Wolfenstein 3D

Before there was Doom, there was Wolfenstein 3D. And it was this pioneering shooter, in which you flee from a Nazi fortress with a shotgun in hand and B. J. Blazkowicz at your command, that also came to the Atari Jaguar in one of the prettiest console versions that existed at the time. For players it was a chance to experience the birth of an entire genre right on the television screen.

The gameplay is purely straightforward and all the more addictive for it. You walk through a maze of corridors, open secret doors, collect treasures and ammunition and mow down guards, dogs and bizarre bosses. No jumping, no vertical levels, just pure fast action and finding the way out. The Jaguar version added improved graphics, new details and smooth running, which made it an above-standard rendition of the classic.

The original Wolfenstein 3D was created by the studio id Software in 1992 and practically launched the era of modern first-person shooters. The port for the Jaguar was released in 1994 and, as with Doom, benefited from the involvement of the creators from id Software. The Atari console could thus boast two fundamental titles of this genre straight from their authors.

Culturally Wolfenstein 3D is an unmissable milestone. It popularized the shareware distribution model, taught players around the world to love first-person shooting and opened the door to everything that came after it. The Wolfenstein franchise has roots as far back as the eighties and lives on to this day through a series of modern sequels that build on this game's legacy.

On the Jaguar, Wolfenstein 3D remains a brisk, playable and historically valuable classic. It is a title that makes you realize how far the genre has come since then, and at the same time how solid and entertaining its very foundations were. For fans of gaming history it is a mandatory stop, and for the Jaguar another of the titles remembered with respect.

Why play: For an encounter with the forefather of modern shooters in one of its most accomplished console versions. Fast, clean and historically fundamental action.