Wolfenstein 3D

"Who Doesn't Love Killing Nazis...."

You are an American soldier, during World War II, whom is sent to infiltrate a German castle due to rumors that the Nazi's are experimenting with creating the ultimate soldier. Bringing the dead back to life to fight for the Third Reich is not something the Allies want to see so you're sent in. However, before you get a chance to complete your mission you are caught and taken to Castle Wolfenstein for interrogation. The game starts as you try to make your escape.

Most older gamers will remember back to the days when Wolfenstein was king. Back before Doom, Quake, and Unreal were even a twinkle in the eye of gamers around the world. Considered one of the first true First Person Shooters it is at least the first one where you take on real people. The only question that remains is whether an old computer game makes a good Gameboy Advanced game.

Listening to Wolfenstein you might think you were back playing on your dad's old 486 with your shareware version. The sound is an exact recreation from the original. From the bark of the German Shepards to the "Halt Stop!" of the guards every detail of sound is recreated perfectly. Good thing the original was so good then since nothing was added to it. However, if hearing it didn't bring back old memories then seeing it certainly will. The old, blocky graphics are back and better than ever. A slight upgrade so they aren't so pixelated up close and enemies that seem more detailed or just better drawn.

As for how the game plays, well exactly like the original. You'll go around killing various types of Nazis while collecting ammo, treasure, and keys to make it to the next floor and do it again. The only problem with the gameplay is what was done in the original. Large maze areas with no landmarks makes getting around just as difficult as the original. It would of been nice if they could of added a map for the people that wanted one.

No matter how great the port is of the game, no matter how well they stick to the original, there is one question that will have to be answered for this to work. How is the controls? Back in the day we had a full keyboard and mouse to work with, but now just a few tiny buttons. Well, although it takes a little getting use to at first, the controls are really the best that they can be. Using the D-Pad to move and the shoulder buttons to strafe works pretty well. also, the one button to fire adn the other to activate doors and switches does exactly what it needs to do. A very solid system.

Being a big fan of the original Wolfenstein 3d I think it's a big treat to get to play it again on the Gameboy Advance. With 6 Episodes, and having 10 floors per episode you'll have a ton of time to play. The repetative textures and being able to chose from one of 3 guns might get old after a while. However, die hard classic frag fans should have a blast with this title. There were only a few complaints and a couple of wishes I had for them. To be honest I really think it would of been awesome if they could of also included Spear of Destiny, the Wolfenstein 3d sequel, but hey 60 levels of Nazi killing ain't half bad.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 01/22/04, Updated 08/11/05