Wolfenstein:
The Old Blood—the standalone prequel to 2014's Wolfenstein: The New Order—brings
back all the thrills of an arcade-style first-person shooter, while
nonchalantly brushing a plot aside.
STORY:
B.
J. Blazkowicz and his buddy Richard Wesley (Agent One) are on a mission to
sneak into Castle Wolfenstein and steal a top secret folder from the castle's
commander, Helga Von Schabbs. What seems
like an easy mission that could have been completed in less than an hour, turns
into a hell-raising tour of the Nazi compound and their very twisted
experiments. Exploding baddies, duel
wielding, mechanical dogs, shirtless heroes, and one ridiculously goofy ending
ensues.
"I tell you what, after a long drive like that...I hope this Castle has good food. What do you want? I'm
thinking a Double Whopper with cheese, extra ketchup, extra mayo."
THOUGHTS:
There's
nothing like grabbing the controls of a slick first-person shooter and just
unleashing thousands of rounds of ammunition on everything that moves on the
screen. Wolfenstein: The Old Blood is
developed by MachineGames and their perfect delivery of shooting mechanics is
what puts this game above other shooters.
Well…that and the price tag. For
a mere twenty bucks, The Old Blood could be bought and downloaded and enjoyed
for over seven hours of story. Now that
may not seem like much, but the game does come with side challenges which bring
back arcade points and allow a tiny chunk of replay ability. And if you put this game up against others
like The Order: 1886, you'll feel a humongous difference in terms of fun, humor,
gameplay, and of course…the price tag.
So if you enjoy fun first-person shooters that could care less about
story and don't mind killing a plethora of Nazis, then there's no reason to sit
on the fence with this purchase.
GAMEPLAY:
What's
there to say: being able to dish out hundreds of rounds of bullets in seconds,
effectively turning any enemy head into a smashed pumpkin, never gets old. And the ability to do so without having a bad
camera angle or crappy character animations is like icing on a chocolate
pixelated cake. As soon as you strap
yourself into the boots of shirtless B. J. and begin your journey through crazy
Nazi infested territories, you'll instantly feel at home with the
controls. Grenades are where they should
be, looking down the barrel is as easy as breathing, and pulling the trigger to
mow down countless foes couldn't feel any more pleasant. But what if you also want a little stealth in
your life? What if it’s been a while
since you snuck around a pixelated world and silently took down unsuspecting
enemies? Well…that's here too. It's not as effective as some games like
Dishonored or say Splinter Cell, but with a little bit of patience and some
luck, it can certainly be pulled off. Is
that what Wolfenstein is all about?
Nope. It's about going in guns
blazing and turning your enemies into Swiss cheese. But the option to take each area as you see
fit is a nice addition and shows that the developer put care into their game.
"Who in their right mind would leave a perfectly good helmet sitting atop old files? Well...there's
only one thing to do: wear it."
THAT'S GREAT…BUT
WHAT ABOUT THE STORY?
Sadly,
if you're looking for something that weaves a tale of romance, or intrigue, or
revenge, then you've really come to the wrong place. You did see some gameplay before purchasing,
right? Or maybe you watched the trailer? Because if you have, then you'd know this
game is about killing anything that moves and not engrossing you in a tale that
spans centuries. Now, that's not to say
that there isn't some type of plot going on.
B. J. has a mission to snag a folder so the Nazis don't win the war. And with the type of game this is…that's
enough to get the bullets flying. But on
top of this, if you love to read, there are numerous letters, notes, and
scribbles left throughout the environment for those looking for a little more
help in what's going on. Will you
probably read the first one and then quickly click and un-click the rest? More than likely, but hey…you're here to kill
things, not to read a new best-seller.
As
you progress through the eight chapters of the game, you'll notice after about
half way through that the story takes a turn for the weird. Without ruining too much, let's just say The
Old Blood goes from a World War Two shooter to horror. Is this explained through the story as to
why? Not really. Does it matter? Somewhat.
You might have liked the game to stay where it was and just progress to
a climax without a silly plot twist, but it happens, and there's nothing you
can do about it. You have to keep on
pushing forward until you get to the endgame.
And what an ending it is. Equal
parts ridiculous, frustrating, and random is the only way to describe the last
chapter of the game. And without a
health bar on the last enemy or any idea what you have to do without dying
numerous times, you may not feel any enthusiasm when it finally goes down. And this tragically, does hurt the fun
buildup of gameplay it took to get there.
"Listen, I don't care how much you say it...There's no way Batman could beat Superman in a fight.
Just think about--Hold that thought. We're here. After you kill thousands of Nazis and get that
folder, we're continuing this conversation."
GRAPHICS,
MULTIPLAYER, AND REPLAY VALUE:
For
a standalone prequel (basically DLC) The Old Blood is remarkably a huge
download. Weighing in close to a hefty
40 gigs, this game in terms of graphics and voice-over is unbelievable. Sure, some character models that aren't
enemies or have nothing to do with plot could use a little polish, but the
environments, the main NPC's, the crazy weapons, and voice acting is above and
beyond what a twenty dollar prequel should be.
And you'll realize that in the first few minutes of cinematic and
gameplay.
The
only thing this game lacks is multiplayer.
But this basically is a small DLC that goes along with the main game, so
expecting this addition is a tad ridiculous.
But just imagine The Old Blood's shooting mechanics in death match or
team death match. Even capture the flag
would be awesome. Duel wielding assault
rifles and drilling your friends head full of bullets would be a heck of a
night. It's a shame this title missed
out on so much fun. And speaking of
extra fun, replay value all depends on how much you love arcade shooters. Do you like ripping through the same areas
over and over again in the fastest time, trying to get the highest score
possible so you can brag to your friends? Well then there will be a ton of replay value
for you. If you finished the story and
decided that it's time to move on, then you won't be dipping into The Old Blood
ever again.
"B. J. wake up buddy. It's time to go home. Your mother is here to pick you up."
CONCLUSION:
If
you happen to be sitting on a twenty in your online gaming account and are
looking for a shooter that will inject you with thrills, laughs, and plenty of
expired bullet shells, then Wolfenstein: The Old Blood will easily deliver on
all those levels and more. If you're the
type of gamer that needs a tad bit of story with their gameplay and would much
rather run around and discover a world, then your hard earned money should be spent
somewhere else. With Wolfenstein: The
Old Blood’s beautiful graphics, perfect controls, a hilarious main character,
over-the-top enemies, massive guns, and numerous Easter eggs hidden throughout…this
game tickles that first-person itch you've been craving.
3.5
out of 5 Stars (minus a ½ star for no
story and 1 star for horrific ending)
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