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"A timeless classic of guns n' glory."

I remember several years ago, while visiting the dorm room of one of my future college roommates, I was poking around on his computer and came across Wolfenstein 3D. I didn’t play it at the time, but I asked him what it was. He said, “Oh, it’s a game where you’re this gun barrel that goes around shooting people.” I envisioned this side scrolling game where you were a floating gun blasting 2D enemies, and though, “Wow! That sounds lame!” It wasn’t until months later when I realized my dating prospects for Saturday night were nil and I was broke that I went to subject myself to Wolfenstein for lack of anything better to do. All I can say is that the Nazi’s weren’t the only ones blown away that night! I was instantly addicted to Wolfenstein 3D on that fateful night, and still am today, even with all of the newer first person shooters out there (and there are many!). Why is it that I constantly feel the need to step into action in B.J.’s boots? Well, here are my thoughts:

Story 10/10

Set in WWII, this game follows the adventures of B.J. Blazkowicz in his missions to infiltrate various Nazi strongholds, neutralize any opposition, and get out alive. There are six different episodes in this game, each consisting of about 10 levels, and each represents a different chapter in B.J.’s ongoing mission to stamp out the Nazi’s evil schemes and, ultimately, destroy Hitler himself before he can hatch another twisted scheme. Fun, if not a little historically inaccurate, but that whole inaccuracy thing never bothered me much.

Gameplay 8/10

This game was invented before jumping and looking up and “head bob” were a big part of first person shooters, so those elements aren’t a part of this game, but if you can overlook that simple fact, the controls in this game are very smooth. You follow the game through B.J.’s perspective, from behind his gun barrel, as you travel the maze-like corridors of Nazi castles and bunkers, eliminating enemies of different types while collecting treasure and trying to stay alive. This is easier said than done, as you will confront increasingly difficult foes while contending with limited supplies of ammunition and health. At the end of each episode you must confront a boss enemy of some sort, usually big, ugly, and fairly tough. Most of my motivation for flying through level after level is to confront the bosses, which for the most part are enjoyably challenging. All in all, the gameplay in this game is fairly straightforward. The only frustrations you may encounter are the occasional long searches for specific keys to doors you need to pass to move on. Often, once you’ve found the key, you can’t remember where the door you wanted to use it on was, and without an automap feature, you’re left to your own devices and memory. One of the things I like the best about Wolfenstein, though, is that it takes us back to simpler days before multi-tiered levels or dangerous jumps or complicated underwater mazes. It takes us to a time when all you had to really focus on was getting the first shot off and staying alive. This may not sound appealing to everyone, but after putting in some time in Duke Nukem 3d, Shadow Warrior, and the various Dark Forces and Jedi Knight games, I found it incredibly refreshing dwelling in the less complex 3 dimensional plane of Wolfenstein. I like to think of this game as the granddaddy of Medal of Honor, one of my all time favorite Playstation games...except Medal didn’t have undead mutants or ghost-Hitler decoys...what a shame. A very fun and very easy to play game.


Graphics 8/10

Looking at the graphics of this game, then reading my review, you may be saying, “What? Is he crazy? They aren’t that great!” Well, not by the standards of today, but if you look back at the time when this game first was introduced, and take into account the fact that there were no other decent first person shooters to speak of at the time, they’re pretty damn good. Considering how far back it was that this game came out, if you ever play the SNES version, you’ll be scratching your head wondering why they couldn’t duplicate the graphics of the original half as well in that console interpretation (which I also reviewed). Occasionally, there is a lot of repetition without a break in the scenery in certain areas of this game, and some rooms are filled wall to wall with the same poster or emblem, but for the most part, there is enough variety in the visuals of this game to keep you occupied. When all is said and done, this game looks pretty good.

Sound 6/10

The sounds in this game are pretty decent. The crack of your pistol firing, the sound of your chain gun spewing hot slugs, and the other various noises sound just right. The enemy voices sound pretty good, with a couple of exceptions, but they’re in German, so unless you speak the language, you probably won’t understand them anyway. Each enemy type says something different when they are nearby, so this will help you prepare for coming threats. The music is subtle, and not exactly ground breaking, but it does manage to set a mood of danger and spy-like intrigue. The music can get a little repetitive if you’ve gotten stuck in a level for a lengthy period of time, but name a game where that doesn’t happen. Overall, this game sounds pretty good, especially for an older PC game.

All in all, this game is a classic, and for some reason, seems to never get old. Even after my stints with the more involved first person shooters of the modern era, I still love this game. First person shooter fans can’t help but enjoy this game. Be forewarned, however...this game can be very violent and bloody at times, and is not for the faint of heart...especially when you finally defeat Hitler and he literally collapses into a bloody pulp. If that doesn’t bother you, than you’ll find a lot to like in this game, and playing it through from start to finish will keep you occupied for quite a while. Years after it’s debut and height of popularity, I still find myself unable to resist the desire to revisit Castle Wolfenstein. An undying classic.



Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/09/03, Updated 06/09/03

Several patches were released for Wolf3D, as follows:
Version 1.0 = original release
Version 1.1 = unknown
Version 1.2 = Secret level bug fix on episode 1 level 1.

You can tell if you have the shareware only version by looking at the files in the game directory. If you only have a .WL1 file and not a .WL6 file you have the shareware game. These files store the game data for the levels. Spear of Destiny can also be added to the game just by putting the level files (.SOD, .SD2, or .SD3) into the game directory.