Wolfenstein: The Old Blood

 Xbox One
Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 23 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 23
  3. Negative: 0 out of 23
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  1. Official Xbox Magazine UK
    Jun 16, 2015
    70
    Another intense Blazkowicz adventure - but a little over familiar. [July 2015, p.74]
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  2. We Got This Covered
    May 12, 2015
    70
    Wolfenstein: The Old Blood boasts a ton of content for a rather tiny price tag, but ends up suffering from some of the same design issues that held its predecessor back. Still, there's a solid and enjoyable game here, and it's one that first-person shooter fans will want to add to their collections.
  3. Eurogamer Poland
    May 11, 2015
    70
    The Old Blood provides few hours of relaxing adventure and carefree destruction, but there's not enough innovation.
  5. IGN
    May 9, 2015
    70
    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.
  6. Game Rant
    May 9, 2015
    70
    Wolfenstein: The Old Blood is a decent spin-off from The New Order, but is not an essential standalone experience.
  7. X-ONE Magazine UK
    Jun 27, 2015
    60
    Lacks its predecessor's smarts and class. [Issue#125, p.81]
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  8. Pure Xbox
    May 26, 2015
    60
    There are a few moments that visually provide a nice atmosphere, but it really needed more of them to help spice things up.
  9. New York Daily News
    May 18, 2015
    60
    It all adds up to a fun story-driven shooter, albeit one that has less overall impact and drama than its predecessor. The New Order was defined by its story, a game that reminded of Spec Ops: The Line in the development and emotional potency of its protagonist...The Old Blood, so much more driven by action, is a less weighty experience overall.

Awards & Rankings

60
#60 Best Xbox One Game of 2015
34
#34 Most Discussed Xbox One Game of 2015
85
#85 Most Shared Xbox One Game of 2015

User Reviews

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User Score
8.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 265 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 213 out of 265
  2. Mixed: 34 out of 265
  3. Negative: 18 out of 265
  1. French_Antoine
    May 18, 2015
    10
    What word other than "perfect" would describe this game...

    None. Welcome to the game that made shooters what they are today.    What word other than "perfect" would describe this game...

    None.

    Welcome to the game that made shooters what they are today. Wolfenstein: The New Order was my Game of the Year 2014, The Old Blood is in a good run to do so this year as well. I miss these action-packed games where the only goal you had in mind was finishing them with style, saving the world by running all guns blazing in small corridors, destroying the nazi regime all thanks to the hands of one man. MachineGames really showcased some amazing skills in game design, since they managed to refresh game mechanics that are up to 23 years old and still keeping them fun!

    Let's put that simply... Wolfenstein 3D, released in 1992, was the very first first-person-shooter. And today, W:TOB takes all the codes of the old school shooters like huge inventory, corridor levels with several approaches (go stealth or go tank, your choice), solid controls and character movement, a lot of variety in the enemies you will get to fight, and most importantly... BOSS FIGHTS ! (yes, plural, and they are to remember).

    But it is not only that... Where this game succeeds, is in the fan service. They even applied that to their business model, since you get a full game for only 20€/£20/$20 (just like the expansion packs we were accustomed to more than ten years ago...). Those of you who played Return to Castle Wolfenstein fourteen years from now will chuckle a lot, living very old memories all over again, meeting some old fellas, visiting places you've already been, discovering secret areas, etc... But the most astonishing part of it, is that you get to play Wolfenstein 3D all along, since they hid nine levels of the original game all along the campaign (man I suddenly feel older...).

    Enough about the gameplay, let's now speak about the technique itself... Graphically, it is prettier than The New Order, with lots of different new environments, new character models for the new enemies, and a very solid and updated rendering engine. The new voices and actings are caricatural and funny as usual, but they recycled the weapons' soundbank and the enemy soldiers' phrases (and seriously, I don't care, they were all fine last year so using them again was no bad idea).

    So there you have it, another Game of the Year competitor, waiting for all the players who were either too young or not interested enough in video games when that kind of game was common, or those like me who miss that golden age, when playing games was all about having fun and being a hero, living crazy stories.
    And it is cheap, you have no excuses for not buying it.    … Full Review »
  2. DYEGameBro
    Jul 24, 2015
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click full review link to view. Overall MachineGames do a very good job with the pacing of the gameplay. There are no drawn out shootouts and not all stealth sections are forced onto the player. The gunplay again is tight and the guns feel heavy and powerful. Whether it is blowing Nazis to bits with the new grenade launcher or taking their heads offs with an auto-rifle, it is more than satisfying. The one negative is that once again ammo and items must be manually picked up.

    There is a perks system that allows you to unlock abilities as you complete goals. For example, heavy machine guns cannot be carried in your weapon wheel until you get 200 kills with it. There are also perks for increasing

    The one major difference between The Old Blood and The New Order is the distinct lack of narrative in this iteration. It seems that for whatever reasons MachineGames have decided to let the high-octane gameplay do most of the talking rather than cutscenes. While there is a plot here, it is very basic and the characters aren’t developed enough for the tragic moments to have any effect on the player. It seems as if some of the finer information is scattered throughout the world in letters, posters and newspaper clippings. If you want to take the nostalgia to the zenith, players are able to go back and play sections of the Wolfenstein 3D game.

    For those that can’t get enough of creating Nazi carnage there is a challenge mode in which you can go back to various areas in the game to try and kill as many Nazi’s as possible in the allotted time for Gold, Silver or Bronze medals.

    At the end of the day, The Old Blood is very similar to The New Order in many ways, but this isn’t a bad thing, because both games do a lot right and not much wrong. The graphics seemed to have been improved, especially the detail of environmental objects. The concept and world that MachineGames have created invokes the player’s imagination and gives us an extreme take on what the world may have been like if the Nazis really did win the war. Despite its fantastical premise, there is still just enough of an element of realism, a pinch of believability for which the developers should be praised.

    But sadly, the great blend of gameplay and story that made The New Order great is missing here. This is a shame because in every other aspect The Old Blood is one hell of game. It just lacks the emotion and bravado that The New Order managed to convey with its superior storytelling.    … Full Review »
  3. sinadoom
    Jul 23, 2015
    7
    I have to respect The Old Blood for being genuinely good value. As a stand-alone game, it offers about the same level of content as The NewI have to respect The Old Blood for being genuinely good value. As a stand-alone game, it offers about the same level of content as The New Order but for a stand-alone DLC price. Gameplay-wise, it's the same as The New Order, just with different levels. That means it automatically gets some points in the bag right away for its excellent game mechanics, pacing, AI, gunplay and game engine - offering a stable 60 FPS at 1080p with great sound and decent enough visuals. There's a few nice additions, such as a perk which shows all collectibles on the map, the bolt-action rifle, rocket pistol, some new enemies, a challenge mode and nightmare levels. There are 9 chapters, each with a nightmare level (which are some Wolfenstein-3D levels). Whilst it's nice to see a throwback to the game's early heritage as a pioneer of the FPS genre, they're actually quite boring to be honest. Lengthy corridors of shooting pixelated enemies that offer little to no resistance is not fun. When The New Order did it for just one little bit it was amusing but to have every level with them in is stale - especially as they're very repetitive, similar and no real design gone into them. Whilst game play is the same if not slightly improved thanks to some of the new weapons (but less perks due to the shorter campaign length), the level design is not as impressive. Don't get me wrong, they're pretty decent levels, but shorter than The New Order's and less exciting/adventurous. The challenge mode is somewhat disappointing, since it does not allow perks to carry over and they are just the exact same segments as encountered in the story. The scoring system is very barebones, only rewarding headshots and chaining kills together. Although simple and challenging, it can be frustrating having to restart and waiting for the level to load, since the gold medal target takes many attempts. My biggest let-down with the game is its story. There was almost none, with minimal use of cutscenes and no real character development. Whereas The New Order was a triumph because of its emphasis on the story, characters and game world, The Old Blood is more of a traditional corridor shooter. There's nothing wrong with that necessarily, given its pricing and intended purpose, however it may disappoint some fans of The New Order if they were hoping for more of a backstory. Overall I would highly recommend this game for its sublime gameplay and shooter mechanics, but it's not quite the "Blood Dragon" it hoped to be. It's not as comical or bonkers as I would've liked. However, it is a very solid shooter set in a cyberpunk WW2 - something that is rare nowadays. In terms of value for money, it is remarkable, but don't expect anything special. Just a good solid traditional shooter.… Full Review »
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