First Impression: Wolfenstein: The New Order (XBox One)

This is the 231st instalment of our first impression video series. Today, we are playing Wolfenstein: The New Order for the first time.

Welcome to the 231st instalment of our first impression video series. Today, we are playing the XBox One game, Wolfenstein: The New Order for the first time. You can check out the video directly on YouTube or in the embed below:

(embed forthcoming)

I remember playing Wolfenstein 3D. It really was a game that helped in the building blocks to what I consider to be the greatest era of gaming – especially FPS games. That, of course, was the era of late 90s and early 2000’s when FPS games had fully fleshed out levels, health you could pick up, and puzzles that added a nice dimension to the overall experience of the game. While Wolfenstein 3D had its flaws (no strafing, no map system, and a weird points system that only contributes to the number of lives you have and putting a really big number on screen), it really helped to set the stage for a lot of great FPS games that were released since.

One thing that has been curious to follow is what became of the Wolfenstein games since 3D. That includes Return to Castle Wolfenstein which… left a lot to be desired. Still, I decided to try this game anyway to see where things progressed from there.

What was immediately clear is that the game definitely had a feel of a very derivative game. It seems to lean hard into the old Medal of Honor franchise – a franchise that goes back further than Call of Duty. While there is the inclusion of things like robotics that does fit within the Wolfenstein universe which helps separate itself from other games, I also couldn’t help but notice that so much of the features I encountered early on made me feel like this is a franchise that is just coasting, rather than innovating.

Still, I hope to, at some point, go further into this game as I explore more of what this game has to offer.

Anyway, I wanted to hear from you. What are your thoughts on this game?

For those who have played this game, what did you think? Was this a nice way to revitalize the franchise or did this game feel like nothing special?

For those who have played other games in the franchise, but not this one, what are your thoughts? Does this look like an interesting game to check out or do you think the Wolfenstein franchise has already had its time?

This video is part of our first impression video series. Below is a list of 50 of the previously made first impression video’s we’ve made in the past: