PAX EAST 2014: Wolfenstein: The New Order Hands-On Preview

I must admit it’s been a very long time since I went Nazi hunting as BJ Blazkowicz. Wolfenstein: The New Order ups the ante on the Wolfenstein series, pitting you against German forces empowered by towering mechanical beasts created from years of research after winning World War 2. 

Our demo starts off with a group of Allied planes quickly approaching a Nazi stronghold. All hell breaks loose when your team comes under fire and you’re forced to abandon ship mid-air to join a friendly troop carrier. 

After crash landing on the beach, you’re put face to face with giant mechanized cats that are hunting your fellow soldiers. This type of steam-punk alternate history of the second World War is made for video games. While familiar in that sense, the environment is as dangerous as it is beautiful. There were incredibly cinematic moments sprinting through trenches and corridors while confronting the hunkered down Nazi forces.

While running and gunning as best I could, giant lumbering pillboxes laid down devastating fire just yards from me. MachineGames succeed here in making those sequences as epic as possible, without shifting the focus away from the gun play.

The mission objectives are fairly clear as their presented to you, but not always clear as to where they are at any given moment. I enjoyed ducking into new hallways and hidden areas to see what I could find, but also would appreciate more of a sense of where I need to be. I found myself progressing the through the levels almost by accident.

The sounds of gunfire and exploding grenades were incredibly well done. The atmosphere the game created was exactly what I would expect from this franchise. Where I find myself conflicted is whether or not, “exactly what I expected” is a good thing. 

There’s plenty of room for the game to build upon these experiences, and even more that I didn’t see in my short play through. What I did see was a solid shooter with its influences clearly defined. That’s no surprise considering the game comes out in little over a month. 

 

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