Wolfenstein: The New Order

Wolfenstein: The New Order took one of the genre's oldest franchises and turned it into a surprisingly serious story about a world where Nazi Germany won the war thanks to advanced technology. The player once again takes on the role of B.J. Blazkowicz, who after years wakes up into a gray 1960s Europe, where the occupying regime controls the cities with concrete fortresses and giant robots. The game surprisingly works as a story of resistance, loss, and defiance, and between missions it gives room to the characters hiding in the resistance's shelter, so the action has someone to fight for.

Gameplay-wise it's a hybrid of old and new school. The player carries a large arsenal at once, collects health packs, and can dual-wield weapons, while the game also offers stealth, silent takedowns of commanders who otherwise call in endless reinforcements, and classic secret-room hunting. The levels are more spacious than is typical for corridor shooters and often allow a choice between a fast or a quiet approach. Collecting upgrades and gold items encourages exploration.

Technically the game runs on the id Tech 5 engine and offers very well-lit environments ranging from foggy fortresses to a moon base; on PC the release was initially criticized for compressed textures, but performance was excellent. The sound design relies on oppressive electronic music and period-style songs rewritten into the occupiers' language, creating an unpleasantly convincing atmosphere of alternate history. Reviews were very positive, and the game revived interest in the whole franchise. Today The New Order stands as one of the few big shooters that can alternate brutal action with quiet, purely human scenes without losing pace. On a modern computer it runs without issues, and its length of around fifteen hours is above average for the genre. For players looking for action with a real story and the courage not to treat their own world merely as a backdrop for shooting, it's one of the best choices of recent years.