Speaking of ammo, Wolfenstein: The New Order certainly takes some cues from the classic game, with ammo drops nearly everywhere. However, unlike most FPS games where the clips you find will have a bunch of ammo to keep you going, here you will be constantly picking up small clip after small clip. This can get a little annoying as you are constantly having to press X trying to pick up ammo. Luckily, you will start to pick up more guns and will be able to hold multiple at a time. There are the handguns, automatic rifles, and shotguns, all which you can dual wield at well, in classic Wolfenstein fashion. There is nothing too special about the gunplay in the game itself, with dual wielding being pretty basic, but there is just something downright fun about it.
One of the most surprising elements of Wolfenstein: The New Order is that it is the complete opposite of something like Titanfall, with absolutely no multiplayer gameplay at all. Some may complain and say this is a bad thing, but honestly it allowed for MachineGames to focus exclusively on crafting a smooth and exciting single player experience. I’m perhaps one of the weird people who gets more excited about the single player campaigns of games like Call of Duty than I do the multiplayer, so seeing that mode get the focus really excited me. The game probably should have added in a little multiplayer for at least local play in some way with some small arenas just to have fun with friends, but it’s not too missed here.
Unlike most shooters, this game introduces a perks system into the mix. By doing various tasks, you can level up Blazkowicz in various ways. There are stealth, tactical, assault, and demolition perks to choose from in the game. Some of these include gaining the ability to throw knifes after a certain number of silent takedowns, increased ammunition storage, and reduction of damage taken from own explosives. These add a little something more to the game that you can individually work towards while advancing through the game. The fact that they each have special requirements for unlock allow you to unlock the ones that would probably be most useful to you as the perks are tailored to the unlock requirements.
Wolfenstein: The New Order chose to release across both next-gen consoles as well as last-gen. As a result, the graphical capabilities of the game kind of suffered. The game looks great and all, but more as a late Generation 7 game than a next-gen game being played on my Xbox One. The game does run very smoothly and looks good, but it’s just not decidedly next-gen. As a result, someone could easily get the game on PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 and have the same experience as on the Xbox One or PlayStation 4. The lip sync was also off a little bit of the time during my experience, but it wasn’t all that prevalent.
On top of the increased length due to the branching timelines, this game also provides a number of collectibles for you to find in the game. Enigma code pieces are the more common items in the game, which when found can help you solve puzzles to unlock more game modes. These even include a few more even harder difficulty settings, which sound almost impossible. You will also be able to find other collectibles around the map, such as gold, letters, and even concept art that is unlocked by clearing certain areas or defeating certain enemies.
Wolfenstein: The New Order manages to take a classic property and combine it with many modern elements to create a fantastic game. Some felt that the series’ last outing was a little lackluster, so it was really good to see a return to form. While nothing groundbreaking, the gameplay was fun throughout with new weapons to pick up and shoot all the time. While the game runs extremely smooth on next-gen, the game does not really stand out graphically, due to it being available on last-gen consoles as well. Regardless, Wolfenstein: The New Order is a the epitome of Wolfenstein and if you are looking for a really fun single player only run-and-gun experience, this may be just the game you are looking for to play. Between the branching timeline and plenty of collectibles, Wolfenstein: The New Order will be keeping you busy for a good while.
[Editor’s Note:Wolfenstein: The New Order was reviewed on the Xbox One. The game was provided to us by the publisher for review purposes.]
