I’ve thought before about a possible Doom 3 remake. The environments look good, there are some terrific enemy designs – especially the big zombies – and that P90-style sub-machine gun is great fun, too. But among the pantheon of FPS games, which naturally includes the original Doom, Doom 3 struggles to justify itself. It’s a bit slow, a bit sober, and it’s absent that kind of gliding-while-gunning sensation that makes the id Software series such chaotic fun. But now that’s all changed. Thanks to a huge new mod, Doom 3 has been remade as an ultra-quick run-and-gun boomer shooter, closer to both Doom 2016, and the 1993 original.
The premise for Runner’s Doom 3, uploaded by modder ‘Rulesnote,’ is simple. “Do you ever get tired of Doom 3’s slow-paced and easy gameplay?” the developer asks. If the answer is ‘yes,’ Runner’s Doom 3 is everything you’ve ever wanted. It ups the monster count, gives you a bunch of ammo, and transforms the Doom 3 arsenal to make the game feel more like a flat-out blaster than a plodding corridor shooter.
Reloading is gone, you move a lot faster, and the double-barrel shotgun, previously only available in the Resurrection of Evil expansion pack, is now unlocked for the full campaign.
Enemies, too, have been overhauled. Imps will now run at you while launching their fireballs and dodge your attacks. Mancubi will also move while shooting now, whereas Revenants launch more rockets than before and Cacodemons travel faster and have a new bite attack.
If you’re used to planting your feet and gunning them down in waves, it’s time for a change in strategy – run, jump, sprint, and circle strafe in Runner’s Doom 3, or you’ll soon be ripped and torn to bits.
There’s some extra blood, the weapons have been moved to the centre of the screen – just like classic Doom – and entire sections of the campaign have been trimmed and cut to keep up the momentum. This is Doom 3 in its purest form, dedicated entirely to the running, the gunning, and the demon slaying. You can get the full thing right here.
Alternatively, you might want to jump into some other PC classics with the best old games, or maybe try some of the best zombie games or horror games still keeping us up at night.
