Wolfenstein: The New Order. A massive disappointment. Why is this below-mediocre clone of CoD singleplayer calls itself "Wolfenstein"? Why do the visuals look like they're from 6 years ago, despite the game having super-heavy hardware requirements and 50GB (!!! WTF) install size.

Oh, and the reviews? Filthy lies, every single word. Let me quote from Wikipedia (and yes, I read this _after_ I tried to play the game):

"Reviews praised the combat mechanics of the game. Daniel Hindes of GameSpot felt that the intensity and variety of the combat in the game has granted the series "a breath of fresh air," and believes that it managed to fulfil his nostalgic expectations from the series. Metro's David Jenkins said that the combat in the game is the "real deal," and named it one of the best recent single-player shooter games. The stealth sections of the game also received praise, with Simon Miller of VideoGamer.com lauding the shooting and stealth mechanics, naming the former as "solid."

It's railroaded, heavily scripted run-forward-and-gun-things-down. Oh, but occasionally you get to perform a STEALTH TAKEDOWN from behind! With a knife! And the game won't even tell you when you can do it (except for the first time you're presented with an opportunity) - you have to GUESS! So novel!

"Colin Moriarty of IGN considered the narrative and characters one of the best points of the game, stating that it's where it "really shines." Metro's Jenkins also praised the story, stating that the mix of tones is "bizarre but obviously intentional."
Bah. Dialogue feels like it's written by first year journalism students. Characters are wooden. Overall, D-, but ultimately F for not even trying.

"The graphical design of the game received commentary from reviewers. GameSpot's Hindes praised the visual design. Taljonick of GamesRadar stated that the game's level design contributes to his enjoyment of the shooting sequences. He also praised the size of the levels, enjoying the possibility of participating in a large gunfight "with some sort of plan." Digital Spy's Liam Martin shared mixed commentary on the design, noting that the character models are animated well, but the game is "hardly a shining example of next-gen graphical potential."

With respect to "next-gen graphical potential", let me make this crystal clear. This game looks like a typical Xbox (360, that is) game ported to PC, in terms of visuals. Which is to say, crap if you compare it to any game that fully utilizes the potential of the modern PC graphics hardware. I have to note, though, that rendering water like that has been considered faux pas for, like, 7 years now. Since Crysis. The first one. [Have the makes of the game heard of that game, Crysis? They should probably check it out.]

Level design? There is one? There's a lot of pu-retty scenery, that's for sure, but the iron cage that you're confined to is small and highly linear, as usual. Did I already mention that this feels a lot like CoD singleplayer? Yeah, I thought so.

TL;DR: 0/5, don't waste your money. Wolf3D is better. Seriously.

Wolfenstein: The New Order. A massive disappointment. Why is this below-mediocre clone of CoD singleplayer calls itself "Wolfenstein"? Why do the visuals look like they're from 6 years ago, despite the game having super-heavy hardware requirements and 50GB (!!! WTF) install size. Oh, and the reviews? Filthy lies, every single word. Let me quote from Wikipedia (and yes, I read this _after_ I tried to play the game): "Reviews praised the combat mechanics of the game. Daniel Hindes of GameSpot felt that the intensity and variety of the combat in the game has granted the series "a breath of fresh air," and believes that it managed to fulfil his nostalgic expectations from the series. Metro's David Jenkins said that the combat in the game is the "real deal," and named it one of the best recent single-player shooter games. The stealth sections of the game also received praise, with Simon Miller of VideoGamer.com lauding the shooting and stealth mechanics, naming the former as "solid." It's railroaded, heavily scripted run-forward-and-gun-things-down. Oh, but occasionally you get to perform a STEALTH TAKEDOWN from behind! With a knife! And the game won't even tell you when you can do it (except for the first time you're presented with an opportunity) - you have to GUESS! So novel! "Colin Moriarty of IGN considered the narrative and characters one of the best points of the game, stating that it's where it "really shines." Metro's Jenkins also praised the story, stating that the mix of tones is "bizarre but obviously intentional." Bah. Dialogue feels like it's written by first year journalism students. Characters are wooden. Overall, D-, but ultimately F for not even trying. "The graphical design of the game received commentary from reviewers. GameSpot's Hindes praised the visual design. Taljonick of GamesRadar stated that the game's level design contributes to his enjoyment of the shooting sequences. He also praised the size of the levels, enjoying the possibility of participating in a large gunfight "with some sort of plan." Digital Spy's Liam Martin shared mixed commentary on the design, noting that the character models are animated well, but the game is "hardly a shining example of next-gen graphical potential." With respect to "next-gen graphical potential", let me make this crystal clear. This game looks like a typical Xbox (360, that is) game ported to PC, in terms of visuals. Which is to say, crap if you compare it to any game that fully utilizes the potential of the modern PC graphics hardware. I have to note, though, that rendering water like that has been considered faux pas for, like, 7 years now. Since Crysis. The first one. [Have the makes of the game heard of that game, Crysis? They should probably check it out.] Level design? There is one? There's a lot of pu-retty scenery, that's for sure, but the iron cage that you're confined to is small and highly linear, as usual. Did I already mention that this feels a lot like CoD singleplayer? Yeah, I thought so. TL;DR: 0/5, don't waste your money. Wolf3D is better. Seriously.