Wolfenstein

Wolfenstein is a first-person shooter set in WWII. Like the other games in the series, the 2009 game stars American agent William "B.J." Blazkowicz in a world where mad science, monsters and the occult are very real. As Blazkowicz, the player must battle legions of Nazi troops using a variety of different weapons until he finally confronts the enemy leaders in a bizarre alternate dimension.

Wolfenstein is the definitive run-and-gun shooter franchise, and Wolfenstein's gameplay tends to favour aggression and fast reflexes over caution and planning. However, the new version includes some more sophisticated elements. The Nazi-occupied city of Isenstadt serves as the centre of the game, with Blazkowicz heading out from the town to carry out individual missions. Contacts in the city allow B.J. to receive missions as well as buying and upgrading weapons.

Another innovation is the Veil; this is the boundary between our world and the Black Sun dimension, the goal of the Nazi occultists. By using his Thule Medallion, B.J. can enter the Veil; while here, he can jump higher and locate hidden entrances, accessing areas of the real world he wouldn't otherwise be able to reach. Veil Sight also allows B.J. to spot enemy weak points, helping him in his tougher battles. Mastery of the Veil grants B.J. other powers, but he isn't the only one -- some of his enemies have Veil-enhanced weapons and attacks of their own.

Wolfenstein's multiplayer modes hearken back to the popular multiplayer sections of 2001's Return to Castle Wolfenstein. With limited multiplayer modes, it never made much of a dent in the dominance of other WWII shooters; today, with a diminished player base, the main appeal of the game is its single-player campaign. Expect about six to eight hours of play from this campaign, about the same as any other modern shooter.

Wolfenstein received mixed reviews, with most criticism centering on the fact that the game wasn't exactly innovative; it resembled its 2001 ancestor more than the shooters most in vogue in the late 2000s. Today, the game still seems pleasingly retro, but it lacks both the graphical punch and the sophisticated tactical design of a more modern game. Still, you don't need fancy features to make shooting Nazis and monsters fun.

Pros

• Run-and-gun action
• Other-dimensional exploration

Cons

• Dated graphics