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Post Mortem high points.

Fellow gamers, if I may confide in you all once again. I’ve been positively THROBBING to write the second part of this “not review” of Wolfenstein: The New Order. For the most part I kept part 1 tame by diving deep into my love for alternate history and the history of Wolfenstein as a whole. But this time around I plan to go all out and fully explain what I love about this game in bloody, graphic detail, while at the same time sharing some of the personal high points I’ve noticed with the game that some may have overlooked or written off as annoyances. And much like the warning at the end of part 1, this may become a bit too graphic and edgy for some readers. Though I will strive to add some intelligence and sophistication to this “not review” about the game in question, this will still be the true rants and ravings of a virtual reality sociopath.

You have been warned.

Also possible SPOILERS!

 

High Point #1: Alternate History setting? Nailed it!

Games like the Bioshock and Fallout series have shown that creating a living, breathing world in an alternate history setting is possible, Wolfenstein: The New Order is able to meet the standards that these two game series have strived to do in their respective titles. The attention to detail in creating the atmosphere and setting of this nazi controlled 1960 is spot on with not just the time era but also with what the Nazis would exactly do when the won the war. Berlin is shown as a powerful rebuilt city of steel and stone as if to show the resilience of the Master Race. You are given the feel that indeed the Nazis rule the world from London being remade in their own image to their push to dominate the stars with their lunar base looking as if it were ripped right out of a 1950’s pulp fiction comic. You read news articles strewed throughout the game that tell the horrid tale of Great Britain’s final stand, the US’s surrender to Berlin, the betrayal of the Axis powers against their Italian allies to the slow purging of the older ways of life as well as the final pockets of resistance being crushed by the overwhelming strength of the SS. The news articles even go as far to show how culture in general is being changed by the standards of the master race thru science, technology and basic living. They speak of further genetic experiments of cross breeding, space travel, robotics to even the removal of western culture with the nazi culture in of itself. Either from the propaganda chatter you hear in the city to overhearing soldiers/civilians from listening points, you’ll hear how the world has changed so horribly since the 14 years they’ve taken control. For many this is a total nightmare with the games presentation of the game’s setting your now thrust into, it makes the opening scene in the beginning all the more memorable in comparison to the stark contrasts of what came about at the end of the mission in either timeline you choose. It makes for excellent replay value if not for all the collectables to be found but if only to experience this world in more detail during the second or third playthroughs which I am currently doing at the moment. It makes me glad that this game didn’t come with a tacked on multiplayer mode like Bioshock 2. The time used to create this world was well spent.

 

High Point #2: Character timelines and overall character presentation.

Either this was done as a last minute idea or was completely intentional, the inclusion of a different timeline perspective at the beginning of the game when your given the choice to save either Fergus Reid or Private Probst Wyatt III was an excellent way to introduce players to the alternate history concept of “crux events” or “crux points” being a simple choice creating radical consequences in that particular timeline. Though the events themselves don’t really have that radical of a consequence, they do open the door for different encounters with different characters of the resistance. The people in question being J, a black American guitarist and Tekla, a Russian woman obsessed with equations that the main character has to contend with in various encounters with them in the game. The Crux Points also help to further add depth of character to Probst Wyatt III and Fergus Reid as you learn how the survived the last 14 years along with their feelings toward the main character. Though they eventually feel the same way about the choice you made in who to sacrifice at the beginning of the game, they have differences in their reasoning that give them more development than you’d expect in an FPS.

Add in the returning character of Caroline Becker from Wolfenstein 2009, love interest Anya Oliwa, resistance members Klaus Kreutz and his charge Max Hass, short-lived Bobby Bram and latest recruit Bombate and the character Set Roth (who brings a whole new meaning to the term of “scientologist”) and you have yourself a far better cohesive cast of characters that surpasses what was offered back in 2009’s Wolfenstein. It’s a real treat to step back in character and which all of them interact with each other to see how they develop over time as characters in this resistance cell. Some gamers considered this to be an annoyance, being nothing more than NPC’s reading scripted lines much like how other NPC characters you find later in the game do the same before you approach them. But for me this gave each of the characters a bit more depth than what you’d usually not get in an FPS that’s not titled Bioshock or Fallout 3/Fallout New Vegas. Add in some colorful antagonists from returning villain General Deathshead to newly introduced Frau Engle and you have yourself a cast of character’s that’ll leave you guessing to see who will live and who will die in the end of it all.

 

Question: Should I feel bad for chanting "Do it, do it, do it" during this cutscene? (Answer: Naaaahhh!)

Overall it’s up to the player to decide if they want to listen/interact as much or as little as they want with these characters in deciding what kind of investment they’ll have about them, be it in player character or just as the player yourself. Some say most of the characters are not worth knowing or you don’t feel anything when you do see one of them not making it due to the lack of knowledge about them beforehand. It’s during times like these when it’s best to read about every single piece of information and listen to every diary entry you find about them in the game’s journal. It may seem like busy work but it’ll help you engrossed yourself with the characters. It’s more like reading the Intel reports you find in the Resistance Series than reading the journal entries you find in Final Fantasy XIII.

And as for the skipable cutscenes or the in-game scenes that prompt you to hit a certain button to make a choice I don’t see why people find those so annoying. Some gamers going as far as saying that it reduces the choice to being not a choice at all given how you need to choose something to progress in the story. My answer to this is simply this. They are not as long as cutscenes in the Metal Gear Solid series? Also is this not better than having those annoying Quick Time Events that we’ve seen in games as of late? Sure I’d rather have more of a choice in how I kill Nazis but it doesn’t hurt to have the feeling of a choice in game even if it’s just used as a means to progress the story.

 

High Point #3: Weapons done right!

Here’s the part where I completely let go and share the irresistible pleasures of using the arsenal of weapons you get to use in Wolfenstein: The New Order. It’s great to have an old skool shooter that allows you to carry more than two weapons at any given time. Most modern FPS’s seem to have lost that trait in their gameplay that I like to call the “Jayne Cobb” effect in regards to having more than two weapons. Sure you only have two arms but “I just get excitable as to choice- like to have my options open” rational sounds like a reasonable expectation when facing off with an untold numbers of bad guys, particularly Nazis. Adding to the fact that your able to dual wield most of the weapons you find in game is an unexpected pleasure. I’ve read that most people find dual wielding weapons useless given the lack of ammo you find and for the most part that’s true. Yet at the same time I’ve found the dual wield function much more useful than I have in other games like Halo or FEAR. In both the games mentioned I’d be lucky to be able to take down an enemy before running out of ammo due to their heavy shield strength, their defensive measures or the very weapons being hard to control at the same time. I don’t have this kind of problem in Wolfenstein: The New Order where I am able to mow down at least two or three Nazis, blowing big meaty chunks out of their worthless hides, before I need to duck and reload. It becomes an even more irresistible pleasure to dual wield when your able to unlock the quick reload and heavy damage perks which in turn allow you to reload dual wield weapons quicker and have a higher probability of blowing off a body part in bloody fashion. The best way to fully enjoy the dual wield modes is when you either play the game on lesser difficulty or in one of the games various extra play modes. Other than that the dual wield is best used when your facing off with a heavily armed nazis like the shotgun/grenadier nazi troopers or upersoldats themselves.

Some have argued that the Laserkraftwerk is a nifty laser gun to have but has little use how you need to constantly have to recharge the weapon after you’ve used it for a while or for it to be used as an oversized cutting tool. In truth the reason for this is quite simple: The Laserkraftwerk is basically Wolfenstein’s version of the Doom series BFG 9000. When you get all the attachments for this weapon, from scope to recharger unit, you can take out an ubersoldat with one fully charges shot! You can literally vaporize most nazi troops from just one well-placed shot with this thing. By the time you fully have the gun completely rigged out you almost feel sorry when you turn a nazi solider into a pile of goo that once represented a human being. Almost.

 

I even love how they handle the “scoped” weapon in the game where it can later become a laser rifle that you can switch on the fly depending on the circumstances. Not only does it come in handy when you run out of ammo for the scoped weapon, the scoped weapon itself isn’t exactly as powerful as a sniper rifle itself. Though you’ll find yourself using it to snipe enemies from a distance, you’ll find that even headshots will take at least two shots given the nature of the head armor of the nazi bastards. Coupled with the lack of ammo for this weapon and you’ll find yourself using this gun less often than you think, thus forcing the player to be fight the Nazis head on like a man, in a face to face fight, instead of becoming a “scope-sucking hump” like other more recent FPS’s that make a big thing of headshots.

It may be cool to hit a nazi with a headshot but it’s far more satisfying to run up to a nazi and unload on them with an autoloader shotgun as you watch them jerk around and spasm as round after round hits their bodies till their nothing more than a bullet riddled corpse of a filthy nazi pig dog.

 

High Point #4: Gameplay modes to fit any killing mood.

I haven’t been one to enjoy “duck and cover” gameplay found in the “Gears of War” series nor have I been much of a fan of the “pop in/pop out” iron sights gameplay found in the “Call of Duty” series. I’ve found those to be disorienting either from snapping between third to first person views or trying to refocus my eyes when I keep jumping between iron sights and first person view. Though you are given an iron sights view, it doesn’t go overboard with the sight-in expect for the two scoped weapons you find. And even then the view isn’t so extreme that you’re able to keep yourself orientated with your surroundings after snapping out of iron sights modes. Plus even if you don’t use the scope you have a fair chance of hitting your target from mid-range regardless if it’s just a simple hand gun or a long ranged weapon. Even the autoloader shotgun offerings long range incentives when you obtain the shredder rounds halfway in the game.

Using cover is even used better but not only offering you an independent crouch button but also with a little arrow display showing you which way you’ll lean (or pop up) from cover when you use the cover button. It does get a little getting used to depending on your location and how far your body will be exposed with any given piece of cover, but with practice I was able to lean in and out just enough to offer the Nazis a smaller target while at the same time having the advantage of pecking them off like cardboard duck cutouts at a county fair. It’s especially helpful in the harder difficulty settings when cover based shooting does come in handy.

I also found the task of performing takedowns on unsuspecting nazi foes to actually be useful for a change! In the past I’ve found takedowns and assassinations in other games too hard to pull off, becoming little more than just a means to show off than to have any practical use in-game. In Wolfenstein: The New Order you not only get stealth based missions that help break up the flow of gunning down Nazis but help to make the game relatively easier when you may not have enough ammo or armor to take down the current opposition you face. The game gives you the wonderful choice of either going in with guns blazing or to sneak around and knife a nazi in the back in more than one takedown animation. I had fun watching BJ take down a nazi with varying degrees of brutality from simple knife stabs to the back to slitting throats to even environmental takedowns consisting of a urinal stall and a medical sink. It wasn’t as enjoyable as watching a nazi get his head or arm blown off with a dual wielded weapon but still it got the job done. This was a first time for a game where I actually wanted to perform takedown kills when normally I prefer to fill a nazi full of lead than to dirty my blades on them. Yet I have to admit it was a novelty to use throwing knives at unsuspecting nazi guards with their one hit kills. Oddly I ended up hitting most Nazis in the crotch than any anywhere else……

Honestly the only weapon I was missing was a flamethrower if only for me to say one of my favorite movie lines.

 

Bonus high point: the music.

this one was kinda hard to count as an offical high point number given how there wasn't exactly music in every level. But during the moments when music did play, from the heavy metal like themes played during the final boss battle to the ambiant sounds you here during a level (my personal favoriate being the lunar base level), they fit the mood perfectly for not just the level itself but with the feeling that the level tries to convey. I know I have to crack up the volume and turn down the sound effects just to hear the awesome tunes heard during the final battle in the game. Sounds just like the tunes you hear in the first game trailer of the game.

As you can guess I thought this was a good game. Not only did it give me the joy and pleasure of killing Nazis but it set up a rich and interesting alternative world to do such in. Most people would consider a world ruled by Nazi to be the ultimate Jewish nightmare. And while I’ll admit that indeed is the case, I also choose to see it in a different way: a target rich environment. From simple nazi soliders to the panzerhunds to the robots, they are all open for equal opportunity killing. For a virtual reality sociopath like me this game fits the bill in satisfying my bloodlust in killing the antagonists in Wolfenstein: The New Order. Everything else mentioned is gravy on top. So if you like some old skool FPS action, complete with picking up health packs and ammo like it was done in the past, as well as regenerating health, unlockables and various means of killing Nazis in graphically satisfying ways, you can’t go wrong with Wolfenstein: The New Order. Don’t let the omission of a multiplayer mode fool you, you’ll find yourself going back for more to find hidden extras, easter eggs and even noticing something in-game that you might’ve missed during your last playthrough. (I missed how the commander of the nazi forces in chapter two was forced into the truck of his car for protection as I got the drop on them.)

But with that said there are still some low points to this game that should also be addressed. They won’t hamper nor hinder your enjoyment of this game but they should be noted if only for one to get the full picture of what this game has to offer. So in part 3 of this “not review” I’ll speak of the nitpicks that don’t ruin the game itself but could’ve helped make the game better in my opinion. No game is perfect but at the same time the makers of “Turning Point: Fall of Liberty” and “Duke Nukem Forever” could learn a thing or two from this game when it comes to making an alternate history/old skool type FPS

Ta-ta

“N”