Return to Classic Wolfenstein
Wolfenstein: The New Order is a sort of direct sequel to Wolfenstein (2009), but much like the Nazis resurrecting the tombs of Ancient Germanic Warriors, Wolfenstein: The New Order plans to resurrect the older shooter gameplay, hearkening back to classic titles like Return to Castle Wolfenstein and Wolfenstein 3D. Does it succeed in this endeavor, or does it fail harder than the Nazis have failed so, so many times in Wolfenstein's line-up?
Well, much like the Nazis in this latest entry, Machine Games does succeed in getting what it wants, and it even (dare I say it) does it better than the classics in many ways. Still, there are a lot of rocky moments on the way, from odd pacing decisions, performance issues with AMD, and just a general lack of focus in the writing.
Wolfenstein: The New Order is set in an alternate-history 1960s where the Nazis have won thanks to the technology of General Deathshead. It opens in 1946 with B.J. Blazkowicz and what remains of the Allied forces launching a last-ditch offensive on Deathshead's island fortress in an effort to kill the man responsible for Nazi Germany's technological leap and cut off the head of the German war machine. Things go -as they say in the trade- tits up, as the Allied forces are clearly outmatched by the Nazi jets, giant mech, and giant robotic war-dogs.
Without spoiling to much, B.J. gets knocked out and a piece of shrapnel is embedded in his skull. Fast forward 14 years and B.J. is in a Polish asylum. He awakens from his coma and gets right to the Nazi killing, working with one of the nurses to find the remnants of the resistance.
The game plays well enough, but you won't get to do truly badass things until much later into the game. Gunplay is satisfying, enemy AI is decent enough to be a challenge, and there is also some stealth (although none of it is forced, to my recollection) in play, calling back to the very first Wolfenstein on Atari. It does away with most of the features that make modern shooters lackluster and augments the good things shooters have introduced. Arguably, this makes Wolfenstein: The New Order not a callback at all, but more of a reconstruction of the shooter genre. It works to blend classic and modern elements for something new, original, and fun. Cover based shooting is in the game, but it seems entirely optional for most of the weaker enemies, although it is a blessing to have when faced with heavier opposition. Despite this, the game retains the fundamental aspect of classical shooters: run-and-gun gameplay. It has been updated so you no longer slide around like you are on roller skates, but it is still fast paced. Health is, for once, and actual "meter" (number, technically) and it only regenerates so much, rounding your health to a nice, even number. This alleviates what TV Tropes affectionately calls "critical existence failure" but it still keeps the tension of surviving on morsels on health while desperately fighting your way through legions of Nazis to find more.
The story is surprisingly good, which was something I did not expect. It does away with the tongue-and-cheek Indiana Jones style of previous Wolfenstein games, instead portraying a very silly thing in a dark tone. It works to its advantage, especially because the game doesn't let the story get in the way of absurd Nazi-killing fun too often. The characters are surprisingly deep, and even B.J. seems to have developed from a wisecracking stereotype to a jaded veteran desperately looking for the last spots of hope in a broken world. That isn't to say the story is perfect. There are some bad pacing issues and a lot of unresolved plot-threads, especially near the middle of the game. At one point, the objective shifts to sabotaging the Nazi's concrete, which is a special mixture of unknown make. It is also mentioned that it attracts a new kind of mold-spore that is hazardous to health. The player then infiltrates a work camp in order to sabotage it, and while the work camp provides a terrifying scenario for what it would be like if the Nazis really did win, none of those plot-threads ever go anywhere. It also hurts the game when after every pulse-pounding mission, the game dumps you back into a hub area where you talk to NPCs and do scavenger hunts for items. It breaks up the flow of Nazi-shooting fun, and while the characters are interesting, it still detracts a lot from the game and provides an unnecessary slow down.
Graphically, this is a pretty impressive title. The models and animations are gorgeous and a lot of work went in to crafting the environments. The game has a look that isn't entirely realistic or cartoony, striking a balance between the two (One that is prevalent in most Bethesda published games). The problems start to manifest with idTech5's notorious texture pop-in, which got worrying. Another issue that caught my attention was that the game did not play well with AMD cards (and presumably still does not, considering AMD takes eons to update their drivers). This proved unfortunate for me, as I have an AMD card, so my performance was shit.
The sound design is amazing, but at times the game's soundtrack shows the same lack of focus that the story had. It veers between mechanical dubstep-like noises and folk guitar music, creating an odd mix far more suited for an Imagine Dragons concert than a Nazi killing game. Still, when the soundtrack really hits the desired sweet spot, it enhances the game tenfold. The sound effects are brilliantly done, giving every weapon a much needed kick and giving every environment some life.
In conclusion, Wolftenstein: The New Order is easily one of the best shooters I have played, although it suffers from a few drawbacks that withhold it from total greatness. With a sequel almost certainly on the horizon, Machine Games could easily improve on it, and The New Order is already a worthy title. It avoids the pitfalls of 2009's Wolfenstein reboot and provides an excellent mix of new and old.
