The nostalgia factor
When I saw Wolfenstein 3D on Xbox Live Marketplace I had bought it before even blinking again. I fondly remember as a child that my brother and I would take 2 hour turns playing the game as we only had one computer. One would sit and wish the time away while the same two hours was a blur of enjoyment for the other.
Wolfenstein 3D is known as the grandaddy of FPS games due to its first person perspective and "3D" graphics. However when I loaded up this version what immediately struck me is that its was not the graphics of this game that stuck with me over the years but rather its sound effects. Soldiers shout funny phrases in german when dying and weapons, doors, and moving walls all make rather satisfying if unrealistic sounds by modern standards.
The gameplay of Wolfenstein 3D is also archaic when compared to modern FPSes but those who enjoyed the original version on the PC will most certainly still enjoy their time with this port. Luring the hapless AI into a corridor and mowing them down is as satisfying as hunting for every last secret in a level is addictive. Collecting treasure and gaining higher score is made somewhat relevant by the introduction of an online leaderboard, though I cannot see many modern players caring for something such as a high score list if gamer score is to be had.
A few notable glitches exist in this port of the game which I most certainly do not remember in the original if my memory serves me correctly. Running over items does not always pick them up unless you position the camera right over them. This can waste time in some cases and deadly in others when a key health or ammo pickup is missed in the middle of a firefight. Also gone is the sound made when pushing against a wall which makes it difficult to determine if you are in fact pushing against it. This can be somewhat cumbersome when hunting for the games many hidden rooms and secrets.
The final and most worrying issue is that the game can freeze up at times. Especially when counting percentages at the end of a level.
Those familiar with keyboard and mouse controls should be able to adapt easily as there is no y-axis to aim at in this game (yes it is that old). Hit detection is also quirky at best and one should rather rely on outsmarting the AI on higher difficulty levels than sheer twitch gameplay.
In all the game is somewhat buggy port of a classic game. Wolfenstein 3D is nowhere near the modern standard of FPSes but it deals a good deal of nostalgia and simple gameplay enjoyment to still be worth the while.
