One of the things I love about PC upgrades is the chance to go back and play older games with maxed-out settings. Over the last couple weekends, I played through Doom 3. This is a game that came out in 2004, and was a killer at the time. Now, the requirements are pretty tame. (It actually ran fairly well on my old system, but now it’s fantastic.)
What’s great is how well it holds up. Graphically, it is still excellent, with some great lighting effects and still-realistic character modeling. (Well, as realistic as zombies and demons can get, I suppose.) Of course, the game’s strength is not the graphics, but the design. It’s a horror game, and the designers did an excellent job creating an immersive, suspenseful environment. From the poor lighting (in a good way) in many levels to the excellent sound design, the game really keeps you on your toes.
It reminds me of another game that was as good or better at creating the tense horror experience: Clive Barker’s Undying. That was an excellent game that I’d highly recommend. It’s unfortunate, then, that the latest Clive Barker-branded game offering was such a disappointment. Aside from the generally lukewarm reviews of Jericho, I played through the demo and wasn’t impressed.
It’s very satisfying to play a truly well-crafted game. Considering their cost these days, it’s worth being picky.
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