Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus (Multi)
By: Bethesda
WHILE the stoic Call of Duty: WW2 could have a poppy slapped on the box, Wolfenstein offers an altogether different take on Nazi-busting. If EA's effort was Spielberg, this is Schwarzenegger, and all shooter fans worth their salt should Goebbel it up.
The oldest FPS series in history was relaunched in 2014 with the wildly praised New Order, and marble-jawed hero BJ Blazkowicz returns in this direct sequel where Nazis won the war and are jack-booting it across the world. This is Göring to be good.
Wolfenstein has always been on the irreverent side with its unabashed Nazi-bashing and New Colossus follows suit, ramping up the silliness while addressing themes like racism and anti-Semitism, and with plenty of uncomfortable parallels to today's America (indeed, Trump may yet reveal himself as the game's 21st century Mecha-Hitler).
In a stylish jumble of 60s Americana and alt-history horror, it's up to BJ and his band of rebels – including the Black Panthers and their funky grindhouse leader – to start a revolution.
That rare beast that focuses solely on single-player, Wolfenstein continues the same blistering gameplay from New Order, only in a more refined and polished package – though its opening section is more Ironside than Iron Cross as a wheelchair-bound BJ trundles around a surprisingly accessible U-boat.
Retro-futuristic Nazis and absurd weapons abound while its multi-stage areas can be tackled in any way the players chooses, either through stealth or all-out aggression as Jerry is reduced to a parade of catch-phrasing expendables aching for your hot lead.
As a wonderfully judged mash-up of high melodrama, wink-nudgery and goose-stepping larks, it has all the Reich stuff. For a game that features robot Nazi dogs, Wolfenstein is still a master race lesson in storytelling and rich characterisation that dives deep into BJís troubled upbringing.
Needless to say, it also looks stunning, though the high poly counts are sometimes wasted on repetitive design as you slog through identikit Nazi bases. As the series that popularised first-person shooters, New Colossus's back-to-basics approach means players are unencumbered with sprawling menus, inventories and things to do.
Furiously minimalist, it refuses to conform to the milked-to-death sandbox design that blights every modern blaster. And though each weapon can be dual-wielded to increase damage at the cost of accuracy, it's rock-hard, with eagle-eyed guards and rapidly dwindling health that took me right out of Mein Kampfort zone.
Offering 10-12 hours of all killer, no filler, its three remaining DLC episodes, The Freedom Chronicles, will keep your gun smoking over the coming months. A wacky, brutal mix of high drama and fireworks, New Colossus is easily the single-player shooter of the year.
And at a time when the new CoD, Destiny and Battlefront are jostling for shelf space, that's Heil praise in a week that's left me sweaty from shooting Germans. Well, you need a break from the videogames.
