Wolfenstein: The New Order Review (PS4)

I bloody love Wolfenstein: The New Order. This newest first-person Nazi shooter has the perfect balance of seriousness and carnage. Here’s why it’s brilliant:

• Robots.
• Nazis.
• Robot Nazis.
• A diverse group of Resistance, each with plausible reasons to hate the Nazis (and maybe you).
• Incredible environmental storytelling. I spent ages exploring the entire shelter because it all looked so good.
• Beautiful cutscenes.
• EMOTION.
• Levels with multiple routes that allow you to try different tactics in battle.
• Lots of collectibles, many of which add to the world lore or gameplay.
• A bit of incisive commentary on pre-Nazi life.
• Guns.
• Big guns.
• You can dual-wield every type of gun. Even the grenade launchers.
• The spindly torque.
• J (Wyatt timeline only).

And where’s it’s not so brilliant:

• Nazis can spot you killing their buddy from across a hanger but won’t see a dead body openly lying 6 feet away from their patrol route.
• A disappointingly repetitive giant robot battle.
• Audio balance that has dialogue far too quiet relative to the background noise and no option to adjust it.
• Slightly ropey checkpoints that occasionally mean you can skip a battle by running forwards and then dying.

Seriously though, it’s very good. You can shoot Nazis in whichever way you prefer – charge headlong into battle, duck behind cover or sneak around and knife them in the back. Every method is thoroughly satisfying.

There are non-shooty bits to break up the pacing as well. In my preview, I talked about using a cannon to knock over a giant robot during an early assault. You’ll also pilot a mini-sub through the sewers, solve the odd mystical room puzzle and spend a while simply chatting to your fellow resistance members. These talks are optional but definitely worth it.

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