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This thread has been linked to the game 'Wolfenstein: The New Order'.
Wolfenstein.
It's been through several iterations, with one pretty poor incident marring an otherwise sterling series, but the fact remains that it was the precursor for an entire gaming genre. Wolfenstein 3D was the first of its kind, a revelation, an inspiration and a revolution.
And that's an awful lot to live up to.
Add to this that the last Wolfenstein outing was average at best, and Machine Games had their work cut out if they were going to make "Wolfenstein; The New Order" a success. Of course, there will always be die-hard fans of the series (like me!) who would take a punt regardless, and the offer of a Doom 4 Beta key wouldn't hurt, but ultimately, the game would need to stand on it's own two feet.
So, how well did they do?
First thing you'll notice is the game occupies over 40Gb of your hard drive; that's bigger than "Rome Total War", over twice the size of "Bioshock Infinite", larger than all of the previous Wolfenstein games put together. Buy it on disc, and you'll still need a sizeable download from Steam. If that doesn't put you off, you might be in for a treat.
Game options are varied. Despite the rumours, this game seems to be quite configurable, so most reasonably spec'ed pcs should be able to cope with it. If you are lucky enough to be able to switch all of the pretties on however, you'll see exactly why the game needs 40Gb. It's jaw dropping, literally; from the lighting and shadows, to the reflections and the astonishing attention to detail, this is gaming art. It's a truly stunning realisation of a familiar world in an unfamiliar setting, disturbing on a very subtle level. London landmarks festooned in Nazi insignia are an uncomfortable sight.
Gameplay is equally impressive, combining the best elements of old school FPS, the fluid shooting, "run and gun" and stealth missions, with exciting new elements like destructible environments. It's the first game I've played where you can pick up a heavy machine gun and blast chunks out of a concrete post until your target is left cowering behind a twisted piece of rusty rebar. To see him scramble for cover elsewhere following this also proves the depth and integrity of the AI. Again, ignore footage of dumb AI shown on various sites, that only applies on the easiest setting for the game. Switch it up, and you've a challenge on your hands.
Okay, so destructible environments and good AI are not unusual these days, but there's something quite special about them in Wolfenstein. An example of this comes quite soon in the game, when you pick up a laser cutter, essential for progress as you need to cut your way through fences and metal barriers to access new areas. Consider this; how many games can you recall where you can cut a Homer Simpson shaped hole in a fence just for kicks? Or a small hole to shoot through, a bigger one to crawl through? The polygon count on these flat panels must be ludicrous. Likewise the concrete which splinters and cracks and crumbles with each and every bullet. The effort put into these little details is bordering on obsession.
The most unusual thing with Wolfenstein however has got to be the storyline. First person shooters generally suffer horribly from shallow, disjointed and flimsy plots, else they lack pace and punch when the story takes top billing. Given that the plot runs like a top flight war epic, with solid narrative, complex characters and intelligent twists, its surprising that the game still rattles along at a fine pace. Again, the plot reeks of obsessive attention to detail, it's a convoluted rework of real history. Jimi Hendrix as a doped, guitar-loving member of the resistance, "House of the Rising Sun" rendered by accordion-wielding Germans, Blazkowicz dreaming of a "perfect world" that looks a lot like reality, the 60's re-imagined and retold in newspaper clippings and diaries, all with a crust of Nazism to hold it together, you play through an imagined world where our reality is fantasy, and their reality is a nightmare.
So, out of 10...
Graphics: 9.5/10
Actually quite exceptional. Shadows, lighting, character design, textures, all pretty darned good, but where the game excels is the facial animation; at times the characters bleed emotion, you can see the fear in their eyes, the distrust in the crease of a brow, the anger in the set of a jaw, it's outstanding.
This game only loses half a point, because one or two (very minor) things niggled me and struck me as lazy. Given the overall quality of the game's visuals, it's irritating to see pens, pencils, scissors and such "drawn" onto a desk.
My only niggle; petty...
Sound: 10/10
Again, very, very well put together. This is a perfect balance of atmospheric music and sound effects, the voice acting is flawless and guns, bullets, bombs and explosions have a satisfying "thump" to them. There's also some rather nice but subtle work been done that causes voices to become muffled and indistinct when there's a wall or door intervening, or for the sound of heavy jackboots to bounce and echo along a corridor.
Clever stuff that's likely to be missed...
Gameplay: 10/10
Solid, traditional FPS gameplay. Not a great deal more to be said really. There's nothing really new here, the shooting sections are tight, well balanced sequences, the weapons have a satisfying weight and recoil to them, and sights are realistically accurate (so, not always!). The stealth options are numerous and varied, from silenced pistols to knives either thrown or used close quarters, and the enemy are on the whole suitably intelligent enough to work a flanking routine in an attempt to take you down.
It all works effortlessly, which is more than can be said for many other games these days...
Story: 10/10
I might be biased, but what's not to like? Blazkowicz is back, bigger, badder and better than before, and this time he has some thoughts of his own. He, like all of the other characters in this game, is beautifully scripted and crafted. The story is big, bold and ridiculous, just right for a first person shooter of any distinction, but, oddly, manages to pull off a softer, more subtle undertone that brought a lump to my throat and a tear to my eye... well, almost...
Okay, I admit it. I am a wolfenstein fanboy, it's undeniable, but I'd defy anyone to play this game without grinning like a loon. Machine Games have respected the roots of the franchise, and they have not strayed from the tried and tested path, but nonetheless they have created a game that feels fresh and exciting. More to the point, they have remembered the most important thing for a good FPS; controlling the game should be unobtrusive, easily learnt and slick.
Simply put, they have not even tried to teach an old Wolf new tricks, they just made him work harder for his favourite bone.
It's been through several iterations, with one pretty poor incident marring an otherwise sterling series, but the fact remains that it was the precursor for an entire gaming genre. Wolfenstein 3D was the first of its kind, a revelation, an inspiration and a revolution.
And that's an awful lot to live up to.
Add to this that the last Wolfenstein outing was average at best, and Machine Games had their work cut out if they were going to make "Wolfenstein; The New Order" a success. Of course, there will always be die-hard fans of the series (like me!) who would take a punt regardless, and the offer of a Doom 4 Beta key wouldn't hurt, but ultimately, the game would need to stand on it's own two feet.
So, how well did they do?
First thing you'll notice is the game occupies over 40Gb of your hard drive; that's bigger than "Rome Total War", over twice the size of "Bioshock Infinite", larger than all of the previous Wolfenstein games put together. Buy it on disc, and you'll still need a sizeable download from Steam. If that doesn't put you off, you might be in for a treat.
Game options are varied. Despite the rumours, this game seems to be quite configurable, so most reasonably spec'ed pcs should be able to cope with it. If you are lucky enough to be able to switch all of the pretties on however, you'll see exactly why the game needs 40Gb. It's jaw dropping, literally; from the lighting and shadows, to the reflections and the astonishing attention to detail, this is gaming art. It's a truly stunning realisation of a familiar world in an unfamiliar setting, disturbing on a very subtle level. London landmarks festooned in Nazi insignia are an uncomfortable sight.
Gameplay is equally impressive, combining the best elements of old school FPS, the fluid shooting, "run and gun" and stealth missions, with exciting new elements like destructible environments. It's the first game I've played where you can pick up a heavy machine gun and blast chunks out of a concrete post until your target is left cowering behind a twisted piece of rusty rebar. To see him scramble for cover elsewhere following this also proves the depth and integrity of the AI. Again, ignore footage of dumb AI shown on various sites, that only applies on the easiest setting for the game. Switch it up, and you've a challenge on your hands.
Okay, so destructible environments and good AI are not unusual these days, but there's something quite special about them in Wolfenstein. An example of this comes quite soon in the game, when you pick up a laser cutter, essential for progress as you need to cut your way through fences and metal barriers to access new areas. Consider this; how many games can you recall where you can cut a Homer Simpson shaped hole in a fence just for kicks? Or a small hole to shoot through, a bigger one to crawl through? The polygon count on these flat panels must be ludicrous. Likewise the concrete which splinters and cracks and crumbles with each and every bullet. The effort put into these little details is bordering on obsession.
The most unusual thing with Wolfenstein however has got to be the storyline. First person shooters generally suffer horribly from shallow, disjointed and flimsy plots, else they lack pace and punch when the story takes top billing. Given that the plot runs like a top flight war epic, with solid narrative, complex characters and intelligent twists, its surprising that the game still rattles along at a fine pace. Again, the plot reeks of obsessive attention to detail, it's a convoluted rework of real history. Jimi Hendrix as a doped, guitar-loving member of the resistance, "House of the Rising Sun" rendered by accordion-wielding Germans, Blazkowicz dreaming of a "perfect world" that looks a lot like reality, the 60's re-imagined and retold in newspaper clippings and diaries, all with a crust of Nazism to hold it together, you play through an imagined world where our reality is fantasy, and their reality is a nightmare.
So, out of 10...
Graphics: 9.5/10
Actually quite exceptional. Shadows, lighting, character design, textures, all pretty darned good, but where the game excels is the facial animation; at times the characters bleed emotion, you can see the fear in their eyes, the distrust in the crease of a brow, the anger in the set of a jaw, it's outstanding.
This game only loses half a point, because one or two (very minor) things niggled me and struck me as lazy. Given the overall quality of the game's visuals, it's irritating to see pens, pencils, scissors and such "drawn" onto a desk.
My only niggle; petty...
Sound: 10/10
Again, very, very well put together. This is a perfect balance of atmospheric music and sound effects, the voice acting is flawless and guns, bullets, bombs and explosions have a satisfying "thump" to them. There's also some rather nice but subtle work been done that causes voices to become muffled and indistinct when there's a wall or door intervening, or for the sound of heavy jackboots to bounce and echo along a corridor.
Clever stuff that's likely to be missed...
Gameplay: 10/10
Solid, traditional FPS gameplay. Not a great deal more to be said really. There's nothing really new here, the shooting sections are tight, well balanced sequences, the weapons have a satisfying weight and recoil to them, and sights are realistically accurate (so, not always!). The stealth options are numerous and varied, from silenced pistols to knives either thrown or used close quarters, and the enemy are on the whole suitably intelligent enough to work a flanking routine in an attempt to take you down.
It all works effortlessly, which is more than can be said for many other games these days...
Story: 10/10
I might be biased, but what's not to like? Blazkowicz is back, bigger, badder and better than before, and this time he has some thoughts of his own. He, like all of the other characters in this game, is beautifully scripted and crafted. The story is big, bold and ridiculous, just right for a first person shooter of any distinction, but, oddly, manages to pull off a softer, more subtle undertone that brought a lump to my throat and a tear to my eye... well, almost...
Okay, I admit it. I am a wolfenstein fanboy, it's undeniable, but I'd defy anyone to play this game without grinning like a loon. Machine Games have respected the roots of the franchise, and they have not strayed from the tried and tested path, but nonetheless they have created a game that feels fresh and exciting. More to the point, they have remembered the most important thing for a good FPS; controlling the game should be unobtrusive, easily learnt and slick.
Simply put, they have not even tried to teach an old Wolf new tricks, they just made him work harder for his favourite bone.
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This is a very recent comment on a Steam forum tonight ...
"Get this game! It's a little bit better than Shadow Warrior.. and both are a lot better than Wolfenstein: The New Order."
The game mentioned is ROTT 2013 which is no way better than Shadow Warrior 2013, even by a ' little bit ' ... see what I mean ;¬)
"Get this game! It's a little bit better than Shadow Warrior.. and both are a lot better than Wolfenstein: The New Order."
The game mentioned is ROTT 2013 which is no way better than Shadow Warrior 2013, even by a ' little bit ' ... see what I mean ;¬)
I agree with you completely. =)
I see your point, to an extent, in fact I commented in another thread before writing the review that if you don't like traditional, old school FPS, you won't enjoy it.
It is, without doubt, an old fashioned game in many respects, and as I said, doesn't really introduce anything new. It just does it better.
Graphically, I am of course spoilt, as I play on a pc capable of running at 1080p with all of the pretties switched on at the highest setting. Not really surprised that a console doesn't come near the same level.
I do think you missed out a little though, as once you are into the meat of the story the levels open up wide, giving you multiple options to proceed. Add to that the twin timelines, and this is actually quite a versatile game.
I asked about RTCW because this felt almost exactly like playing it's blood relative, with the same pace, excitement and variety. I loved RTCW, why would I not like The New Order?
Definitely not for everybody, but if you like the old school stuff....
It is, without doubt, an old fashioned game in many respects, and as I said, doesn't really introduce anything new. It just does it better.
Graphically, I am of course spoilt, as I play on a pc capable of running at 1080p with all of the pretties switched on at the highest setting. Not really surprised that a console doesn't come near the same level.
I do think you missed out a little though, as once you are into the meat of the story the levels open up wide, giving you multiple options to proceed. Add to that the twin timelines, and this is actually quite a versatile game.
I asked about RTCW because this felt almost exactly like playing it's blood relative, with the same pace, excitement and variety. I loved RTCW, why would I not like The New Order?
Definitely not for everybody, but if you like the old school stuff....
Well ... you can't disagree with that ... there are two sides to a coin after all :¬)
It was on PS4.
Just to set a bit of context before I answer your questions let me first say that I am in no way, shape or form what you might call a Wolfenstein fan. It's not a franchise that has particularly interested me in the past. In this particular instance I won the game from another website and thought I might give it a go before trading it in. So I approached playing this game with no preconceptions about it (other than it's a bit tongue in cheek with the whole Nazi thing), and I was not financially committed to playing it as I had not forgone any expenditure.
Did I ever play RTCW? Very short answer, No.
"Unplayable" in what way? I have become very tired of on-rail shooters recently. Well I say recently, but in truth it has been a few years now. I think the real turning point for me was playing Dead Space 2 and Gears of War 3 which, despite having reasonable campaigns and being visually stunning in places, didn't grip my s**t at all. It felt like being on a conveyor belt of guts and carnage, and once I had seen through the thin veneer the games lost all of their shine.
And that's something I haven't been able to shake off. I had similar issues with games like Modern Warfare 3, Black Ops 2, Metro, etc. The developers would just plonk you into a corridor with a gun and you just keep shooting until you get to the end of the corridor. What's at the end of the corridor? Another corridor, with more baddies and more guns. Ad infinitum.
*SPOILER ALERT*
(just in case, although I won't talk about it too much)
I started playing Wolfenstein with the idea that it might be a bit of fun, and perhaps something a bit different. My hopes soon disappeared on the plane, though, as I was shoe horned into performing a run of the mill actions (cut the straps, shoot the planes) before the inevitable plane crash. At this point the graphics were certainly nothing to write home about, the dialogue was clumsy and the voice acting abysmal.
Cut to the crash site and the corridor feeling started to creep in. You have to rescue your mates by getting to a gun turret. The only way to do this is down a prescribed route. This isn't going well.
Then you're into the trenches in which only certain places are open to you depending on where you are in the game. The conveyor belt feeling is really starting to kick in now. Dual wielding a couple of machine guns I plough my way through the enemy without any thought. The graphics still don't look great and the story is not showing any signs of improving. There is no finesse or thinking required, just an innate capacity for holding down the trigger button.
*SPOILER OVER*
Simply put, I just didn't engage with the game. Perhaps if I had given it more time I might have enjoyed it. At the back of my mind, though, was the feeling that I could trade it in for £38 and for me the temptation was just too much.
Just to set a bit of context before I answer your questions let me first say that I am in no way, shape or form what you might call a Wolfenstein fan. It's not a franchise that has particularly interested me in the past. In this particular instance I won the game from another website and thought I might give it a go before trading it in. So I approached playing this game with no preconceptions about it (other than it's a bit tongue in cheek with the whole Nazi thing), and I was not financially committed to playing it as I had not forgone any expenditure.
Did I ever play RTCW? Very short answer, No.
"Unplayable" in what way? I have become very tired of on-rail shooters recently. Well I say recently, but in truth it has been a few years now. I think the real turning point for me was playing Dead Space 2 and Gears of War 3 which, despite having reasonable campaigns and being visually stunning in places, didn't grip my s**t at all. It felt like being on a conveyor belt of guts and carnage, and once I had seen through the thin veneer the games lost all of their shine.
And that's something I haven't been able to shake off. I had similar issues with games like Modern Warfare 3, Black Ops 2, Metro, etc. The developers would just plonk you into a corridor with a gun and you just keep shooting until you get to the end of the corridor. What's at the end of the corridor? Another corridor, with more baddies and more guns. Ad infinitum.
*SPOILER ALERT*
(just in case, although I won't talk about it too much)
I started playing Wolfenstein with the idea that it might be a bit of fun, and perhaps something a bit different. My hopes soon disappeared on the plane, though, as I was shoe horned into performing a run of the mill actions (cut the straps, shoot the planes) before the inevitable plane crash. At this point the graphics were certainly nothing to write home about, the dialogue was clumsy and the voice acting abysmal.
Cut to the crash site and the corridor feeling started to creep in. You have to rescue your mates by getting to a gun turret. The only way to do this is down a prescribed route. This isn't going well.
Then you're into the trenches in which only certain places are open to you depending on where you are in the game. The conveyor belt feeling is really starting to kick in now. Dual wielding a couple of machine guns I plough my way through the enemy without any thought. The graphics still don't look great and the story is not showing any signs of improving. There is no finesse or thinking required, just an innate capacity for holding down the trigger button.
*SPOILER OVER*
Simply put, I just didn't engage with the game. Perhaps if I had given it more time I might have enjoyed it. At the back of my mind, though, was the feeling that I could trade it in for £38 and for me the temptation was just too much.
altaranga wrote:
A very interesting review. Interesting because I found the game to be unplayable and traded it in after only a couple of hours of play, which would appear to be a very different opinion of the game to the one you've got. I'm not saying you're wrong; I'm just saying I find it funny how we can have such polar opinions of the same game.
I liked reading it. =)
My friend did the same thing with Titanfall, played it for 2 nights and traded it in. Said 'he just couldn't get into it'. Nearly 2 months on & I'm still playing it to death, think it's one of the most fun shooters to turn up in ages myself but each to their own.
Really good review Chas, looking forward to playing this.
A very interesting review. Interesting because I found the game to be unplayable and traded it in after only a couple of hours of play, which would appear to be a very different opinion of the game to the one you've got. I'm not saying you're wrong; I'm just saying I find it funny how we can have such polar opinions of the same game.
I liked reading it. =)
My friend did the same thing with Titanfall, played it for 2 nights and traded it in. Said 'he just couldn't get into it'. Nearly 2 months on & I'm still playing it to death, think it's one of the most fun shooters to turn up in ages myself but each to their own.
Really good review Chas, looking forward to playing this.
DL wrote:
This review now becomes interesting .... are we talking 'pc version' or 'console version' here, altaranga?
That's a fair question, DL. Although, my son is playing it on xbox One, and loves it to death!
Alternative views are always interesting. "unplayable" in what way?
Out of interest, altaranga, did you ever play RTCW?
This review now becomes interesting .... are we talking 'pc version' or 'console version' here, altaranga?
That's a fair question, DL. Although, my son is playing it on xbox One, and loves it to death!
Alternative views are always interesting. "unplayable" in what way?
Out of interest, altaranga, did you ever play RTCW?
This review now becomes interesting .... are we talking 'pc version' or 'console version' here, altaranga?
A very interesting review. Interesting because I found the game to be unplayable and traded it in after only a couple of hours of play, which would appear to be a very different opinion of the game to the one you've got. I'm not saying you're wrong; I'm just saying I find it funny how we can have such polar opinions of the same game.
I liked reading it. =)
I liked reading it. =)
Excellent review chas :¬)
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