A couple of years ago, Bethesda and Machine Games released Wolfenstein The New Order. It was a bold new take on the series and helped give it new life in the modern era. Now Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus has been released, but does it up the intensity or fall flat?
The first thing I noticed when playing The New Colossus is how gorgeous the game looks. This is one of the best looking games this year and makes full use of the resources it has available to itself. I cannot stress this enough, but Machine Games upped the ante in terms of presentation, and I applaud them for it. Along with that, there is an amazing soundtrack that works so well with the action that occurs. It just fits perfectly even as the scenarios change and this just adds to Wolfenstein’s enjoyablity factor
But now it is time to talk about the gameplay and wow is it amazing. I did notice a few framerate stutters here and there but nothing too major. Playing this on the PS4 was an enjoyable time, and before I knew it, hours had passed.Wolfenstein II gives us multiple ways to take down Nazis and crush them in the name of the resistance, and therein lies the bizarre controversy of the game. For some reason people are offended that Nazis are the villains of the game and that is just strange to hear in this day and age. If anyone would be uncomfortable about anything in the game, it should be the sheer horror of a world where the Nazis won. Admittedly this did in fact bother me a little bit as the grandchild of holocaust survivors, and alternate history fiction like this does give me pause, but I am able to look past it and see the game for what it is.
Wolfenstein II is packed with content, both immediately visible and also hidden for you to find. I do not want to give spoilers, but I enjoyed finding all the secrets the game had to offer. I must admit, if it were not for the framerate issues I mentioned above, I would find this game perfect. I understand that some have issue with the game not having multiplayer modes, but I actually like that the focus was on single player gameplay. DOOM’s multiplayer felt like an ill fit for the game, so I am glad the focus and polish went solely into making a great campaign.
If there is anything I would change though, it is the pacing as the game feels like it slows down too much at times in terms of progression nd advancing in the plot. Again, this is not a deal-breaker and I still love the game. I was wary of this reboot from the beginning due to my family’s experience in World War 2, but these games are so well done, that I have been won over. I highly recommend this game.