B.J. Blazkowicz is back to take on the Nazi and their evil experiments in yet another WWII themed FPS. Fortunately special powers and exotic weapons offer a fun twist to the otherwise over done WWII based shooters.

Wolfenstein offers both a single player campaign and a multiplayer mode. It is the campaign that stands out in this bundle and unfortunately that is mainly because the multiplayer mode is lacklustre.

Evil experiments are fun, when you can use them..

The game takes place in the town of Isenstadt, Germany. The Germans are experimenting with“veil energy”, a power that is extracted from another realm. As BJ Blazkowicz, it will be the job of the player to aid the resistance and put an end to the Nazi experiments.

The first half of the campaign feels like a mundane WWII shooter. Players have access to the standard weapons from that era: MP40, MP43 and the Kar98. Most of the locations in the first half of the game comprise of tight spaces. All of this gives the feeling of the game being ‘just another hallway shooter’. It is not until the second half of the game when players get additional veil powers and experimental weapons that the game truly shines. The exotic weapons include flamethrowers, a gun that shoots out rays and a tesla gun that electrocutes anyone in its path.

As the game goes on the player picks up additional veil powers. At base, the powers allow the player to slow down time, put up a shield or significantly boost the damage output of the wielded weapon. Using the power uses up the veil energy. Veil energy recharges slowly by itself, however standing over a veil pool will recharge it faster. Fortunately there are many veil pools in each map.

The game also employs a levelling up system. As missions are completed and additional items are collected, the player earns gold. These can be used upgrade weapons or veil powers. Upgrading a weapon will yield significant boosts but it is the veil upgrades that stand out. For example the shield power can be upgraded to reflect bullets.

Needless to say the exotic weapons and veil powers are a lot of fun to use. It has to be commended on how the veil powers really complement the fast paced gameplay as they offer the player many options to keep the momentum going. The latter half of the game offers larger and more unique maps that go well with the bigger guns and powers.

Unfortunately, the ammo for the exotic weapons is hard to come by and players will find themselves having to use one of the submachine guns most of the time. In addition the veil powers are a double edged sword as they make the boss battles rather easy. That is with the exception of the last boss battle which is actually quite frustrating.

A Different Way of Doing FPS:

Raven Software has tried a design option that is unique for shooters. It offers an open map and allows the player to choose what missions to do first. But using the term “open-ended” would be misleading as with the exception of some optional missions, there is not much else to do in the town. Instead I actually found myself getting frustrated when I ran into a Nazi army on my way to starting another mission. It felt as if it needlessly prolonged the campaign. The developers may have chosen this route as the campaign itself is rather short and can be completed in less than 7 hours.

Did We Need This:

Wolfenstein is run on the same engine that Doom 3 was made in. In single player it shows signs of being outdated but can be overlooked when the action gets going. However multiplayer is a different story. The graphics are much more toned down and it looks very last generation. It does not help that the animation also gets stiff.

The main issue with the gameplay of the multiplayer is that it is stripped of the exotic weaponry and stronger veil powers; the best parts of the single player campaign. This results in a very bland experience. When you take into account the very simple multiplayer mode and the poor graphics it is a wonder why money was spent on creating it. The developers would have been better off selling just the single player campaign mode at a lower price.

Final Word: The exotic weapons and veil powers that appear later on in the game are a lot of fun to play with. Unfortunately they are buried in a game that feels like just another WWII shooter. With a lacklustre multiplayer mode and the campaign being short, it is hard to recommend this as anything more than a rental. 

Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3, PC

Developed By: Raven Software

Published By: Activision