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Company of Origin:
Activision
Minimum System Requirements:
3D Accelerator card w/ 16 MB VRAM and full OpenGL support, Windows
98/ME/2000/XP, Pentium III 400 MHz or Athlon processor, 128 MB RAM, 1.1 GB
HD space, 4X CD-ROM
Test System:
GeForce 2MX400 card w/ 64 MB VRAM, Wndows 2000 Professional, Pentium III 800
MHz, 256 MB RAM, 32X DVD-ROM, Soundblaster Live! Platinum
Graphics and Sound:
Depending on how well you've upgraded your computer in recent months (I know
I'm slacking), Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Game of the Year
Edition potentially carries the best FPS graphics your GeForce has ever
seen. This reviewer personally recalls drooling at basic flamethrower
effects in QuakeCon 2001's public beta nearly a year ago, and it's even
prettier today. Well, if your computer can handle it, of course -- if you
stick with the visual settings the game initially recommends, those flames
might look blockier than the game box itself.
It takes some tweaking and a half-decent video card, but the real eye candy
in RtCW needs to be seen to be appreciated. Gray Matter's artists
concocted an excellent environment in which to bring out the grandeur of a
mid-WWII Europe; few players should soon forget their first glimpse out of a
castle window during Level 1's prison escape, for sure. Character models
perform their actions with smooth, lifelike movements as well, although a
bit more variety would have been nice. I remember seeing three completely
different men make the same distinct pointing motion with their right hand
while talking in separate cutscenes, as if this were the way every WWII Nazi
soldier expressed himself in conversation. This probably wouldn't have been
so apparent to me if I could remember seeing any other specific hand
motions, but there's just not much to see.
Nevertheless, the look of the game must compliment the way it sounds, and
vice versa. Most of Wolfenstein's music accentuates the action
perfectly with sweeping, grandiose horns or tense, foreboding string
sections to convey an eerily effective movie-like experience. Even I, a
seasoned zombie flick connoisseur, was thoroughly spooked during the first
undead level thanks to the terrific score. Sure, some background music
during the cutscenes gets a little boring, but the audio team did a far
better overall job than most FPS developers in past years.
Gameplay: 
For a title based on the now-boring/ugly/monotonous Wolfenstein 3D of
some ten years ago, Gray Matter Studios had to dig deep for a plot to stand
the test of time. While the original (which, coincidentally, is now playable
on the Game of the Year disc) had players fighting the same palette-swap
soldiers for hours on end with virtually no change in scenery, RtCW
sends the legendary B. J. Blazkowicz into twisted experimental labs,
corpse-ridden dungeons and hidden industrial bases in his quest to foil the
Third Reich yet again. Players will need to utilize Thief-like
stealth maneuvers to clear some stages, while others may require all-out
Schwarzeneggarian warfare. The choice is yours.
For example, one of the most involved levels puts the player in a town on
constant alert, with only silenced guns and steel nerves paving the way to
success. B. J. must assassinate five Nazi officials while remaining unseen
by enemy forces, all the while racing to reach a mysterious ceremony before
it's too late. Of course, not all gamers have the patience for missions such
as these, but that's why developers gave us the QuickSave feature.
The game contains plenty of period-specific nuances and subtle references to
its predecessor, yet still throws a few touches of modern silliness into the
mix. For the most part, however, RtCW stays true to what warfare
might have been like first-hand in the trenches. As this is all based in
1943, players will have to make use of simple rifles, pistols and explosives
of varying accuracy early in the game; more experimental guns make an
appearance in later levels, but with the inclusion of corpses coming to life
and Nazis creating cyborg killing machines (in the '40s, remember), just
about anything's possible. It all makes for a fairly enjoyable single-player
experience -- but the Game of the Year Edition seems to place more
emphasis on multiplayer aspects this time around.
Based loosely on the old Quake 2 Team Fortress days, RtCW
brings online players together to accomplish missions together as one of
four classes (Soldier, Medic, Engineer, or Lieutenant), each with their own
unique abilities. Any successful assault will need Engineers to blast doors
and service broken guns; Medics are essential for boosting base health
levels and reviving fallen fighters; Soldiers are the basic
offensive/sniping units, while Lieutenants can replenish ammo and call in
airstrikes. Players must be well organized and supportive to win the match,
but individual combat skills are also a must for any class. Yes, it takes
some serious time getting used to things if you haven't played online FPS
games in a while, but once you learn all the maps and familiarize yourself
with communication techniques and such, it's a total blast (even more so if
your PC can handle servers with over 60 players at a time, unlike mine).
And, as an added boost to replay value, the Game of the Year disc includes
seven new multiplayer maps in which to unleash your mad camping skillz!
Difficulty:
I'll admit, this is one tough game at first. No matter what the difficulty
you've chosen at the New Game menu, it ain't easy getting by with an
inaccurate pistol and a crappy knife. Part of the game's challenge lies in
B. J.'s inability to maneuver as skillfully as some players are used to,
however. Our hero can lean around corners to scope things out, but for some
reason he simply can't figure out how to shoot while leaning. This
becomes increasingly annoying throughout the game when snipers can't see you
while peeking around a wall, but have no problem pumping a round into your
skull as soon as you move an extra inch into the open. A 'crawl' ability (a
la Soldier of Fortune II) would have been nice to counter this
occurrence, but B. J. can unfortunately only crouch in the face of danger.
Game Mechanics:
Since he can't perform a lot of actions by himself, Blazkowicz isn't exactly
a nightmare to control. His extra 'Sprint' feature is nice, giving the
player a rechargeable boost of speed for when it's time to run like hell,
but it would've been cool to be able to interact with more objects in
RtCW's environment, rather than 'push this' or 'break this' assigned
to nearly everything you come across. I mean, I enjoy kicking chairs into
pieces just as much as the next guy, but it would also be nice to throw the
chair into a fireplace and watch it burn. Maybe they'll get to that in the
sequel.
Hey, at least they got the opponent AI just right! Enemy soldiers will
ambush you, throw your own grenades back in your face, coordinate timed
attacks and hide at the perfect times to keep you on your toes. Hell, with
enemies coded so suitably, it's a surprise that no multiplayer bots were
featured in the full game. My only complaint: the final boss took less
effort to defeat than the very first soldier I encountered in the game. Not
only did he never hit me, but his visual representation was also pretty
underwhelming, considering the huge plot buildup leading to the
confrontation. But, you'll find no spoilers in this review, friends!
Play the game to see the disappointment for yourselves.
Other than that, and a few more problems here and there, Return to Castle
Wolfenstein: Game of the Year Edition establishes itself as a solid
title in any First-Person Shooter fan's collection, if not only for the
multiplayer experience. You probably won't play it ever again once you
complete the final mission, but there's weeks of fun to be had online with
your buddies for a few Saving Private Ryan-style reenactments of the
Normandy invasion! Goooo Allies!
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