Review - Wolfenstein: The New Order. 

by Matt Taylor

Format reviewed on; PS4
Publisher: Bethesda
Developer: Machine Gmes
Formats: PC, PS3, PS4, X360, XO
Out Now
If I could use one word to describe MachineGames’ “Wolfenstein: The New Order”, I’d use the word solid. In the world of first person shooters it covers all the bases. Visceral gun-play, cover systems and a huge arsenal of weapons help it tick the boxes of it’s genre, but this entry into the veteran series manages to bring more to the table than other modern day shooters.

If such a thing existed, Wolfenstein would be considered a pure-bred first person shooter. It’s roots stretch all the way back to the 80’s with Muse Softwares’ “Castle Wolfenstein”, which lead id Software to recreate the game into the grandfather of first person shooters, 1992’s “Wolfenstein 3D”. Since then the game has seen multiple sequels and additions to the franchise. 
How did MachineGames get to make an id Software game?

In 2009 ZeniMax Media acquired id Software, which included the intellectual properties Doom, Quake and Wolfenstein. Another ZeniMax Media Studio, MachineGames, was asked to have a look at the newly obtain licenses following an unsuccessful pitch to ZeniMax, and after visited id Software, the deal was underway for MachineGames to develop a new Wolfenstein game. Published by ZeniMax Media’s Bethesda, developed by MachineGames, with permission from id Software. Easy right?
Set in an alternate reality 1960’s where Nazi Germany never lost the war, Wolfenstein: The New Order see’s the return series protagonist B.J. Blazkowicz, a Jewish American tasked with taking down the Nazi war machine. This all seems like standard shooter script, but by developing almost every character that you meet, you find yourself caring about saving this purely virtual world. 

As I watched and listen to stories of personal sacrifices and the struggles of the people around me, I understood what picks Blazkowicz up from a three story fall. I understood why he would enter a room filled with more bullets that air. The people he was working with cared about him. They constantly reference the insurmountable odds facing you, but back this up with an almost godlike appreciation of B.J. They understand that what they ask is impossible, but they know you’re the single person in this world strong enough, brave enough and skilled enough to overcome the task. As a guy sitting in front of a screen, watching this world play out, I felt genuinely empowered.
I was hooked. But they could have easily lost me with bad controls and boring game-play and firefights. In a first person shooter, the shooting has to be good. And the shooting here is right where it needs to be. The small arsenal of weapons sound and feel amazing, with every bullet squeezed from the R2 button making an impact on the game. Limbs flew and heads popped. I’d sometimes find myself out of ammo after losing myself while  “dual-wielding” my assault rifles, draining rounds faster than I was collecting them. Unlike many modern day FPS games, which only allow two weapons to be carried, you can carry a whole arsenal on your back. This had me switching from shotgun, to pistol to rifle as the fight progressed and changed around me. This is where MachineGames missteps. While I like the ability to change weapons on the fly, the developers decided to use a weapon wheel and I found myself changing to the wrong weapon countless times. Maybe this is a case of user error, or maybe a result of using a Daulshock 4 controller, but it’s worth noting.

The only other time I felt out of control was during some of the earlier missions. I found myself struggling with a sensory overload, which slowed me down to a near halt. Characters talking over a loudspeaker in German, someone talking through an earpiece, on screen messages and plot points popping up on screen, as well as tutorials and guides hovering on my HUD, it got too much, especially when I was expected to understand everything around me AND shoot my way through an army. I understand trying to help me learn as quickly as possible, but I felt that slightly better pacing may have helped some of these sections.
In the lore of the game the Nazi’s are in control of most of the world, with a few pockets of resistance scattered about. After discovering a secret organisation and finding their ancient technological secrets, they were able to build giant structures and harness robotics to create super soldiers and robots. An atomic bomb shook the United States to it’s knees, with the president shortly after issuing a surrender.  An invasion of the UK resulted in fierce resistance but ultimately ended in occupation. In real life, Nazi Germany didn’t have the power to cross the English Channel, let alone invade the rest of the world, but MachineGames’ introduced enough elements to make the fictional Nazi’s feel like a sci-fi perversions of the real life version, without trivialising the horrors that the world witnessed during the Third Reich.


It’s possible for games with so much history to try and cater to nostalgia. But the things that worked in 1999 are not the things that work now. The biggest, and probably the most well known example of this would be Duke Nukem Forever, which struggled to grow up and resulted in a mess of old school squaller. Wolfenstein definitely hangs on to a few of it’s older mechanics, but only the ones that work. There’s no regenerating health system here. Players must pick up health items and armour, and I was reminded of the Medal of Honor titles from the early 2000’s. There are multiple secrets and hidden areas, something that 92’s Wolfenstein 3D became famous for. There’s also throw backs to older graphic styles and nods to previous titles in the series and other id Software games, like the doors at the end of the levels on Doom. Wolfenstein has tickled my nostalgia, without being bogged down by outdated mechanics or writing. It appreciated my memories, but let me make new ones. 

Wolfenstein: The New Order is solid, and while I had a few minor issues, it’s one of the best games I’ve played in a long time, and the best game I’ve played on my Playstation 4 so far. It ticks all the standard FPS boxes, but makes a claim on elements that are normally reserved for other genres. 
Game Reviewers onw copy
Images - from Publisher