The shortest summary of this game goes as follows: This classic game makes for a decent game, but not a great entry in the doom series.

There are elements from Doom 1 & 2 that make it's way into the gameplay loop and design of Doom 3, but overall it is much different from what modern audiences see out of the original two games, especially with Doom (2016) and Doom Eternal. Doom 3 is far more horror focused than any other entry of the series, barring maybe Doom 64. Granted, the original two games had horror elements and many moments that were meant to surprise the player or raise great suspense, such as dark halls with a large amount of spectres, or the floor suddenly lowering to reveal a room full of enemies. Even with these elements, both retrospectively and with modern expectations, the classic games offer a more action-packed vibe, with electric guitars and ripoff Alice In Chains MIDIs. So what does Doom 3 offer?

Doom 3 offers scares and suspense. The guns you are given are, quite frankly, weak compared to the bullet sponges you will be fighting during the game, and in this way they contribute to a sense of urgency and helplessness. The story is... present, though a large chunk of the story world building is present through e-mails and voice logs you pick up. Reading through some spooky lore after a particularly stressful fight can be a good way to calm down, but it can quickly feel tedious to get yet another set of e-mails you have to skim through on the off chance there's a code to a nearby locker in it, or let the voice logs play in the background so you can only pay as much attention as is needed to hear the three numbers you need to access lockers. This might feel a bit pessimistic, and I admit that maybe it'll work for you in a way it doesn't for me, but I still personally feel that it can get rather tedious.

Simply, it's still fun. If you want a more action and strategy oriented Doom game, pick up any of the other entries in the series. That isn't to say that this game doesn't have action or strategy, but it is to point out you can find all that in higher qualities by simply searching elsewhere in the series. If you really want to go play Doom but grittier and... well, in a very literal sense, darker, go play Quake.

Pick this game up on a sale, and play the original version, not the BFG Edtion (though I must say that I'm very glad that you get both when you purchase the game.). Even if you don't go through the whole game, it's still fairly worth spending a little time on. The game is dated, sure, you can tell that as soon as you launch the game since you can count the pixels on the splashscreens, but it's nice to go back to a period of time where a bunch of new lighting and physics effects were brand new, and were being flaunted to the fullest, usually as main focuses of the gameplay. The dynamic between having to swap between the flashlight and your other weapons is at times annoying, but also exhilarating, and honestly the game probably wouldn't have been made into a horror game if it weren't for Id wanting to show off their lighting and physics systems. It doesn't come off gimmicky, it feels charming. It holds up a bit today, and it may not hold up forever, but it's Doom 3. It's kinda cheesy and dumb, but it was all still made with a lot of love. Pick it up for a few bucks, get a mod so you can run it on a decent resolution, and just mess around for a bit. Then go back to the original games. GLHF!

The shortest summary of this game goes as follows: This classic game makes for a decent game, but not a great entry in the doom series. There are elements from Doom 1 & 2 that make it's way into the gameplay loop and design of Doom 3, but overall it is much different from what modern audiences see out of the original two games, especially with Doom (2016) and Doom Eternal. Doom 3 is far more horror focused than any other entry of the series, barring maybe Doom 64. Granted, the original two games had horror elements and many moments that were meant to surprise the player or raise great suspense, such as dark halls with a large amount of spectres, or the floor suddenly lowering to reveal a room full of enemies. Even with these elements, both retrospectively and with modern expectations, the classic games offer a more action-packed vibe, with electric guitars and ripoff Alice In Chains MIDIs. So what does Doom 3 offer? Doom 3 offers scares and suspense. The guns you are given are, quite frankly, weak compared to the bullet sponges you will be fighting during the game, and in this way they contribute to a sense of urgency and helplessness. The story is... present, though a large chunk of the story world building is present through e-mails and voice logs you pick up. Reading through some spooky lore after a particularly stressful fight can be a good way to calm down, but it can quickly feel tedious to get yet another set of e-mails you have to skim through on the off chance there's a code to a nearby locker in it, or let the voice logs play in the background so you can only pay as much attention as is needed to hear the three numbers you need to access lockers. This might feel a bit pessimistic, and I admit that maybe it'll work for you in a way it doesn't for me, but I still personally feel that it can get rather tedious. Simply, it's still fun. If you want a more action and strategy oriented Doom game, pick up any of the other entries in the series. That isn't to say that this game doesn't have action or strategy, but it is to point out you can find all that in higher qualities by simply searching elsewhere in the series. If you really want to go play Doom but grittier and... well, in a very literal sense, darker, go play Quake. Pick this game up on a sale, and play the original version, not the BFG Edtion (though I must say that I'm very glad that you get both when you purchase the game.). Even if you don't go through the whole game, it's still fairly worth spending a little time on. The game is dated, sure, you can tell that as soon as you launch the game since you can count the pixels on the splashscreens, but it's nice to go back to a period of time where a bunch of new lighting and physics effects were brand new, and were being flaunted to the fullest, usually as main focuses of the gameplay. The dynamic between having to swap between the flashlight and your other weapons is at times annoying, but also exhilarating, and honestly the game probably wouldn't have been made into a horror game if it weren't for Id wanting to show off their lighting and physics systems. It doesn't come off gimmicky, it feels charming. It holds up a bit today, and it may not hold up forever, but it's Doom 3. It's kinda cheesy and dumb, but it was all still made with a lot of love. Pick it up for a few bucks, get a mod so you can run it on a decent resolution, and just mess around for a bit. Then go back to the original games. GLHF!