Doom 3 for the Xbox finds itself in a very different position than its PC predecessor released a little over sixth months ago. The PC version was an amazing new benchmark in graphical capability, and represented the opening salvo in a holiday season that was dominated by top-tier first person shooter sequels. While the PC version was impressive, and worthy of the scores of acclaim, the Xbox version is fighting on a much different battlefield. The gaming community has had the chance to experience titles like Halo 2, Half-Life 2, and Metroid Prime 2, and many believe, when put in perspective, Doom 3 has lost its luster. Where Doom 3 ranks in the Xbox pantheon is completely in the hands of Activision and Vicarious Visions. A hasty port of a PC game, as great as it was, will not cut muster with most Xbox owners. Only a truly optimized and original experience can capture the FPS crown from Halo 2.

Story:

Doom 3, more or less, adopts the same storyline as the previous two games in the series. You play the role of a marine stationed on Mars, who has to fight to survive when all hell breaks loose… literally. Though you’re mostly at it alone, fighting demonic alien creatures, there is something of an attempt to tell a story deeper than the older Doom games, which basically predated storylines in straight action games. There’s a few allies scattered about, and even some human villians! Let’s just say there’s a major corporation involved, and they’re not quite on the level… shocking, I know. In terms of storytelling, Doom 3 has more in common with Silent Hill than Halo. Creepy imagery is abound in this game, ranging from hanging bodies and limbs falling from vents to pentagrams appearing on the floor and blood red flashes covering the screen.

Doom 3 borrows another storytelling device from an equally unlikely source- Metroid. Like Samus, the marine has precious little contact with living humans. Along the way, he picks up data pads filled with emails as well as audio files, much in the same way that Samus could download information on the fly. Doom 3’s method of info is much more cumbersome, and unfortunately, often mandatory. In order to open supply lockers which provide much needed ammo, weapons and health, you’ve got to figure out passcode combinations by trudging through scads of boring emails and attentively listening to uninspired voice clips.

Yes, Doom 3 has an extremely scary and effectively dark theme, but a boring backstory and terrible method of purveying pertinent information do very little to compliment it.

Gameplay:

Id software basically created the FPS genre, so it’s not surprising to see them produce one of the best engines in the industry. While some problems have become magnified from the PC version, the gameplay mechanics are firmly planted in the upper echelon of the industry.

The control configuration is pretty well excecuted, with the exception of one or two misplaced buttons. Assigning the sprint to a trigger button takes some getting used to (why is there one is the first place?), the zoom function is useless and weak, and putting the slow-loading PDA button next to the oft-necessary flashlight causes many a frustrating controller fumbles. Other than that, everything else is where is should be.

Interaction in Doom 3 is a dual-edged blade. On one hand, you’ve got some amazing enviromental physics- I’ve spend far too much time practicing speedbag boxing on hanging bodies and flashlight melee attacks on desk chairs. Perhaps I was compensating for the lack of interaction with demon and zombie corpses, which dissolve into nothingness after one or two post-mortem attacks.

The weapon collection in Doom 3 is modest, but still encompassing of the genre. There are the industry standards like the pistol, shotgun, and machine gun, as well as some great pieces of weaponry that fit perfectly with the game. A chainsaw? Don’t mind if I do. A gun that feeds on the souls of demons? Sounds fantastic. And what would Doom be without the classic BFG? If there’s any feature of the gameplay that Doom has perfected, it’s weapon balance. There’s no Needlers in this game, that’s for sure.