Maybe I'm missing something here, but if using a digital connection(HDMI/Optical/Coax) why would a discrete soundcard be any better then on board? Either way, you're simply spitting out a bitstream.

I can understand why analog out might be better with a discrete soundcard, but aren't most people using digital connections now?

> So far HL2 is good but its not the best FPS this year. I > honestly think that the XBOX FPS titles were better,
> especially CoR and Halo 2. Its sad since they're both
> console games...

I feel the exact opposite. I was completely underwhelwed with Halo 2, and am blown away by Half Life 2. In fact, if the rest of it is as good as what I've seen so far, I think that it might just be the best FPS ever.

I honetly cannot fathom how anyone could objectively play both games and say that they prefer Halo 2. I don't even think they're in the same league, and I say this as someone who was looking forward to both games equally.

Then again, everyone is entitled to an opinion... yours just happens to be wrong

Thanks for the info Ken, sounds great.

Now for the love of god, please start working on SS3 next!!!

>> ...the immersion and atmosphere in Doom 3 match that of System Shock perfectly.

>That is so, so wrong!

I don't think it's wrong at all. System Shock 2 is my favorite game ever (closely followed by the thief series and Ultima Underworld), and I think Doom 3 is excellent. It's easily the most immersive game experience I've had in a very long time.

The thing both Doom 3 and the Looking Glass games have in common, appart from being great games, is they make excellent use of environmental sounds. I wish more games paid as much attention to sound design.

This comment was edited on Aug 24, 19:19.

"It's supposed to be a compelling FPS; I didn't find it compelling."

Do you really find that to be a valid criticism? That's not unlike someone saying "it's supposed to be a good game and I didn't think it was".

Perhaps you didn't find it compelling, but that might be because it didn't offer what you were looking for. If I were to play a tactical shooter (a genre which I do not personally enjoy), I wouldn't find the game compelling, regardless of how great fans of the genre might think it is. But the problem wouldn't be with the game, but that it was simply not my cup of tea.

Personally, I find Doom 3 to be the most compelling game I've played in a very long time.

I'm a fan of 'Ultima Underworld', 'System Shock 2', and to a lesser extent 'Deus ex' and I'm having a great time with Doom 3. The thing is what I liked about those games was not all the 'complicated' bits, but the fact that they provided a very immersive world, and that's something that Doom 3 does extremely well.

It's a real shame that people are judging it for what it isn't (and what it never intended to be) instead of what it is.

I also find that gamespot review very poorly thought out. A lot of the things the writer complains about (anonymous player character, back story told through logs) are features that help make the game so immersive, and are the same features that helped make System Shock 2 so great.

I can't understand why anyone would criticize the game for not being a different style. I hate tactical shooters, but you'd never find complaining about how crappy they are because they play like... tactical shooters. I know that some people enjoy that style of game, and it would be foolish of me to complain about them.

Yet some people come here and are screaming that Doom 3 sucks because it isn't their prefered type of game. Well guess what, id software delivered exactly what they said they would: an extremely immersive, visually stunning, action first person shooter with high production values. And they did an excellent job at it. I haven't had this much fun with a game in a very long time.

And before someone accuses me of being and id fan boy, let me just say that nothing could be further from the truth. I've never truly enjoyed any of their games before. I thought Duke was better then Quake, Unreal tournament better then Quake 3, and my favorite fps of all times are System Shock 2, Thief 2, and Halflife. Doom 3 may soon join that list.