![]() ![]() Sometimes you'll be spotted by a patrolling guard you had no idea was there from across the map, particularly in the more open areas where it's impossible to keep an eye on every angle, leading to an immediate hail of suspiciously accurate bullets. ![]() Enemy AI is erratic, and their field of vision frustratingly unclear. Both Rudi Jager and Helga von Schabbs are memorable pulp villains, though Helga is the more interesting and fun of the two.Īlso similar to The Evil Within's Assignment and Consequence expansions, the reliance on stealth is a little problematic. Those are in such plentiful supply, scattered as they are across every available surface and in every corner, that they make a mockery of the Nazis' reputation for ruthless efficiency - at least as far as tidying up is concerned. You certainly won't need to look high and low for ammo and armour. The best reason to wander off is to find the bonus Wolfenstein 3D levels - one per area now - though even these lose their allure after a while. Some areas widen out to offer a larger area in which to skulk and flank enemies, but the way ahead is always rigidly enforced, and though there are secret areas, your reward for finding them is collectable gold bars and maybe some letters or documents. It's just a shame there aren't more reasons to roam. With one in each hand, they not only allow for some spectacularly nasty stealth executions, with blood gushing out of one end as the other is buried in some hapless soldier's skull or throat, but they open up traversal opportunities, allowing you to use them to scale walls or - by combining them into a single crowbar-style configuration - prise open doors and grates. There are not only entirely new environments and some new enemies, but a few new gameplay ideas too.ī.J's dual-wielded pipes, for instance, are a fun addition. There's a lot in here, certainly more than we've come to expect from blockbuster bonus content, and it all feels compellingly new. The Old Blood, much like The Evil Within's DLC, is defined by impressive highs and a couple of minor but nonetheless disappointing lows. They're not standalone stories in their own right. The two acts of The Old Blood must be played in order. After only a few hours of linear progression, you emerge from the other side of the castle and are off into a series of caves and then an occupied village for the final chapter, The Dark Secrets of Helga von Schabbs. While the castle forms the mid-section of the first act, Rudi Jager and the Den of Wolves, you don't really spend that much time there. It's a return to the classic Wolfenstein setting, then, but don't get too excited about exploring those dank passages and dungeons once again. Your mission is to infiltrate the infamous Castle Wolfenstein and remove that advantage, giving the Allies a slim chance to regroup. In this alternate timeline, the Second World War is not only still going, but the Nazis are winning thanks to supernatural advantages unearthed by Helga von Schabbs. It's a prequel to last year's surprise hit, The New Order, picking up the story of B.J. The two narrative spin-offs for The Evil Within offered new environments and new enemies, and that's also true of Wolfenstein: The Old Blood, a two-act expansion so sizable - eight chapters that take around seven hours to complete - that it's being released as a standalone budget game rather than plain old DLC. Bethesda was rightly notorious for its decorative horse armour, sold separately for players of The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, but it's now making amends with add-ons that are not only substantial, but robust and distinctive. It's ironic that one of the first publishers to earn gamers' ire for ropey DLC is now one of the few publishers to be doing expansions properly. Tried and trusted gameplay is boosted with a generous, if slightly monotonous, serving of genuinely fresh content in this budget prequel. ![]()
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