Return to Castle Wolfenstein

The Good
Return to Castle Wolfenstein (RTCW) is the culmination of every trick in the FPS playbook. You play B.J. Blazkowitz, a capture American POW in Germany. The game opens with you killing a Nazi guard and taking his gun. Armed with only this weapon, you must escape Castle Wolfenstein.

The graphics in this game are absolutely breathtaking. From the textures of the walls and buildings to the facial expressions of the enemies and the various 3D character models, RTCW is one of the sharpest looking games to be seen on the PC platform. The game runs at a smooth rate on my P3 1gz, and there is rarely any slowdown. And the flamethrower effects are some of the coolest I've seen in years.

Some people were worried of the inclusion of the zombies and undead in the game. Rest assured, they are actually logically worked into the game. You'll find them in the early part of the game, and near the end. The rest of the time you'll be fighting Nazis.

The level layouts aren't simple, but they are logical, and could conceivably exist int he real world. Open aribases, close-knit villages, laboratory compounds, the list goes on. I love the environments you play in. They are extremely realistic, and almost impossible to get lost or confused in.

The sound and music are top-notch. I'm not sure, but I wouldn't be surprised if the sounds for the real guns are sampled from actual gunfire. And the music should be released on CD, because it is fantastic.

The objectives in the game are varied as well. Some are your standard FPS shooter fare, killing all the enemies or retrieving an object. But my favorites are the stealth missions. There are at least 2 missions that require you to get through the level without being seen, or make any noise that could give you away. A really cool way this works is if you are spotted by a guard, and he runs for the alarm, you can either shoot the guard before he gets there or shoot the alarm so he can't sound it. As you go through these levels, you can either take the route that makes sense or one that's a bit more difficult. It's the players choice, so it makes for a interesting game experience.

The plot of RTCW is not the best , but it's not bad. Most people don't know that Hitler was absolutely nuts on the subject of the occult. The developer's took this into consideration when making the game. The story unfolding through the cut-scenes shows us the Nazis interest in the occult, and B.J.'s fight against it.

The Bad
The game's near perfect. I can't think of any faults in it.

The Bottom Line
This game doesn't break any new ground in FPS fare. What it does do is present a fantastic romp through a pseudo-WWII game.

Final Verdict: It's a must own FPS.