Friday
Aug212009
Review: Wolfenstein
Friday, August 21, 2009 at 4:26PM 
In the history of video games there are many titles that stand out as definers of a genre. Pac-Man and Donkey Kong invented the arcade. Starcraft defined the real-time strategy. Mario showed us how to make a proper platformer. For the shooter genre, though, Doom stands out as the dominating title and its roots can be found in 1992's Wolfenstein 3D. Filled to the brim with Nazi-killing fun, Wolfenstein 3D showed us how to play in the first person perspective far better than any game ever before. It holds a special place in this reviewer's heart and for many of you out there as well. This year's semi-sequel, simply titled Wolfenstein, keeps the hero, the Nazis and the premise, but attempts to recreate it as an open-world game. But can this be done?
Click to read the full review
GET PSYCHED!
William B.J. Blazkowicz is your typical American super spy, able to wipe out entire legions of Nazis with a handful of weapons and whit. Picking up some time after the events of 2001's Return to Castle Wolfenstein, the Office of Secret Actions agent is sent aboard a Nazi cruiser to stop a missile attack on London. Disguised as a now dead Nazi general he is quickly discovered and a chase ensues. Cornered, his life is miraculously saved by a strange medallion he finds inside of a German coat. Making his escape as the ship explodes behind him, he returns to OSA headquarters and is quickly routed to the German town of Isenstadt (based on the real Eisenstadt in Austria) where the SS Paranormal Division, B.J.'s arch nemesis, is performing experiments and archaeological digs in the same place the medallion came from.
This is where the gameplay begins. Blazkowicz's journey takes place almost entirely in Isenstadt and the surrounding countryside, allowing players to explore places like SS bases, dig sites, farms, and even a castle. And by 'explore' I mean 'destroy the Nazi horde with reckless abandon.' B.J. almost immediately meets up with the local resistance group the Kreisau Circle as well as the Golden Dawn, a group of scholars seeking to learn more about the ancient Thule technology the SS are uncovering and developing. Performing missions between the two groups drive the story forward and gives you access to new weapons and abilities just like any other game on the market.
When you are eventually asked to compare Wolfenstein to any other FPS title on the market you might find yourself leaning in the direction of Crysis or Quake. Would it surprise you to learn that the game has more in common with last year's exceptional Far Cry 2 than anything else? It should. The city of Isenstadt is an entirely open world to explore, consisting of four separate sections (the second half available later in the game). And when I say explore I do mean it as there are quite a few collectables to obtain throughout the game including gold, intelligence and tomes. Collecting these will make the game easier for the player as gold obviously allows you to modify your weapons at the local black market while tomes and intel unlock upgrades and power enhancements. The streets of Isenstadt are a war zone so naturally the player will run into resistance fighters and Nazis as well. Naturally, the number and variety of Nazis increase as you progress through the story. While the streets of the city may feel a little claustrophobic at times, there are several open areas that serve as battlefields as well as sewers and rooftops to explore, making Isenstadt surprisingly believable.
There are a few let-downs to Wolfenstein however. While the story has great set-ups for nods and moments from the previous games, the opportunities are rarely utilized outside of the difficulty selection screen. Offhand mentions of events from Return to Castle Wolfenstein but other than B.J. and the SS Paranormal division there really is no reason to call the game Wolfenstein given the fact that it doesn't even occur near the castle the game is named for, nor does it really tie into the previous game other than for a short cameo. NPCs that you will be interacting with don't necessarily develop in an impressive manner and the story and bosses are predictable.
Mein Leben!
Combat in Wolfenstein is comparable to that of games like Time Shift or Crysis wherein players utilize their Thule medallion to manipulate themselves and their surrounding environment. The medallion is powered by the Veil, another dimension outside our own that has become infused into the city of Isenstadt within our reality. Activating the Sight ability allows players to enter the Veil and see hidden paths and Veil pools (which recharge the medallion) and it also increases your speed. The Mire ability speeds up the player in a manner not unlike bullet-time, slowing everything down around you. The Shield ability protects you from enemy fire and the Empower ability increases the power of your weapons and lets you shoot through enemies' shields. Using these powers is a necessity, though you will find yourself more often than not relying on Sight's ability to highlight enemies from the surrounding environment.
Weapon variety is what can make and break some games (or, in the Ratchet & Clank series for example, a characteristic) and luckily Wolfenstein has a decent variety of weapons at your disposal. While you won't be bringing along any weapons on your trip to Isenstadt you'll come to rely on the German weapons you acquire in the field. The variety consists of three German infantry rifles (KAR-98, MP40 and MP43), two heavy weapons (Panzerschreck and Flammenwarfer) and three paranormal weapons that I won't name because each of them is awesome in their own right and are worth the surprise of discovery. Surprisingly, two of the staples of the genre, a pistol and a shotgun, are absent from the game, though that is not necessarily a bad thing. Upgrades for all your weapons can be purchased at the local black market and give you enhancements that are well worth the purchase. Everything from silencers to scopes can be purchased (and should be) though it is hard to find enough gold in the game to purchase all the available upgrades.
Kein Durchgang!
Visually, Wolfenstein is a very good looking game. The local of Isenstadt is presented in a very authentic way and feels like a Germanic city that's been turned into a war zone. Character models act and move realistically in a manner typical of many other AAA titles on the market. Entering the Veil reveals the same world with the same models present but with a greenish tint to everything and a vortex-like sky giving a bit of an eerie feel to everything. All of the explosions are nice and the visual splendour of disintegrating your Nazi foes draws a smile to your face. The game also uses a nice dismemberment system so, for you sickos out there, you can take apart bodies piece by piece if you wish.
The only thing I can complain about regarding the technical side of the game is the voice work. Sure, I understand that the Wolfenstein series as a whole has a bit of a campy feel to it, but does it need to be expanded upon? Everyone in the game speaks English, no exceptions, with everyone but B.J. speaking with a strong accent. Sure, you'll catch an achtung or a nein every now and then but for a game that is set in Germany you'd think that most of the denizens would speak, I dunno, German?
Spion!
The problem with shooter games out there nowadays is that even though they look to have a decent or even strong singular component, for some reason they have to tack on another component to make it feel like a complete package. Thus, because Wolfenstein has a decent single-player campaign it must naturally have a multi-player segment. While this can be a benefit to the overall experience for many games, more often than not it is a detriment. This is clearly an example of the later.
To put it bluntly, Wolfenstein's outsourced (built by Endrant Studios) multi-player is bad. It's not just bad; it's embarrassing. Though it isn't necessarily a bad thing that the game utilizes the old style lobby selection system instead of a matchmaking system commonly used in games like Halo or Call of Duty, the way the system works leaves a bad taste in your mouth from the first minute. The lobby selection screen takes a good twenty seconds to load up a list of rooms and gods help you if you accidentally refresh it. Even if you make it into a room there is no guarantee you'll be there for long either as stability issues abound. The game does not use a host migration system either so if the host quits don't think that you can keep on playing.
When you actually make it into a game and begin a match is when you begin to notice some of the strong issues present in the multi-player. While the game utilizes a class-based system composed of either the Engineer class (support, heavy weapons), the Medic class (healer/reviver, light weapons) and the Soldier class (mid-range weapons, explosives) there is no option to really customize it to your liking, nor do you get a feel for variety.
Weapons carry a precariously low amount of ammo (one reserve magazine) so even if you survive a strafing session you'll most likely have to switch to your pistol (why isn't there one in the single-player by the way?), a weapon that carries more ammo than your primary weapon does. The game utilizes both a ranking and a cash-based reward system, allowing players to both build up cash to unlock new weapons and upgrades while you rank up to unlock them. While the ranking system comes at a decent pace the reward system is broken. Though there will no doubt be fixes for these bugs in the future, even if you complete a match there is no guarantee you get to keep the cash you earn.
This reviewer played several matches all the way through (battling lag the entire way) and was given multiple messages talking about how I earned enough cash to buy a new upgrade but the fact of the matter is that when I got back to the unlock menu to buy some upgrades it said I didn't have any money. What? The reward system clearly needs to be addressed before this reviewer will play further. There also seem to be issues with the lobby system as players can still talk to one another even after they leave the room.
It seems that the most embarrassing part of the multi-player is not the gameplay so much as the tech specs. While the single-player campaign uses a highly modified and very well running id Tech 4 engine (the same engine that powers Doom III and Quake IV), it seems that Endrant Studios didn't get the same engine Raven Software was utilizing, as the visuals are simply awful. Everything you see in the game, from the models, to the textures, to the overall design screams boring. The textures are particularly low-res and don't even begin to compare with the quality present in the single-player. This downgrade from the campaign just looks plain bad, but coupled with the buggy system issues and the broken rewards and you've got a recipe for an almost deplorable experience. And yet I ask the question: why have so many of the achievements/trophies be multi-player longevity ones when they overall experience isn't worth the effort?
Es ist schade!
For a game like Wolfenstein it certainly has the unfortunate problem of having to live up to its legacy. While the single-player is pretty decent experience to have for those looking for a different kind of World War II shooter, the multi-player is a very lackluster affair that probably should have never been added on to the game. Fans of Enemy Territory should stay clear but the game is definitely worth a weekend rent.
William B.J. Blazkowicz is your typical American super spy, able to wipe out entire legions of Nazis with a handful of weapons and whit. Picking up some time after the events of 2001's Return to Castle Wolfenstein, the Office of Secret Actions agent is sent aboard a Nazi cruiser to stop a missile attack on London. Disguised as a now dead Nazi general he is quickly discovered and a chase ensues. Cornered, his life is miraculously saved by a strange medallion he finds inside of a German coat. Making his escape as the ship explodes behind him, he returns to OSA headquarters and is quickly routed to the German town of Isenstadt (based on the real Eisenstadt in Austria) where the SS Paranormal Division, B.J.'s arch nemesis, is performing experiments and archaeological digs in the same place the medallion came from.
This is where the gameplay begins. Blazkowicz's journey takes place almost entirely in Isenstadt and the surrounding countryside, allowing players to explore places like SS bases, dig sites, farms, and even a castle. And by 'explore' I mean 'destroy the Nazi horde with reckless abandon.' B.J. almost immediately meets up with the local resistance group the Kreisau Circle as well as the Golden Dawn, a group of scholars seeking to learn more about the ancient Thule technology the SS are uncovering and developing. Performing missions between the two groups drive the story forward and gives you access to new weapons and abilities just like any other game on the market.
When you are eventually asked to compare Wolfenstein to any other FPS title on the market you might find yourself leaning in the direction of Crysis or Quake. Would it surprise you to learn that the game has more in common with last year's exceptional Far Cry 2 than anything else? It should. The city of Isenstadt is an entirely open world to explore, consisting of four separate sections (the second half available later in the game). And when I say explore I do mean it as there are quite a few collectables to obtain throughout the game including gold, intelligence and tomes. Collecting these will make the game easier for the player as gold obviously allows you to modify your weapons at the local black market while tomes and intel unlock upgrades and power enhancements. The streets of Isenstadt are a war zone so naturally the player will run into resistance fighters and Nazis as well. Naturally, the number and variety of Nazis increase as you progress through the story. While the streets of the city may feel a little claustrophobic at times, there are several open areas that serve as battlefields as well as sewers and rooftops to explore, making Isenstadt surprisingly believable.
There are a few let-downs to Wolfenstein however. While the story has great set-ups for nods and moments from the previous games, the opportunities are rarely utilized outside of the difficulty selection screen. Offhand mentions of events from Return to Castle Wolfenstein but other than B.J. and the SS Paranormal division there really is no reason to call the game Wolfenstein given the fact that it doesn't even occur near the castle the game is named for, nor does it really tie into the previous game other than for a short cameo. NPCs that you will be interacting with don't necessarily develop in an impressive manner and the story and bosses are predictable.
Mein Leben!
Combat in Wolfenstein is comparable to that of games like Time Shift or Crysis wherein players utilize their Thule medallion to manipulate themselves and their surrounding environment. The medallion is powered by the Veil, another dimension outside our own that has become infused into the city of Isenstadt within our reality. Activating the Sight ability allows players to enter the Veil and see hidden paths and Veil pools (which recharge the medallion) and it also increases your speed. The Mire ability speeds up the player in a manner not unlike bullet-time, slowing everything down around you. The Shield ability protects you from enemy fire and the Empower ability increases the power of your weapons and lets you shoot through enemies' shields. Using these powers is a necessity, though you will find yourself more often than not relying on Sight's ability to highlight enemies from the surrounding environment.
Weapon variety is what can make and break some games (or, in the Ratchet & Clank series for example, a characteristic) and luckily Wolfenstein has a decent variety of weapons at your disposal. While you won't be bringing along any weapons on your trip to Isenstadt you'll come to rely on the German weapons you acquire in the field. The variety consists of three German infantry rifles (KAR-98, MP40 and MP43), two heavy weapons (Panzerschreck and Flammenwarfer) and three paranormal weapons that I won't name because each of them is awesome in their own right and are worth the surprise of discovery. Surprisingly, two of the staples of the genre, a pistol and a shotgun, are absent from the game, though that is not necessarily a bad thing. Upgrades for all your weapons can be purchased at the local black market and give you enhancements that are well worth the purchase. Everything from silencers to scopes can be purchased (and should be) though it is hard to find enough gold in the game to purchase all the available upgrades.
Kein Durchgang!
Visually, Wolfenstein is a very good looking game. The local of Isenstadt is presented in a very authentic way and feels like a Germanic city that's been turned into a war zone. Character models act and move realistically in a manner typical of many other AAA titles on the market. Entering the Veil reveals the same world with the same models present but with a greenish tint to everything and a vortex-like sky giving a bit of an eerie feel to everything. All of the explosions are nice and the visual splendour of disintegrating your Nazi foes draws a smile to your face. The game also uses a nice dismemberment system so, for you sickos out there, you can take apart bodies piece by piece if you wish.
The only thing I can complain about regarding the technical side of the game is the voice work. Sure, I understand that the Wolfenstein series as a whole has a bit of a campy feel to it, but does it need to be expanded upon? Everyone in the game speaks English, no exceptions, with everyone but B.J. speaking with a strong accent. Sure, you'll catch an achtung or a nein every now and then but for a game that is set in Germany you'd think that most of the denizens would speak, I dunno, German?
Spion!
The problem with shooter games out there nowadays is that even though they look to have a decent or even strong singular component, for some reason they have to tack on another component to make it feel like a complete package. Thus, because Wolfenstein has a decent single-player campaign it must naturally have a multi-player segment. While this can be a benefit to the overall experience for many games, more often than not it is a detriment. This is clearly an example of the later.
To put it bluntly, Wolfenstein's outsourced (built by Endrant Studios) multi-player is bad. It's not just bad; it's embarrassing. Though it isn't necessarily a bad thing that the game utilizes the old style lobby selection system instead of a matchmaking system commonly used in games like Halo or Call of Duty, the way the system works leaves a bad taste in your mouth from the first minute. The lobby selection screen takes a good twenty seconds to load up a list of rooms and gods help you if you accidentally refresh it. Even if you make it into a room there is no guarantee you'll be there for long either as stability issues abound. The game does not use a host migration system either so if the host quits don't think that you can keep on playing.
When you actually make it into a game and begin a match is when you begin to notice some of the strong issues present in the multi-player. While the game utilizes a class-based system composed of either the Engineer class (support, heavy weapons), the Medic class (healer/reviver, light weapons) and the Soldier class (mid-range weapons, explosives) there is no option to really customize it to your liking, nor do you get a feel for variety.
Weapons carry a precariously low amount of ammo (one reserve magazine) so even if you survive a strafing session you'll most likely have to switch to your pistol (why isn't there one in the single-player by the way?), a weapon that carries more ammo than your primary weapon does. The game utilizes both a ranking and a cash-based reward system, allowing players to both build up cash to unlock new weapons and upgrades while you rank up to unlock them. While the ranking system comes at a decent pace the reward system is broken. Though there will no doubt be fixes for these bugs in the future, even if you complete a match there is no guarantee you get to keep the cash you earn.
This reviewer played several matches all the way through (battling lag the entire way) and was given multiple messages talking about how I earned enough cash to buy a new upgrade but the fact of the matter is that when I got back to the unlock menu to buy some upgrades it said I didn't have any money. What? The reward system clearly needs to be addressed before this reviewer will play further. There also seem to be issues with the lobby system as players can still talk to one another even after they leave the room.
It seems that the most embarrassing part of the multi-player is not the gameplay so much as the tech specs. While the single-player campaign uses a highly modified and very well running id Tech 4 engine (the same engine that powers Doom III and Quake IV), it seems that Endrant Studios didn't get the same engine Raven Software was utilizing, as the visuals are simply awful. Everything you see in the game, from the models, to the textures, to the overall design screams boring. The textures are particularly low-res and don't even begin to compare with the quality present in the single-player. This downgrade from the campaign just looks plain bad, but coupled with the buggy system issues and the broken rewards and you've got a recipe for an almost deplorable experience. And yet I ask the question: why have so many of the achievements/trophies be multi-player longevity ones when they overall experience isn't worth the effort?
Es ist schade!
For a game like Wolfenstein it certainly has the unfortunate problem of having to live up to its legacy. While the single-player is pretty decent experience to have for those looking for a different kind of World War II shooter, the multi-player is a very lackluster affair that probably should have never been added on to the game. Fans of Enemy Territory should stay clear but the game is definitely worth a weekend rent.
Reader Comments