Bethesda announces DOOM 3 BFG Edition

Brian Ambrozy 30 May, 2012 at 10:22am ET Article published in Gaming

Oh, no, wait... it still looks like crap

Today Bethesda announced a remaster of DOOM 3, entitled the BFG Edition, to be released on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.

Besides remastered graphics for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, it will also include seven new levels entitled The Lost Mission.

From the press release:

DOOM 3, Resurrection of Evil, and ‘The Lost Mission’ have been optimized in 3D, featuring 5.1 surround sound, Xbox 360 Achievements, PlayStation 3 trophies, improved rendering and lighting, and a new check point save system allowing for smoother progression through the game. id® Software has fine-tuned the controls to bring the intensity of the DOOM single and multiplayer experience to the consoles, and DOOM 3 now features the new armor-mounted flashlight, allowing players to illuminate dark corners and blast enemies at the same time.

Also from the press release, John Carmack is quoted as saying, “DOOM 3 was enthusiastically embraced by gamers worldwide at its release…”. While that may technically be true (I was among the eager gamers who purchased it on day one), those same gamers’ enthusiasm for a beloved franchise was quickly destroyed as they realized they waited years for the overly shiny, boring mess that they just got duped into paying $50 for. Let’s hope the “improved rendering and lighting” include toning down that lighting that makes everything look like wet plastic.

The saving grace is that the BFG Edition comes with DOOM and DOOM 2… however, those games haven’t aged well and only those of us with nostalgia goggles will probably enjoy them.

Here’s the announcement trailer:

Comments

30 May 2012 ~ 10:35am Cliff_Forster BFG?? more like BFD....
30 May 2012 ~ 11:30am Thrax What a bizarre maneuver.
30 May 2012 ~ 12:45pm Chooch As long as they didn't remaster it to add The Rock into the game. I am willing to check it out again.
30 May 2012 ~ 1:24pm CB When I first read the press release, I thought they were saying that the original Doom and Doom II had been remastered with the Doom III engine. That would have been sweet. This is sort of dumb.
30 May 2012 ~ 2:56pm MomOfRose Doom II was the first PC game I played that didn't come pre-installed on the computer. Bummed they didn't take extra time and care to really improve Doom III. Still might have to try it, though.
30 May 2012 ~ 3:07pm GHoosdum @MomOfRose - Welcome to Icrontic!
30 May 2012 ~ 3:09pm MomOfRose @Ghoosdum - Thanks! Y'all talk about it so much, I figured it was time I joined all the fun!
30 May 2012 ~ 3:13pm Canti
and DOOM 3 now features the new armor-mounted flashlight, allowing players to illuminate dark corners and blast enemies at the same time
What a revolutionary concept.
30 May 2012 ~ 3:29pm Cliff_Forster Honestly, switching between the light and gun was part of what made the game interesting. I know allot of players complained about it, but it was a cool way to build the tension, I'm looking but currently unarmed, made it more interesting.

I'll say this, Doom 3 was a decent game, not amazing, not as mind blowing as promised, but it's just good dumb fun except for when the pacing slows for all the PDA stuff. Ultimately, it does not matter, I don't think anything can compel me to play it again.
30 May 2012 ~ 4:48pm TheAlertHusky So I saw this and I nearly dropped my soda. I think that if they kept the flashlight I would be happier though, it added a lot of atmosphere and really made you feel like you had to get good at switching weapons and plan your "mode of attack". Honestly if I had the money to buy this game I would just for the sake of having it.
30 May 2012 ~ 6:13pm BHHammy I'm -really- surprised at the amount of people here who actually -liked- the Flashlight.

Then again, there were a lot of things about Doom 3 I didn't like.
30 May 2012 ~ 7:18pm CrazyJoe I loved Doom 3. But that was 2004. Now if they would have remade the entire Doom Trilogy of games with the Doom 3 engine I would be all over it. As this is, not so much.
31 May 2012 ~ 3:30am UPSLynx Whoa, @momofrose out of NOWHERE.

2004. What on earth are they doing bringing it back now? Though I loved it, Doom 3 was not received well at the time, and it's aged poorly from what I hear. Especially odd considering there was a port of this on the Xbox already.

Funny though, I thought the fact that you could not have a weapon + flashlight out simultaneously was one of the most brilliant tools of fear in the game, and they've removed it.
31 May 2012 ~ 4:42am erichblas2005 I'm not impressed. Still has the same textures as the old one. well i guess they took a lesson from MS on renaming a product like win98-winME.
31 May 2012 ~ 6:16am Basil
I'm -really- surprised at the amount of people here who actually -liked- the Flashlight.
^This

The flashlight thing was just a totally artificial restriction, even if you accept Doom's bizarre lack of weapon mounted lights/duct tape there is no reason you couldn't hold a torch in one hand and the pistol in another. It was an arbitrary and immersion breaking restriction just to score some lazy jump scares.
31 May 2012 ~ 7:12am Guppy Rereleasing a game from nearly 8 years ago with some minor changes is a great way to build hype for Doom 4.

I'm not looking forward to the release because I didn't like the game the first time around. I can't get into a game that has the player fumbling around in the dark looking for the next jump scare. Maybe I'll give it another go sometime, it must get better later in the game.
31 May 2012 ~ 12:27pm MomOfRose
Whoa, @momofrose out of NOWHERE.
I'm sneaky like that.

Maybe it's just me, but the "jump scare" was the best part! I had an addiction to that pounding heartbeat when I'd hear the boss but not be able to see him.

And my mom thought games like this would corrupt me. HA!
31 May 2012 ~ 1:11pm UPSLynx

The flashlight thing was just a totally artificial restriction, even if you accept Doom's bizarre lack of weapon mounted lights/duct tape there is no reason you couldn't hold a torch in one hand and the pistol in another. It was an arbitrary and immersion breaking restriction just to score some lazy jump scares.
Yeah, but that was the POINT of Doom 3. Doom 3 wasn't supposed to be an immersive title in the way modern shooters try, it was built from the start to be a horror experience that will scare the crap out of you.

Maybe it's just me, but the "jump scare" was the best part! I had an addiction to that pounding heartbeat when I'd hear the boss but not be able to see him.

It's this. This is what Doom 3 is about. It's also why so many people hated it, because they just wanted an action shooter. The flashlight WAS an artificial restriction, and it was done to get an emotional response from the players. I thought it was brilliant because it was EXTREMELY effective.
2 Jun 2012 ~ 3:21am Shorty The flashlight mod was installed as soon as it was available for the sake of my sanity. Why on earth they are resurrecting this?

Cash. Money. Dollar.

By software company, need to recoup investment as game engine licensing isn't what it used to be.
7 Jun 2012 ~ 9:13pm DOOM3IsMySavior ok im a seriously big fan of DOOM DOOM2 DOOM3 and everything ID and i cant beleive what the hell im hearing if you don't like the game move on there are plenty of other things you could be playing no matter how stupid they might be and sure it was too scary for some people who played it but that was the point of the game and if it was to dark you could change the brightness and the contrast along with it but no you cant possibly do that because you decided to be a lazy dick about it and the tension of switching between the flashlight and your weapon added more emotion to the experience and made it yes frightening but yet even more exciting plus the technology was way ahead of its time and made all the other games at that time look like a giant load of outdated dinosaur shit and didn't lack in storyline or gameplay like most of the supposedly great games of today that realy turn out to be peices of highly over-anticipated shit do now and if non of you are smart enough to see that just go play different game like COCK OF DUDEY [and just as a reminder if i were you i would thank our beloved John Carmack and the rest of the awesomely gifted & talented ID CREW because they created the FPS genre that we all love and without doom3 and its epic boost in technology all the the piece of shit games you enjoy today wouldnt exist]
7 Jun 2012 ~ 9:20pm Thrax This is why people should require a license to use the Internet.
7 Jun 2012 ~ 9:30pm DOOM3IsMySavior wait who are you talking about
7 Jun 2012 ~ 9:30pm Tushon There can only be one
7 Jun 2012 ~ 10:33pm Ilriyas HOLY FREAKING WALL OF TEXT BATMAN
7 Jun 2012 ~ 11:02pm mertesn WTB punctuation
8 Jun 2012 ~ 10:35am DOOM3IsMySavior and another thing is is that why do 99.9% of all the newer games suck ass and most of the good games are the ones you dont hear about, in my oppinion its because all the new games are focused highly upon graphics and hardly on gameplay or storyline which makes games suck
8 Jun 2012 ~ 10:46am Tushon You're playing the wrong games. Go buy the Humble Bundle 5 and come back.
8 Jun 2012 ~ 1:25pm Canti
periods, question marks, and commas
It's like I'm really on /v/!
19 Jun 2012 ~ 2:09pm primesuspect Press release with release date:
We’re pleased to announce that DOOM® 3 BFG Edition is slated for release in North America on October 16, 2012 and throughout Europe on October 19, 2012. DOOM 3 BFG Edition will feature re-mastered versions of both DOOM® 3 and the Resurrection of Evil® add-on pack, as well seven new levels of content entitled ‘The Lost Mission.’ DOOM 3 BFG Edition will be available in North America on PC for $29.99 and on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 for $39.99.

Re-mastered for both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, DOOM 3 and it’s expansion pack offer enhanced visuals further immersing you in the demonic world like never before. DOOM 3, Resurrection of Evil, and ‘The Lost Mission’ have been optimized in 3D, featuring 5.1 surround sound, Xbox 360 Achievements, PlayStation 3 trophies, improved rendering and lighting, and a new check point save system allowing for smoother progression through the game. id Software has fine-tuned the controls to bring the intensity of the DOOM single and multiplayer experience to the consoles, and DOOM 3 now features the new armor-mounted flashlight, allowing players to illuminate dark corners and blast enemies at the same time.