What we have here is a return to form for Id Software. With Wolfensten 2009, we saw a generic shooter that I enjoyed, until I put it down and didn't finish it. I would describe it as "Average". But with The New Order, we have the visceral shooter that Wolfenstein is supposed to be: with lots of guns, health pickups, and killing giant robots and nazis.
The story is pretty compelling. You play Blazkowicz as in every Wolfenstein, but this time, you've been in a coma (no spoilers) until the 60s after suffering head trauma. The nazis won the war, and have taken over the world. There are interpersonal relationships, love, and war. But I felt like they could have done more. The memorable character-development scenes are just enough to get a sense of who everyone is, but not enough to really care about them. There are only 2 or 3 characters you really care about. However, the story that is there, is very very well done. I just found myself simply wanting more of it.
The combat here is completely visceral. You go from one set of weapons to another, knowing which one to use for any situation. Running around killing nazis, getting behind cover, feeling like a badass, but not too overpowered. Exactly how you should feel. There is a good sense of flow here. The ammo is not too plentiful, but you'll never run out of everything unless you waste it. And if you explore, you'll find more. The exploration is also very well done. It strikes a convincing balance between making you want to explore off the obvious path, and not necessitating it too much to break the flow. However, they added a stealth element. Here's where things get a bit dull. I feel like the stealth aspect is boring. It's too easy to kill everyone just by popping them in the head with a silenced pistol, and I never saw one instance where someone came across a dead body and something happened. And the main problem is that they make it feel sub-optimal to not go stealth. There are officers in every stealth area that will call for reinforcements if alerted. And it's one of those systems where as soon as someone is alerted, stealth is over, and it's shooting time. I found myself having fun with it to begin with, but by the end, I felt like it broke the flow a bit. But in the end it's a nitpick in what is a sublime combat experience, with awesome setpieces, level design that is vertical without being confusing, and weapons that feel as powerful as they are.
Wolfensten - The New Order is a complete sublime experience that is worth every penny. Despite it's very few issues, you'll have fun with it if you have any interest in single-player shooters.
My rating system: https://steemit.com/games/@alavan/belated-game-reviews
