Muse Software’s top-down shooter (developed for the Apple II) flipped the genre on its head. Instead of gunning down enemies to win, players’ ultimate goal is to evade them – with sneaking often more effective than shooting.
The franchise’s first foray into the VR gaming arena, this 2019 release puts players in the shoes of French Resistance computer hacker Cyberpilot. However, the gameplay aspect drops down the overall rating of the game.
Developed by Raven Software, it adds new mechanics – most notably, supernatural powers – leaning more heavily into the supernatural and sci-fi elements of the franchise. This first-person shooter video game sold a combined 100,000 copies within its first month.
Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory is the first dedicated multiplayer title in the history of the franchise. Released as freeware, Enemy Territory was developed as an expansion pack for Return to Castle Wolfenstein - it’s an even better version
Wolfenstein RPG is rare mobile game spinoff that plays to the strengths of mobile hardware to deliver more than just a trivial IP cash-in. It’s a throwback to the RPGs of yesteryear but reimagined in a way that feels fresh.
The Old Blood returns the franchise to its stealth roots. To their credit, the team at MachineGames does a stellar job of incorporating these mechanics without skimping on the first-person shooter elements and its B-movie-inspired story is serviceable at best.
2001’s Return to Castle Wolfenstein was the franchise’s first new entry in nearly a decade and had the unenviable task of reimagining Wolfenstein 3D for a modern audience. Graphics too, are lightyears ahead of those in Wolfenstein 3D, and the score and sound effects are still pleasant to the ear.
This includes nearly all the best aspects of the other games – only they’re executed far better. Tremendously fun to play, the level design is inventive right from the jump, with players starting their campaign trading fire with Nazis while confined to a wheelchair.
Wolfenstein 3D also remains a blast to play, 30 years on. Although the mechanics are simplistic by today’s standards, the controls handle well and each of the game’s increasingly more high-powered weapons pack a tangible amount of punch.
MachineGames pulled together all Wolfenstein: The New Order’s advancements in an impressively sleek package. Key innovations like the cover system-based gunplay, customisable weapons, and narrative-altering player choices all got their start here.