shinobi602
Member
Eurogamer Video preview (new footage)
Polygon
Game Informer
Joystiq
Venturebeat
VG247
Push Square
CVG
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Polygon
The new Wolfenstein managed to unsettle me for a different reason. I don't get sick playing first-person shooters, but its display of graphic violence and Nazi-inflicted atrocity got to me. One sequence in particular from the game's first chapter disturbed me, enough to be convinced that developer MachineGames is making the new Wolfenstein a solid, old-school shooter wrapped around a chilling horror game.
Game Informer
I sat down for my demo recently in New York with a clear set of expectations. I knew that there would be Nazis (and a plentiful supply of armaments to dispose of them). I was aware of the giant robotic dogs and heavily armored stormtroopers. I came prepared for a world dominated by evil.
I was not prepared to care about the characters. I won’t kid you; Wolfenstein is very much a shooter dyed in the blood of its predecessors. You pick up discarded helmets and robotic armor pieces (manually, and not by walking over them), which somehow translate into protection for protagonist William “BJ” Blazkowicz. You find food and scattered health packs that immediately restore and “overcharge” your health.
Joystiq
There's little in the opening hours to suggest MachineGames' shooter is as revolutionary as its tyrannical fuhrer, not that the game is professing to change the world, really. I'd like to see more games employ its retro-coated take on rechargeable health, displaying the health in numbers and having it recharge in segments of 20. Meanwhile, a perks system rewards feats like killing two enemies with one grenade or making ten dual-wield kills, and it offers bonuses like vampiric health absorption and greater dual-wield dismemberment. There's a decent balance of feats I achieve naturally and ones I undertake more artificially.
Venturebeat
But this new Wolfenstein isn’t leading you by the nose the entire time. Every level in the demo branched out multiple times into wider gunfight arenas with several methods of approach. These paths are usually split between a stealthy and guns-blazing method of confrontation. Blazkowicz can traverse buildings making up a Nazi checkpoint by traveling across patios or rooftops, by kicking down doors, or by speeding down a zip line. Health packs scattered throughout the levels provide the only way for you to regain energy — one of a few callbacks to Wolfenstein’s roots.
VG247
As a largely linear, single-player-only experience, Wolfenstein: The New Order is relying on the strength of its narrative and the entertainment factor of its gunplay to impress prospective players and early impressions suggest MachineGames is both willing and able to provide references to the past while grounding its mechanics in the present. However, while instances of dark humour and allusions to gruesome events have no problem sitting side-by-side, the peculiar earnestness of Blazkowicz’s po-faced delivery often makes him stand out in this extraordinary world of deliberately unhinged Nazi commanders and giant robot dogs.
Push Square
Standard controls apply, with the PlayStation 4’s triggers helping to bring the weighty, well-balanced gunplay to its brilliant best. Speaking of which, the guns feel incredibly powerful, and the game doesn’t shy away from the destructive power such weaponry would yield. Noggins pop like watermelons when you snap off a satisfying headshot, and the outstanding audio design makes each kill feel even more visceral.
CVG
The shooting itself feels good: we used a trusty ol' assault rifle during most of our session, which can be dual-wielded, like any other weapon, for maximum death. The New Order mixes common duck-and-cover and circle strafing manoeuvres with a leaning system, which proves more essential as the game progresses - especially for stealthy approaches.
Running around like a tank is not viable, though standing still is equally dangerous: enemies flank from all directions and manageable tiffs can turn nasty very quickly. This, combined with immediate use collectibles and the constant need to scavenge for health and ammunition, makes The New Order a pleasingly old-school and often thrillingly challenging FPS. A Call of Duty shooting gallery this ain't.
Sexy GIF courtesy of Messofanego