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Wolfenstein: The New Order
PlayStation 3
Subpar Graphics Mar This Alternate History Lesson
3/5 stars
Back in the day, Doom and Wolfenstein were the go-to games for classic first-person action. Both Doom and Wolfenstein have attempted to reboot themselves (with varying results) and while Doom is set for yet another iteration in a year or so, we have Wolfenstein: The New Order to placate ourselves. But can this updated take on a classic FPS standout from the crowd? The answer is - a somewhat mixed bag. While the story offers an interesting take on an alternative history - it's tempered by standard gameplay and (for the last-generation PS3) sub-par graphics. But, if you are a fan of this kind of genre it's certainly worth a look - for a reasonable price, anyway.
Presentation: Wolfenstein: The New Order subscribes the "muddy brown" aesthetic that plagues so many FPS games. Or, rather, gunmetal gray. Everything is concrete, metal and rubble - other than the Nazi red here and there - it's a pretty muddled affair. But the game itself suffers from a serious issue - at least on the PS3 - in that the game looks pretty bad. Jaggies, screen tearing, constantly loading backgrounds and just looking incredibly dark - this is not a pleasant-looking game. The results could be much different on a next-gen system (and probably a good PC) but this is what I have and what I have to live with. As it is, completely underwhelming in this department.
Story: Here is where I found things to be interesting. The opening chapter takes place as WWII is still in full swing - the Nazis have found a cache of technology that has given them the upperhand as General Wilhelm "Deathshead" Strasse develop fearsome weapons and freakish hybrid monstrosities to turn the war around. A final Allied assault on Deathshead's heavily-fortified compound seems to be the final, last gasp to halt the Nazi advance. You take control of Captain B.J. Blazkowicz - one of the many men on this assault. Ultimately, this last-ditch effort fails - and, after barely surviving, Blazkowicz is left in a catatonic state, awaking in 1960 in an asylum following a Nazi assault that leaves most of the patients and staff dead. Having connected with a nurse that has slowly healed his mind, he sets about rescuing her - and finding the remnants of any resistance that may still survive. That is going to be a tough battle as the Nazi war machine has conquered the world - they have bombed New York, paved over London and established a moon base - crushed all resistance from Russia to China to America. But Blazkowicz is a fighter and will not roll over. Early in the game you have a chance to rescue on of two members of your team - it really doesn't change much in the story (other than unlocking either health or armor upgrades throughout the levels) but it does give at least some different options as the game progresses. But the key to the story is seeing how the world would look like if the Nazis had won the war - and not only won, but obliterated any resistance. Newspaper articles you find and recordings you unlock really sell this bleak world - a world that, even with the muddled graphics, is still one of horror and the story really sells that.
Gameplay: It's a pretty standard FPS - you have your basic weapons: knife, pistol, assault rifle, grenades - and, as you go through the game, shotgun and sniper rifle. You also have a skill tree in four categories: stealth, tactical, assault and demolition - and each one gives you certain perks - more ammo for a given weapon, the ability to move faster, gain life or ammo for killing a certain way, etc. You also unlock the ability to dual-wield all weapons (yes, even the sniper rifle) and each weapon also has a secondary mode - the pistol can be silenced for easy stealth kills, your assault rifle doubles as a rocket launcher, the shotgun develops ricocheting pellets and the sniper rifle becomes a tesla weapon - easy to drain shields. You also get access to a prototype laser weapon, that you upgrade as the game goes on from a simple laser to a massive weapon capable of wiping out most enemies in one massive blast. Yes, you have to recharge it, but in most areas that is easy.
Unlocking your perks is easy because you can replay areas over and over again by reloading them - but you keep all your progress you have made for each perk, so even the most difficult (say, killing 80 enemies from cover using your assault rifle) becomes relatively easy. Beyond the weapons, you have collectibles - letters, enigma codes (that unlock new game modes), golden items, character models, level design - many are unlocked simply by progressing through each level, but the codes and gold items must be found - along with health and armor upgrades (depending on which character you saved earlier in the game). It at least gives some incentive to play the game over - as well as experiment with the various difficulty settings (from easy to uber).
The enemies are at least somewhat varied. You have typical grunt soliders, well-armored soldiers, robotic dogs, massive robots and even a few bosses. On higher difficulties, areas with a lot of enemies becomes tough - especially when they start toting shotguns, rockets and such that can kill you in a hit or two. But a little tactical and stealth here and there goes a long way. Still, I found myself repeating certain parts over and over again - especially if the autosave puts you in a tight spot (low health, low ammo, etc). Overall, thought, I was able to beat it on the second-hardest difficulty setting my first time around without too much incident.
Replayability: As stated, with the multiple difficulty levels, a variety of other modes and collectibles scattered about (not to mention two separate timelines based on the initial character you save), there is a decent amount to go back for, so in that aspect, at least you have some incentive to give it another go (or two).
Overall: While Wolfenstein: The New Order doesn't rewrite the book for FPS, and it's a letdown in the graphics department, at least the story hints at an interesting view of alternative history.
Presentation: 2/5
Story: 4/5
Gameplay: 3/5
Replayability: 4/5
Overall (not an average): 3/5
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