Wolfenstein: The Old Blood

One year has passed since Wolfenstein: The New Order release. Wolfenstein is still trying to be a RPG hybrid. Game atmosphere is good, but id Tech 5 ruins everything again.

Has all the mechanics of its progenitor, but lacks the magic that made it such a hit. [Aug 2015, p.70]

As a standalone DLC add-on, though, it's a great use of the engine. [Issue#162, p.98]

Quotation forthcoming.

The Old Blood certainly displays intelligent action FPS design that's fun and effortless to play. Just don't expect the deep examination the game hints at to go anywhere. Here, the gloriously dumb (yet smartly designed) reigns. Progress can wait. Long live The Old Blood.

In terms of the gameplay, level design and overall pacing, The Old Blood has learned a handful of lessons and made the appropriate tweaks to improve the play experience from its predecessor. Unfortunately some of the spark that make last year's game oddly inspiring is gone, which makes it decent fun for shooter fans, but ultimately unsatisfying for anyone beyond that.

Wolfenstein: The Old Blood does not offer any real surprises, but build on the mostly successful concept of its predecessor. This means great entertainment in the form of brutal action, beautiful one-liners and a long campaign for the price.

Seen as a sequel to one of the failed last-gen attempts at reviving Wolfenstein, The Old Blood is a wonderful palate cleanser, something to undo long-standing wrongs before diving in to a much deeper, gratifying installment. The conundrum is that the people who already know what MachineGames is capable of with this series have seen the future, and The Old Blood doesn't provide all that compelling a reason to return to the past.

The game’s B-movie vibe is evocative of the work of those skilled filmmakers who embrace the silly or even the self-consciously stupid.

Every expansion should be like this! Solid content and gameplay for a low investment. If you like Wolfenstein: The New Order, you will enjoy The Old Blood.

Many of the key aspects that made The New Order so enjoyable have not been carried over into The Old Blood.

Wolfenstein: The Old Blood is more of Wolfenstein: The New Order. It’s the same gameplay and same perk system with similar design choices that made last year’s The New Order such a hit.

If The New Order was up your alley, The Old Blood will be, too. But here, it's all about murdering nazis and zombie nazis, with less of the reflection.

Wolfenstein: The Old Blood places almost all its bets on the intense combat carried over from the game that came before it. The weapons feel great, and the arenas are interesting and filled with opportunity for some strategic creativity. But by doing this, The Old Blood misses out on some of the quieter moments that made The New Order so special. The Old Blood doubles down on blood and guts, but in doing so sacrifices some of its heart.

Wolfenstein: The Old Blood has its fair share of problems – but it's still worth playing. With an enormous amount of content available for such a slender sum, fans of The New Order shouldn't hesitate when it comes to this alternate history treat.

The Old Blood mostly nailed the components that made New Order good, but it doesn't quite manage to capture what made it great.

The brutal pacing soon exhausts. [July 2015, p.86]