Wolfenstein: The Old Blood

 PC
User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 745 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 509 out of 745
  2. Mixed: 189 out of 745
  3. Negative: 47 out of 745

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  1. GoodMorningAss
    Jan 9, 2020
    8
    Played in
    WOLFENSTEIN: THE OLD BLOOD, after Wolfenstein: The New Order. Flashbacks from early Wolfenstein 2009, simply can not please. The zombie theme was conveyed perfectly, not in vain spending time on this add-on
  2. ninjack
    May 10, 2015
    8
    Few things in life (well, in gaming more specifically) are as enjoying as killing German Nazis or zombies. So, in WOB, you get to brutalize the fusion of those two evils. Solid shooting mechanics, good stealth and cover elements, responsive controls, various ways to tackle each mission, lots of weapons to use and areas to explore. Great visuals, voice and story. Try it on higher difficultyFew things in life (well, in gaming more specifically) are as enjoying as killing German Nazis or zombies. So, in WOB, you get to brutalize the fusion of those two evils. Solid shooting mechanics, good stealth and cover elements, responsive controls, various ways to tackle each mission, lots of weapons to use and areas to explore. Great visuals, voice and story. Try it on higher difficulty settings for a more robust and satisfying experience. A top performer overall, excellent follow-on to the New Order, only bad (so to speak) thing is, it is fairly short (dont forget its essentially a dlc) and leaves you wanting more. absolutely worth it.… Expand
  3. yronnen
    May 21, 2015
    9
    Great prequel for TNO with new enemies and the same gameplay quality. The story is not as rich as in TNO, but this game is much shorter- which is my only complaint. But for the low cost, it's worth it.
  4. omagic
    May 18, 2015
    10
    BJ, nazi experiments, zombies, crypts and the castle wolfenstein... Just like good old RTCW !! For me this one is even better than New Order itself - 10/10
  5. JimCorbett
    May 7, 2015
    7
    I have to say I disagree with many of the other reviewers when they say this is as good or better than TNO. The standout features in TNO were the solid gunplay, the wonderful characters, interesting setting, and engrossing story. Unfortunately, TOB only retains the first of these. The story and setting and characters aren't nearly as interesting as they were in TNO. The levels don't lookI have to say I disagree with many of the other reviewers when they say this is as good or better than TNO. The standout features in TNO were the solid gunplay, the wonderful characters, interesting setting, and engrossing story. Unfortunately, TOB only retains the first of these. The story and setting and characters aren't nearly as interesting as they were in TNO. The levels don't look much different, sure you're in Castle Wolfenstein but it looks the same as the castle in TNO and you never come across anything that really stands out. I also didn't find the weapons to be as interesting this time either. I know it's set prior to TNO so none of the futuristic weapons can make an appearance but the neo-tommy gun was sorely missing as well. None of the levels are memorable. In the first game you had the epic landing scene, the moonbase, the bridge assault, etc. No stand out levels are here sadly.

    The hyped addition is this pipe that you can use to access new areas. This pipe functions solely as a melee weapon and you use it to climb designated walls where stairs or ladders could have sufficed and open doors that could have easily been opened with something else. It doesn't make the gameplay or exploration any better. But for some reason they want you to love this pipe so they make you spend 40 minutes alone with it and the beginning of the game and it's a real bore. The game does a nice nod to the old games by bringing back the occult. However i didn't really care for how they did it. They added zombies which are supposed to be a joy to fight. There should be hordes that you can mow down. The zombies in TOB just weren't fun to fight. They just felt like brain dead normal enemies who didn't shoot back.

    Although i just listed a ton of negatives about the game, i still really enjoyed my time with it. If you liked TNO, you will probably like this. It's more of the same, with some parts that are better and some parts that are worse. There is more comedic relief this time around and I genuinely found it funny. The new enemies were interesting and fit well with the theme. The end boss was wonderful, if a bit easy to defeat. The levels themselves were well designed if a bit repetitive. It's a fun game, no doubt about it, but to say it's perfect is crazy.    … Expand
  6. urielejh
    Aug 21, 2015
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. - CONTAINS A COUPLE OF INDIRECT SPOILS -

    Rig: 12gb ram 1600; 2500k@4.6; 850 Pro 512gb; GTX 960 4gb Strix OC@1080p; Win10 with latest Nvidia drivers.

    Premise: I haven't played "The New Order".

    "The Old Blood" (TOB, from now on) sure is a nice action game. It serves as a prequel to "Wolfenstein: The New Order". Its gameplay mechanics are simple yet dynamic in that they encourage a fast and non-stop style of play. Yes, you could just take cover and play somewhat stealthy but don't fool yourself, you won't get through the end like that. Enemies' variation ain't that extensive, far from it.

    MachineGames opted - Bethesda published the game (...) - to use the id Tech 5 engine, first used in RAGE. It has been tweaked and enhanced and, gotta say, its rendition is somewhat impressive. There are many graphics options to play with and the game scales quite well. But not enough. I think that - ruling out my rig, Win10+drivers - more optimization's work would have been welcomed. I can play with mid-to-high details @ 60fps even though there are a very seldom occasions - when main characters come very close; some final encounter's moment; a couple of shadows + god's rays + other combos - where frame rates goes down to early 30s. Yes, a bit more work on the engine would have been appreciated.

    The story and some locations take a bit from the two (chronological) predecessors. The game is straight as hell with only some variations to access secret area. No openness story/gameplay-wise.
    For my tastes it's a bit too arcade. Enemies, enemies everywhere and.. from no-where. Yep, they spawn out of no-where. A bit too "old school" and out of context in that that will contribuite in ruining some points.. and then, supposedly main characters that dies like normal **** I mean, it's ok to let a somewhat main char die in non cinematic way.. but to have it and feel like you CAN'T do anything, as if it's something scripted, well, that ain't fun.
    The final encounter. Mh. Random boss fight just to boss fight. Honestly, lore-wise they could have develop further without "that thing" happening. Really. And it ain't funny at all with random enemies teleporting from somewhere far beyond and having to shoot at one specific spot all the way till you end its misery. MachineGames, you're not there. Nope.

    By the end we have a nice action game - too arcade for me - with nice graphics and arts. A story and lore that would have been nice to deepen and expand.. and not be ruined by some weird, awkward moments and bad gameplay decisions.

    Graphics: 8
    Art: 8
    Sound: 7
    Music: 7
    Gameplay: 7
    Developers' choices: 7
    Story: 7
    Uniqueness: 8

    Partial: 7.4    … Expand
  7. TrenakCZ
    May 6, 2015
    10
    Standalone expansion, but little better than TNO! You must play! It is better optimalized than TNO and they said you will need better PC. No, they lie! 10/10
  8. kregstrong
    May 11, 2015
    10
    this reminds me of the good ole days when we got expansions that were well thought out and actually put forth alot of effort to expand their awesome original the new order game. High five to machine games, great add on, a must for anyone who enjoyed the new order
  9. Garfoodle
    May 5, 2015
    9
    To say that it's game of the year potential would be a lie. To say that it's not really, really good would be, too. I mean, the short version of this is that TOB is the Blood Dragon for Wolfenstien. The base game was great, and it's here to just give us more of this, if slightly shorter, funnier, and lower priced. It's an enjoyable 6 Hour long game that gives you some new toys, newTo say that it's game of the year potential would be a lie. To say that it's not really, really good would be, too. I mean, the short version of this is that TOB is the Blood Dragon for Wolfenstien. The base game was great, and it's here to just give us more of this, if slightly shorter, funnier, and lower priced. It's an enjoyable 6 Hour long game that gives you some new toys, new mechanics, and new enemies to fight, and frankly, that's all it needs to do for me to reccomend it.… Expand
  10. Mmmmph
    Dec 5, 2015
    1
    I loved Wolfenstien The New Order, I had so much fun with that game I can't even tell you it was so refreshing to see this modernization of a game done so well. So after beating The New Order I decide to pick this up for more!

    It crashed on a loading screen silently making me wait 8 minutes watching a little spinny thing in a corner run. I was forced to alt ctrl del out of the game. You    I loved Wolfenstien The New Order, I had so much fun with that game I can't even tell you it was so refreshing to see this modernization of a game done so well. So after beating The New Order I decide to pick this up for more!

    It crashed on a loading screen silently making me wait 8 minutes watching a little spinny thing in a corner run. I was forced to alt ctrl del out of the game. You know what happened when I started it up again? the main menu stopped working entirely and none of the save slots would load and there was no exit button.

    I had to Alt Ctrl Del AGAIN, this time it crashed so hard that it actually took steam down with it and crashed steam AS WELL. 100% completely repeatable too, boot up game, main menu doesn't work, Alt Ctrl Del, steam crash. I tried this five times in a row.

    All I was looking for was Wolfenstien: more, I didn't expect innovation, a new setting or anything I just wanted more. Technically I suppose I got more, I got an intro level and one Nazi shootout before the game crashed so hard it broke steam. I can say literally nothing positive for this, go buy the new order instead.    … Expand
  11. Jacsam
    May 17, 2015
    10
    I love the wolfenstein games. They are a lot of fun to play. I cannot understand why other first person shooters are unable to make really good single player games. I realize that some reviewers state It is a 6 hour game however if you want to look for all the hidden prizes the game take a lot longer. I am up to 4 hours and only at chapter 3. If you are not into multiplayer that muchI love the wolfenstein games. They are a lot of fun to play. I cannot understand why other first person shooters are unable to make really good single player games. I realize that some reviewers state It is a 6 hour game however if you want to look for all the hidden prizes the game take a lot longer. I am up to 4 hours and only at chapter 3. If you are not into multiplayer that much then this is the game for you. At 20 its is an amazing value. If you enjoyed the last wolfenstein game then get this game.… Expand
  12. pigasksky
    May 9, 2015
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Story is too short and simple.
    Weapon is not bad.
    Scenes are interesting,
    Level design is not so good.
    Enemies aren't challenging except the final boss. I was shocked when it appeared. I mean, are you sure it is suitable for the game? I just want to call Batman and tell him : Hey guy, it‘s your turn. And, some bugs when fighting with with the final boss.

    At last, this game is worth playing.    … Expand
  13. Smackk
    May 7, 2015
    10
    Great game. Same feeling as the TNO but with a smoother launch and more graphical options. If you liked TNO this game is a must. Im about 4 hours in and loving it.
  14. EggManStudio
    May 17, 2015
    8
    I remember back when "expansion packs" were relatively common. Take for example Red Alert 2: Yuri's Revenge or even more recent ones such as F.E.A.R: Extraction Point and Perseus Mandate - nowerdays, however, such expansion packs are few and far between, with such releases a Burial at Sea for BioShock Infinite and Uprising for Red Alert 3, and indeed the subject of this review,I remember back when "expansion packs" were relatively common. Take for example Red Alert 2: Yuri's Revenge or even more recent ones such as F.E.A.R: Extraction Point and Perseus Mandate - nowerdays, however, such expansion packs are few and far between, with such releases a Burial at Sea for BioShock Infinite and Uprising for Red Alert 3, and indeed the subject of this review, Wolfenstein: The Old Blood.

    The Old Blood is a standalone prequel to its predesecssor, The New Order, taking place during World War 2, directly before the beginning of The New Order's storyline. As it was with the new order, however, the story isn't the main focus of the game. The bulk of the game is concerned with its gameplay, which is functionally no different to The New Order, in that main character B.J. Blazkowicz can hold many different weapons, from the powerful Schockhammer semi-automatic shotgun to the grenade-launching Kampfpistole.

    However, in line with the earlier setting, some features have been removed, such as the upgrade feature, which now only affects one weapon, and the rechargable energy weapons - however, these have been replaced with a new mechanic, the Pipe. Found very early on, the Pipe has many uses, including as a weapon, both dual wielded and as one weapon, and climbing walls, somewhat reminiscent of the Cliffhanger mission from Modern Warfare 2. In addition, again much like The New Order, most of the levels can be tacked either with stealth or with high action with little ramification as to choice, making the gamemuch more flexible, and overall the gameplay is fun and unique when compared to other shooters.

    There are a few criticisms to be made, however. First of all, the levels are notably more linear in comparison with The New Order's. Secondly, objectives are often not very clear and objective markers don't always appear straight away, so sometimes one must look around a bit in order ot find out what it is you're meant to be doing. Finally, and this is the biggest criticism of them all, the game's final boss (without spoiling anything) is incredibly tedious and overly difficult in comparison with the rest of the game. Despite this, however, The Old Blood still manages to hold its own through its gameplay.

    I managed to complete ther game's storyline in around 5 to 6 hours, which for a game that costs about half as much as a full game is quite a lot. Ground Zeroes cost about as much and was considerably shorter than this.

    In conclusion, Wolfenstein: The Old Blood is a worthy prequel/expansion to The New Order, in spite of its large shortcomings. I'd personally reccommend playing this before The New Order, seeing how they flow into each other and play almost identically.    … Expand
  15. redglyph
    May 10, 2015
    6
    This DLC is somewhat smaller than Wolfenstein: The New Order and not as good, but still very enjoyable.

    The story is limited to the most basic settings, unlike TNO which was deeper (relatively, we are talking about an FPS and not a novel). Unfortunately there are still a few final bosses (last millenium style) but I suppose id still feels forced to include these annoying game stages    This DLC is somewhat smaller than Wolfenstein: The New Order and not as good, but still very enjoyable.

    The story is limited to the most basic settings, unlike TNO which was deeper (relatively, we are talking about an FPS and not a novel). Unfortunately there are still a few final bosses (last millenium style) but I suppose id still feels forced to include these annoying game stages since it's a FPS. The last one makes little sense and isn't particularly subtle; one of my regrets is the lack of traps against the ennemies, most of the time you only have brutal force as strategy, even if some stealth is possible now and then.

    Other than that, there are a few winks at the original Wolfenstein (and other games) that are quite fun to discover, and overall the level design is great, especially given the limited, outdated engine. id Tech5 has always suffered from serious texture limitations in order to comply with consoles, but it was less noticeable in TOB than TNO.    … Expand
  16. mevsthevoices
    May 15, 2015
    5
    For the second time in a while I find myself at the end of a game without ever having expected it. Another, yet another Nazi zombie game, where everything starts out all hunky dory, then goes biblical, bringing back all your foes like it's the end times. So, no, it's not a terrible game, but I feel terrible for having played it. I'm ashamed that this is the current state of videos games,For the second time in a while I find myself at the end of a game without ever having expected it. Another, yet another Nazi zombie game, where everything starts out all hunky dory, then goes biblical, bringing back all your foes like it's the end times. So, no, it's not a terrible game, but I feel terrible for having played it. I'm ashamed that this is the current state of videos games, and this is the quality of stories we tell.
    As the gameplay goes, it's just another recycled work, we have some espionage play, very reminiscent of Farcry 3/4, Deus Ex : Human Revolution, and many others to save their names. This devolves in to either scurrying, or straight up gunfighting, the latter being a bit of fun. The game goes on through a few tough fights, either survival type or boss battles, neither being any fun. All this is impaired by a half-baked input system, leaving the user to struggle to say, pick up health packs, or advance the stage, as a million half-dead bear down behind him.    … Expand
  17. CandarianGaming
    Apr 27, 2016
    7
    First person shooter with more of an emphasis on stealth than it's predecessor. Average ending to a pretty good game, but I can't recommend this unless you're a fan of Wolfenstein: the new order
  18. sscott0829tw
    May 5, 2015
    8
    The Old Blood is a good game followed by new order
    And we got some new gun and skills.
    love the violence and blood in this game
    some new enemies are badass and challenging.
    I think this game is better than New order~
  19. xxAoPxx
    May 6, 2015
    9
    I have never been a big fan of the Wolfenstein games up until "The New Order" (TNO), which is easily the best singleplayer shooter in over a decade, outclassing all the scripted QTE, Hollywood-type campaigns you find in other games. TNO does not only create an incredibly dark and threatening utopia, it also tells a compelling story about characters you can and will care about.I have never been a big fan of the Wolfenstein games up until "The New Order" (TNO), which is easily the best singleplayer shooter in over a decade, outclassing all the scripted QTE, Hollywood-type campaigns you find in other games. TNO does not only create an incredibly dark and threatening utopia, it also tells a compelling story about characters you can and will care about. Unfortunately this standalone add on "The Old Blood" (TOB) does neither: the story is a return to the paths Wolfenstein took often before, i.e. Nazis chasing after a paranormal approach to world domination. The companions you meet along the way are pale and, frankly, negligible. What TOB does well though is bring back the mechanics from TNO, including a number of tricky and quite tough to beat enemies as well as minor puzzles required to advance in the levels. TOB looks, sounds and feels like TNO which is a good thing if you enjoyed TNO's gunplay, AI behavior and art style.

    If you're looking for an FPS with the story and immersion levels of TNO, TOB might not be able to fully deliver. If, however, you're looking for an old-school shooter that sets itself apart from the usual QTEs and scripted Hollywood-type shooters, TOB will not disappoint.    … Expand
  20. WNxWind
    May 5, 2015
    8
    Within the first 40 minutes i found a Quake 3 Rocket Launcher keychain, Nuka-Cola (Fo4 confirmed!) and the Helmet from Skyrim, the dragon born Helmet. - I then spent 2 hours doing stealth and dying a lot doing it, but loving every FN moment - shortly after the power surging stealth area I find myself at my first nightmare. This title features the ENTIRE Wolfenstein 3D inside it to play atWithin the first 40 minutes i found a Quake 3 Rocket Launcher keychain, Nuka-Cola (Fo4 confirmed!) and the Helmet from Skyrim, the dragon born Helmet. - I then spent 2 hours doing stealth and dying a lot doing it, but loving every FN moment - shortly after the power surging stealth area I find myself at my first nightmare. This title features the ENTIRE Wolfenstein 3D inside it to play at the various beds you find - theirs 10 beds in total including one that is a secret. So I spent 30-40 minutes clearing a large wolf 3D level while in the sanitarium. This game if you play like me and want to find all the hiliarious secrets and serious secrets (I don't think the book on the book shelf which has a photo of a naked man with "Karl… Expand
  21. F_o_x
    May 6, 2015
    10
    This stand-alone expansion manages to be as good as it's predecessor is. I liked how they choose to go against established ideas for FPS games and show that the old fun old games provided can still be experienced today. I hope they keep this up!
  22. toddone
    May 9, 2015
    10
    Solid expansion. Nice gore and awesome violence, typical of machinegun games. New weapons. Great purchase for the money, just wish it was longer. Solid, solid game, just like new order.
  23. derek10
    May 15, 2015
    10
    Very good like TNO and interesting setting as expected on Wolfenstein and MachineGames, it seems to have less cutscenes, the only issue is a crash to desktop. Good performance on low end computers (better than TNO
  24. Triakel
    Jun 13, 2015
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I entered this game with tempered expectations. I just wanted to play a well-made shooter set in the original Wolfenstein universe. I got that and more. W:TOB is a fun game, and if you enjoyed RTCW or more recent Wolfenstein (Raven Studios), this is a pitch-perfect reinterpretation of that creepy/campy atmosphere. I think the haters miss the point: this is an old-school expansion pack and an homage to old-school FPS gaming. It's done well. I had a blast and I think the entrance fee was well worth the ride that followed. Also: Grammar Nazis. Unexpected and hilarious.… Expand
  25. Veska
    May 6, 2015
    8
    "Return to the castle Wolfenstein."

    This expansion is something, that you must play, if you played The new Order. Return in past. And it is amazing return! Take pipe and kill your Naci friends.
  26. MatDerKater
    Sep 9, 2015
    5
    **** unoptimsied engine...decent game mechanics that are let down by clunky implementation of controls if you are playing with gamepad.....the amount of times that the auto-spin-around manoeuvre will be executed in heated battles, and the amount of times this stupid **** **** will kill your game, is unforgiveable.
  27. erfanbasket
    May 16, 2015
    10
    OMG . One of the best game i have ever played. great story . great weapon design . great graphics. game runs very smoothly in my laptop . not just like other ridicules shooter games . this game is completely different. if you ask is this game worth 20$ my answer is absolutely yes. even more than 20$. so don't waste your time and buy this amazing game
  28. TemplarGR
    Sep 9, 2016
    4
    Overrated shooter. Badly optimized, requires lots of resources for not so pretty graphics. Also what are they storing in so many GBs? This game is too short for that. Seriously.

    Id has lost its touch. Had lost it for quite a while now. Don't know why people bother anymore. They stopped being relevant since 2004.
  29. Amigian
    May 21, 2015
    0
    Old Blood indeed! Aside for a few new monsters and weapons this is the same old grind as the main campaign. This was just released as a stop-gap before the new DOOM

    DOOM! DOOM! DOOM! DOOM! DOOM! DOOM is coming...ah, yes sir!

    Don't waste your money on this, trust me
  30. quakke
    Aug 11, 2015
    0
    Slow console junk brought on to the PC scene. Plays like all the other typical console shooters thesedays and is overly cinematic, leaving very little room for the actual gameplay because graphics is everything..
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Awards & Rankings

35
#35 Most Discussed PC Game of 2015
74
#74 Most Shared PC Game of 2015

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 30 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 30
  3. Negative: 0 out of 30
  1. PCWorld
    Jan 20, 2016
    70
    Old Blood is a good expansion to a great game. I wanted more Wolfenstein, and that’s exactly what I got here. Sure, it’s neither as inventive nor as heartfelt as New Order, but it’s a solid piece of content that’s still leagues better than most shooters. If you liked New Order, I’d recommend checking it out.
    Read full review
  2. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Jul 8, 2015
    80
    A juicy addition to a great game. It doesn't try to rebuild its foundations; on the contrary it uses them to deliver new portion of fun. That's how it should look, ladies and gentlemen. [Issue#253]
  3. CD-Action
    Jul 4, 2015
    70
    MachineGames took a step back in terms of design. The Old Blood is basically the same game as before but more action oriented, not as varied in terms of pace and lacking distinct ideas and settings. [07/2015, p.48]
See all critic reviews »