E3 2013: Wolfenstein Nails It...So Far

Bethesda is always a delight to visit during E3. From our first looks at Rage and Prey 2 (hey, it was a great moment seeing it for the first time), to the reveal of Skyrim, the Bethesda booth is one place I'm always really looking forward to visiting. This year we were to take a look at The Evil Within and one game in particular that's especially close to my heart. Wolfenstein.

I don't need to tell those familiar with my work how much I love Wolfenstein. And to those who are new here...I do. But I've been a bit worried about The New Order since we're used to the franchises we love being horribly assaulted in the name of “rejuvenating” a series for the masses, and honestly I was afraid the same would happen here. Well I've seen Wolfenstein: The New Order, and I've played it. I'm here to tell you that it's pretty damn good. So far.

The behind closed doors look at The New Order started with showing B.J. Blazkowicz undercover in a Nazi train car. We weren't really give any context to this scene but we've already seen some stealth and subterfuge in the game so this is most probably an extension of those elements. B.J. is called over to a table where an elderly Nazi woman is sitting with her male (and implied sex-toy) companion named Boobi. We sit down and are forced to go through an “Ayran Purity Test” as the woman continually glances at the pistol to her right. But this isn't just some cutscene. As the scene plays out, the player actually has to choose from the cards put in front of him, all in a highly tense atmosphere reminiscent of the drug deal scene in Boogy Nights. No, I'm not exaggerating. It's that good. Shortly thereafter (I'm not going to tell you how the scene plays out) we're introduced to a short cutscene between B.J. and one of his woman allies that's so well played, so well acted, so highly produced that it could come out of an Uncharted game. I love Wolfenstein, and I had high hopes for this entry, but never did I expect the production value in these scenes to be so high. The moment they become available to the public I'll be sharing them with the world and screaming it from the rooftops.

Of course Wolfenstein isn't normally adventure moments and cutscenes. The shooting came next and even I'll admit that it's a bit jarring to go from highly produced cutscene to standard shooter fair. Maybe it was dichotomy, or perhaps it was a bad level to show, but the shooting didn't really latch on to me until I tried it myself after the theater presentation. Then I found that Wolfenstein almost plays a bit like Killzone. There is a leaning and popping mechanic you can use when close to cover, the weapons feel appropriately heavy and the levels feature a metric F-Ton of destructible environmental features. You can blow cover away from enemies, shoot through cover and even -in a few instances- make alternative pathways for yourself. Of course this works against you as well, meaning that no cover is completely safe for very long and also diminishing the moments where you're just sitting there waiting for an enemy to pop their head out so you can take a shot.

The levels also feature various ways to complete objectives. When I was attacked by a giant Nazi robot I first choose to take him down by flanking to the second level of the area and shooting him from above by moving from pillar to pillar as he tried to take me out. But another time I found a back room with a ventilation shaft that led to a chain holding an airplane suspended above where the mech was standing. I could have gone through that pathway and dropped the deadly cargo onto him instead. In fact, the developer told me that I was only one of a handful of people at E3 who found that alternative pathway.

Fighting the robot also held some of that Binary Domain magic as pieces of him fell off and exploded as the battle raged on. Maybe not as good as BD, but certainly acceptable and fun.

B.J. Is also far from a silent protagonist this time around. In fact, he's funny as hell. One liners come often, but are never too eye-rolley, but the best moment was when I found a series of pictures showing the Nazi's putting a man on the moon. When I got closer to them B.J. Responded. “You Nazi's put a man on the moon? Fuck you, moon.”

“Fuck you, moon.” might be the best line ever uttered in all of video games.

I loved what I played of Wolfenstein but there was still one thing I wanted to know. Still one thing I didn't quite experience in my playthrough. In the closing moments of E3, as I was leaving the Bethesda booth, I found one of the Wolfenstein developers and asked him if there would be wall secrets with treasure in the game. “It wouldn't be a Wolfenstein game without them” he said.

Good answer. Good answer.