Wolfenstein: The Old Blood

Wolfenstein: The Old Blood is a first-person action game. Like most recent entries in the Wolfenstein series, focuses on shooting but adds an element of stealth gameplay.

Released in 2015, Wolfenstein: The Old Blood is a followup to 2014's Wolfenstein: The New Order. Once again, the player takes control of commando William "B.J." Blazkowicz. The game's story takes place before The New Order: in this instalment, Blazkowicz and another agent must infiltrate enemy stronghold Castle Wolfenstein to retrieve a vital document. Captured by the Nazis, B.J. must battle his way out of the castle and complete his mission with the Germans on his tail. All the usual Wolfenstein tropes are here, from burning Nazi zombies to suits of high-tech (well, high-tech for 1946) armour.

A balance between stealth and over-the-top action is the main attraction here; unlike The New Order's more introspective story, the narrative in The Old Blood is really just present to link action scenes together. B.J. has a small number of choices to make, but the outcomes are much the same no matter what the player does; after all, when you're confronted with a Nazi sorcerer scheming to use a legion of the undead to conquer the world, the only question is which gun is going to blow the target to bits fastest.

Perks and alternate modes add a little variety to the shooter gameplay -- Perks challenge you to perform mini-objectives such as making silent kills, collecting helmets or using a particular weapon. Once you've completed a Perk, you'll gain a small but useful mechanical reward. For instance, one Perk allows B.J. to regenerate health by performing a silent enemy takedown. You can also unlock Challenge Arenas by completing missions and Nightmare Levels by finding hidden locations within each chapter. Interacting with the bed in these hidden areas will trigger a Nightmare Level. These minigames are small homages to the game that started it all, 1992's Wolfenstein 3D. And, of course, it wouldn't be a Wolfenstein game if you couldn't collect some gold bars.

The Old Blood may not have the depth or complexity of The New Order, but it's an accessible, action-packed adventure that brings modern innovations in gameplay and graphics to a classic Wolfenstein run-and-gun scenario.

Pros

• Impressive graphics
• Over-the-top alternate WWII storyline
• Hidden Perks and side missions

Cons

• Simplistic storyline