DIGITISER
  • MAIN PAGE
  • Features
  • Videos
  • Game Reviews
  • FAQ

REVIEW: WOLFENSTEIN - THE OLD BLOOD (PS4/Xbox One/PC)

8/5/2015

1 Comment

 
Picture
Imagine waking up to a world where the Nazis won... 

...But enough about the General Election!!! Ha ha. Political satire. Do you see? We're saying that the Conservatives are a bit like the Nazis. Is that funny? It's not really is it? It's a bit lazy and obvious. 

Unfortunately, having grown up in the 1980s, being brainwashed by the comedian Ben Elton and his alternative ilk, that sort of anti-Tory comedy rhetoric is reflexive, regardless how how deep it might run in our veins. 

Still, it was weird that result though, wasn't it? If you were watching it through the prism of our Twitter feed you'd think the entire UK was voting Labour. We guess that among whatever the Twitter demographic is, admitting you vote Conservative is akin to confessing you're carnally attracted to worms.

Sorry. What? You came here for a game review? Fine...

Wolfenstein: The Old Blood is a standalone mini-prequel to the well-regarded Wolfenstein: The New Order. We're back in an alternate reality where the Nazis won World War II by combining black magic with technology, like a bunch of goose-stepping Dynamos. Playing as series stalwart BJ Blazkowicz, you infiltrate Castle Wolfenstein on a secret mission. Your cover swiftly blown, you get thrown into a dungeon, and... well... you know the sort of thing. It's stuff like that.

Picture
SOFTY
We had a bit of a soft spot for Wolfenstein: The New Order. 

Which was weird, because prior to release, every time we got a whiff of it we braced for something mediocre - the very epitome of a me-too, by-the-numbers, first-person shooter, with a hackneyed, alternate, 'What If The Nazis Won?' setting.

Admittedly, the first level or two met our expectations precisely... but then something happened. The game opened up, it introduced a level of invention, wit, and intelligence that we hadn't expected... and we started loving it. Somehow it managed to transcend what could've been a schlocky, pulpy setting, and inject moments of genuine emotion and tension into proceedings, bolstered by solid and varied gunplay, supported in turn by a solid stealth structure. 

Were we hungry for more? Achtung! Yes we were.

PAINSY
It slightly pains us to report that The Old Blood is more along the lines of what we'd originally been expecting from The New Order. There are a few new ideas in there - a multi-purpose "pipe" that's part crowbar, part climbing tool, part stabby-thing. But - presumably due to the reduced running time, the reduced development resources - this feels more route-one, more obvious. 

There's a sense of deja-vu at points - areas that feel like lesser interpretations of its parent game - and at other times it feels like they're dragging things out, in a Halo 1 sort of way. The biggest shame is that it's virtually impossible to get through the game without going in all guns blazing: the stealth, that gave the original game a nice sense of ebb-and-flow, just isn't present here.

If you're lucky, you might get to pop off one or two silenced pistol shots before you're spotted by an unseen enemy, the alarms start buzzing, and you're besieged by enemies. And yet, the levels feel more claustrophobic - oddly, evoking the maze-like structure of the original Wolfenstein 3D. Consequently, the pacing is more chaotic and relentless, and far less considered, than before.

It's a shame that they didn't use the opportunity to do something a bit smarter, a bit more experimental with this mini adventure - and made a virtue of the stripped-back time and budget - rather than going the more-of-the-same-but-not-as-good route.

Still, if you liked The New Order, this is likely to give you a quick, if ultimately hollow, fix for under fifteen quid. You can't really complain about that. Well, you could. You can do what you like. 

This isn't Nazi Germany, apparently...

SUMMARY: Cheap and cheerful, but little more.
SCORE: Three Reichs out of Five Reichs.
FROM THE ARCHIVE:
  • TOP 5 VIDEO GAME HITLERS 
  • REVIEW: ZOMBIE ARMY TRILOGY

1 Comment
https://vidmate.onl/ link
2/9/2022 02:35:33 pm

anks for sharing the article, and more importantly, your personal experie ncec mindfully using our emotions as data about our inner state and knowing when it’s better to de-escalate by taking a time out are great tools. Appreciate you reading and sharing your story since I can certainly relate and I think others can to
sd

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    This section will not be visible in live published website. Below are your current settings:


    Current Number Of Columns are = 2

    Expand Posts Area =

    Gap/Space Between Posts = 12px

    Blog Post Style = card

    Use of custom card colors instead of default colors = 1

    Blog Post Card Background Color = current color

    Blog Post Card Shadow Color = current color

    Blog Post Card Border Color = current color

    Publish the website and visit your blog page to see the results

    Picture
    Support Me on Ko-fi
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    RSS Feed Widget
    Picture

    Picture
    Tweets by @mrbiffo
    Picture
    Follow us on The Facebook

    Picture

    Archives

    December 2022
    May 2022
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    November 2020
    September 2020
    July 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014


    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • MAIN PAGE
  • Features
  • Videos
  • Game Reviews
  • FAQ