Any FPS gamer knows that if it wasn't for the original Doom released way back in 1993, shooters wouldn't be where they are today. Doom was the game that put FPS' on the map and now, after many years, Doom is back....and better than ever. Doom 3 is one of the scariest, most fun shooters I've played in a while.
First, there are the graphics, which are disturbingly perfect. Each creature is amazingly detailed and the weapons, items, environments are all almost flawless. The lighting is the best part of the graphics. Some corridors will be lit up and some will be pitch black, and you'll have to pull out your flashlight(which makes things a lot scarier).
The storyline, although simple, is filled with twists and turns that are sometimes predictable, but most of the time very scary and shocking. Right when you think your close to the end of the game, something else happens, unexpectedly, and plot thickens even more.
The gameplay is totally classic FPS, which should please Doom fans, but anyone expecting a shooter that brings something new to the table should look elsewhere. The gameplay is simple and a lot of fun. The scariness of the game surely adds to the gameplay. Most of your enemies show up in very disturbing ways and you'll find yourself at the edge of your seat a lot of the game.
The only flaw with the game is that the middle gets a little repetitive. You'll find yourself saying "Haven't I seen this hallway before?" a few times. The game seems to start off really strong, get a little slow toward the middle, and then pick up again for the ending section of the game, but everything works out and none of these problems get in the way of the game.
Overall, Doom 3 is an amazing FPS and is certainly worthy of the Doom name. Any FPS lover should pick this up as soon as possible and any gamer thats looking for a game that provides hours of fun and will scare the hell out of you, not a lot of games do it better than Doom 3.
9/10 (THARPILIOUS AWARD)
Tharp
What is Enter the Matrix? It's another game that could have been so much more if it wasn't for a bunch of stupid problems. Honestly, the problems aren't that bad and you can easily overlook them and have a lot of fun with this game, but it still makes you wonder how this game could have turned out if they had fixed a few things.
First, there's the gameplay. The gameplay is a cool mixture of hand-to-hand combat fighting and an arsenal of about 20 weapons and you can switch back-and-forth at any point in the game. All of this is also enhanced by Bullet Time, which you can also use at any point of the game, but especially during the action sequences(which is basically most of the gameplay). Unfortunetly, all of this makes the game very, very easy to play and you will almost never die in this game. If you really had the time, you could sit down and beat the game in 1...maybe 2 days. The gameplay is also weakened by aggravating controls that take a long time to get used to and are way to sensitive. But once you get used to it, the gameplay can be a lot of fun.
The graphics are good with the character models, but they look pretty bad with just about everything else. The car sequences are the worst when it comes to the graphics; most of the cars look very stiff and blocky and when they explode, they just turn black and start bouncing around like beach balls. Overall, the graphics are OK, but definietly not up to par with most X-Box games.
One notable part of the game is the ending sequence, where you take control of a gun turret as you fly through the tunnels of the real world. The sequence is not only bad graphically, but it is also awkwardly boring and pointless and ends the game on a really bad note. The game would have honestly been better off without this sequence completely.
Overall, if they had fixed some gameplay and graphics issues, we would have a great action game. Enter the Matrix is a fun game, but I'm left wondering how much more this game could have been.
6/10
THARP
I remember playing Thief: The Dark Project for my PC back in the day. It was one of the first stealth-action games I owned and I used to be addicted to it. It's been quite a few years since then and when I heard that Deadly Shadows was coming out, the first thing I thought was "Will it live up to the original Thief game?"
Let me just tell you that not only does Deadly Shadows live up to the Thief name, but it surpasses the original Thief in almost every way. That may seem like a strong statement, but Deadly Shadows is one of the best games of the year. It takes the stealth formula of Splinter Cell(with a bunch of unique extras)and sets it in the medieval era. The game has a Hollywood-movie quality storyline that adds amazing plot twists at every turn and keeps you glued to the controller.
The voice-overs are delivered almost flawless. Garrett's voice is especially delivered very well and fits the characters attitude and dark sense-of-humor perfectly. The graphics are very good, although not as good as some X-BOX games, but they portray the Thief world perfectly. Characters are nicely detailed, as are weapons, and the scenery is well-designed.
The gameplay is definitely the games strongest point. The controls are smooth and easy to figure out and you can easily have Garrett do tasks such as blackjack people, shoot arrows, pick up loot, sneak past guards, etc. The game is the most fun during missions, when you have a certain number of objectives you have to complete and to complete some of the objectives, you have to figure out small puzzles and such. It's a lot of fun finding the objectives(especially on Expert where the objectives never end).
I've beaten the game three times since I've gotten it. Once on Easy, and then Normal, and last Expert, and I wouldn't mind playing it again. Gamers that loved The Dark Project will probably worship this game and even gamers that hated The Dark Project might want to give this game a chance. A game this good shouldn't be missed by anyone.
10/10 (THARPILICIOUS AWARD)