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Weird War Done Right
Posted August 25th, 2009 at 11:35 PM by S.R. Krol
I’m a huge fan of anything in the genre known as Weird War (so named after the old DC comic series combining supernatural/sci-fi/fantasy with military adventure) so I’ve been anxiously awaiting Raven’s follow up to their Return to Castle Wolfenstein. The sequel, simply titled Wolfenstein, has been out for about a week but I’ve only gotten to start into it last night. While not too far along I will say that so far it’s flat out brilliant and by far the best shooter Raven has produced.
What makes it so damn good is the fact that this time around Raven actually embraced the Weird War vibe right from the get-go. The problem with RtCW was that for 90% of the game it felt like a very conventional WWII Nazi killing shooter. Wolfenstein very quickly dumps you into the occult, introducing a parallel dimension that co-exists with our dimension (sorta like From Beyond, right down to nasty floaties, but without a leather clad Barbara Crampton). You can travel into and out of the dimension via a magical amulet, which also provides the player with certain magical effects such as the now requisite slow mo. There’s also some really great anti-gravity effects keyed into the dimensional energy that look great.
Other nice features include a central hub location, mission selection from the hub, and a purchasable weapon upgrade system based around earning cash while completing missions. Health packs have been ditched in favor of the now typical ‘pause that refreshes’ regeneration. Speaking of health I wondered once why Raven didn’t use GHOUL more often and it appears they have done so with Wolfenstein, as enemies can be cut to ribbons and bloody chunks. I think I’ve even seen looping intestines. Interestingly, though id has something to do with it Wolfenstein seems like it was built off the Call of Duty engine right down to how you lob grenades back.
If the occult + Third Reich + massive death and destruction is your bag you will not be the least bit disappointed with Wolfenstein. Amazing, amazing game so far.
Other recommended Weird War:
Secrets of the Third Reich
Incursion
AE-WWII
Airborne/Panzer Grenadier Zombies
What makes it so damn good is the fact that this time around Raven actually embraced the Weird War vibe right from the get-go. The problem with RtCW was that for 90% of the game it felt like a very conventional WWII Nazi killing shooter. Wolfenstein very quickly dumps you into the occult, introducing a parallel dimension that co-exists with our dimension (sorta like From Beyond, right down to nasty floaties, but without a leather clad Barbara Crampton). You can travel into and out of the dimension via a magical amulet, which also provides the player with certain magical effects such as the now requisite slow mo. There’s also some really great anti-gravity effects keyed into the dimensional energy that look great.
Other nice features include a central hub location, mission selection from the hub, and a purchasable weapon upgrade system based around earning cash while completing missions. Health packs have been ditched in favor of the now typical ‘pause that refreshes’ regeneration. Speaking of health I wondered once why Raven didn’t use GHOUL more often and it appears they have done so with Wolfenstein, as enemies can be cut to ribbons and bloody chunks. I think I’ve even seen looping intestines. Interestingly, though id has something to do with it Wolfenstein seems like it was built off the Call of Duty engine right down to how you lob grenades back.
If the occult + Third Reich + massive death and destruction is your bag you will not be the least bit disappointed with Wolfenstein. Amazing, amazing game so far.
Other recommended Weird War:
Secrets of the Third Reich
Incursion
AE-WWII
Airborne/Panzer Grenadier Zombies
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