You voted for Wolfenstein: The New Order to feature in this week’s WeView, and it’s a game which depicts a very different reality to the world we live in today. The Nazis have won the war, and the whole world lies in the shadows of super concrete structures and a radical fascist regime.
I’ve really enjoyed what I’ve played of Wolfenstein so far. The gunplay is utterly bonkers and I find that the dual weaponry is especially good fun. I’ve taken a liking to the story too, finding the alternate history truly fascinating.
However, I think the visuals are a little rough around the edges. The character movement and motion blur also cause me to suffer from motion sickness, which is rather frustrating. Despite this, I’m hoping to finish the game this week.
Peter reviewed the game for TSA, scoring Wolfenstein: The New Order 7/10. In terms of the story he said “the game shows an adroitness in setting up the kind of characters that are quite unsettling…but it sometimes feels like those characters aren’t explored particularly well”. This could be “solely because of an eagerness to return to the rather base motivations of the protagonist himself, and his general air of invincibility”.
Peter noted that not just the in-game world of Wolfenstein has evolved within the twenty year story, but the gameplay itself. The “narrow hallways and point-to-point progression” expand to “much larger… maze-like maps” following the prologue mission and leap forward in the game’s timeline.
The AI wasn’t quite up to scratch though, with the “short-sightedness” of the patrols detracted for him from the tension of trying to play stealthily. Although the game had some “very striking moments” visually, they was also a “persistent and mildly frustrating texture fade-in issue”.
The New Order is unlikely to feature in many Game of the Year lists and it does have a few areas where perhaps it could have benefitted from a little more polish. Shooter fans, and especially those who remember the halcyon days of id’s seminal shotgun-and-chainsaw, blood-soaked titans, shouldn’t let that put them off. It’s clearly not perfect but it is a very enjoyable and respectably lengthy shooter that embraces its heritage while successfully striving to evolve its core gameplay in a new and interesting direction.
Did you enjoy the chaotic gunplay of Wolfenstein: The New Order, or did you find yourself a little tired with the well-used Nazi killing formula? Let us know in the comments below, and be sure to give the game either a Buy It, Sale It, Plus It or Avoid It rating. Remember to get your comments in by Sunday evening to be included in next Monday’s verdict article.
Foxhound_Solid
Wolfenstein is an absolute belter of a game. It takes it back to a generous mix of action, story and graphics. All fair to middling but overall a great adventure.
Great set pieces with some gruesome choices that follow.
Well worth a play, but no real replay value. Get out and give it a go. You’ll be pleasantly surprised.
coruscant
Buy It.
Flawless shooter. Gunplay is fun and impactful, gameplay is flexible, allowing stealth and guns-blazing. Story is very good, especially the romance which I feel is the best developed I’ve seen in a game. It’s fun to just open up and have a blast on, with an interesting and engaging story to boot.