Welcome to a time and age in gaming when the First Person Shooter was still in it's infantile stages, people hadn't gone Ga-Ga over games the likes of Quake, Halo or even Golden Eye, Hell, at the time of Wolfies release on the 3DO, DOOM was still tearing it up on the PC! Seeing things from that perspective, it is with great pleasure that I review Wolfenstein 3D for the 3DO system.
Interrestingly enough, it is a really well done port of the PC original hit. Things being said, this is a good thing, especially when you look at how Interplay and Logicware killed this game in the SNES port. Mind you, I am sure that alot of that had to do with Nintendo, them having to drop all of the Nazi stuff, but it was still scary as that wasn't the only problem with the SNES port, just insulting is all. Wolfenstein comes to the 3DO with all of it's guts and glory intact, as well with a few new surprises. The graphics here mimick the PC classic flawlessly, and again, that is a good thing as it really showed the 3DO flexing some muscle at the time as not too many of the consoles could really handle even Wolfenstein, even as primative as it may have seemed at the time of release, only the Atari Jaguar had a version that was comparable to the 3DO release. Other nice things going on here is the inclusion of the map feature, very nice, and also the redone soundtrack, very nice. This is one place that the 3DO version of Wolfenstein shines. The redone musical score and digiized voices and sound effects really lend themselves to this game making it one of the nicer sounding releases of id's classic corridore shooter. The music really sets the mood here.
Other nice things going on here is the ability to use all of the weapons that were designed for Wolfenstein, even the knife. I know that this may sound like a little thing here, but the Jaguar version is a great example of a problem I have with some of the other releases of Wolfenstein. Once you get amunition in the Jaguar version, you can no longer use the knife. Also, with other weapons, the Jaguar version automatically makes the most powerful of a class of weapon as the default, If you get the gatling gun, for example, you can no longer use the machine gun or the hand gun. This seems petty to some people, I know, but I like variety in my meyhem damnit, and this is no different. If I want to try and sneak up behind a Nazi soldier and then stab him to death, I should have that right damnit!
Control wise, this version shines. Between the sheer ease of control balanced with a very nice frame rate in general, you have to love what they did with this game. Easily speaking, between the bright and vibrant graphics and amazing controls, this is easily one of the nicer ports of Wolfenstein available for any console. Other nice things is the ability to pick your missions, this is very nice and more like the PC version than most other ports, and also the inclusion of all of the levels and enemies. I can honestly say that all of the secrets are there as well; Nice. No redone parts of the levels to maximize the operation of the 3DO system, the whole game is there.
On a down side though, I still find it irritating that the floors and ceilings in Wolfenstein have no textures of any kind. Mind you, I know that this is a limitation of the technology of when the game was originally made, but Interplay really had a chance to make themselves into a bit of a legend at the time and could have done something with the graphics, I am sure that id wouldn't have minded. This could have been the equivalent to DOOM 64 for the 3DO, who knows. Last, but not least, where is the expansion pack with Spear Of Destiny, damnit?
That being said, Wolfensten for the 3DO has become somewhat of a harder to find disc complete, so if you have one, I would hold onto it, and if you are going to sell it, talk to me or make sure you get what it's worth because you might not see it again in that shape for a very long time unless it's a fluke and you have more than one. Good solid game and Nazi shooting has never been more fun.
It is a very smooth game and the sound is a big highlight, the storyline is a bit weak but aren't most early FPS.
Just wished i read the manual and realised there was a map button, i played the entire thing by memory (did the same thing with Monster Manor and Killing Time) , but thats my fault, never read a game manual ever (just the keys when there are a lot of controls such as wing commander 3).
It is a very smooth game and the sound is a big highlight, the storyline is a bit weak but aren't most early FPS.
Just wished i read the manual and realised there was a map button, i played the entire thing by memory (did the same thing with Monster Manor and Killing Time) , but thats my fault, never read a game manual ever (just the keys when there are a lot of controls such as wing commander 3).
You went through Killing Time by memory?!? Damn dude, you are nuts!
I did find the map button for Killing Time but it only showed the current section, it took a long time to work through it. When my brother looked through the manual (a long time later) and out fell a map, yeah i did go a little nuts. Even today i still don't look through the manuals (although most games have a nice automap system).
I did find the map button for Killing Time but it only showed the current section, it took a long time to work through it. When my brother looked through the manual (a long time later) and out fell a map, yeah i did go a little nuts. Even today i still don't look through the manuals (although most games have a nice automap system).
Hmm, I just usually take a quick browse through the manuals, just in case something is there that you might need. It's usually a good idea as a rule of thumb, well, for me anyway.
It is a good idea, i guess i just have a short attention span, i always dive straight into a game, not been much of a problem for the past 20 years other than a few exceptions, usually copy protection on old adventure games and the ones above.
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