Double dose of 'Doom' due in April

Activision and Id Software on Wednesday announced that both the Xbox version of the popular PC title and the first expansion for the PC, "Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil," will be released the week of April 4. This marks the second delay of the release of "Doom 3" on the Xbox; it was previously thought the game would come out March 1.

Credit: Id Software

The sci-fi horror of "Doom" is
headed for the Xbox in April.

After multiple delays, Xbox owners will finally see Id's take on hell (which was previously available only to PC owners), with a few tweaks for the console version. As reported last month, "Doom 3" for the Xbox, developed by Vicarious Visions, will run in wide-screen and offer 5.1 Dolby Digital sound.

One exclusive feature for the console version is the inclusion of cooperative play via system link or Xbox Live. Four-player death matches featuring multiplayer maps from the PC version will be playable over Xbox Live. A limited edition of the game will also feature full versions of "Ultimate Doom" and "Doom 2," a making-of featurette and story art.

"Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil" was developed by Nerve under close supervision by Id. It is the first expansion for the top-selling PC title. Though the expansion comes only eight months after "Doom 3," the story takes place two years later on a remote Union Aerospace Corporation facility on Mars. Gamers will play as a new unnamed space marine fighting demons and zombies.

Additional features for the expansion include new weapons such as the "grabber gun," a relic that endows the player with powers such as invulnerability and new enemies such as the double-barreled bruiser. It will also have new maps, a capture-the-flag mode from ThreeWave Software and an upped multiplayer limit to eight people.

Both titles are rated "M" for Mature. "Doom 3" for the Xbox will retail for $49.99, and the limited edition will retail for $59.99. "Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil" will cost $34.99.

Tim Surette reported for GameSpot.