Wolfenstein: The New Order is the latest in the series of Nazi-killing shooter games first introduced in 1981.  Games and gameplay have come a long way since then, and this latest episode by Bethesda and Machine Games is a loving tribute to the series, to first-person shooter games, and to all the alt-history stories wherein Hitler and his ilk somehow not only survived but bested the Allies and developed world-wide Reich.

Wolfenstein: The New Order (hereafter referred to as The New Order) is gloriously unapologetic in its hatred of the Nazi’s and their atrocities as well as in its gleefully gory elimination of said Nazi’s.   This game is far from politically correct and has the potential of challenging the comfort level of even the most ardent Allies, however, if you are a fan of first person shooters this game has so much to offer in the way of faux-violent fun that I cannot but admit that I have stayed up until the wee hours playing it ever since picking it up over the weekend.  Despite its weak ending and a few nit-picky flaws, The New Order was just the kind of recharging entertainment that I needed after a very busy Spring.

My rating: 8/10

Before I get into more detailed thoughts on The New Order, how about a trailer?

You are William “B.J.” Blazkowicz, a recurring character in the Wolfenstein universe. Blazkowicz is an American spy stationed in Europe, and in the New Order he finds himself, through a series of events I will not spoil, awakening 14 years later, in 1960, to a world taken over by the Nazi’s. As the trailer indicates, this has resulted in an alternate history; a history in which the major post-war accomplishments were done for the glory of the Reich.

Shooters rarely have anything in the way of a deep, involved story. Story generally is not the point–big, percussive, deadly weapons of destruction are the point. So it won’t come as any great surprise that the story here is not going to win any writing awards. That being said, there is a story that develops as well as some character bonding that creates and emotional tie. For me the best part of the “story”, however, was the sequence of scenes upon Blazkowicz’s awakening that catch him and the player up with what has happened in the world. While things are rarely as simple as stating unequivocally, “If this would have happened, then that would have been the result”, it did make me think about what might have happened had someone else used the atomic bomb before we did. It also made me think of what the other side(s) must have thought and perhaps still do about how history has turned out post-WW II.

At any rate, you guide Blazkowicz through the game as he seeks to lead a small band of rebels to jump-start the overthrow of the Nazi empire. In so doing you understandably kill a lot of people…and dogs. Nazi’s seem to like to weaponize their pooches for some odd reason. You are equipped with an array of standard WWII-era weaponry, however, this alternate history also has its own level of anachronistic technological advances that exist as the result of another story element that, again, I will not spoil. What this leaves you with is a very cool, robot-punk 1960’s in which to enact your heroic vengeance.

I played this on the Xbox 360 and the graphics are outstanding. I can only imagine that they are better on the next generation consoles and on the PC. The sound is stunning. Weapons sound and “feel” heavy and powerful. If you like the sound of gunshots swirling around you as you unleash your destructive capabilities, this is the game for you. The world you visit throughout the game is richly detailed and goes a long way towards immersing you in the story. In addition to the standard European landscapes (albeit ones that are all Nazi-fied), you get to fly in a helicopter, drive a personal underwater craft, spend time on a German U-boat, on a train, in an underwater lair, and on the moon.

Yes, the Nazi’s made it to the moon.

The variety is fun, even if the game designers didn’t always take advantage of it. For example, for most of your time on the moon you are inside a corridor-filled moon base. You get to walk briefly on the surface, and experience the lower gravity, but the experience is far too brief. This is one of a handful of small complaints.

I don’t like games were the saves are scripted vs. being able to save whenever you want. It is 2014, folks. Let us decide when we want to save a game. Scripted saving means that sometimes you find yourself spending time sneaking around dispatching your enemies quietly (which takes time) only to end up being killed before hitting that magical spot where the game saves itself for you. Not only is this frustrating, but it leads to running and gunning the next time through so you don’t spend a bunch of time setting yourself up to play the same sequences again and again. On the plus side, you can adjust difficulty level on the fly, without having to exit the game to do so.

The rotating wheel of available weapons is nice for letting you see what Blazkowicz is carrying at any one time, however it doesn’t always work smoothly when you are trying to change weapons. And as opening the inventory this way does not pause gameplay, getting shot while trying to choose a weapon that actually has bullets is no fun.

And finally, in the complaints department, the end was a disappointment. Not in “how” it ended, per se, but in the fact that they do not show you the explosive ending that you were working to set up. My thoughts are that this was done in order to jump start the story for the next game, however, even if that is the point I would prefer more of a cut scene to wrap up the story for me.

All of these are minor quibbles in what is otherwise exactly what I wanted when I went out to buy The New Order. More fun elements include the occasional Max-Payne-like voice over as Blazkowicz waxes poetic, interesting level-design (my favorite being a blown up bridge/train), hidden treasures that you can pick up along the way, and a hideout where you can experience a sleep-induced nightmare which allows you to play the very old, dated Wolfenstein game. This was such a great nod to the game’s history.

In light of yet another senseless gun-related tragedy I would be remiss in not pointing out my own qualms in even reviewing this game. Not long ago I was part of an online discussion with folks my age (45) and older about how we should feel about violent, revenge-driven, kill-happy video games. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t very conflicted over them. I don’t believe violent video games beget violence, nor do I believe they alone desensitize youth (or anyone else) to the tragedy of real violence. I personally don’t use them as a means of catharsis to release pent-up rage or murderous intentions. Violence is a HUGE part of the entertainment industry in America in books, films, television shows and video games. This does not make it right, nor should we sit idly by and declare that all of it is “okay”. I won’t presume to do that here. I am never 100% certain it is even “okay” for me to be indulging in the more violent games, and Wolfenstein: The New Order is one of those.

It is an interesting and complex issue that I would be happy to discuss here. But given that I did purchase, play and enjoy the game, it seemed disingenuous to not review it while being bluntly honest about my enjoyment of the game and the qualms I do feel about violence as entertainment in general.

If you’ve enjoyed any of the previous Wolfenstein games, there is a lot to like here. If you haven’t played them but like first-person shooter games, this is well worth playing. I give the designers and developers props for all that they did right with this title.

If you have opinions about these type of games, or violence as entertainment on any level, please feel free to share. We are all adults and can engage in thoughtful, non-judgmental dialogue here.