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Few modern fans of triple-A shooters may still see the Wolfenstein name as one to be revered and respected, but a brand new generation is set to find out why robotic Nazi war machines and a heavy dose of attitude won over gamers in the first place. Wolfenstein: The New Order is looking to make the old new again, and in the 'House of the Rising Sun' launch trailer, interested players get the best look yet at the story, characters, tone and gunplay developer MachineGames has cooked up to give the brand new life.
Taking the franchise into a new age begins with the plot itself, leaving behind the backdrop of World War II for the 1950s of an alternate history - one in which the Nazis have won the war, and continued their rise to global superpower. The only thing capable of returning history to its natural order (as always) is B.J. Blazkowicz, a soldier who may be worse for wear, but who's ready to hop right back into the action once he wakes up to find the war lost.
The launch trailer again highlights the fact that players won't be alone, but leading a team of colorful characters in their Tarantino-esque crusade to bring down the Nazis from the inside. It may be surprising to see accomplished (or at least entertaining) writing attached to the Wolfenstein brand, but previous gameplay videos showed that the developers aren't afraid of offering slower paced story alongside the expected action.
Of course, older gamers hoping to see the bullet-riddled roots of the brand updated for current hardware will also be in luck, as the trailer shows the over-the-top carnage contained within the game's campaign. The developers have recently pointed out that the game can support both aggressive and stealth gameplay styles, and if that didn't hint at enough depth hiding beneath a leading man and fiction usually lumped in with Duke Nukem, it also seems that players will get a chance to play through an alternate history upon first completion.
It's impossible to tell how satisfying the actual gameplay will be moment to moment, but it would seem MachineGames has at least tried to make the player's time worthwhile.
Are you interested in what The New Order has to offer, or will you need to see a bit more of the story or gameplay to decide if it can stand up to the other heavyweights making their way to release? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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Wolfenstein: The New Order releases May 20, 2014 for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.
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