Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil

Gameplay

Resurrection of Evil adds in two new main features to the gameplay that the player can use throughout the game. The first, is a tool that was originally developed for Doom 3; "the Grabber". The Grabber, like the "Gravity gun" from the game Half-Life 2, is a physics-based weapon that allows the player to pick up and move certain items. It also allows the player to catch fireballs and throw them back at the enemy. Resurrection of Evil has come under some criticism about the use of the Grabber due to the prior popularity of the similar weapon in Half-Life 2. The developers have commented that the tool was originally in Doom 3 before Half-Life 2, and was used to create "damaged" rooms; instead of building a ruined room, they would build a pristine room and use the grabber to "damage" it realistically.

One major difference between the Grabber and the Gravity Gun is that the Grabber has a limited charge, and thus can only hold onto an object for several seconds. Additionally, the Grabber creates a distortion effect that can obscure the player's vision when in use however the Grabber can catch projectiles and small creatures, whereas the Gravity gun cannot.

The second additional feature is the Hellstone. The artifact has a number of abilities, each activated after defeating a Hunter demon. One of the most notable is an effect that changes the player's perception to be one of slow-motion, except for the player's movements. This effect is notable as something similar was a key gameplay point in the later 2005 game F.E.A.R..

The Xbox version adds an exclusive new feature to the gameplay: the flashlight is now attached directly to a weapon. In the PC version of Resurrection of Evil, as well as in any version of Doom 3, the player can not wield a flashlight and a weapon at the same time, forcing him to switch constantly between the two. Many players had asked for such a feature to be implemented after the original game's release, and various mods were released to fulfil this. However, in the Xbox version, the flashlight is mounted onto the pistol - the game's most basic firearm - and can not be mounted onto more powerful weapons.

Another addition is the double-barreled shotgun. Essentially, it is the same as the regular shotgun, except it fires two shells at once, offering much greater stopping power, killing most enemies with one shot. The downside is that with every shot, the weapon must be reloaded in order to be used again. It thus resembles the double-barreled Super Shotgun from Doom II: Hell on Earth. The ammo capacity for the weapons are also increased (e.g. the Plasma Gun's ammo capacity increased from 450 to 500 rounds). There are three new mini-games on usable arcade cabinets throughout the game, as opposed to the single game of "Super Turbo Turkey Puncher 3" found in the original. "Sarge's Big Game Hunt" is an artillery game, Hellanoid is an Arkanoid clone, and "Martian Buddy Blaster" is a shooter game.

Also in the expansion was the inclusion of three new monsters, not counting boss creatures. The first new monster (also the first monster seen in the game) is the Forgotten One, a Lost Soul-variant. It more closely resembles the Lost Souls from the original games, being a blazing horned skull without any cybernetic parts. The second addition is the Vulgar. It is closely related to the Imp, and behaves almost exactly like one. The model used for the Vulgar was the original Archvile model seen in early Doom 3 scans. The third new addition is the Bruiser. At about the same size as a Hellknight, it has a computer monitor mounted on its face that flashes one of several images onscreen, including an eye when it sees the player and a set of flashing, sharp-toothed jaws.

Synopsis

In 2147, two years after the events of Doom 3, the UAC detects a strange signal from one of its Martian satellites, and consequently sends a team in to investigate. After this, the team finds an Artifact and the forces of Hell are alerted and begin a new invasion. The player, a marine combat engineer who discovers the hellish device, must fight his way through the base to reach the doctor, chased by demons. McNeil, an unseen character in Doom 3, was the whistleblower who notified counselor Elliot Swann and Jack Campbell of Malcolm Betruger's mysterious activities at the beginning of Doom 3.

The marine eventually finds her, and she tasks him with stopping the invasion by returning the Artifact to hell. In his journeys he defeats the three Hell Hunters (demons who were supposed to find the Artifact) and absorbs their powers into the ancient device.

The marine arrives in Hell and battles his way to Betruger, who has become the dragon-like Maledict. After some fighting, Betruger bites the marine, but before he can eat him, the marine shoves the Hellstone down Betruger's throat, causing him to dematerialize. Only his skull remains. The game ends with a bright white light, followed by McNeil's voice saying, "Marine?... Welcome home."

Development

The development of Resurrection of Evil was announced by id Software in October 2004. While Doom 3 was developed by id Software, Resurrection of Evil was developed by Nerve Software. Activision would remain the publisher.

Reception

Resurrection of Evil garnered mostly favorable reviews; the Windows version holds a score of 78% on the review aggregator site Metacritic, while the Xbox version is rated at 77%. A similar website, MobyGames, ranks the game at 78% for Windows and 79% for the Xbox.