Wolfenstein: The Old Blood Reviews
A great follow-up to The New Order, which cleverly reuses all of its best features and yet still finds time to add plenty of new elements of its own.
What gives the MachineGames' Wolfenstein titles their own mojo is the casual way they pair generic gameplay with silver-tongued characters who reflect on their faults, speculate on their fates, and enjoy mundane occurrences like going to a pub and cadging free drinks. In this way the game's B-movie vibe is evocative of the work of those skilled filmmakers who embrace the silly or even the self-consciously stupid.
The biggest element that feels missing is the incredible character interaction from New Order. There are some memorable people in Old Blood, but no strong attachments, despite the game clearly attempting to toy with our emotions. The pace of the adventure grows too fast to develop the type of relationships we remember from New Order, but when the whole thing is over it's clear that's not the point. This is constructed as a fun trip through the best parts of prior Wolfenstein games, and it mostly succeeds in that mission. We wish it had crazier weapons and more complex personalities but it's still fun.
Wolfenstein: The Old Blood pays homage to Return to Castle Wolfenstein in some really neat ways that fans of the long-running franchise will appreciate. Machine Games does it while keeping their own additions to the series front and center.
For a standalone DLC, I am impressed. MachineGames took the best parts of The New Order and gave us the moments leading up to its opening. While The Old Blood could have definitely either turned up the grindhouse factor in part two, or stayed more true to part one, it still had incredibly fun combat and satisfying Nazi killing. By itself, it could feel like it was lacking something, specifically in the character and story department, but Wolfenstein: The Old Blood performs as both a supplemental work for fans of the series and as a vehicle to introduce players to the world and play style of The New Order.
The fact this prequel hasn't been phoned in, and actually improves upon the prior groundwork, only further demonstrates the care that has been put into this particular iteration of the esteemed shooter series. I, for one, hope Bethesda keeps MachineGames working on this property for many years to come, as it's quite clear the folks there know damn well what they're doing. And what they're doing is making nazi-killing fun again!
Like Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon before it, Wolfenstein: The Old Blood sets a new standard for standalone, downloadable content. At $19.99 (or your regional equivalent), it represents one of the best values in current games. Between the 8-10 hour campaign full of fantastic moments and scenarios, the challenge maps, and the nightmare levels there's a lot to love for the money. While the massive file size (over 37 GB!) may cause some internet connections to cry, it is well worth the space in your Xbox One's hard drive. The New Order was one of the underground hits of 2014, and The Old Blood has taken that torch and ran with it. Get psyched and consider it a must play.
This generous standalone prequel to the excellent Wolfenstein: The New Order may be leaner than its parent game, but its breathless rhythm entertains from the off.
A lovely, bloody and bullet-riddled trip down memory lane is soured somewhat after reaching the weaker second act that serves to remind how much nostalgia is too much. Thankfully, The Old Blood is still an ultimately satisfying addition to the Wolfenstein family.
Wolfenstein: The Old Blood has its fair share of problems – but it's still worth playing. With an enormous amount of content available for such a slender sum, fans of The New Order shouldn't hesitate when it comes to this alternate history treat.
Wolfenstein: The Old Blood is a fantastic follow-up to last year's rebirth of the series. I hope a full-fledged sequel is in the works, but for now this definitely satisfies my hunger for more Blazkowicz. The campaign will run a little over five hours to complete, and for $20 that is certainly worth the price of admission.
Wolfenstein: The Old Blood doesn't reinvent the franchise or really stray from what made The New Order a success but taking this abbreviated journey with B.J. Blazkowicz put a smile on my face from beginning to end.
If you're craving a great shooter and you've already played Wolfenstein: The New Order, then Wolfenstein: The Old Blood might scratch your itch. If you're looking for the story and characters that made the former stand out, though, you'll find yourself wanting for something more.
Simply put, if you liked The New Order, you'll like The Old Blood. The more than competent shooting, likable protagonist, writing, and gameplay choices make up for some small issues and a few static characters.
After an extraordinary comeback of the Wolfenstein series last year with The New Order, now Machine Games studio and Bethesda deliver a prequel of the events that happened during the middle of the 1940's decade with the Germans experimenting with technology and soldiers to win the war. B.J. Blazkowicz is back in action to stop the Nazi threat and save the day.
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Even the zombie material, which is still painfully boring and overdone conceptually, manages a few surprises.
Now that I've returned to the world of Castle Wolfenstein [by finishing Old Blood], I'll definitely pull my copy of Wolfenstein: The New Order off the shelf and give it a go. And I suspect – or at least hope – it will be a little more fulfilling.
Overall, The Old Blood is a nice addition to the new Wolfenstein world. It understandably isn't quite as filling as The New Order but it's still pretty solid for DLC. Grab it if The New Order left you yearning for more.