Review/Critique: Wolfenstein II

Wolfenstein II

Bethesda Softworks

Review/Critique: As I stated in my picks for May, I am not a big fan of the FPS genre. In fact, to my knowledge, I have never actually played an FPS game to completion. That makes Wolfenstein II the first FPS game I have ever completed and in all honesty, although the rating may be a three out of six, I was actually pleasantly surprised with how much fun I actually had playing the game. Now before I get into the review, a quick aside. I want to try something a little bit different for this review, so bear with me and let me know if you like it more than what I have been doing before for my video game reviews. I would super appreciate feedback!

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         Wolfenstein II was a game I enjoyed far more than I expected to. Maybe it's just because the idea of an FPS game set in an alternate timeline where the Germans win World War II is an inherently fun one... I don't know, but something definitely clicked for me around the 3-4 hour mark. I was going level to level, slinging guns left and right, decking out my character, you name it. The game hit its stride, and then like a raging tornado abruptly came to a close. It took a while to get going, but when it did I really enjoyed it. Unfortunately, it's not all sunshine and rainbows. The game has some enormous flaws that keep me from feeling any more positively about it than I do. For now though let's start with the positives.

Things I liked

The Combat: I think it's to be assumed that this would be the element of any action focused game that would be the most enjoyable, but just how enjoyable it was surprised me. Once I started getting into the thick of things, started to find the types of guns I preferred to use, and started upgrading them, the combat became very enjoyable. This game is actually quite challenging - especially for someone who is bad at FPS games (like me!) and while at times that got frustrating, in the end learning from my mistakes, and altering my plan of action to complete the level was incredibly rewarding. It was like solving a puzzle but with a lot more blood than usual.

The Progression: This goes off of my last point a bit, but nevertheless the progression in this game was really satisfying. I think it could have definitely been fleshed out and executed a lot better, but for the most part the progression system was a major highlight of the game. The ability to upgrade your abilities by using them more is a type of progression I absolutely adore. It keeps you ever present in your approach to things with the knowledge that not only what you choose to do, but how you choose to do it, comes with a reward - that reward being that you can better play the game the way you want to play it. Unfortunately the things you can do and get better at aren't really all that exciting, but hey they are there! As well once I started to like certain guns more than others it became really exciting for me to upgrade them and personalize them to my liking. It's an element I didn't expect to like as much as I did, and I'm very happy it was included.

The Art Style: Unsurprisingly I really liked the visual style of this game. I was really impressed as well with how good it looked on the Switch (the console I chose to play it on). The art style was the initial reason I was drawn to the game over other FPS titles, and it definitely delivered strongly on it. The game looks very, very good.

The Theming: I feel like theming is something that people don't talk about nor value enough in games. It's something this game (and the series as a whole from what I have been told) does really well too. On top of art style, the old fashioned american vibe is ever present. There are little items scattered around, post cards and the like that make the game feel more immersive and overall stylistically consistent and I really enjoyed it.

No Handholding: Something I am experiencing with the game I am playing for the month of May that has really bothered me is the amount of hand-holding. Instead of cleverly directing the player in the right direction through use of items or visual cues, the game just literally tells you where to go or gives you a big fucking arrow pointing you the right way. That's not the case in this game. This game does an amazing job at showing, not telling, the player where to go. The game places ammunition, health packs, and armor (all things you need and need often) in the direction you need to go so you never get lost, and never need the game to yell at you.

Things I didn't like:

How short it is: This is my absolute biggest gripe with the game. This game has a bunch of RPG elements, but by the time you feel like you've really gotten to the "end game" it's over. I am bad at FPS games keep in mind, and I completed the game in about 11 hours. From reading online some people more skilled than I completed the game in as little as 7 hours. That is laughably short - especially when the first two levels in my opinion were agonizingly boring. To be fair there is a lot to find if you are trying to 100% the game, but the levels are so linear that exploring them isn't really all that rewarding. This leads me into my next problem.

Linearity: Now if you know me, you will know that I am actually a huge fan of more linear games. I think "open world" as a game-play element is far too over-saturated, and really appreciate the consistent experience you get from a game that's more linear. I also think linear games get way too much flack from the gaming community at large, so when I say that this game is too linear I am not assuming linearity to be a bad thing. In the context of this game though, it is. I wanted to explore the small number of levels far more than they allowed me to, to get more use out of my uniquely stated character, to find more upgrades, but alas I could not. It felt like it was the way the game was meant to be, but the devs just didn't have enough time to realize that reality. So often the game gives you the illusion of exploration but in reality it's just a series of hallways one after the other. This element greatly disappointed me.

The Characters: None of the characters were "bad" but most of them would have definitely benefited from some more development. Perhaps it's just because I haven't played the previous two games, but I felt no attachment to most any of the characters. This is a glaring issue since one of the characters is your wife. I wish I would've cared more about her so I could relate to the main character's internal struggle in dealing with the need to protect her and his own mortality, but I just couldn't when she got maybe twenty minutes of screen time total.

The Story had some Bullshit: There is a lot of bullshit in this story. I'm not one to comment on the story elements of a game unless they are horrendously bad or unbelievably good, and I'll be honest this game doesn't really fall in either category - but god damn are there some moments where you just go "what the actual fuck is going on." Not much more needs to be said, if you play the game you will know exactly what I'm talking about.

I suck at FPS games: This is a sad, but very honest truth I have to accept. I am certain that if I was better at FPS games I would have had more fun. Like I said before, I had much more fun than I would have ever expected, but I couldn't help getting frustrated at dying over and over again not because of any particular level of difficulty, but because I am just am not skilled enough at the genre.

Recommendation: I've gotta be honest with you guys, this is the hardest game I've played so far to recommend. Not because it's bad, but because I just don't really know much about FPS games. I assume for instance, that if you like games like Fallout and Bioshock that you would enjoy this game, but you may also find it doesn't have strong enough RPG elements for you. I also assume if you like games like Gears of War or Doom that you would like this game, but it's possible the execution of the FPS elements in this game are awful and I just wouldn't have the knowledge to say. From my limited knowledge though, I think the FPS elements in this game are executed just fine, so I will say this. I believe if the premise of this game sounds interesting and you like the FPS genre, you will likely enjoy this game. If you don't like FPS games, maybe this can be your gateway game, but honestly I would say you will probably struggle to make it through the grueling first two levels. Give it a try if you have the time and interest, otherwise don't worry about it. I don't think you'll be missing anything life-affirming.
Now that I have played this game to completion, I am simply more interested in playing other games in the FPS genre. I enjoyed myself alright and have a feeling there are plenty of other FPS games out there I would enjoy just as much or more. No matter how I feel about the game at the end of the day, it has given me something I believe to be invaluable. For that I will always be grateful!

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And that's it for my review of Wolfenstein II! Next up, Picks for June! Been waiting a while for this one, can't wait to share it with you all. Until then!

- Malachi