Before throwing in the overused ‘grandfather of first-person shooters’ tagline, the original Wolfenstein was one of the greatest and most innovative games in history and paved the way for the very awesome Return to Castle Wolfenstein which appeared on our consoles and PC’s back in 2001. It’s now 2009, and the new Wolfenstein for the 360, PS3 and PC is set to deliver a nostalgic, yet fresh and compelling action adventure which can place it as the king of FPS’s once again.
As a direct sequel to Return to Castle Wolfenstein, players take control of BJ Blazkowicz in the height of the Second World War. As a special agent, BJ is assigned to foil the plans of those ever-menacing Nazis, who are utilizing paranormal powers through a force known as the Black Sun. Given the tired WWII theme, Wolfenstein’s story is incredibly unique as it incorporates supernatural elements and parallel timelines which make for an interesting adventure.
Wolfenstein involves the player navigating a hub-like fictional town known as Isenstadt, where mission objectives are acquired and upgrades can be bought. Missions are then activated through certain doors, sewers and sections which range from full-on assault objectives, to infiltration and intel gathering, although they all end in mass-Nazi bloodshed.
The weapons feel great and powerful and they are your standard-fare WWII rifles and machineguns, such as the ever faithful MP40 and KAR98. But, to throw into the mix, players also obtain some paranormal-influenced high-tech weaponry such as the awesome Particle Cannon and Tesla Gun, which provide some great variety to the gunplay.
The paranormal plays a vital role within Wolfenstein, not only to the guns, but to the gameplay. Early in the game, players are granted a Black Sun ability known as The Veil. With this players can ‘see’ into a green-filtered paranormal universe, allowing for enemies to become highlighted, time to be slowed down, secret passages to be revealed and supernatural elements to become visible. This is primarily used to for combat whereby weak points may be revealed, as well as more powerful enemies becoming vulnerable in the Veil. The Veil also allows players to travel through certain walls, see hidden ladders etc, although (without naming them and giving away too much) there are more Veil powers to be unlocked which need to be used effectively to defeat more powerful and supernatural enemies.
While traversing through Isenstadt, players have the ability to upgrade their weapons and Veil powers at black market locations, where scopes, recoil reducers, extra ammo and special abilities can be purchased, while Veil abilities can be prolonged and strengthened. This, although not compulsory, is important as even the slightest weaponry or power modification can have a significant impact on the enemy.
The gameplay of Wolfenstein is solid. The shooting feels great, the variety of weapons and powers is a welcomed addition, and although traversing the hub town may be slightly monotonous with respawning enemy outposts, it provides a great backdrop and center to all the action.
Many games fail to achieve a captivating and interesting atmosphere to go along with the action, Wolfenstein is not one of those games. Incredible and detailed level design along with impressive atmospheric elements makes the game not only look gorgeous, but provides relatively open-ended levels which allows players to approach enemy situations differently.
Characters are modeled beautifully and even the most tiresome Nazi uniforms still manage to impress. The real highlight however is the incredible design of the stronger enemies and bosses. Awesome Particle Cannon wielding, armor-clad Super Nazis steal the show, while interesting designs, such as the Assassin, show great imagination and detail from the designers.
Enemies and objects in the world also carry a great ‘weight’ to them making the player feel as they’re shooting more than cardboard AI. Some great zero-gravity and atmospheric elements all contribute to the overall feel of the game and one can’t help but be charmed by this evil, yet stunning parallel universe.
In conjunction with the great in-game design and action, awesome CG cut-scenes are shown here and there which are pure eye-candy, wrapping up an excellent presentation for 10+ hour campaign, along with an extensive multi-player component.
Fantastic new additions and some incredibly interesting and charming gameplay elements place Wolfenstein a step-ahead of the pack. It’s not flawless, but it is an incredibly fun title that will appeal to any FPS fan. Wolfenstein hasn’t just rebooted the series, but re-imagined it with new and exciting features that make it stand out as a unique title which is deserving of any attention it gets. Wolfenstein is back baby, and better than ever.
[starreviewmulti id=1 tpl=20]
