Wolfenstein - New Order - First Impressions

Lately I've been playing Wolfenstein - New Order. The sequel to that legendary game by the same guys who made DooM and (as I keep informing the world) revolutionized the entire FPS genre! What would it have been like today if the original Wolfenstein 3D had never seen the dark of night? I don't even want to know!

Wolfenstein 3D is actually included with this game too, as a bonus. Not the entire game, but at least a playable level, remastered in all the new engines mechanical glory. I love it, but the fact that you get no completion rate info or reward bonus if you complete that level was a disappointment. I was also kinda hoping for more than one level, and maybe a new 'nightmare' (playing the game is like a dream - for real - in the game) between each two major missions. That would've been awesome. When I first stumbled upon this little 'Easter Egg' I was flustered, so excited, and though I do still get motion sick from the oldskool movement in games like W3D (even the motion differs from that of the old game there must be something... about the textures, the narrow hallways... something) it was a blast to play! You get a finger and want more, though...

The gathering room, and all the side missions remind me a lot of Rage. There are plenty of other similarities as well, not least in level design (that part is awesome - both of these games have awesome level design - and this one definitely the best of the two), but the endless missions was a thing I did NOT like with the former game. It forces the player into a compulsive pattern of action. Unnecessary action. Get on with the plot, will you! And I don't want to be the one pushing the plot, I'd rather it takes cares of itself and just shoves me on for the ride. The moment of pause between missions ruins the tension a bit too.

I was expecting the first reunion at the gathering room to be a one-time event, and was disappointed when it becomes a home you can stay at, take a break from the warfare, live in peace, relax... isn't this supposed to be a battle to the death? A harsh, never-ending trial? An at times seemingly futile attempt to end the far-reaching Nazi reign that isn't just sweeping over the country, but has already taken over the world? With this one thing - this gathering room - it looses a bit of that tension. There should be no safe house in a war if you want it to feel like a war, IMGO. It was the same thing with Rage.

Apart from Rage, there are clearly Half-Life 2 similarities as well. Not just with the female protagonist Ayla (she even looks a lot like that girl from HL2 who I should remember the name of!), and the Professor, and the resistance, and the game structure overall, and the rapid plot progression between levels - that is all very untypical of old-fashioned Wolfenstein games. The vehicles too. And the controls. And the 'high-tech' aspect of it all. I hope they're not trying to feed off the same formula as Valve did and make another legendary game, because this isn't how it works.

But it's not all bad, though that might be how it seems when you read my review thus far.

One thing that amazed me about this game, from start till fin... well, the point I am at now - is the extremely elaborate level design. The architecture is impressive to say the least, and often it has a refreshingly twisted take on the traditionally grounded levels. The first wall climb on the castle tower gave me hope for a game that otherwise started a bit unlike my liking (I'd rather go for the loner approach than the gather-together-and-beat-the-bad-guys - it gives a stronger sense of isolation and independence). And every level, at least so far, is a real masterpiece in design. Say what you want about Bethesda, but they know their architecture!

The levels aren't just varied, they're complex, captivating both graphically and in the features they offer: the passageways for escape or temporary shelter, and for surprise and ambush. Many levels seem to feature alternative routes as well, and though the levels don't seem linear, it's difficult to get lost. It's harder with some of the missions where your objective is finding a certain item or entrance - rather than when you're running rampant, marching forward in the heat of battle, like you should in a Wolfenstein game! Those levels are great.

I do appreciate the mixture of stealth and direct combat though. I didn't think I would, but it feels rewarding somehow to be able to sneak up and stab enemies rather than just shoot em all, but for those who do feel like I thought I would, it's also good that this aspect of the game is entirely optional. You don't need to resort to stealth if you don't want to. You can stab the guard however you want, even facing him, dodging his swipes with the knife. In the levels where you are only given a knife - the guards don't have any other weapons either. Knife fights have their own charm and tactics, as do the gunfights. The selection of weapons is elaborate, varied, and throughout the game constantly upgraded.

I like that laserthing too. Cutting holes in fences, recharging, blasting enemies with plasma as a last resort when bullets run out. It's nice. Also the sentries and heavy weapons you can occasionally pick up and carry for a short while. And, you get mecha and vehicle-based weapons too. Diversity is definitely something this order provides.

Speaking of that laserthing gets me thinking of HL2 again. WolfenStein came way before HL, and the latter built upon that structure and added some new things. So it doesn't seem entirely wrong that this one copy... right? Right?! Well, the sex scenes are one thing HL2 didn't have. I wasn't expecting those in a videogame! It's like Wolfenstein is directed at a slightly more adult audience than the former, and maybe that's also what will split the audience regarding this game: it won't be something that everyone can enjoy, even if the sex is masked under a mantra of true love, introduced early on in the game through an inspiring cutscene at a hospital, where the years pass by as seconds, and our hero wakes up in a world where the Nazis won the war. He saves his savior, and they join up with the resistence to do something about this New Whirl Odor. That's how it starts, and it's a good start! The plot is as massive and elaborate as the level design, even when it seems to progress a bit too fast. You can slow down if you wish; take your time to read the newspaper clippings scattered over the world.

Speaking of influences from other games, there's also some Max Payne influence in here too. The depressing noir-like monologues, and the noir-like cutscenes in which they appear. It doesn't really fit a true hero, I think. In previous Wolfenstein games I imagine the hero as a really badass MF. Same thing with DooM.

Have I mentioned both protagonists have blue eyes? Very Arian in complexion. I'm sure thats intentional. Even more obviously intentional is the fact that the hope of humankind rests with a secret gathering of Jews. A very awesome gathering, I should add. But it's not supernatural, as Set Roth says, it's "technology that brings them closer to God". Well, they say it better in the game. If you haven't played it, I do recommend you do! A 'short' commentary like this could begin to analyze all the facets of it, though I hope it manages to shed some light on some of the more noteworthy tidbits. It's not a bad game at all, even if it is far from a masterpiece: a perfectly balanced stroke of genius that has the potential to become a classic. I don't think this does. Too many side-stories. Too much litter in the plot and action. Too messy. A bit like this review.

Also, the jumping between scenarios, the loosing weapons, the getting new ones - it's not very consistent. The gameplay is varied, but also jumpy. And there's too much high-tech, too little grit. It's too much... and too little. It's good but, is this still WolfenStein? It's certainly a New Order.