More years ago then I like to admit, I remember sitting down at an Apple II computer and playing a game called Wolfenstein. It was for the time a bold and visionary game that had of all things color, limited speech, and an engrossing story.
In the era where green and yellow monitors ruled, the game was so addicting, my friends and I would play in the school library for hours at a time before and after school.
The story of a prisoner trying to escape a castle filled with Nazi’s was for us the pinnacle of gaming at that time as it was easily the best game available.
This changed with Return To Castle Wolfenstein came out and offered upgraded gameplay, a pass system, and the ability to bribe guards as you attempted to place a bomb under Hitler himself. Who among us why played it were not forced to reset the bomb timer along the way?
With the advent of Shareware came Wolfenstein 3D which in the early days before video cards would at times make players ill with the bright colors and walls.
As more episodes followed and became Spear of Destiny in retail locations, it was clear that this was a franchise that was near and dear to consumers. BJ Blazkowicz became a gaming icon and even family friendly Nintendo ported the game over, but with caveat of replacing the dogs in game with rats so nobody had to argue about killing them.
Return to Castle Wolfenstein and then Enemy Territory brought the series into the new era and anyone with a good DSL connection remembers how much fun the online battles were and how much fun it was to take on the bad guys in eye-popping 3D.
In 2009, we were treated with Wolfenstein which gave players options as to which path and missions they took and offered what was for me a very challenging final battle, but one that I truly enjoyed upon completion.
Last year saw the release of Wolfenstein: The New Order and with it the lack of multiplay. The game did more than make up for it with 20+ hours of epic gameplay and a very entertaining story that featured an alternate reality where the Naziss won and continued to thrive into the 60s, that is until our hero returns to settle the score. The game featured some great action and very adult content, but the real winner for me was blasting bad guys in a Lunar Base as this really appealed to my Sci-Fi loving nature.
We will soon get the latest chapter in the series, Wolfenstein: The Old Blood. The game is a prequel to Wolfenstein: The New Order and over two different storylines will fill in some of the adventures of BJ as he does what he does best, blasting Nazi’s.
Expect more amazing graphics, intense moments, and some truly creepy enemies as this is what the series is best known for. Gamers will also be able to use a knife and a hatchet as well as a wide-range of weapons to dispatch their enemies.
As a fan of the series from the start, I look forward to seeing what the game will offer and enjoying more of the great gameplay the series has been known for. I would be curious to see what multiplay would look like in this new game but for now, I am more than content with some more fun adventures saving the world.
Look for Wolfenstein: The Old Blood on May 5th with the physical version to be released on May 14th.
More information on the game as well as trailers and video can be seen here.
