DOOM 3

 PC
User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1360 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 868 out of 1360
  2. Mixed: 361 out of 1360
  3. Negative: 131 out of 1360
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  1. JoeD.
    Jun 29, 2005
    7
    This game is more than the sum of its parts. For some reason I found it had just enough to keep me coming back to complete it on the first run-through. I even went back to replay the entire game. However, just like Half-Life 2, the game is far too linear. There really is hardly any reason to come back and play it again, aside from the gorgeous graphics. Doom 3 has to be commended for This game is more than the sum of its parts. For some reason I found it had just enough to keep me coming back to complete it on the first run-through. I even went back to replay the entire game. However, just like Half-Life 2, the game is far too linear. There really is hardly any reason to come back and play it again, aside from the gorgeous graphics. Doom 3 has to be commended for generating a really chilling atmosphere, which does add to the enjoyment first time through. The graphics (especially the intricate and detailed level design) and sound effects are superb. The story isn't too bad, just not very original with no twists. The enemy A.I. should have been improved before this was released. All the enemies attack mindlessly. I mean come on! It is about time developers offered us some decent A.I in games these days (I'm looking at you Doom3 and Half-Life 2). All in all Doom 3 looks and sounds great, but doesn't offer much in the way of interesting or vaired gameplay, which of course means it has a very short shelf-life.… Expand
  2. ChrisK.
    May 29, 2006
    7
    When you hear, "You can't have a flashlight out at the same time with your weapon," you immediately think, "Oh, that's not cool." You can't shut out a game simply because of one little minor inconvenience. The graphics are also a prequisite to Quake IV, more or less the same game engine. So please, don't differentiate the two. The story is probably the most common one When you hear, "You can't have a flashlight out at the same time with your weapon," you immediately think, "Oh, that's not cool." You can't shut out a game simply because of one little minor inconvenience. The graphics are also a prequisite to Quake IV, more or less the same game engine. So please, don't differentiate the two. The story is probably the most common one everyone's been up to date about, hell's broken loose and you're out to stop it or kill lucifer or so on. The story isn't original but the gameplay is actually well done. If you're out to find a good story, don't look to Doom 3 or any of the previous Doom series. If you're out to just kill or die fighting giant spiders, then Doom 3 is your game. Please check out the demo before buying and then complaining. What I love about this game is that it keeps that meaning, "You can run but you can' t hide." You think you're safe in that corner, be my bloody guest.… Expand
  3. SimonB.
    Aug 16, 2006
    7
    Alright, alright. Now what went wrong with this game in particular? After a long arse install (quite short compared to Half-Life 2's install), Doom 3 opens on a rather classic menu with the classic game modes for the game. Depending on your level of skill , you will either play "Recruit", "Marine" or "Veteran". The game will therefore adjust itself to your skill. It will only do it Alright, alright. Now what went wrong with this game in particular? After a long arse install (quite short compared to Half-Life 2's install), Doom 3 opens on a rather classic menu with the classic game modes for the game. Depending on your level of skill , you will either play "Recruit", "Marine" or "Veteran". The game will therefore adjust itself to your skill. It will only do it once, so that you are constantly under the pressure of your skill. What makes the game hard in some points is that particular instinct of survival. If you play on "Recruit", you'll have a lesser feeling of survival. If you play on "Nightmare" (unlocked after beating the game), you will be much more interested on making quick and short meat of your ennemies than you would in easier modes. Of course, the game's story-line only makes you pissed at times, as it cuts the action thoroughly to make you shift through some audio logs and listen to some dead man's speech. Other times, you fiddle around rooms to know what you should be doing: A great hint, whenever there are ennemies, you're in the right place. A thing that helped a lot in ancient Doom games was the fact you could remember certain corpses layout according to places you went and came from. In Doom 3, aside from blood patches, you have no idea if you already went this way or are coming back from there. Though, that is a very rare case, unless you are the kind to get lost in all the generic environments of Doom 3. This game is very linear and should pose no threat to your brain's function, aside from thinking: "Should I dodge this guy?" or "Should I press the button?". Your brain is slightly a bit more turned on than Painkiller's level of IQ-requisite.(which is very low, I'm sure you'll agree)You get a bunch of weapons around you, counting from your "Marine-Fists" to the chunky and effective BFG. Monsters equally range from slow and overly dumb zombies to slow and overly dumb Hell Knights. What REALLY works about those big Knights is that they take a lot of place. So , the only stress about them is getting cornered because you weren't quick enough to kill them. Other monsters rush at you with speed or not. If they do not, they rush en masse. Okay, so... Good action at times, somewhat shy on the sides, Doom 3's BIGGEST troubles? A.I, storyline and gameplay. Isn't it wrong to see soldiers like those in Counter-Strike able to turn on a flashlight while wielding a PARA or a shotgun (both of which take two hands) or any other weapon... While Doom 3's idiotic mute Marine (whom grunts every now and then) can't even strap his flashlight to his machinegun? It's understandable that the UAC's base uses latest technology, but I'm certain that at some point... Technology would make sure that every marine unit would have some sort of night-seeing device or a flashlight that has no need to be wielded while there's an arsenal at your disposal? It adds to the atmosphere was an excuse, I think , that was used because some people forgot that most weapons nowadays have secondary fire options and flashlights attached to them. 7 For what looked like a possible great game, which was weighed down due to some incredibly big turn-offs.… Expand
  4. PatrickS.
    Sep 17, 2006
    7
    It was good for an FPS, but, it just had a lot of disappointments. Overall, it was pretty good.
  5. Caverna
    Nov 16, 2004
    7
    Good grafics..nice sound..but on-line sucks..!! Very disapointed..I was waiting more that that title.!
  6. DemonicAngel
    Sep 25, 2004
    7
    A classic example, to plagiarise from CVG, of a "British Rail pie" game - all puffy crust and sod all inside. The "puffy crust" being the wonderful graphics, sound and scary atmosphere; and the "sod all" being the hideously repetitious gameplay. Play for a couple of hours and you will have about exhausted everything this game has to offer.
  7. AnonymousMC
    Aug 26, 2007
    7
    idiots... You people are saying Graphics arent as good as quake 4 and hl2 well duh. Doom 3 came out in 2003, hl2came out in 04 with a new engine, and quake 4 in 05 and its the doom 3 engine so it wont be much of a change, It was exciting at first, but than the game does the same thing over and over. But a fun game
  8. xZippy
    Mar 28, 2013
    7
    I made the mistake of waiting too long before playing Doom 3, but that didn't seem to drastically change my opinion of it. The graphics weren't mindblowing, but they were still extremely good. The weapons and gameplay are alright, and even by today's standards, I think still the game retains some original gameplay elements not yet seen in newer games (that I know of). I kept hearing theI made the mistake of waiting too long before playing Doom 3, but that didn't seem to drastically change my opinion of it. The graphics weren't mindblowing, but they were still extremely good. The weapons and gameplay are alright, and even by today's standards, I think still the game retains some original gameplay elements not yet seen in newer games (that I know of). I kept hearing the hype about how scary this game was, and come to find out, the hype was quite accurate. The game held up some great atmospheres and delivered the scares quite nicely. On the negative side, I found the controls a little awkward, the character development is a little weak and unoriginal and some things just drag on. That includes the audio diaries you can collect, and go on for like 2 minutes before you finally hear the access code you wanted so bad to some mechanical box or locker. It's really no secret that Doom 1 and 2 will live on while Doom 3 kinda fades into the gray void. Still, it's a good game from start to finish, but it doesn't fall into the "games that ALL types of gamers should try out!" category, but I still consider giving it a play if you happen to come across it.… Expand
  9. AlienSpaceBats
    Jul 25, 2011
    7
    I remember this was amazing-looking when it first came out and actually the lighting and environments are still brilliant, the opening when all hell breaks loose (literally) still makes me jump at times. I recommend playing Doom 3 late at night with all the lights turned off, at full volume on headphones (try it), somehow the game gets ten times better. Doesn't hold up well to most modernI remember this was amazing-looking when it first came out and actually the lighting and environments are still brilliant, the opening when all hell breaks loose (literally) still makes me jump at times. I recommend playing Doom 3 late at night with all the lights turned off, at full volume on headphones (try it), somehow the game gets ten times better. Doesn't hold up well to most modern FPS titles but it's a great benchmark in the evolution of the genre, as is its predecessor.… Expand
  10. keefbaker
    Nov 2, 2013
    7
    When this originally came out it blew my mind. Unfortunately since then other people have took similar mechanics and ideas and took them to the next level so this is no longer an essential purchase. It is however worth it, especially for the atmosphere.
  11. wrexmer
    Nov 9, 2011
    7
    Graphics 10/10
    Gameplay 8/10
    Controls 9/10
    Story 6/10
    Characters 5/10
    Level design 8/10
    Weapons 8/10
    AI 4/10
    Presentation 6/10
    User Interface 8/10
    Sounds 7/10
    Music 4/10
  12. tandisbro
    Aug 5, 2012
    7
    I played for a total of 3 hours and stopped. Had no interest to play again. Great Graphics but not enough exploring feature to engauge the player. Seems ike a beef up graphics of the orginial story.
  13. grazr
    Jan 5, 2013
    7
    The only thing "Doom" about this game are the classical Imps and Hellknights and a glorified Hell level towards the end, homaging Doom II's art style. Cramped hallway style gameplay that tires after 4 of the 12 hours of gameplay, with the same old tricks of enemies jumping out from secret compartments or darkened corners whilst you tediously search for keycards in order to progress toThe only thing "Doom" about this game are the classical Imps and Hellknights and a glorified Hell level towards the end, homaging Doom II's art style. Cramped hallway style gameplay that tires after 4 of the 12 hours of gameplay, with the same old tricks of enemies jumping out from secret compartments or darkened corners whilst you tediously search for keycards in order to progress to something more interesting. Even on hard mode you trip over health and ammo which i guess is OK only in the context of the fact that this is DOOM and not a survival horror.

    The enemies aren't much of a threat when you realise they can barely hit you when you get inside their shooting arc, but not too close to melee; although i guess most players wont figure that out since they are scarey enough to try to avoid getting too close too. Although they do have this nasty habit of trapping you against a bulkhead and smacking your lower region to pieces just below your FoV which would be annoying if it wasn't for the fact this'll probably be the only time they take seasoned FPS players below 75% HP.

    The shotgun is the staple weapon of the game as you will always have ammo for it, unfortunately the infamous BFG feels a little lack luster when you can carry 328 shells but only 38 BFG rounds and it only takes 8 shotgun shells to take out a Hellknight compared to 4 BFG rounds. The BFG was famous for its room clearing capacity but in the extremely linear hallways of DOOM 3 you're more likely to have an enemy marine detonate the round in your face than use it effectively in anything but the rarest of circumstances.

    The game would have felt more classical DOOM like if there was more open space to strafe enemies and less time spent dropping into your PDA to read employee emails and audio logs. It's basically DOOM with all the corners cut off and the narrative shoved down your throat.

    In the context of its time it is a pretty game and the weapons are generally fun in that you can shoot to your hearts content without fear of needing that ammunition for something important later. There is also a traditional shooter feel in regards to how curiosity is often rewarded, such as the discovery of vents or spaces under stairs hiding some armour shards or ammo or other goodies like easter eggs.

    The final boss is a little disappointing however and ironically probably the easiest part of the game. I scored it a little higher than what i felt like because the game has obviously aged in the past 9 years and it deserves a score relative to its release date. The game was OK, but it does just make me want to play the originals.    … Expand
  14. birdman3
    Nov 13, 2012
    7
    Doom 3 is graphically phenomenal. The graphics are incredible, even by today's standards. The game is scary- demons will teleport in when you least expect it. The environments are great as well- I loved the utility in activating switches and interacting with computers. These are the strengths- the weaknesses are the repetitive gameplay (when you feel like you should be done with the game,Doom 3 is graphically phenomenal. The graphics are incredible, even by today's standards. The game is scary- demons will teleport in when you least expect it. The environments are great as well- I loved the utility in activating switches and interacting with computers. These are the strengths- the weaknesses are the repetitive gameplay (when you feel like you should be done with the game, you're only halfway through), weak guns (I feel like the weapons had very little oomph to them at all), and storyline (it is nonexistant. You go from point A to point B with no reason for it at all). Doom 3 is great but repetitive.… Expand
  15. iseeall
    Dec 14, 2015
    7
    It was a good shooter game for its time. The graphics were excellent by 2004 standards, with real-time shadows (they look too black and too sharp by today's standards). The gameplay feels very linear, and enemies often appear from thin air behind you - since that's frequently too deadly you would find yourself saving/reloading all the time.
  16. Speed4Runs
    Jan 2, 2013
    7
    Amazing game. This is a freaking good game with competitive gameplay and a lot of weapons. It was, later, dumbed dom with "Doom 3 BFG Edition". Mind blowing graphics for its time, but which are still good now. Amazing plot. Good longevity. This is a real game. 7/10
  17. askewreviews
    Sep 10, 2013
    7
    Coming back to Doom 3 in 2013 I was surprised by how little I enjoyed iD's biggest title of last decade. The graphics still looked crisp but the shooting mechanics and physics have aged horribly. The storyline is delivered well but the fast-paced combat tended to nullify the game's attempts at horror segments.
    Compared to other heavyweight titles of the same year, like Half-Life 2, Doom 3    Coming back to Doom 3 in 2013 I was surprised by how little I enjoyed iD's biggest title of last decade. The graphics still looked crisp but the shooting mechanics and physics have aged horribly. The storyline is delivered well but the fast-paced combat tended to nullify the game's attempts at horror segments.
    Compared to other heavyweight titles of the same year, like Half-Life 2, Doom 3 is not a classic game.    … Expand
  18. IceCobra
    Jun 18, 2013
    7
    Definitely short of a few missions compared to the originals however it was a great adaption and had what the old dooms did not have. although some of the creatures were quite disappointing in appearance, and some of the missions were quite boring. I still enjoyed the game but just wouldn't pick this over the originals.
  19. alla0222
    Dec 3, 2013
    7
    This game is an old classic. its good horror and fun to play. i recommend this game for the fans of scary games. Now days this game is a little old fashioned and wont look that good i guess, but i think this game is great in any other way.
  20. Lucif3r
    Dec 12, 2020
    7
    I was somewhat dissapointed that they pushed Graphics beyond Gameplay. Sure it was nice to see familiar monsters with great textures. But the tight/tiny corridor feeling just wasnt Doom. 90s run and shoot action game turned into 20s stealth horror game. Remember when you pumped your shotgun into the monsters body thus screaming in agony and falling into the ground? Not anymore. They simplyI was somewhat dissapointed that they pushed Graphics beyond Gameplay. Sure it was nice to see familiar monsters with great textures. But the tight/tiny corridor feeling just wasnt Doom. 90s run and shoot action game turned into 20s stealth horror game. Remember when you pumped your shotgun into the monsters body thus screaming in agony and falling into the ground? Not anymore. They simply fall and vanish. Remember the kick ass music that got your adrenaline pumped? Well you dont need any music in this just listen to voice records, thats your music what you get b1tch! Remember the chain gun and rocket launcher where you could go rambo? Well now you reload reload reload. Remember the DoomGuy that could fall from an skyscraper and dont feel a thing? Well this is a Marine that brakes his legs when jumping off from an two feet ladder. And the Cyberdemon only killable with an artifact...

    Untill you discover you can actually put console commands into the game that speed up the gameplay and the game becomes an new experience more like the first two games.
    pm_runspeed 450
    pm_walkspeed 280
    pm_jumpheight 80    … Expand
  21. NachoGameplays
    Feb 21, 2022
    7
    El alma de los Doom anteriores pero en una carcasa diferente. A diferencia de la mayoría de personas DOOM 3 se me hizo muy divertido y disfrutable a lo largo de toda su campaña. La ambientación mas sombría y oscura es un buen cambio para la saga y funciona perfectamente, su mayor problema creo que es el diseño de niveles, muy diferentes a lo que se conocía en anteriores entregas, el 80%El alma de los Doom anteriores pero en una carcasa diferente. A diferencia de la mayoría de personas DOOM 3 se me hizo muy divertido y disfrutable a lo largo de toda su campaña. La ambientación mas sombría y oscura es un buen cambio para la saga y funciona perfectamente, su mayor problema creo que es el diseño de niveles, muy diferentes a lo que se conocía en anteriores entregas, el 80% del juego son pasillos muy pequeños y sin luz.… Expand
  22. Zahrada
    Feb 24, 2014
    7
    This game is ok. It does have very good atmosphere and setting. It is immersive and fun. It does create fear and claustrophobic feelings. Not many games can do it to such an extent. Yet there is something that does not feel right. It seems to be made of pieces that does not fit very well together. One of which is textures that seem to have variable depth of graphic detail. It feelsThis game is ok. It does have very good atmosphere and setting. It is immersive and fun. It does create fear and claustrophobic feelings. Not many games can do it to such an extent. Yet there is something that does not feel right. It seems to be made of pieces that does not fit very well together. One of which is textures that seem to have variable depth of graphic detail. It feels fragmented somehow. In terms of difficulty it does not scale very well either. Overall however, the game was pretty good.… Expand
  23. Tomle1202
    Feb 8, 2019
    7
    What hurts Doom 3 most is that it does not know what it wants: The atmosphere and level design say that the game's goal is horror, whilst the abundance of enemies and ways to kill them point at something far more action-packed.
  24. Joellemm
    May 3, 2020
    7
    If you're looking for a fun, linear FPS, Doom 3 still, just about, holds up.

    Level design is fantastic. Lighting is good. Sound design works wonders. All of these aspects come together to create a far more tense doom game. It plays with your expectations throughout. As soon as you feel you've come to terms with all the game's tricks, it offers something new. You get used to looking    If you're looking for a fun, linear FPS, Doom 3 still, just about, holds up.

    Level design is fantastic. Lighting is good. Sound design works wonders. All of these aspects come together to create a far more tense doom game. It plays with your expectations throughout. As soon as you feel you've come to terms with all the game's tricks, it offers something new. You get used to looking around every corner, and then you have to get used to looking behind you, then you have to get used to examining even the wall panels. You never feel safe and this makes the game thrilling to play throughout.

    Despite the fact i can look past the outdated graphics, the outdated mechanics are a touch more difficult to handle. Swapping between weapons is particularly awkward. The bosses are laughably easy to beat. Somehow, the least satisfying weapon to use is the shotgun. There are lots of tiny issues that are likely even more prominent now because i'm playing the game so long after realise.

    Even so, its a fun game, that's still incredibly fast paced playing today. Most importantly, the tension the game sets out to achieve still holds up.    … Expand
  25. ShawnD
    Oct 18, 2017
    7
    It has the foundation to be a great game, but it has too many flaws.
    1) Fall damage is excessive. You'll lose 20 life if you fall 5 feet. It makes the game less of an adventure.
    2) Lots of jump scares. It might have been cool the first time, but the 20th time is just annoying. 3) Getting hit causes your aim to go crazy. This makes the game suck because it means one can't run and gun    It has the foundation to be a great game, but it has too many flaws.
    1) Fall damage is excessive. You'll lose 20 life if you fall 5 feet. It makes the game less of an adventure.
    2) Lots of jump scares. It might have been cool the first time, but the 20th time is just annoying.
    3) Getting hit causes your aim to go crazy. This makes the game suck because it means one can't run and gun like it's a Doom or Quake game. One needs to use cover all the time when fighting former humans.
    4) Enemies can be very difficult to see because there is a very little contrast between enemies and the environment.

    Doom 3 removed all of the things that made the original Doom interesting.    … Expand
  26. metacretin
    Jun 29, 2020
    7
    So i just replayed this game on Switch in 2020 and i can tell that this game is not that great. Probably at the time of the release some of the stuff was a breakthrough but gemaplaywise its very repetitive non intuitive corridor shooter with cool weapons.
  27. EroxCZ
    Apr 15, 2018
    7
    Doom 3 focuses on elements of horror, therefore it is the weakest part of the Doom series. 90% of this game contains darkness, therefore, you must pull out torch,which slows the gameplay. However, this game has a great storyline, the enemies are strongest and weapons are pretty good (the exception is machine gun, which is probably the weakest weapon in game). Horror elements to the DoomDoom 3 focuses on elements of horror, therefore it is the weakest part of the Doom series. 90% of this game contains darkness, therefore, you must pull out torch,which slows the gameplay. However, this game has a great storyline, the enemies are strongest and weapons are pretty good (the exception is machine gun, which is probably the weakest weapon in game). Horror elements to the Doom series does not belong, therefore I can not give a rating greater than 7.… Expand
  28. shkipermann
    Feb 25, 2023
    7
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  29. JaydenPickens
    Feb 11, 2020
    7
    Good stuff, but my least fav DOOM game out there. Still, check it out. Pickens approves!
  30. cronothegamer
    Aug 4, 2019
    7
    Good shooter. Loved the atmosphere. Had some annoyances with the AI basically just running toward you and surrounding you. Feels like a cheap way to script enemies. The plot is very similar to Half-Life. The flashlight being separate from your guns is annoying at first but eventually you won't need it. I think Dead Space 2 is like the ultimate version of this game. It's basically the sameGood shooter. Loved the atmosphere. Had some annoyances with the AI basically just running toward you and surrounding you. Feels like a cheap way to script enemies. The plot is very similar to Half-Life. The flashlight being separate from your guns is annoying at first but eventually you won't need it. I think Dead Space 2 is like the ultimate version of this game. It's basically the same but does everything way better. I played on normal and it wasn't too difficult. You will fight mostly the same enemies and you don't even need to use all the guns. Shotgun and Assault Rifle were my go-to weapons. Only used the Plasma Rifle when the Assault Rifle ran out. NEVER used a single grenade. I'm pretty sure they're useless. Saved the Rocket Launcher for bosses. Didn't even end up using the BFG because I was saving it for the final boss then realised you can't damage him with anything but the Soul Cube. So like every survival horror game I play I finished with full ammo in everything lol. Anyway it's a good game that doesn't deserve the hate it gets from Doom purists. I'd rather play this than Doom 1 and 2.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

14
#14 Best PC Game of 2004
4
#4 Most Discussed PC Game of 2004
3
#3 Most Shared PC Game of 2004

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
87

Generally favorable reviews - based on 83 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 77 out of 83
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 83
  3. Negative: 0 out of 83
  1. Gaming Horizon
    94
    The graphics are amazing (mind you, even on a mediocre system), the sound is amazing (if you don’t have a 5.1 system yet, consider it), and the game is downright scary.
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  2. AtomicGamer
    93
    DOOM 3 smashes through all the hype and delivers a grand slam of action, story, atmosphere, and pure terror.
    Read full review
  3. Yahoo!
    90
    So perfectly constructed, so deliciously immersive and downright elegant, that demands for more seem crass. It might not be the very best shooter out there, but it's the more visually stunning and successfully atmospheric than any game we've had the pleasure to play.
    Read full review
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