The FPS is perhaps the most popular videogame genre on the planet, with titles like Halo, Call of Duty & Battlefield being some of the biggest selling games in history, but did you ever wonder where the FPS started?
Let me take you back to 1981 when a developer by the name of Muse Software created an action game by the name of Castle Wolfenstein, this game not only spawned a sequel by the name of Beyond Castle Wolfenstein but in 1992 a small PC developer by the name of id Software acquired the rights to the Wolfenstein trademark and created the first ever recognised FPS, Wolfenstein 3D.
Wolfenstein 3D made id Software legends who later went on to revolutionise the genre again just a few years later with DOOM and again with Quake as well as a Wolfenstein sequel. That was the 1990's and now we have more FPS's than we can shake a stick at and all of them are here because of the Wolfenstein series.
So in 2009 after 8 years since Return to Castle Wolfenstein was released Raven Software decided to make a sequel to the sequel with the aptly titled Wolfenstein. But does it live up to the id titles of yesteryear and revolutionise the franchise? Well...no and here is why.
You are B.J. Blazkowicz, an American special agent and protagonist of both previous id Wolfenstein games. Whilst invading a Nazi battleship B.J. steals a jewel encrusted medallion and attempts to make his getaway, however when cornered he accidentally activates the medallion and unleashes a paranormal power that kills all the Nazi forces surrounding him. When he shows the medallion to his superiors he is informed that the item is powered by a rare stone called Nachtsonne which is only found in the town of Isenstadt, Germany. Once there he forms allies with resistance groups Kreisau Circle & Golden Dawn, with their help Blazkowicz begins a battle to drive the Nazi's out of Isenstadt & to stop them from being able to access another dimension known as the Black Sun.
From the get go you can tell that Wolfenstein doesn't take itself seriously and that's the games biggest misstep. It tries to be serious, despite its drastically silly plotline. Much like Raiders of the Lost Ark, its outrageously off the wall story was a subject of mockery in the film itself, but Wolfenstein takes its matters of paranormal medallions, cross-dimension warfare & fake mineral mining all too seriously.
It doesn't help that every single character has the personality of a cardboard box filled with cement and the dialogue is laughable at best. Its entire story goes down like a lead balloon with it never picking up pace from its explosive beginning and ultimately just ends up leaving you asking more questions than you had in the beginning. Its goal is to confuse the player whilst standing there smugly with a triumphant feeling of knowing its the only thing on the planet that knows what its going on about.
The gameplay was what made id titles what they were, they never did have overly strong stories with DOOM 3 being one of the only exceptions that springs to mind but the lack of stories were often made up for by the best gameplay in the genre.
Wolfenstein & Raven have followed in their predecessors footsteps for the most part with some very enjoyable gameplay, but hardly genre defining.
Wolfenstein is the epitome of generic which is a little weird to say considering its legacy. You have an assortment of machine guns and rocket launchers at your disposal...but that's it besides the one rifle & flamethrower so weapons are on the small side. Each one can be upgraded using Nazi gold collected in missions which becomes a more essential part of the game that it has any need to be. You regenerate health and missions have no other goal than to walk through similar looking corridors shooting endless waves of Nazi's until you reach the end. If anything Wolfenstein is tedious and repetitive beyond its well made shooting mechanics which in this day and age aren't exactly a rarity either.
One interesting mechanic is the ability to use the medallion and enter the Black Sun dimension at any point in time, or as long as you have enough power in your medallion. Entering the dimension grants you special powers such as increased speed, time slowing capabilities and stronger firearms. It does beg the question though, why does nothing change in the other dimension other than the colour of the screen & a handful of shooting mechanics. I mean even Singularity had a better multi-dimension gameplay aspect than this and that wasn't part of a well established franchise...or any franchise for that matter!
Isenstadt is presented as a hub world with missions coming available through the Kreisau Circle and Golden Dawn which take place outside of the town itself. The game becomes a monotonous task of getting a mission, walking through town to get there, doing it, walking back and repeating with no variation at all.
The only real praise I can give Wolfenstein when compared to other shooters out at the time of its release is that it has moments that genuinely challenge you. Though this mainly comes in the form of sticking you in a place with little to no cover and cramming the screen with enemies but that's more than can be said about 99% of the FPS market during 2009. The game also has a satisfying final boss battle that requires use of pretty much all weapons & medallion abilities, just a shame it has a crap ending.
As for presentation, Wolfenstein looks rough for a game that runs on the id Tech 4 engine. Its not bad, but it certainly wasn't the best looking game of 2009 and id Tech is widely regarded as one of the best looking & most powerful engines in the business!
Textures take several seconds to load in, general loading times aren't exactly short and the frame rate cant keep constant to save its life.
The character models do look nice though and the ragdoll effects are nice as well as blood and explosions but that's about as far as it goes.
The soundtrack isn't memorable either, plus the guns sound like toys so that's never a bonus and is only another thing to go against the game.
Now I know I have slammed this game but Wolfenstein isn't all that bad, but its nothing special and really does not live up to the Wolfenstein name. If 3D was looking down on its grandchild it would be shaking its head in disappointment because no matter how flashy it can try to look, or how complex it wants to make its story it doesn't even begin to compare with the majority of the shooters out there as of 2009. Its a game that die hard shooter fans will probably enjoy and is worth a shot at a reasonable price, but you're better off skipping it if you haven't played it already and waiting for the series reboot, Wolfenstein: The New Order in a few weeks which already looks set to put Wolfenstein back in the throne of the shooter genre.
Wolfenstein – 5/10
+Shooting Mechanics Are Good
+Has Challenging Elements
+Wolfenstein Making A Return
-Complicated and Nonsensical Story
-Boring and Tedious Gameplay
-Big Technical Problems
