fm_hunter's Full Review: Wolfenstein 3D for Windows
Oh, how I remember the day I got Wolfenstein 3D in the mail; it was a joyous day. I had the shareware version and within weeks had ordered the complete version, all seven episodes. For those of you who aren't familiar with Wolfenstein 3D, this is the game that started the craze. Which craze, you may be asking yourself? Well, you've no doubt heard of Doom, Quake, or Unreal, right? Let's just say that none of those games would have ever been created if not for Wolfenstein 3D, the mother of the 3rd person shooter.
I'd like to lay a little background into the Wolfenstein phenomenon before I start. Even though Wolfenstein 3D was released back in 1992, it's history goes back even farther. Personally, I can trace it back to when I was in highschool, circa 1985 when a friend brought a "cracked" version of Apple II game, Castle Wolfenstein, to school. This game was light years ahead of what we were used to playing (that is, until we discovered the Ultima series.)
This version of the game was played from a top down perspective, very similar to that of the popular 80's video game, Berserk. You played an escaped prisoner in a Nazi stronghold who must find the plans to the castle and a way out, so that the allies could penetrate the fortress and destroy it. You moved from room to room, fighting Nazi guards and the dreaded SS, who wore bulletproof vests. This game introduced concepts like limited ammunition and the ability to search through the remains of your victims.
A few years later, a sequel was released for the Apple II, Beyond Castle Wolfenstein. Basically the same game with the graphics slightly enhanced and more items/weapons. Still, this game used the top down perspective, which worked but still left much to be desired. The people at ID software understood this limitation, so they ported this game over to the IBM and radically changed the perspective.
No longer looking down upon the character you played, as if from an omnipotent perspective, you now looked out from your character's eyes, seeing what he would see. Like a rat in the maze. This simple, yet radical change would forever revolutionize the "shooter" genre of computer games. This change increased the 'realism' factor tenfold, and provided much more tension for the player. No longer able to see over and through walls, there is no way to prepare for what may lie ahead, beyond that wall or door.
The graphics in Wolfenstein 3D were wonderfully crisp, although they carried a cartoonish quality. The maps were huge, and each level boasted a 'boss', as they are called, the one thing at the end of each level that you must kill to continue. Oh yeah, the 'boss' is usually anywhere between 10 and 100 times harder to kill than the common found foe. If you find that the skill is a little too easy for you, I recommend you try the highest skill level, and you will be formidably challenged.
Sure, if you are used to Quake and Unreal, this game is going to seem dated to you. That's not the point, however. The actual playability of this game is as good or better than either Quake or Unreal, and that's what ultimately make a good game. The story is compelling…hell, who doesn't enjoy running around kicking Nazi ass? The sound effects are adequate, with the German soldiers yelling phrases in their foreign tongue. There are an assortment of weapons, from the pistol, machine gun, and the fearsome chain gun. There is even a knife in case you run out of ammo (by the way, good luck with that one!)
It should go without saying that this game has plenty of animated violence, so it really isn't appropriate for younger children. Even if you're children are older, make sure the know the difference between "make believe" and the real world. You can probably find this game very cheap, like under $5, by now. It may even be available online as shareware. If you've never seen Wolfenstein 3D, and you play the current 3rd person shooters, you owe it to yourself to see what started it all. Another big plus is that this game can play on some pretty dumpy systems, even if you still have a dinosaur like a 386 66mhz. Enjoy!
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