Wolfenstein (Xbox 360) Review

Posted by Mark Salmela on 09.19.2009

Germany has invaded Poland. Bad move Germany…

Title: Wolfenstein
Publisher: Activision
Developer: Raven Software
Genre: First Person Shooter
Players: 1 - 12
Rated: M for Mature





Gameplay



Wolfenstein is a very simple game. The lead character Mr. B.J. Blazkowicz isn’t in the taking prisoners business. He’s in the killing Nazi business. And business is a booming! That’s right; Wolfenstein is all about the killing of those evil German bastards. There’s a lot of variations on the theme, but when it comes down to it, Wolfenstein is kill or be killed.

Wolfenstein is divided into two modes of play. There’s the single player campaign, and there’s the multiplayer campaign. Each one has its strengths and its weaknesses, but I’ll say it right now. If you don’t have any interest in playing the single player campaign, Wolfenstein is not for you.

The single player campaign of Wolfenstein features B.J. Blazkowicz, the main character of Wolfenstein 3D and Return to Castle Wolfenstein, as he embarks on a journey to kill as many Nazi’s as possible. Sure there’s a legitimate story to Wolfenstein, but it’s not interesting at all. The only thing you need to know is that you gain freaky powers that allow you to do things such as slow down time and walk through certain walls. If you’re playing Wolfenstein looking for a beautiful and complex story, than you’re playing the wrong game.

When you break it down to its core gameplay, Wolfenstein is a fairly standard FPS. There are two features that set Wolfenstein apart. The first is the open world map. You are placed into a standard German city that serves as the game’s hub world. You are free to roam around different sections of the city, and missions are accessed by traveling to certain parts of town to talk to people. It does help to make the game less linear, but the novelty starts to wear off after a while. The city isn’t so huge that it becomes bothersome, but I don’t imagine it becoming a staple of the FPS genre. You have a compass at the top of the screen that will tell you where you need to go if you get lost, which can come in handy especially during some of the missions.

The actual missions themselves serve as the levels that FPS fans have become accustomed to. The locations have a good amount of variety. I don’t know if this is just a coincidence, but I swear one of the farm levels is the exact location that the opening scene of Inglorious Bastards takes place in. Yes I know it’s probably just a coincidence, but it is pretty cool.

Wolfenstein does not hold back on the gore. It does not get over the top like in Gears of War, but when you shoot someone, you really shoot them. Faces will get ripped off, arms will get shot off, legs will break, and blood will cover the fallen carcass of each Nazi you kill. If you don’t take well to lots of blood, or have a child who wants to play the game, than you may want to think twice about playing Wolfenstein. I thoroughly enjoyed the massive amounts of blood and gore, as that’s something I want when killing Nazi’s, but I can see the opposing viewpoint.

Overall the single player of Wolfenstein is good. But there are several things that I feel work to make a good single player great. The first that I’d like to mention is the use of melee weapons. There are several games that allow you to pick up melee weapons such as sledgehammers and shovels. The problem is that in those games you either can’t throw the weapons or if you do they travel the same speed as your bullets. But in Wolfenstein the melee weapons such as the sledgehammer and axe pick can not only be thrown, but they travel as an actual speed. Watching your sledgehammer slowly boomerang over to an unsuspecting enemy before getting killed by a sledgehammer to the back of the head is an absolutely glorious moment. It’s almost even better when you hit a boss with it since they get such a disapproving look on their face but don’t die. It’s as if they’re actually thinking “who the hell just threw a sledgehammer at me?”

Another feature that I really like about Wolfenstein is the way they build up your character. In games such as Super Metroid and Shadow Complex you start out feeling absolutely worthless before slowly building your character up into a badass. In Wolfenstein Blazkowicz is already a badass. He already is well equipped and knows how to kill Nazis. But as the game progresses you gain your supernatural powers as well as supernatural weapons that make you an absolute monster. By the end of the game you feel as if you could win World War 2 single handedly. And yes, that’s a good thing.

Speaking of these supernatural powers, those are gained throughout the game by your mystical amulet called the Veil. The first power you gain is called the Veil Sight, which allows you to travel to another dimension in the same location which can reveal walls which weren’t previously available to travel through. It also turns the whole world a bluish color which highlights enemy’s weak spots. You can also gain access to demons which are hovering around each world. If you shoot them they release a charge of energy which can kill nearby enemies. It sounds weird, and it is weird, but remember, you don’t have to use it in most cases. The only real case where it’s a necessity is when you need to travel through walls.

The second power allows you to slow down time. This is nothing new to FPS games, but Wolfenstein does handle it fairly well. The last two powers allow you to shoot through shields, as well as put up your own shield to absorb bullets. You can even fire all of the absorbed bullets back at your enemies. These powers are all executed fairly well, and fit in the world of Wolfenstein. If you don’t believe me, just YouTube the final boss of Wolfenstein 3D.

Overall the single player mode of Wolfenstein isn’t the best thing since sliced bread, but it is a good single player which has a lot of little touches to make it borderline great.



Graphics



The graphics in Wolfenstein certainly get the job done. They won’t blow you mind. But that’s not what Wolfenstein is about. As long as the graphics aren’t offensive, which they aren’t, and there aren’t any issues such as screen tearing, which there isn’t, than Wolfenstein accomplishes its goal. There’s nothing offensive, but they aren’t outstanding.



Sound

There isn’t a whole lot to say about the sound in Wolfenstein. Every gun sounds just as it should. The classic WW2 guns are present and sound just as brutal as they should. The background music is authentic, although not really noticeable. In fact most of the time I forgot there was any music at all. The voice acting is pretty terrible, and almost everyone has an annoying German accent. Overall there’s nothing offensive, but this is the type of game you import your own soundtrack into.



Lasting Appeal

This is where the multiplayer mode comes in. As I said the single player mode is borderline great, but it only lasts for 6 to 7 hours. After that there isn’t a big reason to come back to the single player unless you feel compelled to kill more Nazis. Well that’s where the multiplayer mode comes in. Unfortunately the multiplayer mode is uninspired and at times downright boring. The maps have generic names such as “hospital” and “bank”, the weapons are fairly standard minus the awesome flamethrower, and the classes are uninspired. There’s the medic, the soldier, and the engineer. Each class has a unique ability, such as the medic’s ability to throw out healing packs to comrades. Unlike most multiplayer modes now days Wolfenstein has a set amount of health for each character, so the only way to gain health in the multiplayer mode is to get one of these medic packs.

The problem with the multiplayer mode is that it just isn’t very interesting. In every game I’ve played I’ve encountered minor amounts of lag. Not enough lag to make the game unplayable, but more than enough lag to create frustration. Overall the multiplayer mode isn’t offensive, but it isn’t something that demands to be played. After a few rounds you’ll grow bored and move onto something else.



Fun Factor

The amount of fun you’ll have with Wolfenstein depends on how much fun you have playing the single player. I doubt you’ll get immersed into the story, because it’s nothing special, but killing Nazis in Wolfenstein is really fun. The gameplay mechanics all work, and as I mentioned above there are a lot of little things that you’ll appreciate. The open world map starts to drag on you after a while, but the actual gameplay holds up.



The 411


Wolfenstein has always been about one thing, killing Nazis. Wolfenstein on 360 and PS3 holds up this tradition of mindless fun, although it doesn’t do anything revolutionary. The multiplayer mode is a big letdown, and I have my doubts the community will stick around. With the exception of the bolt action rifle I felt that every gun in the game was both satisfying and fun to use. Without spoiling everything I will say that some of the guns get really over-the-top and are a real treat to use. My personal favorite is the flamethrower. While the graphics aren’t amazing it may be the best flamethrower I’ve used in an FPS in quite a while. So whether or not you get Wolfenstein depends on one thing, and that’s your ability to enjoy the single player. If you’re looking for a great multiplayer mode, then Wolfenstein is not for you.

Graphics	7.5	The graphics are above average. There is nothing harmful, but it will not set the world on fire.
Gameplay	8.0	There are a lot of little things that work to make the good campaign great.
Sound	6.0	Everything is authentic, but nothing stands out.
Lasting Appeal	7.0	The multiplayer is pretty bad, so once you are done with the single player, you will most likely be done.
Fun Factor	8.0	If you enjoy single player campaigns, you will have fun. If you only enjoy multiplayer campaigns, this is not for you.
Overall	8.0   [ Very Good ]

Screenshots
All 6 Wolfenstein Screenshots