Wolfenstein: The New Order Review

Consoles: Xbox 360 & One, PS3 & 4, PC
Release Dates: May 20^th 2014
Developer: MachineGames
Publisher: Bethesda

Have you ever wondered what the world would be like if the Nazi’s won World War II? Well MachineGames and Bethesda thought of it and made it a virtual reality. Welcome to Wolfenstein: The New Order, a game that is fresh coat of paint on the Wolfenstein franchise. The New Order has no real connections to the previous 2009 release Wolfenstein. It makes some brief mentions but not enough to force you to replay that one. This game removes a lot of ideas from the 2009 game and makes some vast improvements to the franchise.

STORY
Wolfenstein: The New Order takes place three years after the events of the previous game. It is 1946, we see that the Nazi’s have abandoned their research in the occult and have put their minds into technology and machinery. The only person that can stop them is BJ Blazkowicz. In the beginning of the game we start off storming the castle of General Deathshed. Which lasts about 45 mins and introduces some pretty cool characters designs and German robots like the panzerhund. After an incident BJ awakens from a 15-year coma only to discover that the Nazis are in control of the world. (Yeah it must suck to wake up and see that). Anyways, you can only imagine the anger BJ feels so he joins the rebellion and plans to take down the Nazis and kill General Deathshed.

This game took me by surprise with the character development and atmosphere. Unlike the previous game, BJ actually has a compassionate side and wants to settle down with his love interest and raise a family. At times he talks about his past and in one memory he talks about an adventure that he took with his friends and got leech stuck to his balls (Stand By Me?). This is a big change to see a more human side compared to the run and gun pace. That is still there of course, but now you feel his emotions. The whole cast in the game has a story to tell and some are just tragic and you really feel for them. A few stories got me especially near the end. The New Order does give players a choice in the beginning of the game and creates a sub story about your choice. The outcome is the same but the story that gets there is different.
Next to the character development, another shining moment is the levels. This game takes

One small step for BJ, One giant leap for kicking the crap out of Nazis

you all over the place and even outside of Earth. Yeah, Nazis on the moon, they made it happen. The level design feels similar to the idea of Crysis. Each level is pretty big and gives the player opportunities to explore different ways to reach your objective and find the hidden collectibles and upgrades. The collectibles are definitely worth finding and some are hilarious. It is pretty cool to see this alternate history where every piece of history is transformed into a German name or event.

GAMEPLAY

Look Ma! Killing Nazis with two hands

Wolfenstein: The New Order plays like an old school first person shooter, which is a good and bad thing. Let’s start with good, since it plays like an old school shooter you can hold more then two weapons and you can even dual wield just about every weapon. You want to duel wield sniper rifles go for it! In following the rules of old school shooters health does not regenerate, instead you need to find health packs and armor. A new weapon that is added to the series is a laser tool that plays a key role in solving puzzles and unlocking new areas. It is a useful weapon but I rather use the assault rifle. In The New Order there is an upgrade system that is not the regular experience level up. Instead you need to do certain tasks with the weapons in order to upgrade your perks. For instance kill 5 Nazis with a knife while being overcharged. The perks vary on the style you want to play, do you want to play stealthy or guns a blazing.

Apparently the Nazis found Atlantis

The bad news, since the health system does not regenerate some gamers might be turned off from the game. Those who remember the old school way of gaming will feel at home. One thing that got annoying is that when you walk over to items, BJ does not automatically pick the items up. Instead you have to click the button numerous times to pick up everything. My big complaint with the game had to deal with the weapon changing. So many times I went to switch to another weapon and it kept going to the laser gun or a weapon that just didn’t have ammo or not right for the area. Their needed to be an option can just switch to the next weapon on the list since you are carrying 9 guns at a time. I don’t know why switching between the two weapons was a problem but it kept happening.
I have one last statement I would like to make about the gameplay. Now this can go good or bad depending how you look at it. Wolfenstein The New Order focuses on a solo campaign only. So those of you who were excited to be playing your friends online, you will have to wait for DLC or the next game. To me I was okay with them focusing on the campaign because the end result was pretty great and they had plenty of collectibles to find. A multiplayer option would have been a nice feature to help extend the life of the game.

GRAPHICS
The game looks great for the most part and runs smooth even when the action gets intense. They’re a few instances were the game slows down but nothing to through you out of the game. Some textures and levels look outstanding but then there are some parts of the game that look a little outdated. The outdated parts are mostly featured in the beginning of the game, but as the game moves through the levels they get better. It is just a slight hiccup but I noticed it. Is the game next gen graphics? No. Is it last gen graphics? No. The game’s graphics definitely look better then most first person shooters out there but it is not next gen graphics. Since the game runs smooth framerate, the lowered graphics really does enhance the game then hold it back.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I put a lot of thought into what I would give this game. The game has so many good things going for it and really impressed me, but had some faults. Hopefully this is a new start in the Wolfenstein franchise that will be getting new players into the series. For those of you who played the original and love the series this game is for you. (There is even a hidden Easter Egg for the fans of Wolfenstein 3D.)
So my final verdict is a 4 out of 5.