The third episode of Id Software's Saga receives a second release, let's have a quick look at how it behaves
10 years after releasing Doom 2, ID Software presents Doom 3, a survival horror/shooter that has a very heavy heritage. Today we'll see how its re-edition behaves: Doom 3 BFG Edition.
Graphics
Graphics are great, but for being a re-edition there is no real improvement, so you can see that the product has aged. A couple glitches here and there can be seen, but nothing that ruins the game.
Graphic options are really few.
Setup and Performance
The installation via steam is quite simple even though it could take a bit of time, since some additional software is needed (DirectX and Visual C Redist)
The game has no issues with lag, even though each boot it requires admin privileges to make some kind of configuration.
Sound
Sounds are great, but sadly the audio levels are a real problem; most of the times you can't hear the NPCs or even the audio logs (which should be shoved right in your ear, like we had an earpiece).
The total absence of volume settings for the various audio or even for subutitles is honestly something shameful.
Moreover I found that there is some untranslated content in the italian version, like the soul cube saying "Use Us" instead of "Usaci".
Gameplay
The BFG Edition is a port of the console version, and that kind of heritage is felt a lot.
The gameplay is exactly in the middle of survival horror and "shooty shooty" style action, and that's that "being in the middle" that makes it a bit tasteless, not really inching towards one side or the other.
There are horror-style jumpscared, but medikits and ammo are plentiful, taking away great part of the "survival" factor.
The atmosphere is in the horror style, but enemies don't pose a real threat, unless there's a lot of them.
The final boss is extremely simple, I'd say disappointing.
I found more than once glitch that brought me towards some shameful deaths, including a huge invisible wall in between a completely doable jump.
I died more in the trial of going down a ladder than shooting demons.
Moreover, the challenge level is floaty, with sudden spikes, usually near the time you find new weapons. Out of the blue, you have the sensation that your weapons don't do any damage, until you find a new toy; after that it feels like you're at the beginning of the game, where any monster can be killed with a base pistol.
Extra: The BFG Edition
The BFG Edition shows some differences in comparison to the original version, mostly for the lack of some content, the abundance of pickups and the integrated torch on the suit.
I honestly think that this has brought the game from a "survival horror with some shooting elements" (a completely different thing from the "shooty shooty" of its predecessors) to something that is more like a survival horror that could be evaluated as between mediocre and sufficient as well as a decent shooter, but still pretty enjoyable.
Conclusion
Since I had the chance of playing the original Doom 3, I can say that the game itself is a worthy successor of Doom and Doom II, but this port in particular, as it is, is unsatisfactory.
As usual the score goes from 0 (this game needed to stay in hell) to 100 (if you don't have it, the Devil will take your soul).
Considering the porting quality, lack of moddability, lack of audio options, the audio levels themselves that ruin the experience, but also the presence of the first 2 chapters (as well as the expansions of the third) all in one package; I'd give a 60/100 to this edition.
Soon I'll be back with the "Resurrection of Evil" and "The Lost Mission" expansion packs reviews.
My hope is that these expansion packs will add some value to the BFG edition.
Thank you everybody for reading this post, and see you in the next one!
Penaz
{% from 'ad.html' import ad %} {{ ad() }}