If there is one game that really takes me back to the beginning of my gaming days, it’s Wolfenstein 3D. I’m sure I played numerous games before that, but that one game just sticks out in the vast ocean of game’s I’ve played over the last 15 years. Originally released on the PC nearly 2 years ago, is this new update one to challenge the likes of Half-Life and Halo? Or is it a simple cash in on a well-known franchise which so many publishers seem keen to churn out nowadays.

I’ll start at the beginning (It’s a very good place to start apparently). You are B.J Blazkowicz, a US Army Ranger who’s utilised by taking part in top-secret covert operations. Unlike the PC version where you start in the game as a prisoner deep in the dingy depths of Castle Wolfenstein, this console version sees you starting the game alongside Agent One on a mission in Northern Egypt. These opening levels help you ease you way into the game, but they admittedly are not up to the standard of some of the later levels.

Unlike the majority of first person shooters that have been released recently, Return To Castle Wolfenstein isn’t a game to satisfy the tactical shooter inside of you. It’s not as back to basics as Serious Sam was, but it’s still a largely arcade experience. Id Software have tried to implement some elements of stealth into the game however, which unfortunately do more to annoy that give the game that little bit of extra tactical options. For example, you’re given extra bonus points if you manage to sneak up from behind on a Nazi and kill him with a swift stab of your knife. The story revolves around Hitler and Himmler’s plan to turn the tide of World War II by dabbling in the occult. Obviously this will mean that later on in he game you’ll find yourself up against a wide range of vicious beastie’s that will take much pleasure from tearing you limb from limb. In my humble opinion (which is surely what reviews are) the storyline is one the downsides to the game. Not in a sense that its completely unbelievable, but the introduction of zombies and various others detract what would be otherwise a good standard World War II shooter.

The level structure of the game at times appears to be some of the best in recent memory, but then a level will crop up which forces you to backtrack through corridors and staircases to a previously locked door that has now magically opened up. This is where I wish that there had been a map option had been introduced. At times I found myself unable to go any further forward in the game, with no way of knowing that a door had unlocked itself, and with even less idea of where said door is.

Apart from the occasional wander out into the open, the majority of the game sees you taken back to the old corridor shooters of the Doom era. Like Quake which suffered from an incredible amount of browns used in the game, the constant indoor’s setting sees you faced with a constant stream of various browns and greys which isn’t too pleasing on the eye when you’ve seen FPS’s which have utilised colour palettes with a bigger range.

The omission of any kind of multiplayer aspect of the game is a huge mistake as far as I’m concerned. The PC version still has a huge multi-player following, and even the Xbox version has Xbox live support.

Id software have managed to inject just a tiny bit of replayability into the game with the treasure/secrets system. Find these and at the end of each level your given a certain amount of bonus points. These can be spent on upping your total health level, purchasing flak patches, ammo, and various other items to help you along your way. It’s an enginious system that makes you want to search every nook and cranny in the hope that you can find every single one.

Despite me seeming to be a bit harsh with the game, it is good while it lasts. It’s just unfortunate that the game gives off an air of overwhelming averageness. The graphics are bland, and not up to the standard of it’s PC cousin. The opening levels, which weren’t available in the PC original, certainly don’t impress and seem a bit hurried. And the lack of a multiplayer option is a huge miss. That being said, the level design for the majority of the game is to a good standard, even if back-tracking through levels is more the norm than the exception. The enemy AI is of a good standard if not extraordinary. In all, if you’ve played through all the top FPS’s and you need another to keep you going until Half-Life 2 and Doom 3 are released, then by all means buy this game. Just don’t expect anything different from what you’ve seen before. In answer to the question I posed myself at the beginning of the review, it’s neither. It’s just an average average shooter with a big brand name behind it.

If there is one game that really takes me back to the beginning of my gaming days, it’s Wolfenstein 3D. I’m sure I played numerous games before that, but that one game just sticks out in the vast ocean of game’s I’ve played over the last 15 years. Originally released on the PC nearly 2 years ago, is this new update one to challenge the likes of Half-Life and Halo? Or is it a simple cash in on a well-known franchise which so many publishers seem keen to churn out nowadays.

I’ll start at the beginning (It’s a very good place to start apparently). You are B.J Blazkowicz, a US Army Ranger who’s utilised by taking part in top-secret covert operations. Unlike the PC version where you start in the game as a prisoner deep in the dingy depths of Castle Wolfenstein, this console version sees you starting the game alongside Agent One on a mission in Northern Egypt. These opening levels help you ease you way into the game, but they admittedly are not up to the standard of some of the later levels.

Unlike the majority of first person shooters that have been released recently, Return To Castle Wolfenstein isn’t a game to satisfy the tactical shooter inside of you. It’s not as back to basics as Serious Sam was, but it’s still a largely arcade experience. Id Software have tried to implement some elements of stealth into the game however, which unfortunately do more to annoy that give the game that little bit of extra tactical options. For example, you’re given extra bonus points if you manage to sneak up from behind on a Nazi and kill him with a swift stab of your knife. The story revolves around Hitler and Himmler’s plan to turn the tide of World War II by dabbling in the occult. Obviously this will mean that later on in he game you’ll find yourself up against a wide range of vicious beastie’s that will take much pleasure from tearing you limb from limb. In my humble opinion (which is surely what reviews are) the storyline is one the downsides to the game. Not in a sense that its completely unbelievable, but the introduction of zombies and various others detract what would be otherwise a good standard World War II shooter.

The level structure of the game at times appears to be some of the best in recent memory, but then a level will crop up which forces you to backtrack through corridors and staircases to a previously locked door that has now magically opened up. This is where I wish that there had been a map option had been introduced. At times I found myself unable to go any further forward in the game, with no way of knowing that a door had unlocked itself, and with even less idea of where said door is.

Apart from the occasional wander out into the open, the majority of the game sees you taken back to the old corridor shooters of the Doom era. Like Quake which suffered from an incredible amount of browns used in the game, the constant indoor’s setting sees you faced with a constant stream of various browns and greys which isn’t too pleasing on the eye when you’ve seen FPS’s which have utilised colour palettes with a bigger range.

The omission of any kind of multiplayer aspect of the game is a huge mistake as far as I’m concerned. The PC version still has a huge multi-player following, and even the Xbox version has Xbox live support.

Id software have managed to inject just a tiny bit of replayability into the game with the treasure/secrets system. Find these and at the end of each level your given a certain amount of bonus points. These can be spent on upping your total health level, purchasing flak patches, ammo, and various other items to help you along your way. It’s an enginious system that makes you want to search every nook and cranny in the hope that you can find every single one.

Despite me seeming to be a bit harsh with the game, it is good while it lasts. It’s just unfortunate that the game gives off an air of overwhelming averageness. The graphics are bland, and not up to the standard of it’s PC cousin. The opening levels, which weren’t available in the PC original, certainly don’t impress and seem a bit hurried. And the lack of a multiplayer option is a huge miss. That being said, the level design for the majority of the game is to a good standard, even if back-tracking through levels is more the norm than the exception. The enemy AI is of a good standard if not extraordinary. In all, if you’ve played through all the top FPS’s and you need another to keep you going until Half-Life 2 and Doom 3 are released, then by all means buy this game. Just don’t expect anything different from what you’ve seen before. In answer to the question I posed myself at the beginning of the review, it’s neither. It’s just an average average shooter with a big brand name behind it.

5