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R.I.P. action games Let's face it, guys: The single-player first person shooter genre is dead. It didn't have to die, but titles like Doom 3 are what killed it. The original Doom was impressive from a technical standpoint, but more importantly, there was actual gameplay there. There were decisions to be made by the player, and skill involved in navigating and fighting in a first person environment. If you didn't use your head you'd lose it. Doom 2 was more of the same, but we were all so in love with the first game that nobody cared. Ignoring all other games for a moment, fast forward 11 years and what do we get for a sequel to the greatest action game of all time?: The same game with better visuals and slow, boring, repetitive, tedious "gameplay." There simply is no reason to play Doom 3. It's yet another title where the player is dragged by the nose through a story no one could care about, stopping to shoot things along the way. The game world is supposed to be scary and dangerous, but the environments themselves are simply hallways which lend no challenges, and the monsters aren't all that deadly either since the player is supposed to be the big strong hero that survives. You need neither skill nor brainpower to win here folks, and I for one am tired of these pieces of software being sold as "games" when there is no game to be played. Aside from the above complaints from a true veteran game nerd, these big issues will stick out to anyone who plays it: 1. It's too dark. Id's new lighting engine is fantastically complex and capable, but it doesn't matter because the environments themselves are made of cramped, ill-lit corridors. It's bad enough that it hamstrings the already-weak action, but it also makes the world feel more like System Shock than Doom. 2. The monsters are dumb, slow-moving, and not very deadly. How you can you take this supposedly-dangerous world seriously when you have time to switch weapons two or three times before a monster across the room walks over to you? You will die some, but only because surprise attacks will wear down your health over a long time. 3. Aside from the nu-metal title music (gag...), the "music" is mostly strange, theme-less, ambient noise that reinforces the System Shock feel of the world. The music in the original Doom, while far from complex and made only from General MIDI voices, was much more moody and compelling. Where's Bobby Prince when you need him? 4. After you kill a bunch of monsters you'll find yourself walking around aimlessly trying to get out of wherever you are. This was an issue with the original game, but you'd think after 11 years they would have come up with more interesting problems and solutions than, "This door is locked, find the key (or PDA)." I only give Doom 3 two stars for the engine. Save your money, kids.