Story: 5/5
Set in an alternate reality 1960s Earth, the Third Reich has won World War II and taken over the world. Only one man could possibly stand against the new mechanical might of the Nazis. That man is not Doomguy, or Duke, or even the Chief. He is William BJ Blazkowicz. As there is no multiplayer in this game, unlike the 2009 Wolfenstein which I really enjoyed, the single player has to makeup for it in both quality and quantity. The games spans 16 missions split between two slightly different timelines depending on early game choices. Did I mention the missions are long? They are really long, should probably have had checkpoints to start from in the main menu, but oh well; it doesn't hurt the game. The story will take you from the Great War to The New (world) Order and make you never want to leave. That's right, this game will make you want to stay in this Nazi world just because of how much fun you can have in it. Not only are there tons of different enemies, but there are also many newspaper clippings scattered throughout the game giving you even more insight to how things work in the New Order.
Welcome to the New Order.
Gameplay: 5/5
The gameplay in The New Order is fast, fluid, and brutal. You can quickly switch between to primary weapons with the Y button and select from many more, and the dual-wield versions of several from the RB weapons wheel. It can be tricky at first as the grenade throw is tapping RB, but it is easily adaptable. You will proceed through the game running and gunning, dipping and leaning in and out of cover using the LB lean system which works surprisingly well because the Nazi AI in this game is so smart you cannot afford to be locked into cover like in Gears of War or Mass Effect. Now the AI, they are the SS after all and they make that perfectly clear in the way the will flank you from multiple directions with heavy troopers rushing from the front. You can never let your guard down, until you know for certain they are all dead, otherwise, you will be. The health system is a mix of the classic Wolfenstein health packs combined with regenerating health and armor...like in Doom. The health will regenerate up to the nearest interval of 20 as long as you don't lose 20. At 100hp drop to 83hp, regen to 100 etc. The armor is really worth picking up because it drastically reduces how much damage your health takes when hit. Armor can be picked up from many armored enemies and found on the ground like med packs. Oh, and did I mention the Panzerhunds? They fully live up to expectations.
Want to pet him?
Graphics: 4/5
Now when you see this game you're going to ask why a 4/5, well its simple. The environmental details. While the guns, blood, enemies, rain, and scenery is beautifully done, the small things seem to have been overlooked. Things like buttons, and control panels and such appear to have not been made to the same graphical standards as the rest of the game was. Apart from that, the graphics are sublime.
Collectibles: 5/5
There are many kinds of collectibles in this game. This IS Wolfenstein so how can we have a great game without searching for gold. Gold is definitely the most common of things to grab in this game, but on the upside the gold is not just gold bars this time, each gold piece is unique such as a helmet or toy robot. Closely following the gold is the enigma codes. There are almost as many to collect in each level. Apart from these two main collectibles which have achievements, there are also several letters and records of classic songs brought to you in GERMAN that you have to find. Other collectibles are acquired through completing minor objectives or are given to you outright. Concept art is unlocked by visiting an area, character models from menial tasks....oh and the Ramona recordings given you during the later levels. If I ever hear someone say, "I learned that when" ever again I will flip.
Replayability: 4/5
It will depend on how much you like the story and its "feel" to decide how much you will replay the game. There is not a multiplayer at all which is good and bad. I really prefer single player games, so the fact that this is missing a multiplayer doesn't matter much to me, I think this game could have really rocked the multiplayer scene if one had been present.There are 16 levels in two separate timelines. So 32 levels in all. On top of that, there are all of the different types of collectibles to go back and get to keep you in the game. And seriously? This game is just awesome!
Achievements: 5/5
The achievements in this game are not that much different from many other shooters out there, There are the story achievements that you will get as you go along. There is the achievement for hardest and second hardest difficulty, except this game has 2 achievements for them instead of COD's 1. Gold and enigma codes each have several achievements each with nice Gamerscore each. At least half of the achievements in this game are for unlocking perks which are in 4 different skill trees. Stealth, Tactical, Assault, and Demolitions. There are 8 in each tree. Each perk and corresponding achievement is unlocked by doing a specific action such as getting 5 knife stealth kills in the Stealth tree. These are basically all misc achievements that each give you a great upgrade to boot.
Rent or Buy:
If you like games that are set in an alternate reality then you will love this game. It is an immersive fps shooter with hints of free roam in small areas. Even if you rush through this game following every solution on this site; it will still take you a fair amount of time to plough through. I would NOT recommend rushing it to get the achievements and get out. This game is way too good for that, and you would only be cheating yourself by not exploring every last inch of this world. So buy it, or rent if you're one of "those" people, but to really enjoy this game, it must be bought, and bought now!
If your mind is still not made up; watch this trailer and see what you think.
5.0