Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus

Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus moves the resistance against Nazi occupation straight to America and is even more unhinged and darker than its predecessor. Blazkowicz starts the game physically shattered, spending the first hour in a wheelchair, an unusual and paradoxically very effective opening for a shooter. From there the journey winds through flooded New Orleans, a small Roswell town whose residents calmly look the other way, all the way to actions meant to awaken resistance across the whole country, and the game isn't afraid to switch between raw grotesque and honestly painful scenes.

Gameplay is built on dual-wielding weapons, the ability to combine practically any pieces of the arsenal, and a trio of technical upgrades that let the hero squeeze through narrow vents, smash through walls or pull himself up to greater heights. Enemies hit harder and the hero takes fewer hits, pushing the game toward constant movement, stealth takedowns of commanders and improvisation mid-firefight. Alongside the main line, it also offers a set of optional missions where the player returns to already-visited locations to hunt down high-ranking officers. On Xbox One the game keeps its smoothness even during dense firefights and visually stands out with the dirty, raw palette of occupied America.

The soundtrack again mixes industrial motifs with twisted period hits, and the sound design significantly adds weight to the whole world. Reviews praised especially the boldness of the storytelling, the strong supporting cast and how the game can make you laugh in one scene and chill you in the next; criticism targeted the difficulty and the fragmented structure of the second half. The title confirmed that story-driven shooters still have a place in the modern age. Today it stands as one of the most distinctive auteur-driven action games of its generation. Anyone looking for a shooter unafraid of grotesque exaggeration while still having something to say will find it here. Recordings, notes and interviews with the crew below deck of a submarine also generously reward players who take their time and let the story unfold between firefights.