The recent release of the Doom trilogy on Switch has been a welcome one, even though it’s been one mired in controversy over ‘login-gate’. Doom remains a fantastic game more than a quarter of a century after its initial launch, and that’s more or less the case with Doom II as well. Doom 3, meanwhile, is a very different game and one that requires its own scrutiny.
Released a full decade after Doom II, the third Doom game is something of a reboot of the original. As in that, you play a nameless marine who’s been sent to Mars on security duty to protect military research into portals. Something goes massively wrong and a portal to Hell is opened, leading to demons and possessed soldiers all over the shop.
Despite both games having the same plot, however, Doom 3 is significantly different to the first Doom: not just in terms of the obvious graphical upgrade, but in the way the game feels to play in general. Whereas Doom and Doom II are relatively fast-paced games where aiming can be relatively loose and carnage is the name of the game, Doom 3 is a much slower, more atmospheric experience where you’re rewarded for careful aiming (i.e. headshots) under pressure.
Enemies tend to put up more of a fight here than in the previous games, and tend to be a little more accurate with their attacks. As such, you’ll be far more conscious of your health and your ammo here than in the first two Dooms. Enemies also have an annoying tendency to pop up just as you do certain things – picking up weapons and ammo, for example – giving it more of a jumpy feel and keeping you on edge throughout.
Some Doom die-hards were critical of the game’s feel when it originally launched, and it’s easy to see why: this is an atmospheric and scary adventure in its own right, but it doesn’t really feel like a Doom game. That doesn’t necessarily make it any better or worse, mind you: just different.
As a polygonal game from the mid-noughties, Doom 3 is showing its age in some areas. Character models look distinctly low in detail, and facial animations are iffy. Everything generally has that chunky GameCube-era look to it, despite the obvious increase in resolution (which we’ll get to), and the voice acting is as ropey as a sailor’s knot-tying lessons. One area where it does continue to impress, however, is lighting.
The lighting in Doom 3 was the big selling point when the game first launched in 2004. Using the id Tech 4 graphics engine, id Software made a big deal of the fact that the light sources were calculated in real-time, meaning illumination and shadows were far more realistic than anything that had come before it. Of course, technology has improved in leaps and bounds since then but 15 years later it still looks extremely impressive.
When it was originally released, lighting was one of the most controversial elements of the game too: specifically, the way the flashlight worked. Many of the game’s corridors are extremely dark, meaning the flashlight you received at the start was essential. The problem was, you could only hold either your flashlight or a weapon, not both: as a result, any time you encountered an enemy in a dark area you had to switch to your gun and blindly fire into the darkness, hoping you hit them.
This was fixed in Doom 3: BFG Edition, a 2012 re-release on Xbox 360 and PS3, where the handheld torch was replaced with an armour-mounted version, meaning you could shine a light and fire at enemies at the same time. Thankfully, this Switch version is based on the BFG Edition, so there’s no flashlight-fumbling here (other than the fact it only lasts for a while, at which point you have to turn it off and charge it for a few seconds).
This means the Switch port also includes the two expansion packs that were bundled with the BFG Edition: Resurrection of Evil (which introduces new weapons like the Half-Life 2 style Grabber) and The Lost Mission (an 8-level chunk that was cut from the original game). Combined, they add another 20 stages to what’s already a pretty lengthy game, meaning you’ll definitely get your money’s worth in terms of content.
The Switch versions of Doom and Doom II suffered from two main issues: the aforementioned requirement to sign up for and log into a Bethesda account, and some slight performance problems. The good news is that Doom 3 doesn’t require any account shenanigans, but the bad news is that the performance isn’t perfect here either, and the issues are far more noticeable this time.
In terms of resolution, there’s nothing to complain about: everything renders perfectly at 1080p when docked and 720p in handheld mode and looks beautifully sharp throughout. The problem is the frame rate, which aims for 60 frames per second and hits it much of the time, but regularly drops and gets stuttery during moments of action or particularly intense lighting effects. You can fix this a little by going to the options, turning off flashlight shadows and reducing the depth of field, but there’s still a degree of stutter regardless.
Also disappointing are the lack of subtitles. Granted, they weren’t in the original release either and would have required more work to add, but in today’s day and age subtitles are more or less a standard: not just for accessibility purposes for those who need them, but for those of us who just like having them on to make sure we catch all of the dialogue (and there’s a lot of it here, from chatting with characters at the start of the game to the numerous audio logs you can find). It’s especially a shame when you consider that depending on your situation you don’t always get to play with sound on in handheld mode, meaning you’ll miss out on the plot entirely.
As long as you can cope with those drawbacks, you’re left with a lengthy, atmospheric and hugely entertaining shooter that somehow manages to look dated in some aspects but continue to impress in others. We said in our Doom II review that which game you preferred – Doom or its sequel – would really come down to personal taste. That’s the same situation here, but multiplied countless times given the sheer difference between Doom 3 and its predecessors. It may not be Doom as traditionalists know it, but it’s a fun time nonetheless.
Conclusion
A stuttery frame rate isn’t enough to derail one of the most memorable FPS campaigns of yesteryear. Doom 3 still has the power to unnerve and while elements of it may be showing their age now, the overall package – complete with the BFG Edition improvements and expansion packs – still guarantees value for money.
Comments 90
Looking forward to trying this one as never played it
Do the demons in the shadows still whisper about pistachios?
Played the BFG edition on PC. Made it through the main campaign, but lost interest shortly into RoE. It's a solid game but isn't anything like the previous Doom games and a little bland.
Joys - Cons, brilliant.
@RupeeClock No, Bethesda updated them to whisper about microtransactions and loot boxes
I played through this on XBOX with my buddy using system link. A proper old-school LAN party, but with consoles! It was a lot of fun. For $10.00 I will probably pick this up to hold me over until ETERNAL comes out. (Already picked up DOOM II)
Picked this up from the e-shop with both Doom and Doom 2 but yet to play it. Looking forward to starting it shortly. I got about halfway through the 360 version and never went back so wish to complete it this time... It looks good.
Love this new Joy-Con system you guys got going, keep it up!
I bought this game on OG Xbox when I was at Uni, and I only played a couple of hours because I found it too scary haha!
This is something of a legendary game. I'll sure give it a go.
@scully1888 I like the new Joys / Cons at the end. Nice play on words
Flashlight mod kills this game. What you call a fix is really ruining the game. It takes it from this scary horror thriller to a boring shooter.
Doom3 has to be played with the fllashlight off if you have a weapon out.
Loving this So far. Finding the imps to be quite humorous though, especially the way they wander around on a fixed track looking like they are carrying an invisible box.
Oh and I have yet to experience any frame rate drops, smooth 60fps throughout.
@FragRed @RupeeClock whispers oh nuts >.<
Been looking forward to replaying this one, but unfortunately like the previous entires in the series, it gives me motion sickness pouts Great to see it on the Switch though!
15 years old and bad framerate?
Either the switch needs an update STAT or Bethesda is turribad and cheap. I'll put my money on both.
Im having an absolute blast with this on my first go round with game. It's super eerie and intense. Just when you think you're free of demons and such, something pops out at you. At least most baddies only require a couple shots to be taken down. This is very welcome. I'm about 3.5 hours in now and cant wait to see how the rest of the game plays out.
Mmmm. I’ll get the first one once they get rid of log it and then work my way through. I like ridiculous blasting but so keen on tense and anxious games . I have real lode for that
I love this port! One of may fav game of all time!
DOOM 3 was always a pretty great game. Unfortunately, its design just conflicted with the rest of the series, which rubbed a lot of fans the wrong way.
@RupeeClock Well they've gone nuts afterall
@FragRed It's actually Todd Howard whispering to buy Skyrim.
@Deadlyblack I thought that was part of the "Todd Howard Game Pass"?
Is there motion aiming? Nothing else really matters without it for a game like this.
You know... i had this game back in 200?? something and I liked the game a lot and I had a lot of trouble running the game at high quality. I had Nvidia 5200 I believe. Later I switched to 6600 and sure it made a difference, but high/ultra was still difficult. Long load times as well... well maybe CPU was bad not sure . Glad to see an old game a release on Switch. Enjoy the game
Weird that the reviewer took issue with the voice acting quality, I always thought it was excellent. Maybe my standards just aren't that high lol I've been playing Doom 3 for the last 4 days (both docked and handheld) and haven't noticed any frame rate issues either on the default graphics settings and playing on Veteran difficulty.
@StevenG Absolutely. I consider the BFG edition to be something of a defacement of the original and completely misses the point of why Doom 3 was designed that way in the first place.
That said, I've been quite enjoying it on the Switch. The lack of gyro aim severely hampers things but it's still fun to explore the levels and find all the hidden areas and locker codes.
It's also been a handy reminder of how much Doom 2016 seems to pay homage to the look of this game. Both the Mars base and hell sections share a lot of elements with Doom 3.
@BulkSlash Funny you say defacement, as the BFG edition is graphically inferior as well. A pain to follow up on as Steam took down the original releases when BFG came out - unless you already own those.
Even with the few issues mentioned - at £7.99 this is an absolute steal and gem and must for every collection IMHO.
Big fan of this game and I'm thoroughly enjoying playing on the Switch, it doesn't lock to 60fps but it doesn't really get in the way of the action and it looks great in handheld. I do wish we had the option of the original flashlight as it gave the game a Aliens vibe which is diminished somewhat.
Its unbelievable having all of these on the go and of course the new one and something the 12 year old me would never have dreamed of when first putting that Doom cartridge into my SNES.
Now with Doom Eternal coming, the first 2 Turok games soon to be available and hopefully the rumoured Doom 64 my Switch will be a handheld shooter paradise
Cool. This review answered my one question, whether the Switch version was based on the BFG Version and included the "flashlight fix".
I played this on 360, and it is a good game, though i will echo the review's mention of how it doesn't feel so much like a "Doom" game, and more like just a good, action-horror FPS with a Doom-flavored coat of paint. Definitely worth picking up.
@FragRed : No, Bethesda, I don't like it when you talk dirty!
apart from the issues this is a bargain on switch at this price. no switch tax with this one.
I bought all 3 Doom games on the Switch, but I've been too busy with other games to play them. But I do plan on beating all 3 again soon enough. Just gotta get through some other games first.
@Rubbercookie Oh I hadn't realised they'd messed with the graphics. Sadly it's been a while since I played the original on PC, I do remember it being absolutely polished to perfection when I played the original (thankfully I've still got it on Steam). Generally only Nintendo games are that well burnished although I think GTAV was pretty close too.
I've been playing this on Veteran. I was irritated with that difficulty setting initially, especially when gun toting enemies would just spawn in behind me and start shooting, but I've gotten a pretty good hang of the difficulty, and I'm really enjoying it.
Sounds pretty good. I will want to play this sometime, probably sooner rather than later. However I continually wish developers could include options to lower resolution and possibly other graphical features in order to lock the frame rate to 60fps. My favorite cutback it to have an adaptive resolution. It sounds like this game would be absolutely locked to 60fps at 720p docked. I wish that was an option. 720p always looks great to me. 500p looks great in handheld. I'd rather play a game at 400p in handheld at 60fps than any higher resolution with choppiness.
I’m so happy this game came to switch and it looks and plays and sounds amazing in portable mode.
Panic button rock!!
"the voice acting is as ropey as a sailor’s knot-tying lessons"
AYE!
Doom 3 will always mark the beginning of the end of id Software to me. They were the kingpin of gaming in the 90's, at least on the PC side. And then this happened. Take the game that was synonymous with fast frantic arcade action, release a sequel that's instead a gritty graphic horror, add in the mentioned flashlight antics (it's a shame 22nd century Martians haven't invented gun accessory rails yet.... and even the BFG edition...such a shame nobody on 22nd century Mars invented LEDs and large battery packs that can run for 20+ hours straight...instead having some kind of mini reactor that takes 40 seconds to recharge after every 120 seconds use...) Then the engine. By far the most advanced, beautiful engine of the time, but so tailor made for a certain pace of game, it ended id's dominance in engine licensing that defined the whole decade and lead to the Epic monopoly we have now.
I'll always remember this game poorly, even if it was good for what it is.
Never did get around to playing this.
"Poor voice acting"
I agree, the VA for Doom guy is terrible.
@TIND Disagree, he's amazing. I wish more VAs would follow his lead and never say a word. 😁
The Joys Cons scoring system has been done for a fair while on nindie nexus, either NL poached it from them or great minds think alike 🤔
Having these on the switch is just awesome. I wish for some other classics on the device, like borderlands, goldeneye, and the orange box
@sword_9mm Doom 3 was always a very forward-compatible game. This version is basically running the PC version at the highest setting possible, which would always be taxing for the Switch hardware. From what I can see, Panic Button did quite a great job without compromising too much.
@60frames-please you know, you can actually go to Switch settings and select 720p as an output for TV instead of 1080p.
@monterxz yeah, but there won't be a performance improvement to doing that. Developers have to include it in the options, like with Darksiders and Fire Emblem Warriors.
These graphics bring back the days of "trying to run Doom 3 with my 00's gaming PC but really struggling"
@60frames-please it worked for me with sniper elite 2 - played much smoother on tv in 720p. games actually have 2 presets but they are automatic. selecting 720p should not disable the boost switch's cpu gets from docking mode.
The terrible voice acting in early attempts at cinematic gaming has its own charm, imo. It gets close to "so bad it's good" territory much like the movie "The Room." Terrible can be great if it's earnest (and Doom 3 is VERY earnest).
@60frames-please I'm not as sensitive to frame rates as seem to be, but I totally agree we should be able to adjust settings to suit our tastes. Personally, a locked 30 frames is all I need. I prefer a locked framerate to studdering unlocked, whether it's 30 or 60.
Doom 3 was my favorite game in the series until Doom 2016 came along.
I can see the (somehow) bad influence of Digital Foundry here... The framerate may not be perfect, but it is quite good. I play with flashlight shadows activated and I didn't notice any framerate drops. I'm not saying they aren't there, but I'm not using some kind of device to measure framerate like Digital Foundry...
This game does play better with the original flashlight system imo. It's kind of terrifying having to switch off your flashlight to fire your weapon, this game was scary as hell in it's original form.
I loved this game when it first came out. Sure it's not the Doom of old and quite different from that, but it was a great horror game.
Is the flashlight mod a toggle in this version? I'm not going to bother with it if it's forced. It's called a 'fix', but it really just breaks and ruins the game for me. It was never designed to be played with a constant flashlight. Having to choose between light and gun was how the game was designed to be played. "Fixing" it removes all the tension and scares the game was built around and it becomes a bland shooter when "fixed".
I never played the game before, played through it and all the expansions now and enjoyed it greatly. The framerate does tank hard on more complicated areas with lots of geometry and alpha-heavy glass, especially with flashlight shadows on (mind you, that setting also affects other light sources), but fights are pretty smooth.
I like the rechargeable flashlight, still requires strategising. One thing that sucks is that they removed muzzle flash lighting for your weapons in the bfg edition. I've read that it's because the engine chugs down hard when a single object emits more than one light, so they had to disable these to allow for the attached flashlight.
One thing that sucks is that they didn't add the super shotgun from the expansions to the base game. The base game really lacks a close range and powerful weapon, the regular shotgun is weak and other nonexplosive weapons require sustained fire.
All in all, a very enjoyable game, but it really needs motion aiming and subtitles.
Cya
Raziel-chan
@RootsGenoa I really don't get why people become all wrapped up in these comparisons. If you want max performance get the PC version, if you want portability get the Switch version. It is always that simple.
@RootsGenoa The guys at Digital Foundry do measure frame rates scientifically, but they can also see when a game stutters. Like you said, some don't notice or get bothered by it. I do find it at the minimum distracting. When it's a racing, fighting, or 1st person shooter game it can quickly make things frustrating to go below 60 or 55fps. I'm just saying that DF isn't measuring something they can't see and then saying the graphics have problems. They see it, then measure it just so it's numerically quantified, which can help for discussion and analysis. I love DF, and sometimes play a game they don't recommend (like Firewatch on Switch).
@HexagonSun Got it. For me it's a case by case thing. Hyrule Warriors needs either a 30fps locked mode or a lower resolution 60fos mode. I can't stand how that game jumps around in the 40 to 60fps range. If it was locked at 30 I would be able to use my TV's dejudder function to make it look smooth, but as it is I can't play that game. Something like Yonder runs consistently at 50 or 55fps or whatever it is and it works for me. But there are some sidescrollers that run at 50fps or so and I can't stand it, it's just too distracting and bad looking.
@60frames-please I'm not criticizing Digital Foundry here, but the mainstream press (like Nintendo Life) that tends to repeat what they say in a caricatural way to try to make it simple for most readers. I'm not saying nobody will notice the frame rate drops, but I'm pretty sure most people don't care as long as it stays in the 55-60 range.
I allowed myself back in the day to be swayed by all the naysayers who complained about monster closets and a poor story line. I own it for the Switch and will now see for myself.
@RootsGenoa Got it, I understand. Yeah, I wish I knew what the percentage is, but sometimes it seems like most people don't notice 30 vs 60, let alone 50 vs 60fps. I don't know the actual frame rate, but there are a couple side scrolling games on Switch I can't play because they hitch just barely too much. I think they are in the 50 to 55fps area. On is a cat platformer that has metroidvania elements. Another is A Robot Named Fight, but if need to play it again to make sure. There's one other I can't remember the name of. It's made by a good developer that made a 60fps game on Switch, then released this more in depth platformer...Double Cross, I'm pretty sure. If that game runs at 40 to 55fps then it's the one. I love Runbow, but can't play Double Cross.
I am so pleased with the pricing of all three of these I bought them just out of principal. If more developers took note of this ($5 for older games, $10 for more modern) they would sell so many more... Looking at you $40 Saints Row the Third
This game is a milestone that ushered in a new era of video game graphics. It's more like an Resident Evil game than the previous installments ...spooky as hell and one of my all time favs!
Watched the DF review for guidance...
Decided to get PS4 Pro version for 4K with near perfect 60fps.
Hopefully, Doom 64 is next and Switch will have no visual compromises.
Always consider Switch for multi-plats, but I don't want to compromise much.
Probability is nice and all, but base Switch has poor battery life anyway.
Good review except for the voice acting complaint which is too subjective to be repeated on conclusions. I mean, if we could stand Breath of the Wild with that Zelda voice we can bear anything.
The most noticeable issue that I've seen in the videos is the frequent frame rate dips on the Switch version of the game.
@Ralizah yeah, really is more of a survival horror kinda game
@farcry007 Which is one reason I wish the remaster let you toggle the option to use the flashlight as a separate item. Really adds to the horror game feel of it when you don't always have a gun in front of you.
The first two Doom games were rubbish and only redeemed themselves with the multiplayer action. Since Doom 3 is so different, I'll probably try it, once gets dirt cheap.
Playing this on One X and it looks fantastic. Rock solid 60 @ native 4k 👌
@hihelloitsme Yeah, the Xbox One X is the way to go for multiplatform games.
I’m really enjoying this! Great 6th gen era shooter that completely passed me by at the time.
One question... I’ve been looking them up online, but how exactly are you supposed to know the locker combinations in game?
@lyle_catcliffe You hear them in audio logs or you read e-mails from the PDAs you finds. Honestly, just search em online, as you can't skip Audio logs.
Is this Quake 4?
@Santoria oh thank you! I checked a couple of the emails and couldn’t see anything in the initial few... as for audio logs, the absence of subtitles is ridiculous as these sort of games I like to play while listening to music at a medium volume.
So yeah, I’ll stick to looking them up online, cheers!
Thanks for the review. Can someone please explain the checkpoint system in the game. Just had a quick play last night, an when I die I have to reply a fair chunk off the game. Even after manually saving the game. Or when the game itself say it saving. Looking forward to this game. I played Doom 1/2 decades ago, but never 3. Cheers
@StevenG well I’ve been playing it since release and I can have my flashlight out with a weapon out. 🤔
@brendon987 you can save at any point you want. I have three save points. Whenever I reach a health point and up to 100 I save. I also save under this one when I am maybe 50 but this is just for exploration sake. The downer is when you automatically save when you are really low on health. That’s why you should save between more then one save point regularly.
This game is superb- never played it back in the day- and has had me enthralled for hours.
@Wavey84 this is in no way a dud. I was going to download original Doom and replay it but I’m enjoying this too much.
@HalBailman it already is dirt cheap- it’s the price of a pint and a sandwich. 🙄
@darthstuey Thanks for the update. I think, I am too use to modern shooter where the check point are every few steps. I think doom 3 will be a slow burn for me. Slowly play it over 6 months or so.
@darthstuey Which kills the primary game loop. Why not play another game if you don't like doom3?
@StevenG what 🤔 when did I say I didn’t like it 🤔
@darthstuey When you decided to break the game by leaving the flashlight on. That means you don't like the game without it.
Sighs- okay. You enjoy the rest of your day now. 🙄
I remember playing this game originally on a friends' pc, and being in awe of the effects. Now, I still am. I remember it feeling different though, and that must indeed have been the flashlight mechanic, but it doesn't break the game or anything. It's a great FPS, with lots of tension still to it.
Talking about fps and stress, I don't feel like it's stuttering or anything. I've been playing handheld with fov at max and dynamic flashlight shadows on, and it plays great.
It's still the same great game with predictable but sometimes very atmospheric scares and even effecitve jump-scares. As the player, I'm always on edge, and always invested. Even reading all the PDA files gives some nice "puzzles", and as much as DOOM (2016) was refreshing by returning to the "roots" with modern technology, that's as refreshing as it is to now return to a slower, more methodical game, that still plays, looks, and runs better than most other games.
Now all I need is a gyro aiming patch.
@darthstuey Not cheap enough for this gamer. I've so many other games to play so I'll wait for it to be the price of lollipop.
Well I bought it for the price of lollipop in the recent Doom sale. I'm surprised at how much I''m enjoying it. I thought I'd never get round to playing it, but I have and I really like it.
I'm french, sorry if you can't understand my English. I wrote this myself without any translator, i hope everyone understand what i mean.
I played the first episode on Switch Lite, and i should say that everything went fine about framerate issues. The game is in version 1.0.3, patched 3 times.
This is a nice version of Doom III, I'm one of those players who prefer to carry the torchlight with the hand, since it is harder and more fun upon that way. But still, it's very good. Shoot happily! A cool dark crazy game if you like to do your best, and does not matter too much about the fear.
The atmosphere is alright. Crossing this game is a nice experience. Usually, i don't like gloomy games, but i made an exception for this one. I like to imagine I'm in the future, on Mars... Surrounded by space and high technology.
Humans have built a complex, and something darkly crazy "cool" happened. Why? Maybe because the planet and their inhabitants experienced extensive knowledge a long time ago, and the lasts of them, after facing death, damned everything through time. Or maybe all of this just because of the scientist who turned mad by himself.
I would like to say one other thing about the reviews on this website, i think they do not reward good developers, but rather some big corporations who can produce the best games. Things change. Nowadays, all games are sold too early, then, sometimes, some of them receive updates. Personally i don't take care about the note, be it given by the author or the peoples, but I'm reading the article content carefully if i feel really interested.
All of this because writers do not update their reviews. But it could be great to realize what company does not update their software, compared to the ones who does. Because some games progressed, and some are still really bad.
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