Wolfenstein: The New Order Review

Boom goes the Nazi

When I was only four years old, my very first computer game I ever played was Wolfenstein 3D. It was on a computer that my uncle had given us and for some reason my family thought it was totally ok for a four year old to be shootin' Nazis. Ever since then video games have been more than a hobby for me, they have been a passion, one that was starting to fade earlier this year as I just couldn't bring myself to enjoy any new games or older ones I already owned. It seemed fitting then that the game that reignited my love for the medium was the new installment of Wolfenstein, about nineteen years after I played the franchise the first time. To me Wolfenstein: The New Order is everything I had been waiting for, not just in a shooter but in a video game for quite awhile. 

Good wholesome fun.

 Past installments in the franchise have been somewhat lackluster and although the last game, just known as "Wolfenstein" was some mindless fun, there was still a feeling that it wasn't living up to the series potential. Coming from this I (and most like everyone else) went into TNO, not really expecting much except for the same mindless fun and some average gameplay backed up by a poor story. Instead what we got was a labor of love from the developer "Machine Games", a game which masterfully combined the best of retro and contemporary gameplay, beautifully blended with a moving story that, even though you didn't need one, gave you a new reason to hate Nazis. The developer could of gotten away with selling us an average product, which we all would of bought purely because it was an FPS that wasn't Call of Duty or Battlefield. Instead they gave us something that reminded where the genre has come from and where it can take us into the future. 

Sometimes literally.

The New Order is based in an alternate history in which, using advanced technology the Nazi's were able to win world war II and take over the globe. Once again you play as Blazkowicz on a mission to stop the Nazi war machine by any means necessary. The game starts you off still fighting in the final days of the war and by the end of the first mission you have taken a chunk of shrapnel to the head and been thrown into a polish psych ward. It is here where we are introduced to not only the games love interest but to a degree Blazkowicz himself, as he narrates the game with a soft internal monologue, similar to that you find in a Max Payne game. During this time you also realise that you won't be playing another mindless shooter with 2D characters, you can be forgiven for not caring about. By the time you leave the ward and make it to the resistances head quarters, the games tone as a fun, but serious, quirky, yet dark has been set and for the rest of the game you will find yourself being drawn into the world and even caring about the characters. 

 An FPS's most important mechanic to get right is the gun-play, but oddly enough we all know that this can be something a developer can get wrong very easily, or even just leave it boring. "TNO" however has some of the best gun-play I have experienced in quite some time. Every gun feels amazing as you mow down countless Nazi's. The assault rifles in particular feel masterfully crafted, every bullet you fire makes a satisfying bang and has just enough push back to feel like you are firing anti-Nazi death missiles out of a jack hammer.  You can also dual-wield nearly every gun, including shotguns (which make you feel like a mech) and sniper rifles (which comes in handy late game). I've seen a lot of people criticize the dual-wielding but I found it very enjoyable and useful if used correctly. I played the game on hard and I would often find myself backed into a corner only to be saved by being able to dual-wield and shoot my way out. Over long distances it isn't so great, but if you're back is up against the wall it can be some of the most tense fun you can have in the game.

They just leave a satisfying mess.

 You also carry around a laser cutter which doubles as a laser gun, for most of the game. It reminded me of the gravity gun from Half-Life 2, in that it never runs out of ammo and is handy for manipulating the environment to your advantage, not just killing enemies. This laser gun can also be upgraded throughout the campaign IF you find the upgrades for it, they won't just be handed to you, which I liked. The only complaint I think I have with the guns is with the sniper rifles. The auto targeting of enemies when looking through your scope can be quite frustrating and sometimes I found myself just switching back to the assault rifle and taking careful shots. This is nowhere near enough to tarnish the rest of the gun-play though, which will be the most fun you've had in a singleplayer shooter in a long time.

 I think what surprised most people with the game was the characters in it. Blazkowicz himself is melancholic and full of sorrow and hate due to everything he has been through. His personal monologue sounds something like that from a noire film, which are contrasted well in his scenes with his love interest which bring out warmer side to him, which allows the player empathise with Blazkowicz's struggle. All the secondary characters are also strong and well written and you'll find yourself actually caring about their story and their hopes. All of this is done in short cut-scenes and a few levels that have you exploring around resistance HQ. By the end of the game I was actually quite moved by what was unraveling infront of me, and when the final credits rolled I knew that this was a game and story that would stick with me.

 The games villains are also wonderfully written and you will find yourself despising them after a simple card game, there were a few coincidences with these villains which I found a little unrealistic, mainly always happening to be where you were headed as if they were trained by team rocket. I was willing to forgive this however, because when they did show up it was always a treat.

Everything you'd expect a Nazi to be.

Despite being an amazing game, it's not perfect. Small things such as terrible AI for melee only enemies and inconstant success with the context sensitive takedown ability can break immersion and sometimes even just be downright funny or frustrating. Other problems such as inconsistant enemy placement after player checkpoint respawns can be annoying. Dying five times at a checkpoint can suddenly get annoying when a strong enemy who didn't respawn the first four times is suddenly thrown back into the mix. There are also times when respawning at a checkpoint will also take away any picked up guns, which made one level in particular very difficult after I died and lost my assault rifle, leaving me with just a pistol. These problems though weren't consistent enough to bring down the quality of the rest of the game though and could even be patched in the future.

 I would recommend Wolfenstein: The New Order to anyone who loves FPS, killing Nazi's, or misses gameplay that stirs memories of games from your childhood. I was completely blown away by how much I fell in love with this game and now see it as a testament to what the genre can do and will even hopefully be the standard in which FPS games in the near future are held to. There's no doubt about it, this game deserves your money.