Last week was a dry week as far as retail Xbox game releases. But both Xbox One and 360 got the phenomenal downloadable puzzle/shooter Super Time Force, so nobody should have complained too much. All of you FPS guys need to step out of your comfort zone and give it a try – you won’t be disappointed. Oh, but First-Person Shooter fans do have reason to celebrate this week. ..
Wolfenstein: The New Order from Bethesda and Machine Head Games has finally arrived on the Xbox One and 360! The latest entry in the series that basically started the FPS genre (yes, it preceded Doom and even Call of Duty!) is a single-player tour-de-force. And Xbox 360 gamers have a more lighthearted downloadable game to play now - Max: the Curse of Brotherhood. Read on for details and exclusive Wolfenstein screenshots!
Wolfenstein: The New Order
I really wanted to capture a video of the opening moments of The New Order, but I experienced some audio issues when using my capture box so we’ll just rely on screenshots and text. Like they did in the old days!
The New Order starts out during a decisive battle of World War II. The Allies are making one final push against the Axis stronghold. Somehow the Nazis have managed to spread and conquer Europe at an unimaginable rate. If our heroes can’t stop the mysterious Nazi leader known as Deathshead, the war will end with Nazis ruling the world.
The setting unfolds organically as series star William “B.J.” Blazkowicz wakes up in the cockpit of an airplane taking part in the Deathshead run. As the player, you’ll have to put out a fire and unload some cargo in order to keep your plane in the air. You’ll then hop into the cockpit in order to fight off some extremely unusual Nazi fighters – planes so advanced, they shouldn’t exist during that era.
Having shot down their attackers, B.J. and his pilot are soon forced to abandon their plane by jumping onto the wing of another one! This sequence is intense, but also a tad frustrating. You have to make a running jump for the ally plane’s door and reach it without getting blown away by the wind. The jump took me several tries to get right, each preceding attempt ending in death. But you respawn right before the jump if you fail, so it’s not as frustrating as it could be.
Even having boarded the friendly plane successfully, the new plane soon goes down. B.J. awakens in the water, where many of his fellow soldiers are floating dead. He escapes onto the beach only to be chased by a man-sized mechanical panther! This robot is one of the advanced pieces of technology that has allowed the Nazis to nearly win the war. Players will have to sneak around the panther and find a turret from which to blast it. B.J. then finds a gun and joins his surviving teammates in the fight…
But that’s only the beginning. The Axis does win the War in the game’s alternate history. Players will have the choice of saving the lives of two different characters early in the game. Each choice provides a unique game experience and story changes, doubling the replay value.
The New Order also features a cool perk system in which completing specific actions unlocks gameplay bonuses, hidden collectibles that will unlock a new mode or two, and five different difficulty levels. The only thing you won’t find is a multiplayer mode, as this is a story-heavy single-player affair. Fans of the Wolfenstein series and FPS campaigns won’t be disappointed.
- Wolfenstein: The New Order – Xbox One – 47 GB – $59.99 – Amazon Link – Xbox.com Link
- Wolfenstein: The New Order – Xbox 360 –? GB – $59.99 – Amazon Link
Max: the Curse of Brotherhood
Max: The Curse of Brotherhood is the sequel to Windows Phone 7 launch title Max and the Magic Marker. It also happens to be exclusive to Xbox One, 360, and PC. The Xbox 360 version was scheduled to release last month, but it got pushed back until today.
Initially The Curse of Brotherhood plays just like any other 2D platformer. Max can run, jump, crawl under spaces and climb ladders and ropes. Before long, Max meets a mysterious old woman who imbues his marker with magical powers. Armed with the marker, Max can affect the game world and solve puzzles.
The Curse of Brotherhood is an excellent platformer. It looks beautiful and the puzzles are actually fun instead of annoying. The Xbox 360 version reportedly runs at a slightly lower frame rate and resolution than its Xbox One predecessor, but retains the same gorgeous look and creative gameplay. Platforming fans won’t want to miss it.
- Max: The Curse of Brotherhood – Xbox 360 – 2 GB – $14.99 – Xbox.com Link
- Max: The Curse of Brotherhood – Xbox One – 3 GB – $14.99 – Xbox.com Link
Next Week: Watchdogs
Only one Xbox console game is scheduled to debut next week, but it’s a big one: Ubisoft’s Watch Dogs!
The game stars Aiden Pearce, a hacker who steals and sells information in a futuristic version of Chicago. Hacking plays a large role in Watch Dogs, with players able to control street lights, bridges, steam pipes, and many other environmental objects via hacking.
Although Watch Dogs carries a substantial single-player experience, early impressions indicate that multiplayer is the game’s stand-out feature. Several unique modes are included, most notably one in which another player is trying to kill you within the open-world setting. The catch? You can’t tell the other player from the NPCs, creating a tense and exciting cat-and-mouse dynamic.
Watch Dogs arrives on May 27 in the US.
- Watch Dogs – Xbox One – ? GB – $59.99 – Amazon Link
- Watch Dogs – Xbox 360 – ? GB – $59.99 – Amazon Link
