By Eric Neigher |
Aug 18, 2009
Killing mutant Nazi demons never sounded so good.
GameSpy's Take
Whiz! Boom! Pow! A game's sound effects are not typically the most prominent thought in a reviewer's mind, but Wolfenstein's are so well-done, and complement the white-knuckle, FPS gameplay so well, that I've got to call them out up front. From the bark of the MP43 to the banshee whine of the particle gun, Wolfenstein helps transport you to a World War II that's just a bit different from the one you've read about.
In this WWII, the Germans have tapped into an occult dimension with the ancient technology of a race called the Thule. As a result they've developed a whole host of nasty devices, from advanced weapons like the lightning-spitting Tesla gun to outright magical powers like illusion and teleportation. You, of course, will be able to co-opt some of this ill-gotten ass-kickery and turn it back on its inventors, though Wolfenstein does an admirable job of rationing the technology so that you never get more of it at a time than you can reasonably handle. It accomplishes this via a clever (if somewhat far-fetched, given the plot) system whereby you collect weapons from downed enemies, and then upgrade them according to your desires, using funds received for completing missions or found in secret areas. Since funds are limited throughout the game, you'll need to choose which weapons you want to upgrade, and which upgrades make the most sense for your style of play. But be warned, some upgrades are pretty useless and you can only sell them back at 50% value, so choose the cup of a carpenter, my friends.
The upgrade system also features in Wolfenstein's multiplayer, which features three game modes: Team Deathmatch, Objective (wherein two teams try to accomplish specific tasks and prevent opponents from doing the same), and Stopwatch (a timed version of Objective). All three allow you to earn money and customize your character's powers and loadout, and those customizations are saved and persistent throughout all multiplayer sessions. While some of the single-player weapons are unfortunately absent from the multiplayer, it's frenetic, challenging, and sufficiently varied to keep you coming back... especially with the inclusion of certain "Veil" powers into multiplayer.
Right, "Veil" powers. As I said above, Wolfenstein's Nazi's have been messing around with some weird occult/alien tech, and your character -- William "B.J." Blazcowicz, returning from the previous Wolfenstein games -- eventually gains some of these occult abilities via the Thule Medallion, which he acquires early in the game. The most important of these supernatural powers is the Veil. Toggle the Veil by pressing down on the d-pad, and you'll get an overlay on your view that makes it easier to see in the dark and turns everything green. Critically, it also makes you move faster. You can upgrade the Veil (and the other powers) at the black market (get it? "black" market?), eventually giving you the power to see and shoot through cover (using the Empower ability), block and reflect enemy bullets (using the Shield ability), and even slow down time (using the Mire ability).
All of these suck Veil energy from a reservoir you have, but the designers have liberally sprinkled Veil pools that will replenish this supply throughout every map. The upshot of this virtually unlimited pool of Veil juice is that you'll spend 90% of your time with the Veil enabled. And why not? You'll move faster, see in the dark, pinpoint hidden enemies, and be able to spot secret doors and treasures. You'll also need the Veil sight to spot enemy (especially enemy boss) weak points, which are highlighted red in the universal sign for "shoot me here, dumbass." Problem is, since there's really no advantage to being out of the Veil, this design element ends up making an otherwise visually impressive game look like it's being played on an old-school Apple monitor: green and black. I found myself dropping out of the Veil from time to time just give my eyes a break by admiring the colors on the corpses I'd just taken out.
And while those models sure are beautiful, the AI controlling them is a bit wonky. It's not so much that it's stupid, per se, it's just that the AI algorithms are prioritized in easily exploitable ways. For example, the bad guys put a major emphasis on emplacement weapons; so you can kill a Nazi operating a machine gun and watch as his comrades, like really racist lemmings, leave perfectly good cover to try and man the empty position. Fish in the proverbial barrel, folks. However, despite their occasional idiocy, the AI does manage to compensate for its shortcomings by throwing lots of soldiers at you, and by occasionally surprising you with a nifty trick or two.
If you're into WWII shooters -- and judging by the sales of every single Call of Duty title ever, you are -- but you're looking for something with a little twist to it -- which, judging by the sales of twisty straws, you are -- and you don't mind the color green -- and judging by the number of Irish people in the world, you don't -- you should get yourself a copy of Wolfenstein. If, however, you're a straight-straw-drinkin', WWII-hatin', Englishman of some stripe or other, then go ahead and stick to other, less-awesome shooters.