Developer GameMachine (comprising many former Starbreeze– Chronicles of Riddick— personnel) is developing the latest Wolfenstein-branded title for publisher Bethesda. Out of the hands of the seemingly Nazi-obsessed id Software, GameMachine has promised to deliver a FPS kill-fest that doesn’t let realism get in the way of maximum lead-throwing and ridiculous numbers of explosions.
The game will center on classic Wolfenstein protagonist B.J. Blazkowicz who awakes from a coma (or something) in a 1960’s alt-history world where Germany has won the war and Nazis have continued to be, well, Nazis– working on ever more advanced war machines and other creepy stuff with ruthless efficiency.
Come on, that sounds pretty cool, right? You know.. alt-history ‘n Nazis and stuff? Come on, it’s Nazis! And a first-person shooter! And look at that trailer! Is that the sound of Jimi Hendrix, we hear? Oh, that makes perfect sense.
Alright, if you can set aside the kind of stinging insult that may occur at hearing news like this, it may just be possible that the game winds up being a lot of fun. Who doesn’t want to dual-wield rocket-launchers (or chainguns, or whatever) to dump lead rain on a phalanx of swastika-adorned robots? Right?
Okay, okay.. even if that all sounds like the most-tired thing in the world, at least the developers are known for building thoughtful, story-driven games with highly immersive mechanics and this Wolfenstein promises some interesting twists on the usual mechanics expected in a “nothing but shooting” shooter. Emphasis on movement and the environment has been talked about a bit in interviews and mentioned as a part of early hands-on gameplay. For example, leaning out of (or under?) cover, is usually reserved for games with a little more tactical finesse.
So, despite the tired-sounding premise, there is still room for a good developer to make something that’s engaging and a lot of fun out of the property– and there’s certainly room for it. One good indicator that they intend to have a rich worthwhile single-player experience is the complete lack of multiplayer. And if you had the opportunity to play Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay when it was new, you probably remember repeating the mantra “This is based on a movie.. how does it not suck?” and also, “How is Vin Diesel a better voice actor than… well, an actor-actor?”
The game doesn’t have a release date yet, but given the kind of exclusive coverage it’s getting at Gamespot, it probably can’t be too far off, right?