I enjoyed Return to Castle Wolfenstein years ago on Windows XP with an old 64MB PCI GPU. Like most Quake 3 engine games, the graphics have aged so-so yet allow much for the modding crowd. Also like some Quake 3 engine games, there are source ports for running RtCW on newer OSes including Linux (iortcw). Enemies are varied in look and attacks. Environments are varied and encourage a bit of strategy. Weapons all have uses, with environments and enemies encouraging you to switch things up. Multiplayer (thru iortcw's "WolfMP" launcher) can connect you to matches against other aging Gen Xers! I'm glad I saw this puppy on gog.com with no DRM and scooped it up!
In short:
The Bad:
- The stamina bar does not belong in this game, throw it away. For example, the final boss very much needs you to sprint like a madman at all times to avoid a very annoying, blinding homing attack. You're better off bunnyhopping.
- Underutilized item system. I got a portable healing item. Once. And it's underpowered and it blinds you when used. Also it was a secret.
- Stubborn, unstaggerable, inconsistent, etc, enemies. Soldiers eating miniguns to the face without flinching, sometimes shooting you with seemingly perfect accuracy while sprinting at you, those electric enemies that throw themselves at you and kill you within seconds, that can also hurt you through ceilings. The tesla super soldier boss. The bosses generally aren't very good. I guess the last boss is the best one, but even that is ruined by the stupid stamina system.
- All of the mandatory stealth parts. Stealth should always be optional in a Wolfenstein game. This series is about kicking down doors and making nazis eat shit in the loudest and most lead filled way possible. Not about tiptoeing around and making sure the enemy doesn't spot the tip of your shoe from 2 miles away.
- Once again, GoG are too lazy to change 2 lines of code to allow modern resolutions to be selectable. Oh well, at least the game ran fine otherwise. Also the mouse aiming/sensitivity just feels off in general.
- USELESS TREASURE THAT HAS NO PRACTICAL USE. Just for the shits and giggles and completion I guess. It would have been cool if getting a certain number of treasure upgraded your max health/armor/ammo capacity, etc. Also, armor pickups are insultingly rare a lot of the time.
- And a bunch of other stuff I can't think of.
The Good:
+ Schut nazis.
+ Game still looks decent for it's age.
+ Occasional humor
Verdict: Just play The New Order or the original. Or at the very least mod this to the point where it fixes all the stupid frustrating bullshit, unpolish, unbalance, and other jank.
What can I say, the game is good but it could be better. The first stages are delicious, but all that later paranormal envelope, super soldiers, bosses and those jumping mutants unfortunately detract from this game. The stages in which you fight Hitler's soldiers are great, they behave quite intelligently, they try to surprise the player and even on the easiest difficulty level they are quite a challenge. The best of the whole game is probably the first level during which we escape from the dungeon in the castle. The game maintains its high level to the mission in which we face these jumping mutants, later, unfortunately, it loses a lot of its beginner atmosphere. Nevertheless, it is a good production and I can recommend it with a pure heart. And my last pain is the ending, let me just say that I was a bit disappointed.
Return To Castle Wolfenstein isn't a game that gets talked about much whenever the series is brought up in conversation, which is a damn shame. It's a great realization of the series unshackled from the limitations of Wolfenstein 3D.
One of the game's best strengths is its variety of missions. The campaign has BJ running the gauntlet of everything from ancient ruins filled with undead horrors, to science labs full of horrific experiments and even a V2 rocket base. On top of that, the game is built on the Q3 engine, which lends the movement and shooting mechanics a smooth, responsive feel on top of German soldiers that can be surprisingly tough to fight, with special mention going to the German paratroopers whose FG42s will make mincemeat out of you in the latter half of the campaign.
It's a classic that's well worth experiencing, rivaled only by Wolfenstein: The New Order.
