DOOM 3: Resurrection of Evil Preview

It’s evil, it’s nasty, and it’s edge-of-the-seat combat against the very spawn of hell.

Must be from the Doom universe. Yep, that’s it exactly. Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil is all the name implies and more. The Activision PC release is slated to hit store shelves in early April, but the good folks at Activision couldn’t wait to let members of the press get a taste of what was in store for gamers.

So, a little jaunt was planned to San Francisco to show off the title, along with the Xbox port of Doom 3 (see http://xbox.gamezone.com/gzreviews/p15609_3.htm for a hands-on preview of that title). id Software was on hand for the exercise, which revealed an expansion that is rather large in scope, and just as thrilling as the title it is drawn from.

As those who have played Doom 3 know, the Mars research station that UAC opened was all but destroyed, as the researchers – working on the key to teleportation – instead opened the gates of hell. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to tell you that was a mistake. In the ensuing chaos only one person survived. But, as the saying goes, those who do not learn from their mistakes are destined to repeat them.

The Mars research facility has been re-opened, under the guidance of Dr. Elizabeth McNeil. But more than that, something has been discovered in nearby ruins. A squad of Marines is sent to investigate. What they find is unbelievable – it is an ancient artifact that somewhat resembles a heart. What they don’t know is that it is a heart and it belongs to, and is coveted by, demons in hell. What’s more, they want it back.

The artifact is, in fact, one of three new weapons to grace this tantalizing terror trip. The other two can work in concert with the multi-faceted device and are the Grabber and a double-barreled shotgun. The artifact has three skills, one is the ability to slow time (hell time), which comes in quite handy when you encounter some of the new monsters that are here. One of the new mobs can fire a barrage of missiles at you, so slowing time to move out of the way is an acceptable course of action.

But you don’t get to actually activate the artifact right away. And the first weapon you find that has amazing uses is the Grabber. The Grabber is, more or less, what the name implies – it grabs and manipulates physical objects. One of the demons launches a fireball at you. You can, of course, sidestep it and avoid the damage … or you can grab it out of the air and hurl it back at the demon. The demons don’t like that, as their own magic missiles have a tendency to kill them. But wait, that’s not all. See that exploding barrel? Pick it up and toss it. See that health pack on top of the scaffolding? Pull it to you. The Grabber can also snag some of the small flying demons from their paths of destruction and hurl them to the sweet oblivion of death.

RoE features more expansion areas and is, overall, about two-thirds the size of the original Doom 3. It features gorgeous textures, and the same dynamic shadows and lighting effects players enjoyed in the original title. While the puzzles may be a bit simplistic, the game banks heavily on the core “twitch” elements that made the original such a thrill ride. While technically that makes the expansion more of the same, it’s not quite. The game offers some of the familiar environments and gameplay mechanics, but the story is fresh, and with the new weapons and monsters, the action ramps up in a hurry.

Doom 3 was one of the 2004 frontrunners in terms of first-person shooters, with the added bonus of the terror that was so pervasive in the mood and game dynamics. RoE continues the theme, but adds new challenges and new delights. If you own Doom 3, you will have to get Resurrection of Evil.