In the history of first person shooters the focus is normally on Doom as the game that started it all, but the truth is Wolfenstein 3D was the first. It wasn’t that good looking but it gave you the chance to take down Hitler and his army. Doom may have to some extent stolen the limelight but Wolfenstein has still managed to survive to this day in the game industry, and is returning in the form of Wolfenstein: The New Order.
Times have changed though and Bethesda have taken publishing duties, while MachineGames are developing the title. With a history of games like Chronicles of Riddick which has somewhat of a cult status among games and the Darkness games MachineGames have the perfect credentials to bring Wolfenstein into the current generation and beyond.
Story
Wolfenstein: The New Order brings the story of William “B.J.” Blazkowicz into the sixties but in an alternative dimension where the Nazis won. The idea is that somehow they have managed to become more technically advanced than the allies which has led to their success, with locations like a Nazi-occupied England and streets where robots guard against resistance. Alternative realities, robots and Nazis? How can this go wrong?
Gameplay
With Wolfenstein: The New Order looks to bring some of the old school feel of Wolfenstein 3D back to the game but still keep things fresh and fun. With the use of medi-kits and armour the game promises to be loyal to the original, but not to the extent that it’s too complicated. The game will be mission based in the way modern first person shooters are, and these missions will push the game on.
With the focus being on fun expect to be able to carry as many weapons as you want, in a move away from only being able to hold one or two weapons Wolfenstein: The New Order is looking to bringing back the feel of having some huge weapons and being able to use them to create the highest amount of destruction possible. For the most part stealth won’t be an option unless it’s important to the mission, and the ability to hold weapons in both hands means chaos will ensue. This is closer to Serious Sam than Modern Warfare as an example, although it won’t be as simplistic as Sam of course. This is a story based adventure, not just point the gun and shoot. One mystery though, which may or may not change is the lack of multiplayer, this may mean more of a focus on the story but is still a risk. It is nice though to see a first person shooter that wants to give the single player market some focus though.
Alternative Universes
As we can see from the trailer and images released Wolfenstein: The New Order definitely looks promising, being available for both this generation of consoles, PC and the next generation of consoles this game looks good. Locations such as London where the Nazis are in full control and zeppelins fly through the night sky. Add to this the robots and we have the perfect setting for the return of William “B.J.” Blazkowicz.
Verdict
What has been shown of Wolfenstein: The New Order so far is fairly promising and looking back at what MachineGames machine games managed in The Darkness and the surprise success of Chronicles of Riddick among gamers the outlook for the game is good. It’ll be interesting to see the difference between current generation and the next generation game to see where compromise had to be made, but word has it that even for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360, the game is looking good. Wolfenstein: The New Order will be out later this year and we’ll probably be seeing more on this at E3 this month.