Wolfenstein: The New Order (2014, Playstation 4) Review

KILL THE EVIL NAZI MACHINE

Also for: Playstation 3, Windows, Xbox 360, Xbox One

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It didn't take me long to realise that I'd bought Wolfenstein: The New Order for the wrong platform. Whilst playing the PS4-version I was enjoying ChristopherOdd's excellent PC playthrough of the same game on his YouTube-channel. The game he was playing and the way he played seemed like a blast. With the PS4 it was a fine experience, but way more frustrating than the great time he had.

Sure, the versions looked and sounded identical, but the feeling was completely different. Mr. Odd's videos had a pace and urgency to them that my gameplay lacked. The relative ease with which he steered through the levels reminded me of what is so often taken for granted: good controls. We only acknowledge them by complaining when they're not good enough. 

So Wolfenstein: The New Order once more proved to me what a lousy FPS player I am with a controller in hand, which is why I rarely play them. My aim sifted back and forth across the screen, never deciding on what to hit. And when I finally fired I rarely hit anything but innocent concrete. By the time I finally got used to the controls, the game was almost over. It had been quite an ordeal, and not in the way the creators had intended.

MADE FOR PC

Is the fault entirely mine, though? To me, Wolfenstein: The New Order seems very much like a game designed with the PC in mind, without much effort going into optimizing the console ports. In a purely action-oriented manner, it relies heavily on speed, reflexes and lightning fast decision making, and not much on tactical combat. Meanwhile, the old school health mechanic does little to support your cause. Auto regeneration is very restricted. Instead, you have to rely on health and armor pickups. They are common, but not common enough for a bad player. The game autosaves at certain checkpoints, and if you're low on health at that certain point, you're in a bad spot.

There's nothing wrong with any of that, but you need the controls to support it. Turning with a controller can feel like turning a steamroller, or, if you ramp up the sensitivity too high, like you're controlling a fidget spinner. It all comes down to what you prefer: speed or precision. How I wished games on the PS4 would support mouse and keyboard, where you can have both.

ALISTAIR MACLEAN AND DIESELPUNK

If you disregard all that, Machinegames' first game is practically flawless, with great polish, impressive visuals and level design, and a good story supported by an amazing sound design and musical score. In addition, it feels very meticulously paced, with a stunning cinematic flow permeating every beat of the story. It seems inspired by bits and parts of anything WWII-related in cinema history, most of all the finest Alistair MacLean movie adaptations, combined with the dieselpunk aesthetics of Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. Machinegames displays an unusual confidence considering this is their first game. Of course, being backed by Bethesda probably doesn't hurt.

It stays true enough to its classic FPS roots, but adds some weight and breathing room through the storytelling. The prologue puts you through some harrowing near death scenarios, and forces you to make a diabolical choice. I won't reveal what it is, but it will influence the remainder of the story, as well as cast aside any doubt on who the main villain is. As you narrowly survive the initial chapters, you're presented with the opening credits, realising this was just the warm-up.

The game is a reboot of the Wolfenstein franchise as well as a continuation of previous events. It takes place mostly in Germany in an alternative timeline, where the Nazis won the war and conquered the world. You take control of William "B.J." Blazkowicz, a veteran soldier in the U.S. army. After more than a decade in a vegetative state, he comes back to life in a Polish hospital in 1960. Your task is to find allies and thwart the evil plans of the main antagonist, general Deathshead. The story, however implausible, is surprisingly touching and effectively told, with characters that come alive without an excess of screen time and dialogue.

Playing as a resistance fighter hiding in the middle of Berlin is a jarring experience. The audio design contributes to much of that atmosphere. Cowering like rats in the resistance headquarters of the sewers, you and your allies can hear the sirens of the city blaring overhead, as well as the ramblings of the brainwashed German citizens. The walls crumble as a train roars past, and there's a ceaseless sense of paranoia. Your hidey hole might be revealed any minute, if it doesn't crash down on you first. The enemy is literally everywhere, and their world seems lifeless, mechanical and grey. It was allegedly inspired by Hitler's chief architect Albert Speer's vision of the future Germania.

METAL GEAR BLAZKO

And the sneaking around seeps into gameplay as well. The game is very linear, but the levels are fairly large, and often offer up a few different angles of approach. If you keep failing, there's probably a less direct route to be found.

I don't remember having the choice to play stealthily in an FPS before. Here, it comes heavily recommended in certain scenarios, where enemy commanders have the ability to endlessly call for reinforcements as soon as they discover you. Sneaking through air ducts, trying to get close to those bastards undetected is quite exhilarating, and one of the game's high points.

Make no mistake, however - this is not a stealth game. More often than not you are thrown into full-blown combat, with enemies swarming in from everywhere. They range from lowly footsoldiers to unique, mechanical beasts that tower dozens of meters above you. Finding cover is your only means of avoiding fire, as the enemy rarely misses. It won't save you for long, as the AI knows perfectly well how to flush you out of your shelter.

The enemy's dehumanized design help us remind what's really at stake here. The oppression you sense when they're not present is only surpassed by what you see when they are. They either outnumber you, or size you up through the scope of their gigantic laser cannons.

One boss fight, taking place in a helicopter hangar, has a particularly scary audio design that resembles human speech distorted to the point where it's indiscernable. It's as if there's a human being trapped inside, trying to communicate through all that tangled mess of wires and steel. But it has no mouth, and all that comes out is malice in the shape of laser.

YOUR ARSENAL

Speaking of weapons, I know it matters to some, so let's get it over with: Your arsenal is nothing to brag home about - it's the standard FPS fare, with WWII-inspired weaponry like submachineguns, assault rifles, grenades and shotguns for onslaughts, and knives and silenced handguns for stealthier sections. Nothing original, but I like the punch and feel of them. There is also one unique item - the rechargeable Laserkraftwerk, a Germania-invented laser cannon that stays in your possession for most of the game. It fires a powerful laser beam, and can double as a laser cutter that can open up new pathways through wire fences and metal containers containing ammo, armor or health.

Oh, and I should mention those huge one-off mini-guns that some machines drop as they're felled. They pack a real punch, but they slow you down considerably, have limited ammo and you cannot store them in your inventory.

TENSIONS AND VARIATION

But forget about that. A game like Wolfenstein: The New Order captivates mostly through being constantly challenging. It never really lets you off the hook. You constantly have to worry about resources. If you keep getting hit you don't have a lot of time to react. Your health decreases rapidly. More so if you're out of armor. And if you start finding them in droves it's even worse, because you know they're grooming you for a tough fight ahead. Even in the story-heavy chapters, there's a sense of impending doom, making it hard to relax.

Completing each stage feels like such a relief. After each chapter I won - often by a thread - I put down the game for a breather. My hands ached arthritically by the tension of holding the controller too firmly. I returned for the next session all amped up and a little scared, ready to be crushed before long. My one issue with this is that my challenges lay not solely in the game proper. My lack of controller skills ironically always left me feeling a little like one of those clumsy robots I was trying to bring down. This was not the game's intention.

When combined with the story progression, you get a very varied game, both environmentally and mechanically. It feels like one of those silly Hollywood action movies, albeit a movie done so well that some aspect of it could be considered art. Even if Wolfenstein: The New Order is not really my cup of tea - at least not on PS4 - I admire its intentions and how it pulls everything off. I will play it again someday, hopefully on PC. Thank God for that early moral choice that gives you an opportunity to try out a new story thread.

You should know this by now: A review is an opinion. I wouldn't trust a review that wasn't. My control issue is at least partly a subjective thing. Even though I did not personally love it, Wolfenstein: The New Order can go with my blessing. Any gamer should expect good times out of it. You need to at least give it a shot, especially if you're on PC and want to build upon your remembrance of the primitive nazi-killing days of yore.