Were you worried the new Wolfenstein would be a flaming piece of crap? Rest those fears, young one, Raven Software have actually done quite a delightful job.

Though as with any game, the community hasn't reached a universal consensus on this one exactly, our own Lydia Sung has given it her stamp of approval, so if it's something you've been interested in, definitely give it a rental, at least.

Read on for the full review to see if it's up your alley.

id Software brings us a new Wolfenstein for 2009, along with the aid of developer Raven Software and publishing giant Activision. We see the next revival of a classic and influential shooter -- one that popularized FPS -- 17 years after the original, eight after Return to Castle Wolfenstein.

Now Polish-American spy William "B.J." Blazkowicz is back to kick more Nazi ass, with all-new enemies and some lovely German scenery. The Third Reich is up to no good yet again; they're dipping into the occult now in search of the ultimate weapon against the Allies. As always, it's up to one man to stop an army, with the aid of Isenstadt's resistance groups and some magic of his own.

This game runs on the same engine as DOOM 3, which to some feels rather unwhelming. So Wolfenstein should feel pretty familiar to those of you who are well acquainted with first-person shooters. If you find the controls cumbersome, the options allow up to five preset button configurations. Crouch, toss grenades, fire your weapons, punch a Nazi in the head -- all very basic shooter maneuvers.

A diverse range of weapons really defines this game. You have the more conventional stuff like automatic assault rifles -- MP40 and MP43 -- or the Kar 98 carbine. Later on, weapons get progressively stronger and stranger, from the rocket launcher and flamethrower to cannons that fire particle beams or electrical volts (and more). Feeling overpowered? Jack up the difficulty setting; you can change it at any time during the game.

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DOOM 3 engine be damned; Wolfenstein looks good. With an accompanying soundtrack by award-winner composer Bill Brown, the game is reasonably pleasing in the aesthetics departments. Aside from a rich soundtrack, the voice acting is top notch, even with all the German accents.

Raven paid a lot of attention to detail, for those with an eye for it -- like cleverly inserting the developer's logo in-game, or reading about very minor characters and then seeing them later in passing. I'd rather not go into great detail and ruin anything, but little anecdotes like that really bring Wolfenstein to life.

chautemoc via neoseeker.com »