REVIEW: Doom 3 – VR Edition

Doom (2016) and Doom Eternal are my preferred options when I think about the Doom franchise. I think most gamers will agree. Doom is wide-open hellscapes with rip-roaring weaponry and gameplay so riveting that you could throw a super shotgun at me and I'd just keep ripping. Doom 3 VR Edition was sadly a trite VR port. I would barely even mention a deadly weapon.

Doom 3 VR edition ( D3VR ) is quite a different experience than the previous entries. Anyone who played the 2004 original will be aware of this. The expansive, fire-infused landscapes and bold demons that can't wait to make your skin smolder are gone. We now have a more controlled, focused, and darker experience than any Doom I've ever seen. This subversion of my franchise expectations was what attracted me to the PSVR headset, even though I had never played Doom 3.

However, as soon as I touched down on Mars, I felt immediately drawn out of the experience. D3VR was a poor VR game. Its graphical presentation and blurry background made it difficult to feel at home in the setting. This is something that even the worst VR games I have seen failed to achieve. This port is based on a 17 year-old game so there are not exactly 4K visuals. However, the game's jagged mixture of browns, blacks and greys caused more headaches than it was worth.

The magic of VR was able to show itself on occasion, thanks to my PS Aim controller. It had been gathering dust unceremoniously since I jumped into Doom VFR. __S.11__ It is role-playing, but I found that I enjoyed it far more if I took things slow and deliberated over every turn. I also imagined myself in a hallway full of demons. The Aim controller helps to amplify this.

D3VRJump scares are plentiful in this game, from dark enemies hidden in corners to horrifyingly mean mirrors. This port is filled with ingenious moments. I was able to eliminate the darkness by turning the flashlight on my weapon. Guns don't have this ability.FeelEach controller is characterized by a lack of individuality and weightlessness, which makes them particularly appealing. The Aim controller was able to bypass the usual VR hassles associated with uninspired motion controls. Its simple control layout meant that movement felt effortless.

After countless hours spent formulating gun-cocktails using the Doomgames, and despite the ease of its controls, immersion was lost when the enemies began to frequent the UAC facility's hallways. It was difficult to identify enemies in 3D spaces, so it became confusing. I even had to be thrown off my feet by an excited demon. Gunplay felt flat even when there were demons in front of you and delivered an experience that was not suitable for VR. The game is a multi-player experience. I found myself strafing multiple enemies simultaneously and instead of turning my head or using the aim controller, I was simply moving around the enemies with a thumbstick. It felt like a reenactment of Doom. This isn’t necessarily a flaw in the original game design. It is how the game was meant to be played. D3VR, like games such as Half-Life Alyx and Blood and Truth, feels relatively uninvolved. You rely more upon the control movement than any physical actions by you or the Aim controller.

D3VR was a slow game. I could not play it for more than an hour due to the speed I recognized from the Doom games. The game's rapid movement often left me spinning, but slowing down the movement sensitivity was detrimental to the experience. The blurred visuals and speedy movement will deliver an experience that will tear at the stomach of anyone who is yet to master VR. The game-freezing autosaves provide a brief respite.

Doom 3 VR Edition is a solid idea. It's a slower and more atmospheric affair that looks great for VR. We are left with little more than a quick cash grab. Doom3 VR Edition is dated and lacks VR interactivity. I was disappointed that it did not validate the port to virtual reality. After only a few hours, I felt the need to just play the game on a TV. This FPS is worth checking out for any fan. It comes with approximately 15 hours of content (including DLC) and is a very affordable PS20 price.

Doom 3 VR Edition proves that VR's mere existence is not enough to make it a memorable experience. This game deserves a more thoughtful repurposing in order to make its players feel part of its world. Instead, I had an experience that made it clear that I was covering my face with plastic.