Doom 3 was a game hailed at the time of its release for its incredible visuals, as well as fast-paced action gameplay, but even hardcore fans of id Software quickly realised that the game had a fair share of issues, mostly related to pacing and repetition, which led to a game that was initially stunning, but grating as time went on. Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil is a very traditional expansion pack, offering a continuation of the story in Doom 3, as well as a slew of new levels, weapons, enemies, and a few gameplay mechanics. It's these gameplay mechanics in particular which lead me to believe that Resurrection of Evil has what Doom 3 didn't have at the time of its release - a hook - and thus is a much better game.
Resurrection of Evil focuses much more on the ancient Martian civilisation revealed in Doom 3 than Doom 3 ever did, so its story is almost fundamentally more interesting. You play a different but still-unnamed space marine who uncovers a new artefact, called only The Artifact, inside some ancient Martian ruins, which opens a portal to Hell and effectively restarts the events of Doom 3. The rest of the story revolves around bringing The Artifact to Elizabeth McNeil, a scientist who was mentioned in the original Doom 3, and finding out a way to destroy it and stop the demonic invasion, all the while staving off the attacks of three guardian demons known as Hunters.
Characters and plot twists take a backseat for action, but that isn't really an issue considering that Doom 3's overly complicated story often got in the way of its gameplay. Resurrection has a better premise all around does a good job of using of the mythos established in Doom 3 to provide a more focused story. The game simply moves faster due to its focus on action, and this means that rather than wandering through endless corridors, it actually feels like you're making progress on your mission. No game mechanic in Resurrection of Evil overstays its welcome, unlike Doom 3, which often dragged out its ideas two or three times longer than necessary, even if it does mean that the game’s a good deal shorter - though not bad by expansion pack standards, or more modern games. Of course, this might simply be because of its lower budget, but one gets the sense that Nerve Software realised where the original went wrong and did their best to correct it with the budget they had, while still remaining true to Doom 3's good qualities.
Among the new ideas in Resurrection of Evil are its Grabber (essentially a Gravity Gun that can also pick up and throw fireballs that your enemies toss your way), and the Artifact itself, which has a few different powers, including the ability to slow time. It’s a bit similar to the Soul Cube in Doom 3, but a bit more versatile and feeds off of dead human bodies rather than dead demons. Ultimately, these new additions aren’t used anywhere near as well as in, say, Half-Life 2, but they’re interesting enough to open up a few new gameplay and puzzle opportunities, and while you’re rarely forced to make use of them, they compliment the game’s arsenal nicely. Of course, the Super Shotgun makes a thankful return in Resurrection, and it’s just as powerful and mean as its name implies. I’d go so far as to say that this single weapon actually gives the combat a faster pace on the whole, as you aren’t stuck plinking away at enemies from afar with a dinky SMG nearly as often.
There isn’t all that much to say about Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil, other than it’s a more straightforward, tighter-knit and better-paced game than its father. If you dug the great atmosphere of Doom 3 but were let down by the repetitive gameplay, dull story and conflicted approach to its game design, Resurrection of Evil might be worth looking into. The only downside, unfortunately, is that you need to own Doom 3 to actually play it, which is a shame, because it’s better in nearly every way.