Elizabeth McNeil and figure out what in tarnation’s going’ on with this freaky undead heart thing.

Oh and look the skeleton dragon thing is back too, shocking! 

There are 12 new single player levels and a handful of new monsters and demons, and it has a surprisingly different feel thanks to the new items at your disposal. I can’t help but feel that part of this is because Half-Life 2 came out between Doom 3 and Resurrection of Evil. Straight away you’re given the Grabber Gun, which is Gordon Freeman’s Gravity Gun in all but name. 

Apparently this thing was already working in Doom 3 before Half-Life 2 came out so maybe it’s one of those happenstance simultaneous inventions. Whatever the case may be, the grabber lets you pick up objects, corpses, and certain enemies and projectiles. And toss them around to make for a completely new set of combat and puzzle options compared to the base game.

Another new addition is the triumphant return of the double-barreled shotgun, a weapon that was confusingly absent before and should never be left out of another Doom game for the rest of time, forever and ever, amen. Finally, there’s The Artifact, a soul cube alternative of sorts that’s central to the whole evil resurrecting thing going on. 

It’s not much use at first, but as you defeat the new bosses its powers are upgraded, including berserk mode for buffing the strength of all your weapons. Invulnerability for uh, providing exactly that. And Hell time for instigating some of that sweet syrupy slow motion bullet time because this was the mid-2000s and that’s just what you did. All things considered not a bad expansion, with a campaign lasting around four hours and doling out an appropriate amount of newness so as not to be a total rehash.

And that’s about it for the core Doom 3 experience! 

Other than multiplayer, but no one’s playing that now so eh, I don’t have much to show for that unfortunately. Single player though, yeah, I’d say it’s still worth revisiting, or even playing for the first time if you’ve got a spare nine to ten hours to kill. Though I don’t find it to be as immediately repayable as the older Dooms due to its comparatively more linear maps, 75% of which look pretty samey before long, with a relative lack of secrets that migh incentivized further playthroughs. 

Doom 3’s haunted house-style level design certainly has its limitations, on top of some bafflingly unbalanced mechanics here and there. But the complete ride is still worth taking if you’re into action horror shooters. And I feel that it’s earned a spot at the table with its siblings, despite its black sheep status among certain Doom fans, myself included for a while.

I went through stages of loving Doom 3, to hating it, to not considering it a proper Doom game, to appreciating the heck out of it again the more that I looked at it. Kind of like a bold new experimental painting by a talented artist, where similar brush strokes were used, yet the result is an entirely different artistic composition in the end. One with a lot more black and gray and red. Not for everyone, but its fans love it for what it is.

However, I’d encourage you to seek out the original Doom 3 over the BFG Edition from 2012. Yeah it’s got some enhanced graphics, a checkpoint system, and 8 new levels and stuff But the tension is fundamentally lower with that armor-mounted flashlight it forces on you and tweaked ammo counts making firefights even easier. 

And I’m not a fan of its unskippable cut scenes and brighter, more contra sty lighting model draped over everything. It’s a subtle change, but it’s there, and I prefer the original. Check out the Dhewm3 source port if you’re looking to enjoy it on modern PCs, since it plays nicer with newer hardware and widescreen displays, and even allows EAX support without a Creative sound card. Regardless though, I hope that you’ve enjoyed this look back at Doom 3.

A Doom game that doesn’t quite feel like Doom when inspecting its individual components, yet somehow feels exactly like a Doom game when taken as a whole. And if you enjoyed this Doomed episode of LGR then do check out my others, I’ve covered all the main titles in the series.