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| Evil Lives In "Doom 3" Expansion Pack, "Resurrection" | ||||||
| When id Software's "Doom 3" came out last year for the PC, gamers were stunned by its superbly detailed graphics and spooky environment. Soon players found themselves caught up in all the hype over Valve's "Half-Life 2," which probably surpassed "Doom 3" in terms of popularity. Well now that the "Half-Life 2" hoopla has died down a bit, id Software is poised to take the reigns once again with their "Doom 3" expansion pack, "Resurrection of Evil." | ||||||
| When we last left the Mars base of "Doom 3," the demons had attacked and practically won, killing anybody who crossed their path. Before the portal to Hell was opened, though, UAC Marines sent out a distress signal asking for help in quashing the demonic threat. Finally that distress signal has been received, and this is where "Resurrection of Evil" begins. | ||||||
| "Resurrection of Evil" uses the same game engine as "Doom 3," so if your computer was beefy enough to handle last year's game, chances are that you will be able to run this one with no problems. The graphics are still top-notch, and the environments glisten with texture and yes, there are still a good number of shadows, so you better have your handy flashlight ready. | ||||||
| Like "Doom 3," it is easy to tell when a monster is about to materialize because of what I like to call the "demonic hot-flash," or a flash of orangeish light that appears above the place that the baddie will soon appear on. There are also certain invisible triggers that, when passed, suddenly leave the player in the middle of a battle with significant numbers of hell spawn closing in. | ||||||
| Luckily not all the game play is recycled from "Doom 3." There are several new monsters and weapons for players to have fun with, and the levels seem a bit freer and less claustrophobic. The feeling of being trapped is still there, no doubt, but there are more places to explore, and while it isn't nearly as open as Ubisoft's "Far Cry" was, it is still something. | ||||||
| As far as new weapons go, players can now wield a double-barreled shotgun, an ionized contraption that is affectionately referred to as "the grabber," and a new artifact that has some advantages over the soulcube of "Doom 3." The double-barreled shotgun is a great weapon for taking out monsters close-range, but the grabber does have a multitude of uses. Players can pick up containers and explosive barrels and chuck them at enemies for one thing, but even better is the fact that players can grab the projectiles thrown at them by various demons and throw 'em right back, which usually have powerful effects. It is especially fun to grab the flying skulls and spiders and toss them aside, killing them in one shot. | ||||||
| The new artifact is an amalgamation of the soulcube and "bullet time" from Remedy's "Max Payne" series. When holding this object, which looks almost like an enlarged heart, a player can gather souls from the dead soldiers and workers lying about and use them to slow time, making it easier to pass certain obstacles and blast monsters back to Hell. | ||||||
| "Resurrection of Evil," as mentioned before, does have some new monsters. One of the most notable arrivals is a crawly type of beast, which reminded me of the infamous lickers from Capcom's "Resident Evil" series. The rest of them are really just altered monsters that we saw in "Doom 3," but there are some surprised that I'll leave you to find. | ||||||
| A feature that hasn't changed since "Doom 3" lies in the personal digital assistant (PDA) that UAC Marines and Martian workers alike use to organize emails, store codes for equipment lockers and hold videos teaching the player the ins-and-outs of weapons. The PDA is a wonderfully implemented and useful device, and I personally thought it was one of the best things "Doom 3" had to offer. | ||||||
| "Resurrection of Evil" will probably take players about 15-hours to complete the single-player mode, which is decent length for an expansion pack. Players will immediately find themselves drawn into the game's atmosphere, which is both spooky and stylish. Multiplayer is back again, and although there aren't many changes to this game mode, there is a new "capture-the-flag" game to play. If you are a multiplayer lover who craves variety and total interactivity, "Doom 3" and "Resurrection of Evil" will definitely not satiate those desires, and you're probably better off sticking with "Battlefield 1942" and the beautiful "Battlefield Vietnam." If you do, however, love a great story and survival-horror, this is definitely a must-buy. Keep in mind, though, that you need "Doom 3" to play "Resurrection of Evil" as it is simply an expansion pack, but then again, if you don't already have "Doom 3," where have you been? | ||||||
| "Resurrection of Evil" is in stores now. To learn more about the add-on, go to www.doom3.com. | ||||||
| Copyright Gerry Wachovsky, 2005, and Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved. | ||||||
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