Post by MzPanik on Sept 3, 2021 22:40:55 GMT -5
Well that logo looks familiar... (scroll all the way down)
Where it all began
Believe it or not, the Wolfenstein games date all the way back to 1981, then developed by Muse Software and including the games Castle Wolfenstein, released in 1981, and Beyond Castle Wolfenstein, released in 1984. These earlier games centered around the Nazi attempts to harness supernatural power and occult forces, featuring stealth-based gameplay and a top-down perspective. In Castle Wolfenstein you played as an unnamed American POW who attempts to steal German secret war plans. In Beyond Castle Wolfenstein you have to retrieve and plant a bomb outside of the room where Hitler is holding a super secret meeting with his senior staff.
The id Software Era
The Wolfenstein games switched over to the currently used first-person perspective when id Software took over, with Wolfenstein 3D releasing in 1992. The game was more fast paced and was widely regarded as having helped usher in the FPS genre that we've come to know and love (to hate) today. This helped to pave the way for games like Halo, Call of Duty, and (my personal favorite) Rainbow Six Siege. Published the same year, in 1992 (the year of my birth), Spear of Destiny was released, however while it was still developed by id Software, it was published by FormGen Corporation instead of Apogee Software, who published Wolfenstein 3D.
This is also where we are introduced to our beloved protagonist, William "BJ" Blascowicz, an American spy. As we see him doing in later games in the series, in Wolfenstein 3D he's sent to foil the evil Nazi plan, but he's captured (no surprise) and has to fight his way out while uncovering the truth behind 'Operation Eisenfaust'. Spear of Destiny, however, although published the same year as Wolfenstein 3D is actually a prequel, and Blascowicz has to reclaim the, you guessed it, Spear of Destiny, which bears powers to make it's wielder unbeatable.
Even more Wolfenstein
Wolfenstein games continued emerging over the following years, bouncing around between a number of developer studios, producers, and publishers. At it's front, William "BJ" Blasowicz continues to wreak havoc on Nazi forces, being captured numerous times, breaking out, foiling their plans, these just continue to be recycled themes. The Nazis are still messing with supernatural forces, trying to resurrect the dead, and make their attempts at world domination, however unsuccessfully.
But, one title that stands out here is Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory. Released in 2003, this game, which was meant to be an expansion off of Return to Castle Wolfenstein (2001), ended up being a free-to-play multiplayer game, expanding on the previous games multiplayer. There was no single player content. This is also where we see a little crossover from another famous franchise, Quake, as Enemy Territory: Quake Wars was a follow-up. While that game is not based in the Wolfenstein universe (it's still a Quake game), there are a lot of similarities between the two Enemy Territories.
Wolfenstein Today & MachineGames
Wolfenstein as we know it today was born after ZeniMax Media (Bethesda - Fallout, Dishonored, Elder Scrolls) acquired id Software as well as the license for the Wolfenstein games. Swedish developer MachineGames took over development of the series and we were introduced to Wolfenstein: The New Order in 2014. The bulk of New Order takes place years after World War II. After spending over a decade in a vegetative state, Blascowicz is 'awoken' from a coma when Nazis show up to put an end to the asylum where he's being looked after. He comes to and fights his way out of the asylum, rescues Anya, the nurse who has tended to him, and escapes to her family home. Being reacquainted with the world, Blascowicz finds out the Nazis won the war and have taken over the world, including having jumped the Atlantic Ocean to the United States. He returns to his mission of trying to take down General Deathshead with the help of some old friends and his new-found love.
Released the following year, Wolfenstein: The Old Blood is actually a prequel to New Order. And, guess what, we're back to the good old days of the Nazis messing around with the supernatural again. This game also revives the character 'Agent One', who was first seen in Return to Castle Wolfenstein in 2001. Spoiler, he didn't make it. General Deathshead is also in this game. Yeah. Spoiler again, Agent One doesn't make it out of this one alive either. But Blascowicz pushes forward, foiling the Nazi plan again. What's their plan? Well, there's a vault underground that contains occult knowledge previously possessed by the German King Otto I. The boss battle at the end of this one was rather exhausting, as they all really are, but was a refreshing homage to it's 2001 ancestor.
Back to 'present', Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus (2017) brings the fight to the United States. Blascowicz wakes up after being badly injured after the events of New Order. Anya and the rest of the crew are hiding in a stolen Nazi U-boat, but they're discovered and attacked by Frau Engel, who we met in New Order. She should've died, but, as is the usual, what is dead may never die... Wait, that's Game of Thrones... The goal of this game is to liberate America from the Nazi hold and take down Hitler once and for all. That's right, he's still alive! And he's in space! This is like Fast 9, but with Nazi's. Obviously our hero prevails and his beloved Anya has twins! She's a badass, by the way, she can fight with the best of them.
By the way, 2017 was a great year for games, just a little sidebar. We got a new Wolfenstein, Horizon Zero Dawn released, Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Assassin's Creed Origins, the Nintendo Switch System... So much awesome piled into one year.
Anyway...
Leaving Blascowicz Behind?
What did that just say? Well, it's not wrong. In 2019, we got a pair of Wolfenstein games, but they didn't feature our beloved protagonist. Releasing for Virtual Reality, Woflenstein Cyberpilot came out, but you played as a computer hacker who is known as the 'Cyberpilot', working for the French Resistance against the Nazi regime. This game takes place mere weeks before the events of it's co-launch title Wolfenstein: Youngblood. Remember those twins Anya had, well they're all grown up now, and their names are Jessica and Sophia. They embark on a mission to Paris to figure out what has happened to their father who has gone missing. Not only was Youngblood the first game to feature female protagonists, it was also the first co-op Wolfenstein title, though you could play it solo and the other sister would just be your AI companion. This one I have not yet completed. Unfortunately I cannot play Cyberpilot as I do not own a PlayStation VR. Yet.
Where do we go now?
Well, we don't really know yet. For me, personally, I'd really like to understand what happened in Paris. How did Blasowicz managed to get himself into trouble again? I suppose some of those answers might be found in Cyberpilot so I might have to watch a playthrough, but my hope is that we actually get a prequel to Cyberpilot and Youngblood so that way I can see it from Blasco's perspective. These games have been at the top of my Top Games lists for nearly a decade now, and I'm really hoping that it's not over yet. I guess that means I really need to get back to playing Youngblood so I can see what happens at the end of that game too.
Well, that's it for me on this little bit. Hope you guys enjoyed it!
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