Games that Will Still Amaze You Today: Doom 3

There are a few games which help to define an entire generation of gaming. So far this generation, we have seen games such as Crysis, Gears of War, Uncharted, Metal Gear Solid 4, Call of Duty, and others lead the games industry on its respective platforms. Here we will take a look at one of the games that defined the last generation of gaming (about 2000-2005) and see how they hold up in terms of todays expectations, in one of a series of articles to come.

Originally developed by id Software, the First-person shooter Doom 3 was released on PC in August 2004. The game is set in a military research facility in 2145, and when an experiment gone wrong opens a gateway to hell, you are given the task to stop these demons from destoying the world. Doom 3 proved an instant success for id software, and the publisher, activision with its details, gritty graphics and terrifying environments. After only playing through this game once back then, I suddenly had the urge to have another go around and see how it compares to today's games. Doom 3 was one of the most advanced games of the last generation, and just thought it would be interesting to compare it to the current day.

Amazingly enough, I didn't feel as though I went through a time machine six years back to 2004. In fact, Doom 3 still looks better than much of the junk that's released today by developers just trying to make a quick buck. Sure, maybe the character models are lacking a few polygons here and there, but the textures, reflections, lighting, and character movements all seemed almost on par with many games today.

And then there's the scare factor. For being without the advanced technology developers use today, id Software did an amazing job of creating so many horrifying elements in one game. I haven't played a First-person shooter since that makes you so constantly paranoid of your surroundings. If you've never played Doom 3, you really should go pick it up for $9.99 at your local video games shop. It's the type of game that makes you uncomfortable playing home alone with the lights down, surround sound blasting. The only game in this generation of gaming that can touch Doom 3 in terms of frightening environments is Dead Space.

If you'd prefer not to pick up Doom 3, then be aware that Doom 4 may be releasing sometime at the end of 2010 or the start of 2011. Hopefully it will bring the same spine chilling gameplay and beautiful visuals as Doom 3 was able to back in 2004.