Doom 3 Debuts for Xbox
If your bloodlust somehow wasn't satisfied after vaporizing the umpteenth demon in last year's PC version of "Doom 3," id Software Inc. has released a reworked Xbox version and an expansion pack for the PC with even more carnage.
Source: ExciteIn many respects, the Xbox version ($50, M-rated) is superior to the PC edition of this first-person shooter.
The stunning graphics remain largely intact, as do the hair-raising shrieks and moans of the zombies and hellish minions.
The overall sound design is excellent, with low-pitch reverberations of machinery, hissing steam vents and muffled, distant whispers perfectly complementing the already gruesome, unsettling visuals.
The story occurs on a Martian base where high-tech experiments have opened a portal to hell. Of course, you're the only gunslinging space marine with enough firepower to send the baddies back where they came from.
You'll spend much of your time running from one pitch black chamber to another, searching for access codes and levers to open doors and advance to the next level. At regular intervals, a cast of demons and zombies spawn before you in a flash of lava-red light or leap from janitor closets and other dark recesses.
After an hour, you know what to expect. Yet it's a horror formula that never fails to deliver. I've played through "Doom 3" many times now - and it still gives me the creeps.
Its gameplay is a bit behind the times in some respects. For example, you can't peek around corners or dually wield a weapon and a flashlight to see what's lurking in the dark distance. The best strategy: run into the fray, shoot anything that moves and pray you don't run out of ammo (or life).
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