![]() The OST is a work of art as it really feels like what Wolfenstein is supposed to be. The actual quality being output is not amazing by current day standards to be fair (not bad either, it works), but it is in no way a hindrance to the enjoyment of the tracks or sound effects in the title. The sound of the game is also exceptional. The art team responsible for the game really knew what they were doing, and their skill transcends time. This really adds up to a lot and makes it so that once a brief adjustment period has passed, players even today should be able to immerse themselves no worse than the original target audience back in 2001. Whether it be an zombified monsters, an elite Nazi soldier or a Cyborg Wunderwaffe, nothing feels out of place or forgotten or as an afterthought. ![]() They weave in and out of the main WW2 setting in a way that is truly masterful and coherent to a degree to which most other games simply cannot even hope to approach.įrom the creepy horror levels, to the stealth missions in occupied villages, it all seems like a complete whole. Mysterious catacombs filled with undead, forsaken ruins with traps or old castle corridors mingled with science fiction laboratories, full of bloody experiments and incredible experimental weaponry. The amazing thing in this case is that it manages to do all of that with all its fantastical elements as well. All of the many varied environments manage to feel both authentic and in a way also capture the aesthetic and style of iconic movies such as Indiana Jones as well as “Where Eagles Dare” and the iconic post World War 2 pulpy comic book war stories. It manages to feel cinematic long before that word started being misused by every second console developer. Wolfenstein has a very coherent and in a way somewhat unique aesthetic. And here the game does not disappoint even 15 years later. Art style and its consistency as well as execution both attribute to immersion and player experience more than pure fidelity. Still, graphical fidelity, whilst important is not something that really makes the game. The texture and model quality by current day standards is relatively bad and the prebaked shadowing systems are not going to impress anyone (though it does look quite sharp). But let us not kid ourselves, the game has aged and the once amazing graphics will probably not amaze most gamers these days (less they are very curious and understand the time the game was released in that is). The game has helped advance video game technology and a lot of what it has pioneered was valuable and still in use ( albeit enhanced) today. Villages, castles and military installations were inspired and modeled after real world photos and locations with great care and attention to detail.Īll of that is true and is… well valuable from a historic standpoint. Bump mapping was also used for added effect. ![]() Textures for some objects and clothes and weapons were done with photographs in order to achieve an incredible (for its time) level of fidelity as well as historical accuracy. It really does, for the first time in gaming, feel like a liquid dispense of hot death. For example, the flame effects, especially from the flamethrower were absolutely unmatched for years when the game came out. It is an example of early realistic, muscle-based facial animation technology that also managed to operate on characters dynamically according to the situation (in a manner similar to the tech later used in HL2 and TF2) as well as some really interesting and intense atmospheric effects and details thrown into the world. None (custom engine versions allow for MSAA x16)ĭirectSound (custom engine versions allow for OpenAL) No (custom engine versions allow for 16x) No (custom engine versions allow it to be modified) OpenGL 1.1 (custom engine versions allow for OpenGL 3.3 features)ĩ0 fps lock (custom engine versions allow for unlimited)ġ-1.5 Cores (custom engine versions allow for 4-8) No (custom engine versions allow for full 64-bit) Running on a heavily modified Quake 3 engine and featuring high end features such as TruForm (tessellation), the game was a technological masterpiece for its time. RTCW was a truly amazing visual spectacle way back in 2001. Was all of this fanfare warranted though? Presentation It’s influence was felt throughout many newer titles, from Battlefield to Call of Duty, STALKER to Metro 2033. The game is lauded as being the very best of the extremely long running Wolfenstein series and that says a lot considering the pedigree of the franchise. Now time for a retro review! Return to Castle Wolfenstein was a game released in 2001 to great critical and fan acclaim for both its single-player and multi-player.
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