Review: Wolfenstein The New Order

G'day there guys and gals!
*WARNING: This review contains minor spoilers, but none to the main storyline plot of this game. Read at your own will!*

I was barely two months old when the third game in the game's history, Wolfenstein 3D, was released. I remember very little of my childhood but I remember my brother and his friends stalking the halls and killing Nazis by the dozen in the short years afterward. Even among my own generation, each of us remember that particular Wolfenstein game despite it's legacy. Enter in Wolfenstein The New Order, thirty three years after the release of the original game and the sequel to the 2009 standalone title.
The New Order brings back William "B.J." Blazkowicz continuing the fight against the Nazis in the Resistance, attacking General Deathshead's fortress of torture and death. Giving no spoilers, this attack will lead to a choice players must make which differ the storyline only by this choice. Players will travel to a multitude of areas taking place all over Europe and beyond in the attempt to bring down the Nazi Regime once and for all. 

Straight out of the bat, I want to talk about the voice acting. A mixture of veterans and unknowns in the voice acting community, Blazkowicz (Voice by Brian Bloom) talks almost non stop during the game, either to his allies, himself or even mental monologue as he fights. At points the acting is superb and well done for the scene, however many moments can be seen as underdone or melodrama. Whispering quietly to yourself in the midst of gunfire doesn't seem logical. Many of the rest of the cast seem to have no experience in voice acting but do a great job, even in secondary characters. Many moments will have the right mood and tone, others will seem a little over the top.
Sound effects and the musical score are utterly brilliant in this regard. Footsteps are particularly my favourite as they echo and change as you walk around the map, but weaponry and the environmental sounds are also particularly good. The musical score is what you'd expect: heavy metal, which is a big plus for me, however you will find classical and touching music to the appropriate areas of the game. Graphics are utterly well done: even outside cutscenes, the graphics on the characters are incredible with small details such as facial pores visible on a face. But by far the water graphics are the best that I've ever seen.

Now, gameplay. Wolfenstein is known to be one of the Fathers of First Person Shooters and it's clear that Bethesda and MachineGames has put a lot of time and effort into this mechanic and let me say: It's just like old times. Weapons feel different and act different on the multitudes of different enemies, forcing players to go back and reevaluate their approach and use the correct strategy. The promise of differential outcomes mid-battle has been held and some will definitely prefer one or the other. Stealth will allow players to recon the area and seek out the Commander in the nearby area. Taking him out does give you the free reign to go guns blazing but you may not like what you find. Gun running will often warn the Commander to bring backup and more enemies will appear. However if you don't kill said officer before you finish off his backup, he will request more and more, increasing in difficulty each time, however I will mention that some areas give you no choice but to fire away, as many heavily armed enemies cannot be killed without using the silenced weaponry. Whatever option you take will unlock specific perks, increasing your performance on the battlefield or unlocking a necessary item along with your hunt for collectibles, which there are many to find as you play through this game. 
Storyline, I will admit, is incredible but it does have drawbacks. Players can expect 16 incredibly long chapters, each more action packed and deadly as you go but be warned, if you're looking for something more than just bloodlust, you'll find it but you may not like it. Early on our hero finds Anya who, obviously enough, becomes his love interest, Without spoiling much of the ending and after spending 18+ hours on a game filled with collectibles, Easter Eggs and more, the ending itself isn't too much of a shocker. While it was decent enough to get some emotional pivot and meaning behind it, the ending seems slightly rushed and cut, which a few plotholes that need to be fixed. The ending itself isn't overall bad, it just leaves too much to the imagination to be satisfactory.

As I wrote earlier, there are two differing storylines depending on your choice at the start of the game and I cannot find any information if there differ majorly. If not, then the change will be small and barely noticeable until the end of the game. Featuring no Multiplayer this time around, The New Order has its faults but still holds enough wait in today's day and age to bring a lot of fun to gamers of today.

Out of 10, I give Wolfenstein The New Order an 8/10

+Jawdropping graphics, even for next gen
+Gameplay is classic but brilliant
+A long campaign for a standard FPS
+Nightmare Easter Egg = awesome
+Musical score adds true tension to the moment
+Those dogs are terrifying, but brilliant!
-The odd glitch now and then, especially with Achievements
-Ending is rushed/could have been much better
-Voice acting was wake/melodramatic at points

Wolfenstein The New Order is out now for the standard price of $99