ALL REICH NOW...
THERE was a time a few years ago when virtual reality (VR) was leading the charge for the future of gaming. And, while it is yet to supplant the traditional method of gaming, there are more and more games getting a VR twist.
Hot on the heels of successful VR ports for Half-Life and Doom – the latest game rumoured to be heading for the Oculus Quest is Return To Castle Wolfenstein.
Wolfenstein is by no means a new franchise. It made its debut way back in 1981 with Castle Wolfenstein on the Commodore 64, and is generally regarded as one of the first titles to popularise the first-person shooter.
It’s enjoyed various outings over the decades, and none were particularly memorable until 2014’s The New Order, which took the dusty old franchise and gave it new life. Bursting with gory action, it walked a perfect tightrope between genuine drama and dark humour.
Developer MachineGames built on its success with 2015’s mini release The Old Blood, a prequel to The New Order, taking place in an alternative 1946, in which the hero had to infiltrate Castle Wolfenstein and recover a top secret folder, before
WOLFENSTEIN II: THE NEW COLOSSUS
the second major instalment proper arrived in the shape of New Colossus.
Envisaged to be a trilogy, a third game has been confirmed but there’s still no news of how or when that might land.
With The New Colossus now available for just a few pounds, we look back at the reasons why you need to add it to your collection.
In Wolfenstein’s alternate history, Hitler dropped a nuke on New York and his dark armies now march across the globe.
The action picks up where The New Order left off, literally – when you start the game, resistance leader B.J. Blazkowicz even has depleted health from his previous climactic battle with Deathshead. And if you’re not smart, that lack of health can seriously hamper your progress in the first few minutes.
Its dystopian vision is beautifully brought to life – goosestepping hordes cut a swath through cheering crowds, ticker tape raining down on their sick parade.
The outdoor set pieces are glorious – so it’s a shame most of the run-and-gun action takes place indoors, largely confined to industrial corridors or steel rooms.
That said, the story, and voice acting are rich, fleshed out and compelling.
The focal point of the horror is Irene Engel, resident psychopath and new Obergruppenführer of the Nazi regime. A truly nasty piece of work, voiced brilliantly by Nina Franoszek.
Gameplay-wise, very little has altered. There’s still a vast array of wonderful weapons, my personal favourite being the chunky laser beam which cuts through Nazis like a warm knife through butter.
MachineGames has added a few tweaks – you can save as you go, removing your reliance on checkpoints. In a welcome breath of fresh air, there are no loot boxes or additional equipment purchases being offered – fairly unique in today’s gaming landscape, although there will be downloadable content coming.
The need to constantly be on the lookout for health packs did become a tad tedious.
There’s still no multiplayer option, with the campaign lasting around 14 hours. But the good news is that there’s plenty of replayability.
For all the over-the-top action there are genuine moments of emotion... moments that cast you struggling to process what just happened – the writing is that good.
This is a game that is as much played for laughs as for pulling on your heartstrings, an emotional rollercoaster which will stay with you long after you’ve switched off the console.