Wolfenstein: The New Order is the continuation of Wolfenstein (2009) developed by Machine Games, a game studio compromised of some former Starbreeze developers. Wolfenstein takes place in an alternate timeline of 1946-1960 where Nazi Germany won the war and are in global control. You once again step into the shoes of Captain B.J. Blascowitz as you begin your Nazi killing spree. On the story side of things Wolfenstein does a great job of introducing the player to some interesting characters both old and new, some of my favorite moments from the game have been the interactions between B.J. and the other characters that he'll meet during the game. Unlike most World War 2 shooters, including Call of Duty, Wolfenstein offers to show a side to Nazism that I don't believe has really been explored in most games and that is how truly terrifying the Nazi war machine was at the time. Sure the game alters the timeline but Wolfenstein does a beautiful job by portraying the Nazis as a terrifying regime and not just endless waves of men in uniforms. A scene with a character named Frau Engel sums up quite well just how vicious and aloof Nazi officers were in caring for the lives of others.
The game not only gives you a big choice to make that affects the rest of the story, one that came sooner than I was expecting, but it also gives the player a bit of free reign to explore the world. Wolfenstein isn't as linear as I was expecting; the game allows players to explore for things such as: power-ups, armor, health boosts, collectibles and other upgrades. To boot the game also has a perk system that allows the player to upgrade by meeting certain requirements such as 10 kills with grenades or taking out a Nazi commander with a take-down. The game does suffer from some game play contradictions. The game encourages several methods of play styles such as sneaking, tactical combat or some old fashioned dual wielding actions. The problem is unlike the old school shooters, items must be acquired by hitting the use key rather than simply walking over the items. This makes combat out of cover almost pointless as you have little chance of survival even when at max health and armor. To compensate the player can grab as many health packs before a fight as they want and B.J.'s health will go into overcharge, which will deteriorate back down to his max health either over time or when he takes too many hits.
Overall I think Wolfentein is a strong game. There is no multiplayer and game does suffer from some performance issues both game play and hardware alike but the experience is solid and will keep you entertained for a good while with the collectibles, branching story and multiple difficulty modes. I'd recommend Wolfenstein for a good time but you won't quite find your nostalgia boost if you're looking for it here.
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New Order ended up being a very interesting surprise for the month of May, reminding me how a good story or concept can help elevate a first person shooter. I kept getting reminded of games like Half-Life 2 or the Metro series, with an emphasis on characterization, exploration and cool set-piece moments. It's a pretty different feel from most shooters today and something I have sorely been missing.
Tonally, the game is all over the place, with B.J. scowling under his breath one minute, sometimes with one-liners, followed by a scene showing the atrocities of newly invigorated Nazi menace in the next. This ends up playing off to varying degrees. Rarely it discombobulates and adds dissonance to the story, but more often than not this wide-swinging pendulum plays out with black humor, very reminiscent of Tarantino's Inglorious Bastards.
Gameplay feels solid with light stealth elements often being optional, and gunplay being a neat hybrid of old and new mechanics. Blascowitz can take a hit, especially with a retro health and overcharge system. Just about all the weapons can be dual-wielded, often to comedic effect. Iron sights and leaning round out the moveset if you find yourself getting low, and it all plays out great, infusing the game with a lot of potential for action. If you're looking for a shooter to sate your summer, Wolfenstein is a great gem that shouldn't be overlooked.
