Review: Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil - PC, Xbox - 8.6

Nerve Software\'s brought us Doom 3\'s first expansion pack, Resurrection of Evil. The new add-on doesn\'t muck with the horror-movie presentation and run-and-gun gameplay laid down by the original, though it adds enough new weapons and enemies to make the expansion feel like a solid companion to the original. If Doom 3 left you wanting more, you\'ll find what you\'re looking for in Resurrection of Evil.

Resurrection of Evil picks up about two years after the original game. The Union Aerospace Corporation is back on Mars and continues its study of the artifacts found on the surface. During an exploratory mission, your character-a different marine than the one you played in Doom 3- picks up an evil artifact that opens yet another portal to hell, which leads to the deaths of almost everyone left on the base, as well as unleashes a new wave of demons, led by a resurrected Dr. Betruger (who wants his toy back). With the help of Dr. Elizabeth McNeil, who acts as this game\'s Sarge, you\'ll have to blast your way through hordes of enemies as you attempt to reach hell to seal the artifact there, hopefully ending the threat of invasion forever.

The game plays exactly the same as Doom 3, with the flashlight being an important tool for searching through levels. The levels are shorter and seem to have a much more demonic theme to them earlier in the game. There\'s much less of a storyline here as in the original, meaning you won\'t spend as much time looking over old e-mails and audio logs for clues. Furthermore, the cutscenes are sparse and widely separated. ROE feels more the original Doom with its more straightforward gameplay.

There are some slight upgrades to your arsenal, such as the return of the double-barreled shotgun. While not as powerful as in previous Doom games, it can certainly blow its way through ranks of powerful enemies. There\'s also the grabber, a physics weapon inspired by Half-Life 2\'s gravity gun. The grabber is much more combat-focused, though, and you won\'t really use it to solve any serious puzzles. You can use the grabber to snag enemy (Vulgar) projectiles and throw them back, and you can make weapons out of a lot of environmental objects, too (as you\'d expect, exploding barrels work nicely for this).

There\'s also the artifact you pick up, which works differently from the soul cube in Doom 3. As you play through the game, the artifact will grant you powers. The first one is a bullet time carbon copy, and comes with all of its gameplay impacts. Later on, the berserk power will be added to the artifact, enabling you to punch anything to death with one hit. Finally, toward the end of the game, you\'ll become invincible when you invoke the artifact, making you a real killing machine. The enemies are much more numerous, so the artifact becomes a much more commonly used weapon than the soul cube ever was. Some enemies have been introduced, such as the previously mentioned Vulgar, which is an upgraded version of the Imp.

The game features an upgraded multiplayer mode that was developed by Threewave. The game now contains Capture the Flag, and its surprisingly fun.

The Doom 3 engine is preserved for the game, and so brings along its great-looking graphics. Sounds are also straight from Doom 3 and the new voice actors sound great.

Gameplay: 8.5 - Continues to add on to the Doom 3 gameplay mechanics, adds the satisfying dual-barrel shotgun.
Presentation: 9 - Great production values with voice acting and creepy immersion factors.
Graphics: 8.5 - The Doom 3 engine holds up, providing some jaw-droppingly freaky and good-looking environments at a minimal performance hit, adds some great effects.
Sound: 8.5 - Great sound effects, some nice new voice acting.
Value: 8.5 - Very long game, standard multiplayer. Great value for the current low price.

Final Score: 8.6 - Adds some new gameplay mechanics to the Doom 3 formula. Worth it for fans.

Marcin Skok
Editor-in-Chief
"The Gaming Corner"