Wolfenstein (Xbox 360)

 

Wolfenstein returns once again staring B.J. Blazkowicz as he fights through waves of Nazis, supernatural beasts and Nazi zombies what could be wrong with that?  Well there are a couple things actually.

 

 

The primary problem with Wolfenstein is that it has been done before, the veil powers add a new addition to the Wolfenstein series and adds new strategies in defeating your opponents but isn’t a new approach in video games in general.  The veil powers enable you to slow down time, shield yourself from bullets, see hidden passageways and enemies or empower your weapons.  Pretty much what has been done with the Far Cry series and Crysis. 

 

 

Your veil powers and weapons can be upgraded by collecting hidden gold throughout each level.  Aside from gold there’s Intel and tombs to collect to add to replay value and further upgrading your equipment and veil powers.  Wolfenstein plays more on the supernatural role so there are a fair share of supernatural weapons like the Leichenfaust 44, Telsa Gun and the Particle Cannon but doesn’t have that much variety in conventional weapons like the older Wolfenstein games.  It would have been nice to see the FG-42 or the Thompson which appears on the back of the game art but it’s not actually seen in the game.

 

 

The game has more freedom than previous Wolfenstein titles giving you the option to walk the streets of Isenstadt and either follow the primary quest or pick up secondary quests by talking to resistance members throughout the city.  This is a nice new addition to the Wolfenstein series but it gets rather repetitive since you’re so overpowered compared to the enemies you encounter especially when you upgrade your weapons toward firepower.  Once the veil powers get upgraded so you can use them longer you can basically keep your shield on and easily pick off any enemy out in the open.  Boss battles are exciting testing your powers and accuracy to the limit but once you figure out the routine they become pretty repetitive. 

 

 

One annoying aspect is the saving in Wolfenstein, when the game is auto-saved it doesn’t necessarily save in the most recent section so if you start the game up again and select “continue game” sometimes it will load a different save point and not the most recent so it’s much easier, yet annoying, to find your recent game save yourself through the “load game” section and continue your game that way.

 

 

It may seem there are a lot of problems with Wolfenstein but it is a good game for fans of the series but it may not be a game for people looking for something new and innovative because although it is a fun game to play, it has been done before and that’s the main thing that hampers down the game. 

 

 

Pros:  New Wolfenstein setting, non-linear, Veil Powers are cool, collectables add replay value

 

 

Cons:  repetitive, been done before in other games, save/load problems, more conventional weapons would have been good, upgrades for weapons and veil powers

 

 

3/5