Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Tides of War Review

Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Tides of War is quite simply one of the best first person shooters ever made. Next to Halo, I believe that this is the best game on the Xbox. You play the role of B. J. Blazkowicz, an Army Ranger who is tasked to infiltrate the deepest realms of the Third Reich in an attempt to thwart Himmler’s occult and genetic experiments. B. J. was initially assigned with another operative. While in Egypt, they uncover the early stages of Himmler’s plans. After being shot down by anti-aircraft artillery fire, on their way to Germany, you must overcome capture and the death of your partner. Along your journey to stop Himmler’s plans, you will face SS Guards, zombies that are unleashed in ancient misty crypts, mutant creatures, and the Occult Priest.

Activision attempted to make Wolfenstein a movie, especially since the storyline is so Hollywood inspired. The graphics are detailed, for instance, while you are in an allied building at the beginning of the game, you see a picture hanging of President Roosevelt on the wall. After shooting a Nazi in the head, the game does a great job at splattering his German blood on the walls, staining it in deep red.

There are some rather annoying glitches that could have been avoided, if the time would have been taken to do so. Bodies appear through doors and corpses (that fall from the roof) float in midair. Another aspect which is unacceptable is how some objects are basically flat, such as food in a barrel. These complaints are made up by the good in this game.

I think this is the only game around that allows you to kick things that are ten feet high. If you are thinking that B. J. is actually Shaq in disguise, then you are wrong. One other thing that you will only find in this game is the ability to cut the Nazi swastika into shreds by merely kicking it. How convenient is that? A troubling thing for me to figure out is how much the monorail in Castle Wolfenstein looks like that of Nightfire.

Though the game has good graphics, the heart and soul of Return to Castle Wolfenstein is the game itself. The game consists of killing Nazis, along with zombies, and pulling switches. Hold on, this might not seem fun, but you would be wrong. As a matter of fact, you can play this game for hours on end without even noticing how much of the same stuff you do.

A frustrating part of the game is that the A.I. knows your every move. It is not that the A.I. is overly intelligent; it is more that they beat you with sheer numbers. While traveling through each level, you can collect food to heal your battle wounds.