![]() |
|
|
PC | Gamecube | DS | Wii | PlayStation 2 | PlayStation 3 | PSP | Xbox | Xbox 360 |
|
|
News | Reviews | Previews | Features | Classics | Goodies | Anime | Forums |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Game of the Year Edition Score: 9.0 / 10
When a title receives the much-trumpeted “Game of the Year” distinction and is repackaged with the catchphrase slathered all over the box gamers should expect some significantly new material to warrant the re-release. Aside from the smattering of additional multiplayer options, a couple of video clips, and some Penny Arcade strips, Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Game of the Year (RtCW: GOTY) doesn’t have any extras that warrant purchasing it if you grabbed it the first time around. That is, unless you want to snag the original 256-color Wolfenstein 3D that is included on the disc.
Be warned though, Wolfenstein 3D takes some patience to get running. Even running under Windows 98, I had some major reconfiguring to do to get it running properly.
The inclusion of the original is a nice touch and it acts as a baseline for what you play through in RtCW: GOTY. Like the regular RtCW, you’re in the boots of BJ Blaskowitz tasked with sending Himmler to Hell and eliminating various mutants and undead warriors so that the Third Reich can be squashed once and for all. That’s what happens in a nutshell – even more basically: kill Nazis from point A to point B. |
Advertisement
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Along the way there is Nazi gold to recover, secret rooms to unlock, and many different weapons to kill bad guys with, including the much-ballyhooed flamethrower. It’s all standard stuff with a little arcane magic and occult practices thrown in for good measure – but, boy, is it fun.
Predictably, RtCW: GOTY uses the Quake III engine. On a powerful rig, things look great and the audio cues easily match the visual |
Advertisement |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
presentation. If you have a less-than stellar rig, you have to put up with smeared textures, but it still manages to move at a good pace. However, the automatic settings are very conservative, with settings cranked down for the highest possible framerate. As with practically every PC game, you’ll have to change the settings to match your preferences.
Multiplayer is rock solid. The Quake III engine has been around for a while now so it’s been refined to the point that setting up or logging onto a server is a simple matter. RtCW: GOTY comes with a few extra multiplayer maps direct from Nerve.
Honestly, I haven’t played this much multiplayer (of an action game) since Counter-Strike loosened its grip on me (C&C Renegade coming a close second). And although I wiled away many hours turning the opposition to toast and liberally covering them in butter, I still logged quite a few hours with the single-player game – playing through it a couple of times. I haven’t experienced this since Half-Life.
Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Game of the Year, is a recommended purchase for those that missed it the first time around. For first-timers, the action is great fun with a great mix of single and multiplayer options, and it’s money well spent. For old-schoolers, although it has few extras none warrant buying another copy of RtCW.
- Omni (August 7, 2002)
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
Affiliates: - BDGamers - - CnC Den - - CivFanatics- - Creative Uncut - - Darkstation - - DarkZero - Devil May Cry - Dreamstation.cc - - Fable 2 - - GameZone - - Gaming World X - - Mario-Kart.net - - PS2 Fantasy- - PS3 : Playstation Universe - -TalkXbox - - Zelda Dungeon - |
|
All articles ©2000 - 2008 The Armchair Empire. All game and anime imagery is the property of their respective owners. |