Metascore

Mixed or average reviews - based on 66 Critics What's this?

User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 99 Ratings

  • Summary: Set within a near-fictional, historical WWII setting, players take on the role of the heroic OSA agent BJ Blazkowicz as they are thrust into the unknown and unexpected to battle against combat troops, otherworldly forces, and the dark science created by a supernatural Nazi force hell-bent on world domination. Wolfenstein offers players an action-packed experience as they investigate the powers of a dark parallel dimension, join with resistance forces, and employ an arsenal of conventional and otherworldly weapons in attempts to annihilate the Nazi war machine. Ensuring a deep variety of action, Wolfenstein provides gamers with an assortment of interlinked missions that drive an intense, story-driven combat experience; while the Wolfenstein multiplayer experience continues the world-renowned tradition of class-based team objective gameplay with a full arsenal of conventional and supernatural weapons for addictive online warfare. [Activision] Expand
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 36 out of 66
  2. Negative: 1 out of 66
  1. Compelling single player with a fresh take on things doesn’t happen every day. It’s just that much better when it comes bundled with a fantastic multiplayer experience to boot.
  2. An engaging single player experience that offers plenty of replay value, and a multiplayer component that has tonnes of upgrades, ranks and the rest, meld together into a AAA title.
  3. 73
    You can't help but wish that they developed the kernel of the ideas in this game into something more. As it is, this new Wolfenstein comes off as an engaging, though otherwise forgettable, shooter.
  4. All of the parties responsible for this deserve to be called into question, and all gamers should question whether or not this subpar and frankly embarrassing title justifies further purchases from any of the three companies involved.

See all 66 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 33
  2. Negative: 9 out of 33
  1. TomJ.
    9
    I don't understand the negative reviews of this game. I feel it fits right in to the Wolfenstein franchise nicely. There are some great things here...blood soaked bullet wounds, gagging nazis gasping for air after being shot in the throat, body parts flying off. Good old classic gore, thats whats been missing in the last few WWII FPS I have played and fits in nicely with the original Wolfenstein/Doom legacy. @ the AI complaints... This is a run and gun body count game, the AI doesn't need to beat me in chess, just entertain me. Does anyone play games for fun anymore or all we all supposed to be serious professional gamers now? I think it's funny all the people complaining that the MP is not like RTCW, because those same people would be complaining if it WAS just like RTCW and claiming theres no innovation and it's just a remake of RTCW blah blah blah. Go get this game sit down and relax let some steam off and kill some Nazis....remember like when we played the original back in the day...no clans, no professional gamers... we played games for fun and "gasp" entertainement. Expand
  2. Robbyd
    8
    Maybe I am being more forgiving since I got it for $15.00 but Wolfenstein was an enjoyable experience most shooter or sci-fi fans should try.
  3. Being a huge fan of the Wolfenstein franchise, and an often returning player to RTCW, I was hugely let down by this game. I'm not going to say that this game is bad, because it's not. It's actually a fairly respectable FPS with some good ideas and pretty good gameplay. My biggest problem pretty much boils down to it's detachment from it's predecessors. There also seems to be a lack of usable weapons in this as I couldn't help but lament about not having access to the Thompson and Colt .45 seen in the boxart and cutscenes respectively. They also take away your near-iconic knife for a couple of melee weapons you can find lying around maps but not keep in your inventory. Also, I'm not so big on the Thule medallion and Veil parts of the game as it feels like a stranger angle on the occult themes than what Wolfenstein is usually known for. Also, I don't like B.J.'s redesign, man belongs in a Rangers uniform. Then again, that's probably just me, and I'm not going to let that effect my rating. At the very least, the weapons here are cool and VERY fun to shoot. My favorite among them is the Particle Cannon, which gleefully reminds me of Ghostbusters every time I dematerialize Nazis with it. The gun is simply a joy to shoot and flat-out destroys any enemy you come across. Similarly, the Thule Medallion gives you access to a few powers to aid you in combat. You get the ability to slow time to make precision shooting a breeze, create a bubble shield to deflect bullets, and empower your guns to shoot through armor and do extra damage. However, there comes a drawback as power weapons aren't as restricted by ammo consumption as you would assume them to be. You can easily purchase ammo for them at the nearest black market shop, which means you'd have no shortage of overpowering weapons. To add to this, your health now regenerates whenever you're not taking damage. Many might not see that as a bad thing, but to fans of the series, this may feel like a slap to the face when they were expecting more of that old-school FPS gameplay. The combination of overpowered weapons and regenerating health severely drop the campaign difficulty. Which brings me to the story. To be perfectly honest, I have trouble remembering much of the games plot other than the Nazis trying to harvest the veil energy for their war efforts and Deathshead making his return from the previous game. I honestly think that Return to Castle Wolfenstein had a stronger plot than this one did, which is rather worrisome. At the end of the day, this is a good FPS game that can be very fun for it's action, but may alienize many fans of the older games. If you can find it for a good price, pick it up, or simply rent it to see if you like it or not. Expand
  4. BrandonG
    4
    Wolfenstein isn't a classic because it was great, it's a classic because it was first and its not like there is anything about this that is terrible remarkable. The single player is not bad but forgettable The multilplayer has more problems then I've ever seen making it frustrating to play. The Achievements badly chosen and weight to heavily on the MP side Don't bother with this dull waste of time, and why does BJ look like Adam Carolla? Expand

See all 33 User Reviews

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