A Forthright Look at Doom 3 vs. Half-Life 2
or Why I like Doom 3 Better.

Let's be frank, people. Everyone wanted to know which of these two blockbuster hits was going to bust the other's block. Well, I've extensively studied and collected data on each, and I am about to divulge all that I have learned RIGHT HERE in this thing that I call a WEB LOG.

In the media, Half Life 2 was the clear winner. My good friend has also fallen to this scam. But he is wrong. Straightout R-O-N-G. But wait, this isn't about how my friends are wrong, it's aobut why I like Doom 3 better than Half Life 2.

Part I: Graphics

I have compiled some screenshot comparaisons from the two games containing similar elements. On a side note, these shots were both taken using the setting I ran both games at. Half-Life 2 had all options as high as possible, whereas Doom 3 was on the 3rd available resolution out of about 6, and the video quality was set at medium. I just think that's interesting. Have a look see:



I will refer to these shots as OUTDOORS, CHARACTERS, and ENVIRONMENT, respectively. As you can see, the outdoor environments in Doom are far more detailed, although they don't appear very often. In Half-Life the outdoor environments are huge and they show up a lot, but we'll get to that later, this section is explicitly about graphics. Now, in the CHARACTERS picture you can see a great difference in their rendering. Look at your hand, there are many many shadows on it, and in the Doom 3 shot, the shadows are rendered over every bit and fiber of that man. In Half-Life 2, the characters, although about the same size in both games, seem to take up less space, reflect and deflect less. My friend said they seem to have more literal character, though, which is most likely true, because the characters are more developed than any in Doom 3, but as for models, I do belive I enjoy the Doom models by far. Also, Hell was by far the most aesthetically stunning level I have ever played in any game ever (see ENVIRONMENTS).

Section II: Gameplay
I'll admit, when it comes to variety of gameplay Half-Life 2 wins, hands down. There's zombie killing levels, action-packed vehicle chases, and straighout intense warfare in the middle of crumbling city-streets. Sometimes, it almost seemed like Valve were trying to put as many different styles of game into Half-Life 2 as possible. This caused for an inconsistent feel in the game overall. It was very fun to play, but I would often lose track of just what I was doing all the time. The dune buggy section of the game dragged on far too long, also. I like FPSs, and that's what I bought the game for, along with it's "perfect storyline." The high speed action of the buggy was fun, but when it flipped over, it just became an exercise of getting out of the buggy and shooting upright again. The warfare level was one of the best levels I've played in a game. The zombie level, once again, dragged on too long. It was more of just a way for Valve to show off their fancy physics engine (which was pretty cool).

However, Doom 3 did have it's own physics engine of comparable qualtiy. However, the boys at ID decided not to show it off overzealously. Desk chairs, barrels and enemy bodies all moved according to the laws of physics, every particle reacting accordingly. The enemy bodies do dissolve when killed, though, BECAUSE THEY ARE FUCKING DEMONS, so nobody really noticed the physics engine. Doom also only had one type of gameplay: hack and slash, run and gun, shoot and shoot some more and don't ask fucking questions. That's what they were going for, though. And it also just happens to be my favorite type of gameplay. I was happy. There was a chainsaw and a shotgun and I was content. It harkened back to the days of Doom and Wolfenstein and Blake Stone, and I was content. There were even platform style boss battles.

Part-Section III: Atmosphere/Storyline
If you read well, you will have noticed that I put "perfect storyline" in quotes when referring to Half-Life 3's storyline. Well, there was a reason for this. It wasn't actually a "perfect storyline." In fact, it had no discernable beginning, and no conclusion. Most of the time I forgot what I was doing. Everyone looked to Gordon Freeman as this saviour, but I didn't even know what I was really saving them from. I could see they were living in a police state, and I think I was supposed to be freeing them from oppression. But the game didn't conclude and tell me if I accomplished anything. I think I had a love interest in the game, but I also think she DIED at the end.

Maybe, I'm wrong. Doom 3, as far as I am concerned, had a much more complete and concrete storyline. I am sent in to replace a marine on the Mars base, and then fucking hell breaks loose. And I know I have to survive. I have to go meet up with the other soldiers in Delta Labs, I have to fight my way through hell. The storyline actually unfolds. Half-Life tries to throw a twist into the story, but then that twist untwists itself. In Doom 3, I have to survive, I have to save myself, not other people. Maybe it's because I'm an existentialist. There's also a definite conclusion where I SAVE THE PLANET. Yeah, I sent those wretched hellspawn back to whence they came. Or did I? I smell a sequel. No, I don't really. Or do I?

The atmosphere is FAR FAR better in Doom 3. I felt that I was actually in the UAC base, and I was fighting to get out of there, fighting to rid the planet of hellspawn, fighting to find out the truth. I didn't really feel like I was liberating a suppressed people in Half-Life 2. I just felt like I was in the middle of action. I didn't know why, really. I had to go meet up with people at different places, and then they'd just send me to another place. And you know what? After about 10 hours of gameplay, I was right back in the same city I had started in. What did I even accomplish driving along the coastline? I got some new weapons? The city is now in shambles; a war has been going on since I decided to take my drive and get my useless antlions. I didn't feel like these peoples' leader, they were the ones telling me what to do.

Final Thoughts
In the end, these are two completely different types of games. Doom 3 is about atmosphere, it's like a horror movie. Half-Life 2 is about gameplay, it's like an action movie. Doom 3 felt more complete and satisfying to me, whereas when I was completely done with Half-Life 2, I wasn't even sure what I had done. Bottom line, I liked Doom 3 better.