Okay, so how many of you out there are around my age (38) and when home computers and home PC gaming was becoming a thing you had the chance to play the pioneering 3D classic, Castle Wolfenstein? I know I’m not alone here, as it was one of the first first-person shooters for PC and ushered in the era of games like Doom, Quake, and Unreal. But Castle Wolfenstein is where it all began and where you get to kill endless Nazis and you can see your avatar get all bloodied-up as you take damage.
Well, there have been a few iterations after that original game in the few DECADES since it first came out, but Wolfenstein: The New Order is the only one I’ve played because it’s gotten stellar reviews. And after having just completed it, I completely agree. The game is fucking amazing.
The story it tells is that the Nazis win WWII. You play as BJ Blazkowicz, the stunning guy in the picture above, and he’s a bad-ass mofo war machine. In the first level you play in this game, you storm the Deathshead Fortress and make it past the crazy Nazi tech. Unfortunately, it all goes to shit and you end up making some tough choices and end up in a coma for 14 years….upon waking you find the Nazis have taken over the world. Plus, they take your cute nurse, and now BJ is ready to kick some fucking ass to make the world right.
It’s one helluva ride and as you play through some pretty amazingly-designed levels (I won’t ruin one of the more outlandish ones but it’s pretty fucking epic) across the planet while combating some of the ridiculous advanced technology the Nazis have come up with. It’s not just that the game is well made – there’s a really good story here too. BJ is quite a broken man and he knows that his chance at having a peaceful and happy life is past him. But he wants to fight for others to have a chance. And man, does he do some damage. LOVE THIS GAME.
I’m intrigued about possibly doing a second run-thru as one of the hard choices you have to make at the beginning results in a different person making it across the 14 years with you and a slightly different perk and skillset. It’s that good of a game that I’d be willing to do that. I’m also hoping that there’s a sequel…as it’s not entirely a closed book on what happens at the end. And I need some more BJ Blazkowicz! Just look at this guy! When he’s in the cutscenes, it’s hard not to stare/drool!
