Wolfenstein: The Old Blood Reviews
At £10-£13 for a six hour campaign and additional challenge maps, Wolfenstein: The Old Blood is an absolute steal. The stealth options aren't quite as reliable as last time, but the core shooting experience is incredibly fun with meaty weapons, a ramped up pace and enjoyably over-the-top characters.
A great prequel to last year's surprise hit.
Though not as thematically strong as its predecessor, Wolfenstein: The Old Blood still provides solid gameplay. The stealth and shooting mechanics are strong enough to create a great experience. The compromise between old and new mechanics in regards to health and weapon handling still feels fresh, while the AI battles remain exhilarating. The length and presentation value are also good, so fans of The New Order will really appreciate The Old Blood.
Wolfenstein: The Old Blood still retains all the satisfying gameplay that made The New Order one of the best shooters of 2014. It's not as long as the original; lasting around 4-5 hours, but it does include a decent challenge mode to increase longevity. For £14.99 digitally it's worth it for a nice afternoon of killing some Nazis.
What Wolfenstein: The Old Blood does well is the mix between stealth and shooting, as well as the perks that would soon make you play a level in a different way. Moreover, mowing down countless Nazis is still an activity that is entertaining. Add to that eight levels of the original Wolfenstein 3D and you'll have a lot of fun again.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Wolfenstein: The Old Blood is not a game you invest hundreds of hours into. This is a title that brings a guarantee of good action, shooting and fun temporarily. And when you finish it a few times, will you find all the collectibles and replay the old levels? I think you will certainly not regret the time and money invested. Wolfenstein has been with us for over 20 years. During that time, he's built up quite a following, and titles like this only help expand his fan base. The question remains whether this constant activity will lead to a gradual loss of quality. But let's leave that to the future.
Review in Czech | Read full review
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.
With myriad nods to Wolfenstein's past, The Old Blood captures the essence of the series, but does less than The New Order to advance it
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.
The New Order's returning gameplay carries the day here. The Old Blood's story spends too much time trying to be a tribute to an old game instead of its own adventure—and prevents this standalone expansion from being as deep or enjoyable as the main game.
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.
Somehow Wolfenstein: The Old Blood makes killing Nazis and zombies, the two worst things in videogames next to quick-time events, a fun and worthwhile time.
Wolfenstein: The Old Blood offers another serving of the action we saw with The New Order in 2014, but with the perspective as a prequel.
Wolfenstein: The Old Blood is Tarantino-esque in its ambitions. It's messy, loud, kitschy and outright violent but a joy to experience despite the rough edges. Sure, it's not a sequel by any stretch but for a $19.99 expansion, it's length feels just right.
What you're getting here is exactly what returning players will expect, a 6-hour or so prequel to Wolfenstein: The New Order, with exactly the same flow, tomfoolery, and smile-inducing shootouts you've come to expect. What is missing is that aforementioned heart. During its brief length there's never enough time to feel attached to any characters, and MachineGames has clearly focused on a more gameplay-oriented approach. To that end it can feel like a hollow experience, and The Old Blood is certainly far more throwaway than its fleshed-out forefather. If you haven't played Wolfenstein: The New Order yet then I don't hesitate in recommended you check that out first, before moving on to The Old Blood if you're still craving more Nazi-baiting gung-ho action.
The New Blood is a highly enjoyable old-school expansion that is slightly brought down by a weaker second half and some minor technical issues.
Wolfenstein: The Old Blood doubles down on blood and guts, but in doing so sacrifices some of its heart.
MachineGames are still masters of first-person violence, but this return to Castle Wolfenstein doesn't give them anything new to work with.
The Old Blood mostly nailed the components that made New Order good, but it doesn't quite manage to capture what made it great.
The Old Blood's madcap attitude shines throughout its campaign, but the game fumbles when it strays from its Nazi-filled levels.