The first-person shooter genre continues to go from strength to strength and Wolfenstein is the license often credited with kicking it all off. Wolfenstein 3D was developed by id Software and released back in 1992 (first FPS I ever owned :-) -Ed). It featured a US grunt named William B. J. Blackowicz as a muscular one-man killing machine wading through scores of Nazi soldiers. The number of digital Nazis who have met their end in FPS games since then is incalculable. The simply titled Wolfenstein is an attempt to reboot the franchise and it meets with mixed success.
The game has been built using the impressive id Tech 4 engine (updated Doom 3 engine). It was unusually co-developed by four developers, so is this a case of too many cooks spoiling the broth? Well a fairly solid single player experience is not really matched by a lacklustre multiplayer component, but this is a solid FPS release.
The game is set in the fictional town of Isenstadt and the Second World War is raging all around. The pernicious Himmler and his SS henchmen are set on a plan to use the occult for victory and they are attempting to master a force known as the Black Sun. You lend a hand to the resistance and thwart the Nazi plans. The mission based adventure offers a reasonable variety and eventually you’ll find yourself in another dimension known as The Veil where you’ll access secret locations and pick up some super powers.
Starting out with typical German soldiers you will come to face to face with a variety of foes and as the game wears on they get stranger and more formidable. All of the weapons are available from the start and the game uses an upgrade system. You’ll need to choose carefully on the black market, although the weapon management never becomes a tiresome challenge. You can find out more in our Wolfenstein Weapon Guide. You’ll also use some handy Veil powers which let you slow down time, shield you, deal out more damage and even walk through walls.
There are plenty of things to collect in the warren-like environments. Gold is essential if you want to be able to buy upgrades but there is also Intel to find and Power Tomes to collect. Typically for the series there are plenty of hidden secrets to sniff out. There are also some rip roaring action sequences and challenging boss fights. The gameplay is traditional linear run and gun FPS action and, while it is well made, there is nothing groundbreaking here. The poor AI and the obviously scripted nature of many events detract from the fun and the immersion.