Welcome to our review of a game that needs no introduction, Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus.
Wolfenstein as a name is synonymous to a great First Person Shooter experience and is one of the most recognizable names in the genre. A genre that is mostly absent on Nintendo Switch. Bethesda, however, shows amazing support and after previously releasing Doom, we now get this masterpiece on Switch.
First person games usually set themselves apart by either bringing a real intense gameplay or an amazing story. Wolfenstein brings the best of both worlds, you get to kill Nazis and you get a strong story both jam-packed into 1 small Switch cartridge. For the digital buyers among us, this game is currently the biggest one on my console at 21,8 GB.
As BJ Blazkowicz, experience an unforgettable action-packed story brought to life by extraordinary characters. Reunite with your friends and fellow freedom fighters as you take on the evil Frau Engel and her Nazi army. Wage the second American Revolution your way – at home or on the go. And, for the perfect blend of immersion and accuracy, utilize the Nintendo Switch’s unique motion controls to stop the Nazi threat.
Fight through post-nuclear Manhattan, occupied Roswell, New Mexico, and the embattled bayous and boulevards of New Orleans as you liberate the American people from the Nazis.
For my review, I purposely played this game solely in handheld mode. I am sure everyone has by now read the reports that this game becomes a little blurry when too much action hits the screen and having never played the game before, I wanted to see if it was something I would notice or not. Being mostly a Nintendo only gamer, it should be clear that I do not care much for amazing graphics but that gameplay is my main concern, which is the basis for my review.
First off, the fighting with motion controls enabled. Frequent visitors to our site should know by now that I tend to hate motion controls, as they are usually not as editable as I’d want them to be. Either the axis goes too fast or way too slow, getting me killed too often. Though I must say, the original setting of Wolfenstein 2 was not to my liking, after some tweaking I found my sweet spot and I was either sniping a Nazi commander or taking out the incoming scum on my screen.
At first, you are in a wheelchair and I have to admit, I hated this part. Riding around and not being truly free in your maneuverability, I definitely did not enjoy this part. Being unable to really get yourself into position to properly attack, the very first impression was not a great one. Keep in mind I never played this game before, before you start commenting out loud on how I should take a game as it comes…
I did struggle with the wheelchair, but once I got the armor and became free in my movements, that is when the game really started for me. In true First Person Shooter fashion, I was being cautious around corners and dove right into enemies when I felt my ammo was low, so I could use my trusty ax to take out the Nazi in front of me.
As I progressed, I never had the impression this game was meant to be played only in TV mode, my experience with handheld was great. I admit I did notice the drop in visual quality when I suddenly got ambushed by several nazis and I cleaved my ax into one of their heads. It is sadly a power hog of a game and I was very happy to have my powerbank at hand when I was outside playing in the park.
In conclusion, Wolfenstein 2 is a brutal game that was ported in such a great way. Panic Button, that port is a true marvel of how to bring in high-end AAA games to the Nintendo Switch and it shows it is possible. It shows it is possible to bring a near perfect port on a so-called “underpowered” console like the Switch.
The game itself is actually a lot of fun, I loved it more than I expected. Sure, mowing down Nazis sounds like a blast, but picking up a laser gun and just dropping them like flies, it brings out a sadist in me. My rating is 85%.
