Cheat Index - DOOM III Computer Preview

To say id's upcoming shooter is highly-anticipated hardly offers a just description to the two-hour long wait many E3 patrons endured to get a glimpse at the approximately 15-minute long gameplay demonstration.

But it's likely some left feeling it was all worth it. Glitzy, graphical E3 demos are commonplace, but Doom III truly did display a level of dark, terrifying first-person shooter action that is unparalleled - admittedly it was helped along by the enclosed viewing room, large screen and pounding surround sound.

We were told that everything in the demonstration was live in-game action being directed by the man at the controls. The level of detail was incredible, depicting a broody looking starbase, long shadows cast everywhere from inadequate lighting and swinging fixtures. Character models were obscenely well done, especially in the facial characteristics. Sporting realistic physics easily rivalling the recent Deus Ex 2 demonstration at E3, objects fell and scattered in an uncanny manner - particularly impressive was watching a shot enemy tumbling down a small flight of stairs.

The story appeared to be a typical experiment-gone-wrong scenario, but told stylishly. Every cutscene was concluded with the camera viewpoint swooping up and then into the back of the head of the UAC marine under your control, providing a simple yet effective indication the game is back on.

Doom III's demonic possession theme, hero character and frantic pace make it reminiscent of its predecessors, but gameplay - at least in the scattered levels demonstrated - is definitely more enclosed and features less, yet extremely tough creatures. These included grotesque, possessed humans, some with mutations like tentacles for arms, and a variety of hell spawn, some bizarrely made up of mechanical limbs, as if experimented on. The feeling of real weight behind these monsters was phenomenal, through brilliant animation, thumps and cam-shakes.

There was also some wonderfully creative and suspense-building use of reflections and shadows. At one point, the hero walks into a room and, glancing at the mirror directly ahead of him, you can suddenly see movement in the corner, at which point you can about-turn at lightning speed just in time to see a demon leaping at you. Another area you see your shadow cast along the ground and up the wall, then moments later, a much larger shadow creeps up and envelopes it indicating something very bad is happening (and about to happen) behind you.

id looks like it's ready to lay down the gauntlet to Soldier of Fortune and claim the crown of goriest shooter. One scene shows a large mammal-like demon dragging a body into an adjacent room, with a thick, dark red trail of blood smearing the floor behind it. Locational damage modelling also assures that every mark you lay on an undead body truly is a visible mark.

But it was the big finale that was goriest of all. Overpowered by a massive humanoid demon, our hero falls to the ground, staying in first-person perspective, with flailing arms and legs visible as the side of your head smacks the floor. Instead of fading out, however, the viewpoint remains as the demon paces around your body a couple of times before, then hoists it up into the air, decapitates it (you can briefly see your headless body crumple to the ground), then -- and this is just the nicest part -- opens his mouth wide and... CHOMP! Now everything's gone black.

A brief chat to id's Matt Hooper revealed that this death scene is one of several planned, which will occur randomly throughout the game depending on the circumstances of the killing.

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