Wolfenstein (2009) 2 Minute Review

Wolfenstein was released in 2009 to a massive…. FLOP

35 people got fired from Raven Software on the DAY it was released. The game did terribly, selling only 100,000 copies in the first month, which compared to other titles of that year, is HORRENDOUS. And finally, in 2014, with the release of Wolfenstein: The New Order, the game was delisted from all online platforms, new retail sales having already long since stopped.

So, what went so wrong?

The game starts – after some cutscenes – in a train. You shoot some bad guys, then blow up a another train – which is where the weird Wolfenstein shit starts. The train blowing up disturbs the gravitational field in the room, sending you flying amongst Nazis and bullets as you finish off the level.

The next mission you are introduced to the Void. And oh man is this painful.

The Void is honestly one of my least favourite special abilities in any game ever. It just feels so artificial, it doesn’t work well, and it would be twice the game without it. You die if leave Void mode while you are inside a door, which is just infuriating,

On the other hand though, the slow time effect you receive later is awesome, as it is in any game. It is an overused gimmick these days, however remember in 2009 before games like Dishonored, it wasn’t so widely attempted. It adds an extra dynamic to combat, however the puzzles based on it are as numb as my toes after a hard day on the couch.

Now for what is fun: the guns. They all look, aim, and feel great, and the particle cannon is just so cool, and looks absolutely wicked. The sounds are fantastic, and it makes you happy to endless shoot as every enemy drops enough ammo for you to pretty much never stop.

The combat can be a bit tricky – and stealth is an absolute non-option. The game seems to pretend to allow some modicum of stealth, but you are just too detectable, it is maddening.

Overall, I find this game to be uncompelling, but fun. Would I recommend it? Well you can’t exactly buy it, so if you have, or can acquire, a copy, and you like first person shooters, I would say you should give it a shot.

Just don’t let the horrendous cutscenes and dodgy 2009 gimmicks bother you.


Sources:

https://delistedgames.com/wolfenstein-2009/#:~:text=Wolfenstein%20(2009)%20was%20delisted%20on,New%20Order%20on%20May%2019th.
https://steamdb.info/app/10170/
https://www.ign.com/articles/2010/02/03/modern-warfare-2-topped-worldwide-sales-in-2009

https://www.ign.com/articles/2009/08/26/raven-software-hit-with-layoffs