Doom 3 OS X Impressions

I'm not that much of a gamer, which you may have guessed by the fact that I'm writing about a game that's nearly a year old, and has just now been released for OS X. My games of choice are ones that allow you to get in, make a big mess, and get out -- within an hour, and without a lot of fuss. There simply aren't enough hours in the day (or brain cells available) for much more these days, so a game like Doom (or Unreal Tournament 2004 -- still a favorite) are perfect for my attention span.

Doom 3 is visually fantastic -- I've never played or seen a game with deeper texture, shadows, and realism. I played it on a dual G5 2ghz machine with a Radeon 9800, and contrary to a lot of the gripes I'd read online about the Mac port, it wasn't bad at all. Setting the detail anywhere above "Medium" was a little painful, but "Low" was anything but low, and played very smooth with lots of visual ambiance and detail. (Tip for widescreen Mac users - hold down Command when launching for special resolutions like 1680x1050 which aren't available in the game menus)

But what disappointed me most (at least thus far) about Doom 3 was the utter lack of spontaneity or engagement. First person shooters are by their very nature fairly simplistic, but Doom 3 takes that simplicity to levels of borderline banality. Walk a few steps, zombie jumps out of a dark corner -- shoot. Walk a few steps, zombie jumps out of a dark corner -- shoot. The interior spaces are so cramped and linear you feel as though you're on an automated amusement ride; shooting, walking, and never pressing the jump key or looking skyward.

First person shooters have to have some concept of entry and exit in order for the player to ascend levels and continue game play, but if they're overly restrictive they can quickly become boring. Look at games like Halo or Call of Duty -- while there are defined directions and tasks the player must take to advance the game, you still feel as though the maps are an open terrain for wandering and discovery. Doom 3 doesn't have this feeling at all, and instead makes you want to run to the exit in hopes of finding something more interesting.

I've played all the Doom and Quake titles (don't ask how many times I played Quake II from beginning to end), and while Doom 3 continues their familiar structure, the older titles were more playful, engaging, and fun. Doom 3 is unquestionably a quantum-leap forward in graphical richness and design, but for me falls flat in everything else.