Wolfenstein 3D
Achtung, Sucka! A first-person shooter with substance
By Brian C. RittmeyerSeptember 6, 2001
It wasn't until I bought my Jaguar that I was introduced to the first-person shooter. My first
experience with Doom was not on my PC, but on my Jaguar.
And while I enjoyed Doom, there was something about it that was missing. There was just a lack
of interest developed by killing random monsters on some unknown, alien world. When I later
played Quake on my PC, I had the same feeling.
While I had to move forward on my PC to get what I was missing - the game
SWAT 3 took first-person shooting inside real homes, motels, banks and other environments - I would have to go
backwards to get that feeling on my Jaguar with Wolfenstein 3D, the game that came before
Doom. But just because Wolfenstein predates Doom doesn't mean you shouldn't have it - this
game is a must have for any Jaguar owner.
Because it's older, Wolfenstein's graphics are somewhat inferior to Doom, most notably in the
plain gray ceiling only occasionally broken up by a light fixture, and it's not truly 3D. But it's the
story that in my opinion makes Wolfenstein a far more interesting and engaging game to play.
You're not just blasting some fantasy alien - you're killing Nazis and, if you can survive, Hitler
himself, although he at first won't look like you remember him from the history books.
The game casts you as William J. "B.J." Blazkowicz, a top operative for the Allies. You'll make
your bloody way through six missions and 30 levels, encountering SS guards, mad scientists,
German shepherds and mutant experiments with machine guns grafted to their chests. There's
nothing more chilling than being in one room, firing your gun, and hear a guard who heard you in
another room shout "Achtung!" and come after you! You start the game armed with a pistol, and
as you go you can increase your firepower by picking up a machine gun, flamethrower, chain gun
and rocket launcher. Unlike other versions of the game, this Wolfenstein was not censored or
made politically correct - there's lots of pictures of Hitler on the walls and Nazi swastikas,
behind some of which are secret rooms filled with treasure, first aid and ammunition. On some
levels you'll need to pick up a silver or gold key, or both, to get into certain rooms. The game has
three save slots, accessed via the 1-2-3 buttons on the joypad, but be careful not to hit them
accidentally while playing. The "5" button will bring up a useful map.
While Wolfenstein is a great, fun game, it does have its problems. One it shares with Doom, in
that sometimes the speed at which you move is too fast - pressing the A button while moving
makes you go even faster, which I just can't see a need for. Also, the music in the game, while
appropriate and mood fitting, can be rather harsh, so it's advisable to turn down the music
volume a bit.
Wolfenstein is the kind of game that should not be overlooked or discarded for its age. While it
may have come early in the first-person shooting craze, it's still a fun game, and a Jaguar best.
Game Data |
Scores
|
| Title |
Wolfenstein 3D |
Graphics |
85% |
| Publisher |
Atari |
Sound/Music |
80% |
| Genre |
Action |
Gameplay |
90% |
| System |
Jaguar |
Control |
N/A% |
|
|
Overall |
90% |
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