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Worth the (expensive) price - single or multiplayer

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 62 / 65
Date: November 28, 2001
Author: Amazon User

(...)

In any case, I can comment (objectively) on the game because I have played it and I can say without a doubt that it's worth buying. Some of us can remember back to the Wolfenstein 3D which later led to Doom which revolutionized the shareware concept and finally brought the PC to a viable gaming platform. Of course, some of us can remember all the way back to the original Castle Wolfenstein of the Apple IIc days, but lets not go there...

Anyways, gamers have waited long and hard for the chance to battle nazis once again and this game delivers. Castles are rendered in very nice detail on my Geforce, it almost starts to smell cold and musty in here (maybe that's me). The cutscenes are also well done and provide a nice prologue to each mission. The game's intro you'll probably only watch once or twice but it's one of the coolest ever! The music is very atmospheric and spooky, reminiscent of Quake. Whoever said the game crashes all the time must have a bad system or be using XP. Anyone who has "downgraded" to XP should've realized that nothing's gonna run on XP for a year (you think people would've learned after Windows 95.) In any case, I run the game on my non-XP system without problems.

Who cares about all that, right? It's the gameplay you want to hear about. Again, this game delivers. You start off as expected battling those evil nazi's as you escape Wolfenstein. From there the game gets progressively creepier as you dive deep into the catacombs and discover both you and the nazis are fighting off terrors even more disturbing. (...)Without spoiling too much, you find out the dead start coming to life and lemme tell ya, these buggers are tough to beat. Ammo starts becoming a serious issue. Not to mention some of the demons have shields that reflect the bullets back at you. Once you meet the fire demon - that alone is worth the price of admission.

Many of the zombies are just thick-skinned clods that are tough to kill, but don't think the enemies have bad AI. One of the head nazi's, Helga, is protected by an elite corp of women who can dodge, roll and even double team against you. Toss a grenade at em? They'll just kick it back at you (and they'll usually wait until just before it's ready to blow up too.) Very quick and very tough. Not to mention, the first time I snuck up behind one of Helga's elite guards, I had to stop and admire the "artwork".

Last but not least, the game borrows a page from the success of No One Lives Forever (another great game) by allowing the player to sneak up on the enemy and listen to their conversations. It's also interesting to run into the occasions the nazis are too busy battling demons to worry about attacking you. This is probably the first game that has made me jump since Doom came out. The surprise factor is used a little excessively in my opinion, but you'll definitely get a few scares.

Multiplayer is quick and responsive on a cable modem. I, of course, get pounded on mercilessly by the thousands of kids who are much better than I. The new interesting addition is the formation of team assaults where each member has a special ability (Lieutenants can call in airstrikes, medics can heal players, engineers can set dynamite, etc...). I find this difficult when joining existing games where I don't know any of the other members, but I figure people will soon be forming clans, similar to Mechwarrior, to exploit the advantages team based assaults can provide. No idea yet on invincibility hacks or other cheats, I get beat so bad it seems like they're all invincible to me.

So there you go. I was worried the emphasis would be on multiplayer and the single player game would be lacking, but that is not the case. If you are into multiplayer battles, then you probably already have a copy of this game by now.

Hope the review helped!

Amazing, even from a beta demo!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 28 / 32
Date: September 17, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Just having clocked a few hours playing with the multiplayer beta demo, I'm very impressed with what Return to Castle Wolfenstein (RTCW) provides and has the potential to provide once it goes gold. The Quake III Arena graphics engine works beautifully to render gritty WWII battlegrounds, and the gameplay balances realism (limited ammo, sniper scope drift - very nice touch!, etc.) with playability (although compared to titles like Operation Flashpoint, RTCW is definitely an arcade-like experience). I suspect the final product will be a cross between Half-Life meets Medal of Honor in the single player mode, and Half-Life: Counter-Strike meets Medal of Honor in multiplayer. And then Medal of Honor: Allied Assult will come out and put the WWII shooter crown in question, but until then, RTCW has my vote. I'd suppose either RTCW or Allied Assault (or both!) would bundle nicely with the DVD set of 'Band of Brothers' for the flag-waving gamer in your family for Xmas! Lock and load!!!

The Perfect Game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 19 / 23
Date: October 17, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Yep, I remeber playing Wolfenstein 3D on the old 100 and something computer with my old video and sound card. I still play it, but obivisouly on a faster computer. I downloaded the multiplayer demo thinking to be a tiny bit impresed. I rarely play demos and never get impressed by them. But, then I played Return To Castle Wolfenstein and saw the perfect game. The Flamethrower visual effect is perfect and looks so realistic. All of my friends love this game and this has become the first game I have become addicted to since Soul Calibur came out and then it was Super Mario Bros. I reccomend this is game to everyone and don't listen to the people that say that it sucks without gore. Metal Gear Solid did not gore and it is one of the greatest games of all time. It is not gore that makes any game, it is the gameplay and graphics.

Finally a Counter-Strike Beater

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 17 / 21
Date: November 07, 2001
Author: Amazon User

About time. There is great action, and the game has an added level of sophistication by allowing tasks like re-armament by lieutenants, revival by medics, and engineering efforts that allow you to destroy or repair key items...none of which are difficult to learn. Some games (like Tribes 2) just take too long to learn before you can get any real enjoyment out of them.

For all of those growing tired of cheaters on Counter-Strike (or getting your butt handed to you by 14 year-olds with hours of daily play experience) this is a great new game. As an aside: I hope cheating doesn't become an issue here...I'm glad I've found a new game, but will stop playing (or buying mods and sequels) if they don't deal with it as soon as it happens.

The FF setting (Friendly Fire) is great...server sets it so you get automatically kicked after your third time, unless the player you killed forgives you. An instant menu pops up for him while he's waiting in re-enforcement queue...I'm a big fan of FF on...it adds additional sophistication to the game play...and tends to keep the shoot-and-bunny-hop kiddies off the server.

Minor flaws so far: the running animation isn't very realistic at times...from certain angles some of the Axis guys look like they are being pushed around on a magnetic board, and I'm not sure I can tell the difference between the Thompson and the MP40. The bazoka is QUITE effective though! The different built-in voice commands are difficult to navigate (due to the amount of relevant and inmportant ones available) and may require some binding of favorites.

Beautiful, Scary, and plays well too

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 9
Date: November 23, 2001
Author: Amazon User

This is an amazing game. The graphics are very nice. The textures on the buildings are nothing short from stunning. The actual gameplay is fast and furious (Kind of like quake 3, because it's by I.D. too). The use of scary sounds definitily makes the Wolfenstein atmosphere feel creepy. The levels inside the crypts are terrifying, I even jumped a few times. It may not be as scary as Undying, but it defintely gives you some chills. The story is great and developes throughout the game, sucking you in. Really this game is not that short compared to other FPS's and the fact it has a very good multiplayer means it has tons of replay value. Overall its a great game, that no action fan should miss.

Multi-player test version

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 11 / 13
Date: October 11, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I downloaded the multiplayer demo of this game on Saturday and couldn't turn it off. The test version was one map, the beachfront from D-day. It's setup just like an "assault" from quake 3:arena. You've got a time limit do either infiltrate the base and steal the war documents or defend the base depending on which team you are. There are 4 classes of units (soldier, medic, engineer, lieutenant). Each has it's advantages and disadvantages. Engineers are the only ones who can plant and disarm dynamite. Medics can heal injured players, lieutenants can call for airstrikes and give out ammo. Soldiers are the only class that has access to all the two-handed weapons.

The graphics are incredible. Very detailed and the game ran very smoothly. I can not wait until the full version of this game comes out. The single player promises to be solid but the multiplayer is where this game will shine.

Less than expected...

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 11 / 13
Date: February 22, 2002
Author: Amazon User

With other first person shooters like Aliens vs. Predator 2 out and legacy shooters with rich story like Half-Life and superb graphics like Unreal, the bar is set pretty high these days for this game genre. Return to Castle Wolfenstein has stormed onto the scene in recent months to much fanfare, but I don't think it deserved what it got.

Many people talk of its superb graphics, but I was unimpressed. The game is very noir, every level is a dimly lit something-or-other. There are no vibrant high contrast awe inspiring scenes. They are all dark. This is probably because in low contrast you can get away with fewer polygons per scene. The rendering engine looks to be the same unimproved Quake3 one which on all my nVidia-based cards create strange patterns in the textures up close.

What shocked me the most though was the AI. It's terrible. Low on health? Thinking of sneaking around so you aren't heard? Forget about it. There is even a mission that requires stealth, and I thought I was being clever using the trees as cover and crawling along so that the guy in the sniper tower wouldn't notice me... Doesn't work. The AI in this game is about as the most simplistic I've seen in a recent game.

Even the very little things were missed in this game. The hot spot of the pointer in the menus is so far off the arrow tip that you can easily miss menu items. They don't save more than one quicksave so when you find out that you were seen 20 seconds ago right before you quick saved (on a mission where you are supposed to get around without being seen), you are in serious trouble and may end up falling back on an autosave that is an entire level back.

The only reason I don't give this game 1 star is that the multiplayer is lots of fun. It isn't original or notably different from any multiple class mod for the other first person shooters, but I still find it fun.

This Is One Of The Best Computer Games To Ever Hit A PC!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 8
Date: November 27, 2001
Author: Amazon User

The wait is finally over with. I've waited years to buy "Return to Castle Wolfenstein" because I've heard and read so much about it. I bought the "Return To Castle Wolfenstein Collecters Tin Edition" the day after Thanksgiving. Was it worth it to wait so long and to dish out so much money for the game? You bet it was. It was well worth it. If you go out and buy just one computer game this year, go out and buy "Return To Castle Wolfenstein". I've played a lot of different computer games over the years and this one is the very best computer games I've ever played. The graphics alone are the best I have ever seen in a computer game. And the sounds and music throughout the game are unbelieveable. I have never heard such realistic weapons sounds before like I have in this game. When I fired a rifle, it sounds just like a real rifle should. And you should see the characters and creatures throughout the game. This game has got one of the best AI's I've seen in a game. It is so cool is to see the German guards act like real people. They even question their orders by the German High Command. There is one scene in the game where one of the German soldiers is guarding a wine cellar in a village and this German soldier is completely drunk and he is staggering around trying to sing to the German National Anthem while it is playing over the radio. It was simply hilarious to see something like that in a war like setting. In another scene you can hear a German guard coughing like crazy because it is so cold outside where he is stationed at. The area where that German guard is stationed is covered with snow and the sky is filled with dark clouds rolling across the sky. You start to feel sorry for that poor German guard and you want to tell him to go somewhere warm to get rid of that nasty cough. You start to believe your in a real World War II setting that how real everything looks and feels. And it so cool to see German soldiers and zombies fighting each other while you you just sit back and watch the battle. A lot of people don't realize that the German High Command was really into the occult during World War II and the Germans did try different experiments with the occult during the war. The team who put this game together has done a great job of studying the war. Bravo on making such a fine game.

Follow me! Schnell!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 8
Date: December 13, 2001
Author: Amazon User

This game is a collaboration of quite a few studios, and it does not dissapoint.

The gameplay is superb in all areas. Its an interesting fusion of tradional, stomach-turning Quake-style action with engaging story elements reminiscent of games like Dues Ex. The many cutscenes found throughout the game are blended seamlessly with actual gameplay, making for a great interactive experience.

But make no mistake - the core of the game is still action and before the adventure comes to an end, you'll have plowed through countless Nazi soldiers and many other horrific monstrosities. Even the most seasoned FPS gamers should find themselves challenged, especially on the highest difficulty level.

The graphics are, of course, fantastic. Whether its the breath-taking landscapes or lush textures, the attetion to detail certainly shows, and leaves the gamer feeling right at home in the world of Wolfenstein. As it goes with all id products, you are given a great deal of customization, allowing gamers on low-end systems to maintain playable framerates. The music is also impressive, starting up at key moments to add intesity, though never too distracting.

Multiplayer is VERY fun! Teams are composed of four different classes - soldiers, lieutenants, engineers, and medics. All serve an important function in completing the objectives of a given map. The maps themselves have a variety of different objectives, ranging from capturing artifacts/intellegence, to blowing up a communications radar. Holds up well to the current competition - the Day of Defeat Halflife mod. However, RTCW seems to promote more of a cohesive team element with the class dependency. Even those of you with, erm...."sub-par"...FPS skills can still contribute greatly as a support player.

Bottom line: this combines all the aspects of old school gaming with the great production values of current games, making for a thorougly enjoyable experience.

id demonstrates here that they're still very much in top form! kudos to everyone involved with the production.

Fantastic- be prepared to play this until you beat it!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 12
Date: December 11, 2001
Author: Amazon User

My copy of Return to Castle Wolfenstein arrived and I voraciously attacked the packaging, as is my custom with anything that arrives from Amazon. I installed RTCW, which was a snap, and proceeded to play night and day for 3 full days until I beat this fantastic game. It was an experience, which is something that you will understand if you're a true gamer. If you're a new gamer, this game has the potential to give you your first true experience. I'm talking about games like Halflife, No One Lives Forever, or Deus Ex that you don't want to end. I didn't want RTCW to end. The graphics are phenomenal- that is, the landscapes and charcter design are of the highest order. The Quake 3 engine that everyone is talking about is truly worthy of its acclaim. Everything has texture, the enemy AI is realistic, and the in-game dialogue is believable. However, the graphics and gameplay aren't what make this game truly amazing. The story is what RTCW will be forever remembered for. You get to fight Nazis,(always a plus in gaming), but also uncover the secrets of the Third Reich's Paranormal Division. Needless to say, you're in for some creepy confrontations. This element of science fiction mixed with true WWII action is what I loved most about the game. If you have a decent computer, this game is quite worth it. (...) take it from me: I have a good computer which I've customized for gaming and it played like a dream. Even on a less-customized computer this game will run great. I'm giving you a gurantee on this one (...).

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