Wolfenstein classic gets dark makeover

A shiny new version of the classic Wolfenstein has landed on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Oh, those great old early pioneering days in WWII video games. I can just remember 17 years ago playing the original

Wolfenstein 3D

with 320x240 graphics that wouldn't cut it today, sporting an R13 age rating and starring Hitler with very mechanical movements.

But gamers like me unashamedly enjoyed wiping out the Nazis, finding gold and secrets, and our love of the new FPS genre was born from that moment on. Nothing has changed except a little political correctness.

Now on my LCD in pristine HD, Wolfenstein returns - or can do on your PS3 or Xbox 360 console.

Wolfenstein (Activision: rated R18), the sequel to 2001's Return To Castle Wolfenstein with the return of Allied agent B. J. Blazkowicz feels kind of retro - and that's why it's so much fun as it revitalises the spirit of the original games with shiny graphics and the Quake IV graphic engine without being necessarily innovative (and that may be a reason it's so much fun).

Game developers, like their counterparts in Hollywood, are struggling to come up with new and different storylines. The remakes by Hollywood are becoming tiresome - but it can be a good thing when game developers dip into the archives and breathe new life into an old classic as they have done here, without overdoing it.

In the FPS genre, Medal of Honour, Call of Duty and the Battlefield series have left little more to explore but we're beyond caring about facts. In this tale, the Germans have ventured into the occult with an old technology from which they have developed new weapons with powers like teleportation and time control.

The powers rely on crystals found throughout the game and are used much like they were in Doom3 Resurrection of Evil to amplify abilities and this makes up for about half the fun in the game.

You explore the city of Isenstadt which can become a bit bland and boring as it's rather small and you keep running along the same streets - but once you move to explore different parts of the city the environments improve.

When German patrols crack down on the Kreisau Circle resistance and the Golden Dawn sect in Isenstadt, the fun begins.

Wolfenstein wouldn't be the same without some dark and sinister supernatural twist under the surface and the occult dimension - called the Veil - adds a new distraction here to the FPS genre. Veil technology (with the use of the Thule medallion) provides some interesting and powerful weapons such as the Tesla Gun (lightning) and Particle Cannon (that latches on to enemies).

In the parallel universe of the Veil, things move faster and you have the ability to see enemies better, react quicker, slow time and use Black Sun energy to enhance your attacks.

Moving through the quests and finding hidden gold and tomes makes it like a whole other game, because the parallel universe is overlayed on top of your world so much so that in the Veil ladders and breaks in the walls exist where none are in the 1943 reality.

If it's that raw action you crave for, the firefights are excellent. Weapon and Veil power upgrades from BlackMarket shops provide great bonuses as you can improve rate of fire, reload, accuracy and add unique features to each of the weapons.

Game time is good with the ability to replay the missions in single player to find the tomes and hidden gold for weapon upgrades. Multiplayer is up to 12 players online with the Games for Windows Live application and has Team Deathmatch and objective-based multiplayer.

AI is good. Enemies will search buildings for you and the varying accuracies of SS and paranormal agents after you make for tougher fights. The combat system is easy to use and the PC version feels the same as simpler console circle functions making me wonder if the game was designed for console and ported to PC rather than a version specifically developed.

Some interesting points here, the game runs beautifully at or above 40 fps in 1080p and is designed for multiple core computers. Using the Havok engine has led to some fantastic physics like bodies floating down sewers and bodily dismemberment as well as shooting through weaker objects.

This title was developed by id Software with partner Raven Software and it's brilliant to hear Doom 4 is on their list for the same sort of revitalisation.

Also exciting is that id was acquired by the parent company of Bethesda Softworks which made Fallout 3, still my standout game of the year.

Last week's news of a slimmer cheaper PS3 also helps revitalise a gaming world which has become sluggish in recent months with few blockbuster titles.

Now where did I store my original Wolfenstein floppy disks? I'm inspired to check out how far we have come.

Wolfenstein screenshots

here

MadGamer's rating : 8.5 / 10