Game Evaluation (PC)By: Andrew Claus

Basic Information

Game Title: Wolfenstein Developers: id Software, Raven Software, Pi

Studios, Endrant Studios Publisher: Activision Blizzard Type of game: WWII First Person Shooter Price:

– PC: $49.99– XBOX 360 / PS3: $59.99

Basic Information contd.

Minimum stated hardware requirements– O.S.: Windows® XP or Windows Vista®– Processor: Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 3.2 GHz or AMD

Athlon(TM) 64 3400+ processor – RAM: 1GB– Video: 256MB NVIDIA(R) Geforce(R) 6800 GT or ATI

Radeon(TM) X800 – Disk Space: 8.8GB available– DirectX: DirectX® 9.0c– Connection: Broadband– Media: 100% Microsoft Windows compatible DVD-ROM

drive

Basic Information contd.

Test machine hardware:– O.S.: Windows 7– Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad 3.0 GHz– RAM: 6GB– Video: 512MB ATI Radeon 4870– Disk Space: 40GB+ available– DirectX: DirectX® 9.0c– Connection: Broadband Cable

Performance:– No noticeable lag at highest settings, 30-60 FPS

Game Summary - Story

Continues the story of Wolfenstein 3D and Return to Castle Wolfenstein

WWII Nazi’s obsessed with the supernatural Developing new weapons and super solders

with Black Sun technology Stop the Nazi’s from taking over the world

Game Summary – Role

Play as B.J. Blazkowicz, Secret Agent of the Office of Secret Actions

Infiltrate the town of Eisenstadt Take missions to thwart the Nazi’s Steal and destroy their weapons Access a parallel dimension called the Veil

Game Summary - Installation

Initial installation:– Purchase DVD, Install using a DVD drive.

Updates:– No updates necessary for Single Players– Latest update required for Multiplayer mode, must

be manually downloaded and installed

Game Summary – User Interface

Limited on-screen interface

Game Summary – User Interface

Game Summary – Gameplay

First Person Shooter– Some strategy allowed

Taking cover behind objects Flanking the enemy

– Mainly Run-and-gun

Some RPG Elements– Quest hub– Semi-non-linear story progression– Collect hidden objects for currency and weapon upgrades– Purchase weapon upgrades

Friendly AI assist in some fights

Game Summary - Scoring

Overall goal is to complete everything– Complete Quests from the main city– Collect Gold Bars– Collect Intelligence– Collect Tomes

Additional Statistics– Number of enemies killed

Game Summary contd.

Artwork– High resolution textures– Convincing volumetric lighting and particle effects– Mediocre cut-scenes and animations– High attention to detail in levels

Sound– Realistic weapon sounds– Realistic speech– High quality ambient sounds– Directional and positional sounds

Game Summary – Artwork contd.

Game Summary – Special Features

Futuristic weaponry– Anti-Gravity fields– Particle Cannon– Tesla Cannon

Veil powers– The Veil

See hidden doors and objects See enemies through walls See Veil creatures

– Mire Slow down time

– Empower Shoot through objects and shields

– Shield Block and reflect bullets

Game Summary – Special Features

Game Summary contd.

Manual– Keymap for keyboard and mouse controls– Enemy descriptions– Weapon descriptions

Bugs– Unable to open/close doors if physics-enabled

objects are blocking

Game Review

What is good about the game?– Weaponry/Combat– Veil powers– Attention to Detail– Storyline– Blood and Gore effects– Physics-enabled objects

Most decorations are moveable/breakable

Game Review contd.

What is bad about the game?– Motion bob– Cut scenes

Stiff animations– Repetitive nature of the quest hub

Not much to explore Enemies re-spawn in the same place after every quest Travel the same routes in-between quests

– Multiplayer Tried too hard to make it feel like classic Wolfenstein

– Physics enabled objects Sometimes there too many physics enabled objects

Game Review contd.

How does it compare to similar FPS games?– Same basic concept and design as other WWII

shooters COD Series Medal of Honor Series

– Modified Quake IV engine DOOM 3 Quake IV

Game Review contd.

Why is it better or worse then similar games?– Supernatural aspects allow for more possibilities

Not your average WWII FPS

– Optimized game engine Multi-Threaded Better lighting and physics algorithms

– Multiplayer is unpolished compared to others Most important aspect of a game for lasting value

Game Review contd.

Appropriate audience?– Mature

Blood/Gore Nazi’s Nazi Pictures/Symbols/Propaganda

Any design mistakes?– Multiplayer design– Over-exaggerated motion bob

Summary

Strengths:– Story– Weapons/Combat– The Veil– Game Engine

Weaknesses:– Multiplayer– Quest hub– Cut-scenes– Other small details

Summary contd.

Is the Game worth purchasing?– Yes, If

You have enjoyed the original Wolfenstein 3D or Return to Castle Wolfenstein

You enjoy other modern WWII FPS games

Summary Contd.

How could the game be improved?– Motion bob adjustment in options– Revamped multiplayer– Door auto-close timer increased, or turned off

Gameplay demo

Veil usage demo– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAiLkJ4impM