Customer Reviews

Wolfenstein 3D (Jewel Case)

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This particular release of this classic game was re-done to run under the Windows 95 environment when it first appeared. I have since got it running successfully under Win 98 and XP. The great thing is, the CD is not required to play, so this is a natural for laptop gamers wanting to experience a piece of history. I think this game dates back to 1992 or 93. The fact that it runs nicely on modern PCs makes it kind of a unique experience.
For those of you unfamiliar with this game, it is considered the granddaddy of first-person shooters. There were others before this, but this was the most fun with the simplest controls.
If you are used to playing modern games, don't expect to be blown away. But if you're looking for a simple time-killer in great environments, this is a classic. No 3D accelerator required!
Also, this release includes the complete 'Spear of Destiny' add-on, so you won't be running out of gameplay for a long time. It's just a blast to play. My favorite weapon is the chaingun, with (for its time) fantastic sound effects. The game's music is great too. Again keep in mind I'm not measuring any of this by today's standards.
I also recommend the reworked-for-Windows "Doom" collection for the same reasons I've listed here. "Doom" was also made by id software, and is a much superior game to this, although the argument could be made that I'm comparing apples to oranges between the two games. In my opinion, both games are must-plays. Experience some gaming history, and have fun at the same time!

You gotta love the classics. When you look back on such games as DOOM, Secret of Monkey Island, Zork, Wolfenstein 3D... huh? Wolfenstein 3D?

Yes, that's right: the game with the title that's a mixture of programming language and poor German is a classic.

While not many outside of the gaming world (and a few newbies in the gaming world) know about Wolfenstein 3D, we owe a lot to it. This simple, short, brainless shooter from id Software is the forerunner to games like Quake, Half-Life, and yes, DOOM. I am not exaggerating when I say that none of these games would exist without Wolf 3D - it literally invented the first-person shooter genre.

"You crouch over the guard's body, hoping that the others didn't hear his muffled scream..."

With (approximately) these words, the game opens up in the bowels of the ominous Castle Wolfenstein where you, B. J. Blaskowitz, have been imprisoned. You were searching for evidence of Operation Eisenfaust, a rumored Nazi project involving horrifying experiments on human beings in an effort to create an army of supersoldiers. Now, your only goal is to get out of the prison and save your[self] in the process. Believable? No way, but it is a somewhat interesting beginning (albeit in text form only). Then the game truly begins, and all pretenses of this being a story-driven game go straight to heck.

You start out with a pistol, a clip of ammunition, and a knife, and this is all that you have for a while in order to make it through eight different levels. On the "Can I play, Daddy?" difficulty setting, you run into a few guards, kill them, take their ammo, and maybe tirelessly run up and down using your USE button on the walls in hopes of finding a secret area. This is where Wolf's main fault kicks in - the enjoyment of the game depends far too much on the difficulty setting. While the amount of adrenaline in your body shoots through the (seven) roofs on the highest difficulty setting (appropiately named "I am death incarnate!") due to the increased amount of enemies, you have far too few on the easier settings. Here's an example: on easy setting, you bust (er, open the door) into a room and stand around shooting at the two German grunts, kill them far too easily, pick up the key, and saunter leisurely out. On hard setting, you open the door, charge into the room and maneuver around trying to not get shot into oblivion by the ten or so Germans, frantically grab the key while avoiding the other Germans that are pouring into the room through another door, and make your escape.

Another problem occurs after you kill most of the Germans on a level. Having nothing to do, you start looking around every single room in hopes of finding the one key that you need because you're stuck at a locked door. This might not be so bad except for the fact that the levels contain many small rooms and are very maze-like in nature.

The array of weapons you have is very small as well; you have four weapons at your disposal in the entire game. Most of these are basically the same, differing only in the rate of fire and how much ammunition they [use] up.

One last strike against the game is the anticlimatic ending. You'd think after eight levels of extreme carnage you'd be able to fight your way to the exit among veritable thousands of Nazis and, finally reaching it with more baddies on your tail, be relieved by Allied forces who really take the fight to the Nazis. No such luck. Instead, you have to simply open the door for big ugly with dual chainguns to come out. You'd even think that there would be some kind of complex AI for the endboss, but no luck there either: he just stands there, guns blazing. Sure, he'll follow you if you run away, but there's no big trick to it: just load up the chaingun and give him everything you've got. Then, you're treated to a five second cut-scene of B. J. punching the air as he leaps out of the castle to freedom. The text that sums up the aftermath is nice, but I'd expect a bit more.

Still, despite these basic faults, Wolfenstein has a lot going for it. The graphics engine was incredible for the day, featuring real-time battles with a lot of carnage, and the invention of a genre was no small feat.

In the end, Wolfenstein deserves a look. It's not as much fun as games like DOOM or Half-Life, but it's a nice, short diversion.

PROS: The birth of a genre; superb, adrenaline pumping action on higher difficulty settings; nicely done text.

CONS: It can quickly degrade to searching for a certain key; little variety among weapons; lack of enemies on easier settings; extremely short and anticlimatic ending.

BOTTOM LINE: It won't make you drop your Half-Life or Halo fix, but Wolfenstein 3D is a good buy for anybody that thinks the market is too low on action games.

(...) I formally urge any serious buyers (of anything) to do your homework before wasting money on something you don't want. To set the record strait, id Software (original deviser of both games) is NOT trying to confuse you. Buyers have been buying this game since 1991. It has been in various packs and combinations. It was the first widespread sucessful shooter. id Software simply re-released the game (again) because the buyers who missed out on the whole shooter craze (1991-1997) want to own BOTH games. I assure you, this game is the classic, and should not be confused with it's offspring.

To cap it off, this classic is worth the ten buck for people who like doom, etc. The graphics are pretty corny, but for it's day that was top of the line. This is the original ...-kicking, ...-hating, 3-D revolutionizing game. The child of this game, Return To Castle Wolfenstein, has awesome graphics, and I urge you to buy them both. The games are well worth your time and, for the last time, look before you buy.

Wolf3D is the first FPS game. The first real 3D game and one of the most important game in history. Without this game the gaming world would look very different with no half-life, quake ect, I dont think even DirectX or 3D cards would be made. In the game you play B.J.Blaskowitz a soldier imprisoned in a nazi castle wolfenstein and you have to escape from there. The gameplay is very good. The controls are very easy to get use to. If you have not played Wolf3D get the game it is a classic FPS. Dont worry if you have not played an FPS before or know what FPS means, Almost every FPS gamer started from this game.

When Wolfenstein came out for the Atari Jaguar, I was interested in it, and so I bought it(also for windows, after I sold my Atari Jaguar). I had no idea of how much fun was pakced inside. Evan today, I am never board of playing Wolfenstein. It's that much fun. I was astonished at first by the idea of a first person shooting game. This idea has been lost today, and replaced with games like Goldeneye, which are fun, but very difficult to control.

Overall, Wolfenstein is a very fun, easy to control, and original game. If you like games such as Doom, or Resident Evil, Wolfenstein will make a phenomenal edition to your collection.

Well, since this game is old, the graphics are Mud. But don't be turned away from this masterpiece just because of the graphics. It is a classic first person shooter (I think the very first one), and very fun. I really like it on GBA but now that I have my laptop its even better.

I have a problem with the rating of this game though, it's not even bad at all. An M-rated game would be Half-Life, not this. The blood is pixelated and unrealistic, and the game isn't even as bad as Doom. This game should be Teen, unless you are offended by Nazis or Pictures of Hitler/Nazi Parapheneilia on the wall.

You must play this if you like FPS's at all or would like to know their origin.

An old game for a game-challenged old timer. Just about my speed and a nice nostalgia trip.

This is the first computer game played by my son and myself. He was in Jurior high at the time. Just when they started coming out with how these games was harming our kids. They see more gore and death on TV. But the dogs part(shooting dogs), we've never have liked. But even at the jurior high level(duh) he knew that this was a game not really life . Big deal if the graphic isn't like todays standard. It is a fun old school game so you'll have to get the newer games for whats in the newer games.

This is for me and many of us old cogers in the gaming world the very first, first person shooter that we have played. PRedating Medal of Honor, Golden Eye, Quake and Doom this is the one that started it all.

You start of in a Nazi Prisoner of War castle. So for the most part you stay inside. You get 4 weapons. These are the Knife, Pistol, Machine Gun (or classic uzi) and the chaingun. You face variouse forms of Nazis, and Dogs. You also have to get keys, and find treasure for bonus points.

In chapter one you are escaping. You start off on the top level and have to work your way down. In the end you face a heavily armored Nazi with a chaingun.

In chapter 2 you are sneaking into a Nazi castle where they are experimenting on poor men. Your mission is to take out the mad scientist. When you eventually face him his attacks are throwing scapels at you with good accuracy.

Chapter 3 is by far the best, take out Adolf Hitler. A very dificult task indeed as he comes equiped with heavy armor and twin chainguns.

From there on you continue the 6 chapters until you beat the most cruel General of all equiped with a rocket launcher.

This game really pushes your degree of patience and difficulty. the challenge grows, bosses get harder, and overall you just have fun. THis is highly recomended to anyone out there who want to relive the glory days of the gaming world (before we had thousands of clones).

this game was very much worth my time and money. the first three episodes would be worth buying by themselves. the moments in which you escape castle wolfenstein, destroy hitler, and murder the angel of death, are some of the most memorable moments in gaming history.
you start off having just killed your gaurd in a nazi prison/castle, after ten levels of intense fighting and excitement, and after defeating hans grosse (the giant duel chaingun wielding nazi), you run outside and see the light of day, the green of a feild, and blue sky, for the first time. the game actually makes you feel like you are experiencing this. not to mention capturing the feeling with a cool video. the majestic relief and feeling of accomplishment in seeing outdoors (knowing you have finally escaped after seeing nothing but windowless brick, wood, and death) is unbeleivable.
later in the game you go after hitler himself, i will not go into description but let you see for yourself, needless to say it is quite the moment when you bring him down.
after this the missions, while still fun don't get me wrong, become no longer building like, but extremely maze like. therefore losing the effect that you are actually in a german base during WW II. the first thirty missions (three episodes) keep this up very well. the last thirty do not, but are still fun.
however, while i thought the peak of the game had come and gone with killing hitler at the end of episode 3, there was something much greater still in store: after beating the final three episodes, which were an entertaining slide down from that peak, i discovered that the "spear of destiny" game is on there as well. 20 more levels(roughly, there may be more) on a quest for the spear, involving some new animations, enviroments, and items coming to the final climax of going to hell (i think, or that's what it looks like anyway), hearing some deep voice say "do your worst human!", turning around to see the angel of death (i figured it was satan), and destroying it!!! AMAZING. after that is a wonderful post game text and still image wrap-up that leaves you feeling like you conquered the world. this game allows you to go back in time and destroy a big chunk of the evils you have been told about since child hood! BUY THIS GAME!!!
p.s. the graphics are definately not the best, cutting edge for the time though, you have to remember that this game came out in '92. they are completely acceptable though, and after getting used to them they hold kind of a sentimental value in retrospect. game contains plenty of action dispersed throughout roughly 80 levels!