Wolfenstein 3D

"Portable Nazi slaughter"

Wolfenstein 3D was one of the first first person shooters ever made, created by current FPS guru id software back in the early 1990s. The game itself isn't terribly long or complex; it mostly involves crawling through dungeon-like levels killing Nazis, finding keys to open locked doors and collecting treasures.

The game puts you in control of B.J. Blazkowicz, an American soldier captured and imprisoned in Castle Wolfenstein. The game is split off into 6 episodes; each with its own story. The first details your escape, and the rest detail your exploits both before your capture and after your escape from the castle. The weakest of motivations is given for your being where you are, but who cares? You get to kill Nazis!

Wolfenstein 3D looks, unsurprisingly, very old. Everything is just a basic animated sprite; walls and floors look bland and textures are repeated ad nauseum. Heck, it's pretty easy to get lost because there are often very few distinguishing features in rooms and hallways. A few times you'll run into barrels or tables or chairs, and some walls have hanging Swastikas or portraits of Hitler, but nothing that really stands out.

The gameplay itself is also very archaic. You'll start off with your knife and move up in weapon rank with a Luger pistol, an MP40 machine gun and finally a Gatling gun, all of which use the same ammo but have varying degrees of stopping power and firing rate. You'll need these weapons to combat the Third Reich single-handedly, fighting lowly guards, officers, SS troops, guard dogs, and even zombies. Along the way there'll be a few locked doors and keys to find, or switches and hidden walls to activate. If you've been hurt you can heal yourself with some health packs or pick up some food. You can earn points, which accumulate three ways: killing Nazis, collecting Nazi treasure and end level bonuses. Nazi treasure ranges from treasure boxes to chalices and gold crowns. End level bonuses include killing all of the Nazis in a level or completing a level within par time. As mentioned before, the game is structured into 6 episodes. Each episode is 10 levels long, with 9 linear levels and 1 secret level. This gives the game plenty of replay value, although you'll probably get sick of it about 20 or 30 levels in.

What makes this game so appealing is that it is Nazi killing on the go - no FPS fan can say that they don't enjoy that. However, this game definitely has not aged well and has a few problems of its own. There is one noticeable glitch in a level in the 4th episode where you cannot progress through the level and must cheat your way to the end.

In the end, if you really like FPS games and have already gotten all of the ones I've recommended in my other reviews, then get this one.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 07/09/07