When I was around ten years old, Wolfenstein 3D was one of my favorite games. I spent hours sitting in front of the family computer, shooting down Nazis, looking for hidden doors behind swastika-branded flags, and wandering around castle corridors hoping to find health packs. Largely because of the sense of nostalgia attached to the franchise, I have been looking forward to this summer’s next-gen Wolfenstein ever since it was announced. When I got a brief look at the game at New York Comic Con, I wasn’t overwhelmed. However, getting a longer, closer eyes-on with Wolfenstein at E3 has renewed my faith that this will be, if nothing else, a fun shooter with some interesting gameplay mechanics.

Wolfenstein once again places you in a World War II setting, with the Nazis under order from our old friend Adolf Hitler to take over the world. They have a little extra help this time, harnessing a dark energy source known as the Black Sun. However, the Nazis aren’t the only ones dabbling in supernatural abilities; you have a power at your disposal called “the Veil”, which was explained as some sort of alternate dimension. While in the Veil, time appears to slow down, allowing you to dodge attacks and take down enemies. While in the Veil, the game takes on a bluish lighting effect. Alternately, when your surroundings appear in black and white, it means you can’t use the Veil due to a Nazi machine. You must take out the device that is blocking your power before you can enter the Veil again.



Like I stated earlier, both sides are invoking the help of supernatural elements in this war, so many of the foes you come across will be more powerful than your standard Nazi. One enemy that we saw, called the Assassin, can also use the Veil, making him particularly annoying to kill. In addition to a variety of foes, there also seems to be a good number of weapons to use throughout the game. We saw several, but the one I took note of was the particle cannon, which easily decimated everyone in the room (and looked completely awesome). You can also put silencers on standard weapons for those moments when you need to be a little bit stealthier (like when you can’t use the Veil).

The last thing we saw was what I assume was a boss fight, which was a huge creature reminiscent of the Tank from Left 4 Dead. As our private demo ended, I turned to the person next to me and said “This looks awesome!” It really looks like a lot of fun. Though many of the elements seen in Wolfenstein have been used in video games before, it still has a chance to stand out and make its mark. At the very least, it should be a good time. All I know is I’m looking forward to playing the full version a lot more now that I’ve gotten a closer look.