Return to Castle Wolfenstein Review

The graphic design is very well done here, with the Quake 3 engine used extremely well. Nothing new on the technological side, everything presented here has been done before. But this engine allows for some nice scenery. Players with GeForce cards are in for an eyeful, but those who have older hardware are missing out on some of the better graphic features. Some of the scenes of war-torn Germany look as though they have been ripped right from Saving Private Ryan, with gouged-out buildings standing on rickety foundations, rocked by the terror of war. The color scheme is a bit bland, but then again, so was 1943 Germany. The catacomb levels suffer from severe id Disease - everything is a different shade of black, green, or brown - including the enemies. Bleah. Fortunately, they take up a pretty small percentage of the game. The other levels are nicely done, and all of them are very large - I got lost more than once, on a couple of levels (some of it has to do with dodgy single-player level design - Ed). The models are VERY impressive, with an astonishing level of detail in the faces and uniforms of the enemies. You can usually tell who is a grunt and who is an officer once you bump off a few and take a look at the uniforms...is that an Iron Cross?

Take that, you beer-loving Nazi!

I don't think I'll find that tavern in the crypts.

Now to the REAL meat of the game - Multiplayer! Most FPS games add multiplayer as an afterthought. Some deathmatch, mix in a little Capture the Flag, and call it a day. Fix up the net code with a few patches and make the kids happy while we go collect our check. Not so with RtCW. Another good reason that the Quake 3 engine was used was for its robust net code base. A powerful 3D engine designed for Internet play. I've been playing the multiplayer ever since it came out, and I rarely get lagged out. Okay, in 30+ player games, I get a BIT of lag, but that's usually due to my crappy cable modem. But, just like Quake 3, if you DON'T have high-end hardware, you're going to get a bit of lag, and your fps will suffer. If you're not running a higher-end video card, that will be a factor. I run on a GeForce 2-based card, and have no issues to speak of. Others with lesser cards may have problems with lag on multiplayer.

The basics have also changed as well. There is no true deathmatch component to this game - instead it has been altered to an Axis v. Allies team-based game. There is no every-man-for-himself, shoot-everything-that-isn't-you round. Instead of simply map changes, each map has a scenario added to it. If you played the test level released earlier this year, you know what I'm talking about. The Allies would storm a beach, have to blow open one of two reinforced sections of a wall, get into a fortified base, steal documents from the belly of the base, and transmit them in order to complete the Scenario. The Axis players must stop all of this from happening, then rinse and repeat. That scenario, along with several others, is packaged in the game.

In order to complete these objectives, each team should have a good mix of the provided classes. The Soldier can carry any of the SMG's, or the sniper rifle, Panzerfaust RPG, mini-gun, or flamethrower. The Lieutenant can distribute ammo to his fellow troops, or call in mortar and/or air-based artillery strikes. This can take out an entire group of enemies in one quick shot. The Medic can drop health packs, and can raise fallen teammates from the throes of death, if he's quick enough. Finally, the Engineer is essential on some maps. He plants (and can defuse) the dynamite that blows certain impassable objects, and can repair the stationary gun emplacements if they get damaged. All of these classes balance out the gameplay - since 3 of the classes can't carry the heavy weapons, fewer players are using them. But those heavy weapons have been balanced for the multiplayer game as well - movement is cut if you're toting a shoulder-based Panzerfaust, or lugging a huge mini-gun into battle.

Another advantage of the Quake 3 engine is the number of players on one server. With the right hardware, you can have quite the campaign going on. So far, I've seen up to 46 players on one server. This can make for some hairy firefights!

The only thing that could have made this game better would be to have spent a little more time tweaking the AI and to lengthen the single player campaign. The AI was good, just not great. Taking several pages from NOLF was a smart idea, both in the AI and level designs. Both experiences, single and multiplayer, are rewarding ones, though it seems that Nerve Software has done a better job at creating fun gameplay than Gray Matter.

Despite some of its aforementioned drawbacks, Return to Castle Wolfenstein is a gotta-have-it game. Many will buy it for the multiplayer experience, and with good reason. But a nice little (though a bit too "old-style" - Ed) single-player campaign is awaiting when your connection goes bad.