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Wolfenstein® II: The New Colossus™ is the highly anticipated sequel to the critically acclaimed, Wolfenstein®: The New Order™ developed by the award-winning studio MachineGames.
An exhilarating adventure brought to life by the industry-leading id Tech® 6, Wolfenstein® II sends players to Nazi-controlled America on a mission to recruit the boldest resistance leaders left. Fight the Nazis in iconic American locations, equip an arsenal of badass guns, and unleash new abilities to blast your way through legions of Nazi soldiers in this definitive first-person shooter.
STORY:
America, 1961. Your assassination of Nazi General Deathshead was a short-lived victory. Despite the setback, the Nazis maintain their stranglehold on the world. You are BJ Blazkowicz, aka “Terror-Billy,” member of the Resistance, scourge of the Nazi empire, and humanity’s last hope for liberty. Only you have the guts, guns, and gumption to return stateside, kill every Nazi in sight, and spark the second American Revolution.
It’s always an interesting conflict of events when a virtual product manages to resonate with current events. This was especially true in the advertising leading up to the release of Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus, in which plays of presidential tag-lines were used to full effect: the desire to “Make America Nazi Free Again” by being a part of the revolution. Of course, this territory is nothing new for the Wolfenstein series, which made its mark by letting you shoot Nazis and take down Mecha-Hitler from as early as 1981 – so one could argue it’s nothing new, but holding a mirror to real life whether on purpose or just by the nature of the theme of their game series certainly helped create Wolfenstein 2 hype.
The reboot of Wolfenstein that came around in 2014 is still one of my favourite titles to revisit. It is, at its core, a hard-going tale of a soldier’s desire for revenge in a world that is falling apart. The gameplay is smooth in its combat – if not a little dull – but it had some genuinely amazing sequences and an ending that, coupled with great soundtrack choices, made me pretty emotional. We were also treated to The Old Blood as a DLC excerpt that was good, if not a little clunky with the way it transitioned from chapter to chapter.
This made Wolfenstein 2 a release day purchase for me. The Special Edition, no less – and regardless of any opinion I have formed on Wolfenstein 2, I can happily say I own a BJ Blazkowicz action man now. But gimmicks aside, I was most excited for the game itself. You are immediately treated to a recap of the events of the first game (sans The Old Blood, as it was a prelude) before diving into the current one. Where The New Order treated us to a jumble of flashforwards and time-skips, the second title manages to give us not only time-skips forward, but flashbacks as well. You hit the shock factor almost straight away with an introduction to BJ’s abusive Texan father and his caring Polish mother.
While not wholly unexpected of a game that centres around kicking the daylights out of Nazis, Wolfenstein 2 is not afraid of the shock factor. We are immediately set up to hate BJ’s father for the racist epithet throwing, domestic abuser that he is. We learn that BJ has obviously taken on more of his mother’s sentiments about life, but that the harsh treatment by his father is what pushed him to be resilient. It is also what sent him off to the army, ironically starting off the chain of events through the games series. It seems like a strange inclusion at the start of the game, though there are few loaded guns in this game that don’t go off eventually; your father does, eventually, get what’s coming to him, and the setup makes it worth it.
This is something I find Wolfenstein 2 succeeds at greater than its predecessor with only few exceptions. It is fantastic at build up, and at surprising you. There are some strong twists in the story, and unlike The New Order, the plot moves at a greater pace, allowing it to feel like more of a rollercoaster and less of a log flume. It certainly lacks in some of the huge set piece boss fights of The New Order or, to compare it to its sister title, DOOM. But the spectacle is made up for in some equally impressive visual sequences. To not say too much of spoilers: this is a game that you get to control robots; fly into space; and fall from the sky. You also get to shoot Nazis while wheelchair bound, and – as someone with limited mobility – I found that bit particularly gratifying.
It does miss the mark in some parts. We get to know the characters that BJ works with more, and they seem to have become caricatures of themselves since The New Order. This isn’t necessarily bad, either, as it fits with the changing tone of the game. You find yourself in the midst of an underground rebellion that is finding its purpose and is driven on by loss early on in the story. It has gone from being a story about one man’s revenge to BJ becoming a figurehead of revolution. You want a cast of NPCs that you remember the personalities of. There are some great new additions to the cast, too.
From this is one of my greatest criticisms of the game: you need to play the first one. You might say that’s not a real criticism, but you may have noticed that I am greatly comparing the two titles to one another. It’s fairly necessary, in my eyes, because to understand why Frau Engel (the main villain of Wolfenstein 2) hates BJ quite so much, you need to see what happened in The New Order. To fathom why Anya, his partner, is so important, you need to see what happened to the pair of them in the first title to fathom the bond between them both. While the recap at the start of the game is efficient enough in laying out baseline events it doesn’t help grasp the emotional side of the storyline.
One of my other gripes is connected to this, and is in the form of the “Wyatt or Fergus” dilemma. In The New Order, you have to make a very crushing decision about one of your team-mates early on in the campaign. It shapes who you have around you for the rest of the game; devices you can learn; weapons you can use and even one of the boss fights. It is a decision that shapes the narrative. In Wolfenstein 2, you have to choose again through a flashback of Deathshead – a villain is criminally missing in references in the newer game otherwise – so there can be a chronological order to things. You are given back the gun relevant to whichever team-mate you choose, and that’s more or less it. There are some minor story points relating to either Fergus or Wyatt, but it feels like a missed opportunity.
All in all, I would definitely recommend picking up a copy of Wolfenstein: The New Colossus. It has faults, but they are compensated for by the flow of combat, an effective storyline and the additional content. There is more to do after the plot ends, as you begin to build your revolution on the back of your pains and your triumphs. And, being true to Wolfenstein as a series, there is a ton of stuff to collect, giving it appeal to any of you out there with a desire for completion. However, if you haven’t picked up the first title, or its DLC yet, I would put Wolfenstein 2 to one side until you get to do so.
This is a game that is best experienced when you know BJ as he has come to be now, along with his comrades at arms against the Nazi menace. It is best experienced knowing why you are fighting and what you’re fighting for. While the hype train was strong with its brilliant and topical viral advertising, Wolfenstein 2 has its story at its core. The New Order taught us about revenge; The New Colossus sings of revolution. It would be easy to get swept up on Nazi killing alone – and that is important within the game, obviously – but this is a title that needs to be known to really hit home.
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus gets a facist bashing 4 out of 5
~Vamp
Claeya is one of our regulars here at Sanitarium.FM and in September, won our monthly chat giveaway. After asking for a copy of the DLC instead of the usual prizes, she kindly wrote up a quick DLC review, because she’s awesome!
~Lone
It’s been almost 8 months since Horizon Zero Dawn graced our tv screens on the ps4, and it’s been just over 7 since I completed it.
It took me a little while to get back into the play style which wasn’t a big deal at all, what did grate me slightly was that I had finished the game’s main campaign and the first thing you hear when you start the Frozen Wilds DLC is Sylens complaining that you’re not focused and off track from the “mission”. I did that mission; and like some other games before it Horizon Zero Dawn opted to push you back to just before the last chapter afterwards.
This all correlates to having forgotten some intricate details which get fleshed out and the small feeling that this story would have fit nicely in the game without the need to buy and add it on top of what’s already happened.
Aside from these things however the Frozen Wilds is just as engaging as Horizon has always been. Beautiful scenery and captivating gameplay continuing to move you forward and keeping you exploring every area. In this Aloy finally has full contact with the Banuk, a socially outcast tribe made up of many smaller tribes who would rather live in the almost uninhabitable snow tops of Yellowstone than anywhere else.
You have to help them sort their troubles out and stop Hephaestus, a program that was part of the GAIA project originally that we heard of during the main campaign, whose been working tirelessly to create these strong machines called Daemons that really want you dead. If you thought going up against a Thunderjaw sucked just wait until you have to fight a Daemonic Fireclaw! Boy oh boy.
It didn’t take long to finish and they threw the usual find valuables quest’s in to bulk it out along with a few side quests. I’m most certainly hoping that this isn’t the last we’ll see of Horizon Zero Dawn even if there’s no more to add here, in this game.
A solid 8.8/10 for me with this DLC.
Again, a HUGE thank you to Claeya for writing this guest review, if you’d like to review or even join us as a DJ or video editor, join us on Discord!
~Lone
Horizon Zero Dawn – Frozen Wilds DLC is available to buy for Playstation 4 here
The joy of the prevalence of video games in recent times, is that it’s easier to explain your niche to others. This made it especially easy to explain to strangers why I was dressed as a character from Overwatch on a busy Sunday train to Birmingham, as I made my way to EGX at the NEC. And, while I am a regular convention goer and equally an avid gamer I had never been to a games specific expo before.
EGX is a mainstay for the big name gaming companies, with many demonstrations and presentations on new titles; regular Twitch streams by devs; cosplay competitions and merchandise on the floor. It has big draw for casual gamers, for families, and for industry professionals – and even for those looking for advice for how to make gaming their career. With all this in mind I was definitely expecting a busy day of exploring the expo floor and hopefully getting to try out some games in the process.
The upside was there was definitely plenty to see and do from a browsing standpoint. From the moment you walked in there were people handing out fliers and codes for promotions. The indie games area, EGX Rezzed, dominated the front zone even before you started to approach any of the larger name companies. I found this quite refreshing, as a demonstration of the importance of the indie market, and offered a great mix of games to play in genres ranging from very family friendly, to viral horror potential.
There were a good number of competitive gaming areas on show. This included the ESL E-Sports Arena; The Road to EGX Overwatch tournament; and a Street Fighter V tournament that had a raucous and excited crowd. It was great to see audience participation encouraged, as these areas had huge viewing screens that allowed folks to stand back and immerse themselves in the action, and to get behind the players throwing down – sometimes, quite literally – on screen.
Being present Sunday meant catching the tail-end of the various exciting panels that were available to attendees, but EGX had provided streams via Twitch the entire weekend and these could be caught up on through mobile even if it wasn’t physically possible to get inside. These can also be watched back on the EGX YouTube channel and give a good insight into many of the games that were on parade as well as industry insights.
The biggest draw still came in the shape of the big names, with Sony, Microsoft, Ubisoft, Nintendo, Sega, Square Enix and Blizzard all having their own zones broken up over the expo. There were long waits for anyone who wanted a sneak peek at titles such as Farcry 5 or Assassin’s Creed Origins, to learn more about recent releases like Destiny 2, or even to try their hands at Youtube phenomenons like PlayerUnknown Battlegrounds.
There were upsides and downsides throughout my time on the expo floor. The biggest obstacle I found as a casual con-goer was that when it came to trying things out I didn’t get to see or do quite as much as I might’ve liked. Though the Indie Rezzed zone occupied most of the entrance area many games were only available on one or two screens at best.
A prevalent theme throughout the whole expo was that there didn’t seem to be many people enforcing rotation of players, either. On one occasion I came over to the Overwatch area after having been there an hour previous, and the same folks were still playing on many of the computers available. It made it much more evident to me why so many people make EGX a four day long event, in order to get as much gaming in as possible.
But where there was sometimes a lack of gaming there was still a lot of engagement. Representatives were generally happy to talk with con-goers. There was a cosplay stage in the centre of the convention where people could go and watch others that had turned their love of gaming into a creative outlet. There was some great merchandise available, from t-shirts to bags, figures to tech accessories.
Another great addition came in the form of a board gaming area, which had the Playopolis board game library working with EGX for the first time. They were providing games for visitors to sit together and play in the seating area. Some upcoming titles were demonstrating as well, including the MMORPG inspired City of Kings, were set out for folks who wanted physical gaming as well as digital gaming. There were some board gaming specialist vendors, too, making it just as easy to take the same experiences home with you.
Thank you to everyone who came and tried out The City of Kings @EGX it was great to meet you all and I look forward to next year #EGXpic.twitter.com/QX8f7XdkbB
All in all, I found my first experience of EGX a fun one, with most of the hiccups I encountered ones that could be easily rectified with a little pre-planning, or even spending a longer time at the convention over its four day length. And, with the joyous prevalence of video games in recent times, who knows – it may be even bigger and better than ever the next time it rolls around.
Welcome back! In the last part I went over the first half of the Final Fantasy XIV Stormblood live letter at E3 and in this part I will cover the Q&A as well as the announcements at the end.
They started the Q&A by addressing some of the concerns about the potential state of White Mage: many people have cited the lack of utility in its kit and their new mechanic favours mana inefficient single target healing over more powerful healing spells such as their potent regeneration abilities and area of effects in exchange for reduced cooldowns on the cooldown based abilities which White Mage has traditionally based their spell usage around already. The developers were clearly of the mindset that the complaints were overblown and asked fans to wait to try it at level 70 for themselves (and also pointed out that a decent portion was born from an old press build which is almost two months out of date at this point).
The next question was asking for clarification as to the new dungeon cycle. There had been rumours that there was only going to be one new dungeon in odd numbered patches, something which was confirmed here. They went on to explain they would rather release one new dungeon at the same item level as the previous ones and use the freed up manpower to work on other new content and sited data indicated that players ran dungeons less on odd numbered patches.
Next the developers were asked yet again about a glamour log, similar to Guild Wars 2 or World of Warcraft’s and reiterated that it would be extremely difficult from a technical viewpoint (they have previously stated it due to legacy code from 1.x ) but said suggestions of being able to cheaply buy glamour items that are unlocked by achievements may be a possible alternative.
The penultimate question they answered was about bringing back scrapped ability animations as emotes. They were very to the point about this and simply stated it was a maybe, if there was fan feedback in favour of it.
Lastly they were asked if there were any plans to mark certain servers as official roleplay servers, something they said would be trivial from a technical viewpoint but were hesitant due to concerns about existing non-roleplayers on those servers, pointing out that since it was four years after the relaunch of the game there were fairly concrete communities of the such even on the most RP heavy of servers such as Balmung. The end result was them saying that if something like a survey heavily favoured it they would consider it.
After the Q&A they talked about the post launch content and reiterated the timetable: Early Access for those who preordered the expansion starts this Friday the 16th, the expansion releases properly on the 20th and then there will be a two week gap before the normal difficulty of the eight man raid’s first wing is released on the 4th of July. Then there will be another two week gap to July the 18th when Omega savage (the harder difficulty) is released alongside The Lost Canals of Uznir – which is the level 70 of the Aquopolis, a mini dungeon type instance you sometimes find portals to when doing treasure maps in the open world – as well as the weekly capped Allagan tomestone: Creation. The uncapped tomestone of Verity will be unlocked at the start.
They then ended by showing off a few new merchandise as well as a new system to reward people who subscribe instead of the current veteran rewards which are no longer being added to.
As part of their E3 livestream Square Enix hosted another Live Letter for Final Fantasy XIV yesterday going over one of the new trials, another look at swimming in both old and new areas, post launch content and a short Q&A.
They started with one of the new levelling trials: The Pool of Tribute which is where you fight Stormblood’s original primal: Susano, Lord of the Revel. The normal version was level 63 which implies we will be headed to Orthard (a previously mentioned continent which will pay a pivotal role in the expansion) relatively early on which runs counter to prior expectations where the transition will be around level 65.
Game Director and Producer Naoki Yoshida was going to demonstrate the fight with debug mode… but they forgot to turn it on so he died in three hits several times before moving on to the next segment after it was stated that the success rate of their E3 challenge against Susano had about a 50% success rate, presumably in part due to the slew of combat changes that are taking place with the 4.0 patch as well.
Next they moved to one of the new zones: The Ruby Sea. As the name implies it is a fairly aquatic focused map consisting of a scattering of islands connecting Orthard’s two major landmasses above the waves and various reefs and underwater settlements below.
They explained that surface swimming will be automatically enabled for everyone as soon as the patch hits in all valid bodies of water before they started swimming around the sea and showed off several emotes have been tweaked to also work underwater as well as sprinting.
Next they dived underwater and swam around a bit and explained there was a blue circle on the surface of the water that got bigger the further down you were to help you figure out how deep you were before mentioning the rippling water effect that distorts the screen when underwater can be minimized or turned off.
They then showed fof one of the new mounts which had previously been mentioned to exist: a tiger which for reasons they didn’t explain can fly and swim.
They rounded off the swimming segment by heading over to Costa Del Sol in East La Noscea which as players may remember to be a beachside resort which with 4.0 has been expanded with an array of new islands and a large portion of the sea there has been tweaked to allow for surface swimming. It was here they showed off a few new minions before showing a video titled “Eorzea Collection 2017S” which consisted of player characters performing emotes and abilities in both new and old zones as well as various different minions and mounts some of which had never been seen before.
They briefly showed off the gear from the first raid wing: the Genji set which is inspired by more heavy armour worn by Japanese samurai (as opposed to the post-Edo era inspired gear that Final Fantasy XIV’s samurai will use) before moving on to the Q&A segment, which due to the length will be a separate article.
