Gaming Target - Xbox: Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Tides of War

Written by Nick Doukas on May 23, 2003

Full Review: Nazis, zombies, genetic freaksЕand blowing your buddies head clean offЕ

Return To Castle Wolfenstein: Tides Of War has a serious pedigree behind it. The series began with the much beloved Apple II game Castle Wolfenstein, was followed up by id Software's FPS sequel Wolfenstein 3D, and culminated with the 2001 release of the PC game Return To Castle Wolfenstein. RTCW has been a stellar online experience for PC gaming enthusiasts over the last 16 months, and now makes its debut on Microsoft's Xbox, and proves to be a perfect fit for its fledgling Live service. With exclusive Xbox only levels and modes, and an excellent single player campaign that beautifully compliments the incredible online play, Tides Of War brings Xbox owners the next big thing in First Person Shooters.

RTCW puts you into the combat boots of U.S. Army Ranger B.J. Blazkowicz, recruited by the OSA for his abilities as a specialist in heavy weapons, covert operations, and assassinations. B.J. and British commando Agent One are dispatched on a journey into the heart of the German War machine, as they attempt to discover the sinister plans of SS commander Heinrich Himmler. The engaging plot draws on a Raiders of the Lost Ark type approach to WW II in 1943. That is, a liberal amount of conventional horror/fantasy mixed with real-world historical events. A pre-Christian Saxon prince and his army of Dark Knights, defeated and imprisoned by a powerful monk in 943 A.D. are the prize Himmler seeks, believing he can resurrect them and in turn command an unstoppable army of the undead against the Allies. It's up to B.J. to somehow thwart this horrific plan. This is where you come in.

RTCW controls beautifully, with movement and view mapped to the analog sticks in the now familiar configuration for console First Person Shooters. You'll fire the currently equipped weapon with the right trigger, and use the left to jump. Crouching is accomplished by pressing down on the left thumbstick, which can come in handy if, for some reason, you'd like to avoid getting your head torn off by enemy fire. You also have the ability to lean out from behind cover, kick and punch objects in the environment, and swim. Your HUD displays health, protection (helmets and flak jackets that can be found scattered about the areas) and your remaining ammunition. When your notebook is updated with mission objectives, an icon appears in the upper left hand corner of the screen to alert you.

You'll be taking on all manner of Nazi soldiers and other mercenary forces, as well as dealing with supernatural beasts. Along with legions of the undead, you'll encounter X-Creatures, horrific goons spawned from failed Nazi experiments. In order to properly vanquish any and all threats, the game provides you with some serious weapons to go zombie stomping with. Pistols include a German Luger, and a 45 caliber Colt (which can be wielded in both hands, one piece for each), while heavier automatic weapons like the Thompson M1A1, the MP-40, and the silenced Sten Mark II S shred enemies to ribbons with satisfying realism. You'll also get your hands on a powerful pump-action shotgun, as well as sniper rifles and a Mauser. Grenades and dynamite round out the arsenal, and the ultra-heavy stuff is well represented in the Venom chaingun, which fires 12.7 mm light armor-piercing rounds, and the Panzerfaust, a German anti-tank rocket launcher. Throw in a sweet flamethrower and the Tesla cannon (a weapon based on powerful guided electrical fields) and you're ready to kick some serious Axis ass. All of the weapons are well modeled and fire with gruff authenticity, and cycling through them and reloading is a breeze.

Graphically, Tides Of War looks excellent. Running on the latest version of id Software's Quake engine, and spruced up considerably for its Xbox debut, RTCW shines like a new penny. Sharp textures, creepy and realistic environments that sport fantastic lighting and shadows, and wonderful particle effects create a visual impact that's most impressive, which of course helps immerse you in the adventure considerably. The game runs beautifully in 480p, so HDTV owners will receive the additional benefit of enhanced visuals. The enemies look great, and the character models sport a fair amount of detail. The physics system performs admirably, and enemy death throes are convincing and authentic. Weapons fire looks sweet, and scoring, as well as other environmental damage, adds categorical weight to the scenarios.

The audio in Wolfenstein is presented in full 5.1 glory, and the booming sounds of weapons, as well as the eerie moans and shrieks of the undead, echo from every corner of the room. The voice acting is well done and suitably dramatic, both in game, and during the visually gorgeous cut-scenes. The music is epic in scope, and finds its way into the tense battle scenes effortlessly. Overall the aural presentation is top-notch, and compliments the choice visuals well.

The single player campaign should take you approximately 15 hours to complete. The game can be played in co-op mode, which is welcome for those who want to work their way through each mission in the campaign with a friend. The story will leave you breathless, and battling your way through the objectives is presented in terrific fashion at every turn. Overall, the single player game is well worth the price of admission by itself, however, the multiplayer component is where this title truly shines.

For Xbox owners who are hooked up to Live (and if you are an Xbox owner then you should definitely have a Gamertag, don't make me tell you again!) the game's online multiplayer mode is a real treat, extremely well outfitted with a ton of options, a bunch of great maps (16 to be exact), and some very cool game-types. This is the virtual world that has Live subscribers hooked, and playing RTCW online with up to 16 players is a definitive Xbox Live experience. When hosted by a proper server (a client Xbox with a solid amount of bandwidth, say at least 600k up to host 10 Ц 12 people. Those of you with lesser speeds can still host, you'll simply have to lower the amount of players allowed in your server) the game purrs along as smooth as silk. The online play is fantastic, and the multitude of gametypes includes Objective, in which the Allies and the Axis (yes, you can play as either one) face off in mission based mayhem. Stealing key documents, protecting an anti-aircraft gun, and a storming beach invasion to seize an Axis position are just some of the phenomenal scenarios in which you'll find yourself. Other modes include Stopwatch (basically a timed Objective mode), Checkpoint (hold those positions boys!), and Elimination.

Multiplayer RTCW is a true team experience, as evidenced by the 4 different classes players have to choose from. Soldiers are equipped with the uber-heavy weaponry, and are the only ones capable of handling the Panzerfaust rocket launcher. Lieutenants (my personal favorite) in addition to possessing the ability to call in air strikes, also have the responsibility of handing out ammo packs to the team, as no power-ups exist anywhere on the maps. Which brings us to the Medic, who can distribute health to injured team mates, as well as revive them with a syringe once they've gone down (invaluable in an intense battle, as respawning takes valuable time away from the fight). Engineers are equipped with dynamite, used to take out targets, as well as breach areas otherwise inaccessible. They also get pliers, which can be used to disarm enemy dynamite, and repair damaged gun emplacements (which, by the way, you can take control of and blow opponents away with). Players can use the directional pad to call for ammo or health, as well as use the team chat to coordinate attacks and work efficiently to complete the objectives.

With the inclusion of the class system, it's absolutely essential that you work together with the rest of the team, and know your role well. Lieutenants need to remember to equip their squad members (and themselves) with ammo. By the same token, Medics need to be ready to help fallen comrades, and keep as low a profile as possible so that they're actually alive to do their job. Soldiers need to lead the charge and lay down devastating firepower with the heavy weapons, and Engineers need to work quickly and efficiently to plant or defuse explosives.

Because of the crack team interaction that's inherently necessary here to be successful, Return To Castle Wolfenstein is a game tailor made for clan action. Playing consistently with your crew can make all the difference in becoming a cohesive unit that's deadly and effective. The wild scenarios that unfold when two solid teams are going at it is the stuff of legends, and the Objective gameplay will keep you coming back to this title for a long time.

Just last night I was playing with members of my clan ChaoticHarmony. As MrTipsy and FunkyMunky charged up the hill adjacent to the platformed anti-aircraft gun myself and snoops were tasked with protecting, we had to coordinate with black oasis and Crank Master to have them guard the elevator shaft and staircase that winds up the middle of the building (all the Objective maps have cool shortcuts and hidden pathways). In an all out assault, Tipsy and Munky charged our position and were hosed down with machine gun fire, as snoops and I locked down the area and repelled the invasion. Moments later, after regrouping, they employed a stealthier tactic: this time, they would have FiveStar and Guszilla charge the frontline ridge as a distraction, while FunkyMunky snuck up the aforementioned elevator shaft and took us both out with a couple of well placed headshots, clearing the way for their Engineer to plant dynamite and destroy the gun. Trust me, it's incredibly cool stuff, and all night marathons will be a regular occurrence once this game is spinning in your disc drive. The online multiplayer really is that good.