Activision Wolfenstein review

Wolfenstein 3D, back in 1992, set the benchmark for the first-person shooter. It also introduced a generation of gamers to the pleasures of gunning down Nazi guards, Nazi dogs and, last but not least, Nazi robotic Hitlers.

Wolfenstein is the latest resurrection of the series, with plenty of occult powers, energy weapons and a few survival horror elements thrown in. You are US military agent BJ Blazkowicz, sent to investigate a secret Nazi weapon which taps into the power of a sinister alternative dimension through a barrier called the Veil. Soon, you learn to use Veil powers yourself to find secret doors, slow time, cast a shield and boost your attacks.

The game looks good, with atmospheric locations. It attempts to create the impression of an open world, but there’s only a little freedom as you move from one resistance group to the next. Crossing Isenstadt is initially a little tedious, then it becomes a real drain on your ammo with endless vicious firefights.

As you explore each of the mission maps, you can uncover hidden areas, intelligence, gold and spooky tomes that boost your mystical abilities; only completists will bother to take the time to achieve 100 per cent scores for each mission’s hidden objects. Gold is required to buy weapon upgrades, but we got through the game easily by focusing on conventional weapons and a few mystic powers in preference to the fancier plasma guns.

Wolfenstein doesn’t feel like a modern game. The boss levels are very old-fashioned, with powerful foes who move in a fixed pattern until you shoot out pillars, energy beams or magical items to destroy them.

While some missions are little more than straightforward Nazi blasting, others are more tense. The laughter of invisible assassins in an abandoned hospital will haunt us for months. It’s not deep, but sinister enemies and plenty of gore make Wolfenstein a real blast.