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In case you don't want to download it, here it is:
Many gamers have been on the fence about this compilation since it came out. A lot of PC fans absolutely hate it for changes in it's design, while most console gamers are either indifferent, or supportive of it. Before we indulge that further, let's examine the original game.
***
In 2004, Id Software resurrected it's long-dormant Doom franchise, and with it brought a laundry list of technological innovations that changed the way games looked forever. Game play had been pushed away from the exploratory open levels and circle-strafing gunfights into a more suspenseful style of twitch action that relied on scares and set pieces to push the player through a more linear, cinematic experience. This blend of graphical realism, horror and solid FPS mechanics made Doom 3 a showstopper, but only for those who could afford to run it on a then-state-of-the-art computer. Console gamers received a truncated version missing details like more complex geometry, room arrangements, and entire sections of levels; this conveyed the still-amazing core experience to console fans that didn't know any different, but was inadequate otherwise. Even so, only Xbox owners could play the game, as the Playstation 2 and Gamecube simply didn't have the ability to render the lighting and texture effects of the game sufficiently to warrant a port. As time went by, other games using the "Id Tech 4" engine powering Doom 3 were released on the next generation of consoles (i.e.: Prey), but Doom 3 was never given the proper porting treatment it deserved, until now.
***
Doom 3: BFG Edition is to Doom what The Orange Box was to Half-Life 2. It collects the complete Doom 3 game with episodic sequel content, and some other games which take the form of the series' legacy entries for those who may have not already played them (they are almost 20 years old). Because this re-release is an enhancement and not just a port, all of the textures and lighting effects have been upgraded to forms able to take full advantage of the updates to the game's engine, with minor cosmetic tweaks throughout. Visually, the game doesn't look dated on the Xbox360 or PS3, even if it's core mechanics are not in step with current conventions.
Overall, the only minor complaints about the game's presentation are a lack of controller customization options, an unnecessary "brightening" of the lighting found in game (which can be undone in the options menu), and an armor-affixed flashlight that removes the tension-building effect of the original flashlight mechanic. Players originally needed to choose between holding the game's standard flashlight and seeing, or having a loaded gun pointed at a dark corner, which added a lot of suspense when peering around such corners and waiting for something to jump out and rip off the player's face.
On the bright side(no pun intended), fans who remember the original Xbox version will be amazed at just how much was missing from that iteration of the game when they play the original Doom 3 sequences in the BFG Edition. Removed from that port was the much larger opening section that more fittingly introduces Mars City, and players will notice how often stages were broken down and separated into smaller levels on the original Xbox port as they progress through the unedited version of the campaign presented in the BFG Edition. Overall, the collection succeeds in doing justice to console fans of the original Doom 3 and "Resurrection of Evil" Xbox releases.
The third episode included in the BFG Edition is an exclusive to this package, and is called "The Lost Mission". This too is a source of contention among fans, as it's supposed to contain levels cut from the original Doom 3 campaign. What it actually feels like is a compilation of leftover geometry, test spaces, and crude alpha versions of stages that were later changed for the final version of Doom 3. Presented as their own episode, everything in "The Lost Mission" seems spliced together just make it all work, and is made relevant by a parallel story that occurs during the course of the main game.
About the only parts of this new content that come across as truly "lost" are the end stages occurring in Hell, as they feel like completed levels that should have been in the original game, but either didn't thematically fit the art direction they wanted, no longer had a place in the plot of the finished game, or just made the game a bit too long. This is especially true when one notices that these final Hell maps feel more like a throwback to the classic vision Id Software had for the Hell levels of the first Doom,since much of it has that "Satanic Cathedral" vibe that permeated the Hell sequences of those original games, or just have what look like areas and boss battles meant for an entirely different ending, including a fight with the creature that would ultimately be used in an alternate form as the guardian of the "Soul Cube". Regardless of their original purpose, these final stages of "The Lost Mission" are the only worthwhile moments in the new episode, and make drudging through the generic catwalks and causeways of the episode worth the trouble.
In conclusion, this is roughly the version of Doom 3 fans would have had if Id Software had just waited a little longer and released the game for the current generation of consoles, instead of rushing to cram it on the previous one. It doesn't promise cutting-edge game play, or even cutting-edge graphics anymore (even if they still look great), but it does provide a simple and enjoyable FPS experience with the atmosphere of a survival horror game, which is something few developers before or since have even tried. It isn't terribly realistic, doesn't have an epic story worth writing fan-fiction about, and offers little in the way of the requisite comprehensive multiplayer experience that strictly FPS games are expected to have anymore. Doom 3: BFG Edition is just good old-fashioned FPS fun, hampered by only a select few technical missteps, that makes for a great Halloween or late-night diversion from the usual sci-fi or military shooter experience. Play it with the volume up, in the dark, and with a good surround system or competitive gaming headset for maximum enjoyment.
Many gamers have been on the fence about this compilation since it came out. A lot of PC fans absolutely hate it for changes in it's design, while most console gamers are either indifferent, or supportive of it. Before we indulge that further, let's examine the original game.
***
In 2004, Id Software resurrected it's long-dormant Doom franchise, and with it brought a laundry list of technological innovations that changed the way games looked forever. Game play had been pushed away from the exploratory open levels and circle-strafing gunfights into a more suspenseful style of twitch action that relied on scares and set pieces to push the player through a more linear, cinematic experience. This blend of graphical realism, horror and solid FPS mechanics made Doom 3 a showstopper, but only for those who could afford to run it on a then-state-of-the-art computer. Console gamers received a truncated version missing details like more complex geometry, room arrangements, and entire sections of levels; this conveyed the still-amazing core experience to console fans that didn't know any different, but was inadequate otherwise. Even so, only Xbox owners could play the game, as the Playstation 2 and Gamecube simply didn't have the ability to render the lighting and texture effects of the game sufficiently to warrant a port. As time went by, other games using the "Id Tech 4" engine powering Doom 3 were released on the next generation of consoles (i.e.: Prey), but Doom 3 was never given the proper porting treatment it deserved, until now.
***
Doom 3: BFG Edition is to Doom what The Orange Box was to Half-Life 2. It collects the complete Doom 3 game with episodic sequel content, and some other games which take the form of the series' legacy entries for those who may have not already played them (they are almost 20 years old). Because this re-release is an enhancement and not just a port, all of the textures and lighting effects have been upgraded to forms able to take full advantage of the updates to the game's engine, with minor cosmetic tweaks throughout. Visually, the game doesn't look dated on the Xbox360 or PS3, even if it's core mechanics are not in step with current conventions.
Overall, the only minor complaints about the game's presentation are a lack of controller customization options, an unnecessary "brightening" of the lighting found in game (which can be undone in the options menu), and an armor-affixed flashlight that removes the tension-building effect of the original flashlight mechanic. Players originally needed to choose between holding the game's standard flashlight and seeing, or having a loaded gun pointed at a dark corner, which added a lot of suspense when peering around such corners and waiting for something to jump out and rip off the player's face.
On the bright side(no pun intended), fans who remember the original Xbox version will be amazed at just how much was missing from that iteration of the game when they play the original Doom 3 sequences in the BFG Edition. Removed from that port was the much larger opening section that more fittingly introduces Mars City, and players will notice how often stages were broken down and separated into smaller levels on the original Xbox port as they progress through the unedited version of the campaign presented in the BFG Edition. Overall, the collection succeeds in doing justice to console fans of the original Doom 3 and "Resurrection of Evil" Xbox releases.
The third episode included in the BFG Edition is an exclusive to this package, and is called "The Lost Mission". This too is a source of contention among fans, as it's supposed to contain levels cut from the original Doom 3 campaign. What it actually feels like is a compilation of leftover geometry, test spaces, and crude alpha versions of stages that were later changed for the final version of Doom 3. Presented as their own episode, everything in "The Lost Mission" seems spliced together just make it all work, and is made relevant by a parallel story that occurs during the course of the main game.
About the only parts of this new content that come across as truly "lost" are the end stages occurring in Hell, as they feel like completed levels that should have been in the original game, but either didn't thematically fit the art direction they wanted, no longer had a place in the plot of the finished game, or just made the game a bit too long. This is especially true when one notices that these final Hell maps feel more like a throwback to the classic vision Id Software had for the Hell levels of the first Doom,since much of it has that "Satanic Cathedral" vibe that permeated the Hell sequences of those original games, or just have what look like areas and boss battles meant for an entirely different ending, including a fight with the creature that would ultimately be used in an alternate form as the guardian of the "Soul Cube". Regardless of their original purpose, these final stages of "The Lost Mission" are the only worthwhile moments in the new episode, and make drudging through the generic catwalks and causeways of the episode worth the trouble.
In conclusion, this is roughly the version of Doom 3 fans would have had if Id Software had just waited a little longer and released the game for the current generation of consoles, instead of rushing to cram it on the previous one. It doesn't promise cutting-edge game play, or even cutting-edge graphics anymore (even if they still look great), but it does provide a simple and enjoyable FPS experience with the atmosphere of a survival horror game, which is something few developers before or since have even tried. It isn't terribly realistic, doesn't have an epic story worth writing fan-fiction about, and offers little in the way of the requisite comprehensive multiplayer experience that strictly FPS games are expected to have anymore. Doom 3: BFG Edition is just good old-fashioned FPS fun, hampered by only a select few technical missteps, that makes for a great Halloween or late-night diversion from the usual sci-fi or military shooter experience. Play it with the volume up, in the dark, and with a good surround system or competitive gaming headset for maximum enjoyment.
Category Story / All
Species Unspecified / Any
Size 120 x 53px
File Size 11.4 kB
The double-barrel puts them down nice when you're up close, but it can be a bit buggy. I've fired it point-blank into a single weak zombie and it did nothing but cause some blood to fly off, and then kill a Hell Knight with one shot. As for the pistol flashlight, that was a better alternative to the armor flashlight in BFG, because the pistol was just enough power to make you feel like you weren't defenseless without ruining the immersion.
Gamefaqs.com isn't useful to you in this regard? I often find when I need to obsess over 100% or greater game completion, I have to have a walk through script from them. Usually they have a step by step, or at least an index of where every last item is in any given game, for every platform.
D'oh! Indeed it does happen you sometimes have to synthesize between all available data to formulate a complete walk through. I know I'd like to correct one of the better Pokemon X walkthroughs and send updates to its author, but going back over the game and taking notes and redlining the script, then sending that in assuming he's not fixed it by then... Ohh myy...
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