Reviews / previews
Back in 1992before Doom and Duke NukemWolfenstein 3D stunned gamers with its inaugural first-person shooting. Soon, youll again step into the Nazi-whooping boots of B.J. Blaskowitz, an Army Ranger working for the Office of Secret Actions during World War II. As B.J., youll infiltrate the dark world of the Third Reich and battle the horrific creations of Hitlers number two, Reichsfurher Heinrich Himmler, head of the S.S. Besides run-of-the-mill S.S. goons, Himmlers evil minions will include super-soldiers, zombies, and mutants.
-- 0 / GamePro
Just in case you didn't get to kill enough Nazi occult zombies in 1992, Gray Matter and id Software have your return trip ready in Return to Castle Wolfenstein. This time, you'll play as B.J. Blaskovitz, an Army Ranger who must escape from the aforementioned castle and foil Heinrich Himmler's occult experiments and evil goal: to reincarnate an ancient sorcerer and use him to subjugate the world under the Third Reich.
The preview version of Wolfenstein played like a dream, giving you the chance to hose Nazis with a flame thrower or pin down Allied troopers with a mounted machine gun. The single-player game included levels ranging from the icy dunes of Norway, to the forests of Germany, to the crypts of Castle Wolfenstein itself. The multiplayer mode featured a full, Team Fortress-esque system of classes and roles, as well as an extremely well-tuned balance between the teams. The only real problem with the preview version was that there simply wasn't enough of it.
-- 0 / GamePro
RTCWs plot is a mishmash of cheesy cut-scenes and half-baked mission objectives involving the Nazis attempts to create zombie supersoldiers during World War II. Because of the weak story and the fairly predictable enemy A.I., the game doesnt forge the enthralling feel of games like Halo or Half-Life.
Fortunately, thats the only real downer in what is otherwise an outstanding dose of FPS goodness. The exciting gameplay mixes gonzo combat with occasional stealthy moments and lots of unlock the door puzzles. On a typical mission, youll start out chasing some whup-the-Nazis objective like trashing V2 rockets, and along the way, youll gradually encounter spooky occult weirdness. A big part of RTCWs allure is the creepy, gothic atmospherethe presentation of the zombies and other creatures is well executed and can be genuinely unnerving at times.
On the multiplayer front, RTCW delivers a deep, intriguing twist on the wildly popular Counter-Strike. The action here is more cerebral, emphasizing teamwork and accomplishing specific objectives over twitchy combatits great fun. The effective controls will feel standard to any remotely experienced gamer. As with all good controls, youll rarely notice them.
RTCWs slick graphics and sounds set the perfect mood. Haunting music and excellent sound effects pair nicely with the gorgeous, well-lit environments and smoothly animated monsters and Nazis.
Surveying the WWII theater, RTCWs compelling action will most likely be overshadowed by the more promising Medal of Honor: Allied Assault. Still, this engaging battle is well worth the games fairly steep price tag, and it will pleasantly tide you over until its time to start earning medals in February.-- 0 / GamePro
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