"Yes, this is the official word that DOOM 3 has been code released (http://www.shacknews.com/finger/?fid=toddh@idsoftware.com) and has been approved for manufacturing! It won't be long now until the anticipation ends and the PH34R begins ;-) We literally just hung up with Activision and have confirmed that our latest release candidate has been mutually approved and is finally GOLD. Thanks to everyone for their patience (yeah right! =) and for everyone at id, Activision and our numerous partners for helping us create what I believe is absolutely the best game we have ever made. "

The UK can expect to get the game first, with August 6th looking like the release date there. Most other places will see a August 13th release date, except for Russia and Poland which will be later.

Further evidence of the game's release was found here (http://www.bluesnews.com/cgi-bin/board.pl?action=viewthread&threadid=50067), where the story was that "Retailers in the States will be allowed to pick up games starting at 12:01 AM on August 3rd."

You can read about this in the planetdoom forum (http://www.forumplanet.com/planetdoom/topic.asp?fid=2308&tid=1419861&p=19) as well.

PLEASE don't let this be a wind-up!

The game opens up with your arrival at Mars Research Facility of the massive United Aerospace Corporation. It's the year 2145, and you're a Marine newly assigned to the facility's security detail. For the first 15 minutes,you're not even issued a weapon - the action unfolds in a pace reminiscent of the opening of Half-Life, as you get oriented around the security building and watch some video primers on your new job and new home. In this opening act, you're familiarized with your Personal Digital Assistant, wich will be your invaluable interface throughtout the rest of the game. Using this handy gadget, you can download info from other people's PDAs as you come across them, adding codes, access keys, and emails that contain crucial information you'll need to progress through the 28 maps to follow. Here's what you really spen those first 15 minutes doing: gawking. This is your chance to absorb the full shock of magnificant graphics engine put to stunning use. The enviroments are huge-scale and packed with detail. The base is a convincing Mars Station - less a far-future design than a depressingly postmodern corporate park. It feels lived-in, too - from the skin mags scattered on the kitchenette tables to the nastiest in the public rest-room toilet bowls.

http://www.anandtech.com/news/shownews.aspx?i=22551

Originally posted by Phantasm66 ......."Retailers in the States will be allowed to pick up games starting at 12:01 AM on August 3rd.".........

I just got a newsletter from Best Buy, pick it up on August 3rd. I'll be there to get it.