Game Review: Duke Nukem 3d

Here we are fellow Otaku & Metalheads. The end of my look at the 1990s.

It’s weird to think about it. The decade that many of us grew up in started a little over 30 years ago, the decade where we weren’t quite so screwed up, and the decade where games & entertainment were evolving in incredible ways. On the first of this month, I looked at the classic game that was Wolfenstein 3d. It helped create the force that is the FPS genre, and in general was just a fun & simple time. Now, we turn our gaze towards the very beginning of 1996. First Person Shooters have advanced thanks to the behemoth that was Doom, as well as graphics moving closer & closer to 3d. In January of 96, one FPS game would leave it’s nuked mark on the gaming landscape, and standing on top of the rubble would be the manliest of video game characters. So, grab your pistol, down a bottle of steroids, and get ready for my review of the iconic Duke Nukem 3d. Let’s begin!

Development History
Taken from Wikipedia:

“Duke Nukem 3D was developed on a budget of roughly $300,000. The development team consisted of 8 people for most of the development cycle, increasing to 12 or 13 people near the end. At one point, the game was being programmed to allow the player to switch between first-person view, third-person view, and fixed camera angles. Scott Miller of 3D Realms recalled that "with Duke 3D, unlike every shooter that came before, we wanted to have sort of real life locations like a cinema theatre, you know, strip club, bookstores..."

LameDuke is a beta version of Duke Nukem 3D, which was released by 3D Realms as a "bonus" one year after the release of the official version. It has been released as is, with no support. LameDuke features four episodes: Mr. Caliber, Mission Cockroach, Suck Hole, and Hard Landing. Certain weapons were altered from the original versions and/or removed.

Lee Jackson's theme song "Grabbag" has elicited many covers and remixes over the years by both fans and professional musicians, including an officially sanctioned studio version by thrash metal band Megadeth. Another version of the song was recorded by Chris Kline in August 2005. 3D Realms featured it on the front page of their website and contracted with Kline to use it to promote their Xbox Live release of Duke Nukem 3D.

The original official website was created by Jeffrey D. Erb and Mark Farish of Intersphere Communications Ltd.”

In-Game Story
Taken from MobyGames:

“A Babe, A stogie, and a bottle of jack. That’s what I need right now.

Duke mused of his recent defeat of the Rigelatins, his voice raspy even in his thoughts. After single-handedly saving Earth–again–he was ready for a long period of lying the hell down.

And no more freaking aliens.

Just then, a white-hot plasmatic blast punched through the hull of his cruiser. Klaxons flared, warning lights flashed, and static filled his monitors. He flipped on his comm.

Hey, anybody out there? I got a little probl... Duke started

“Mayday! Mayday!” the radio replied. "Los Angeles is under attack! There are aliens everywhere, and they’ve mutated the LAPD. Is anyone there? We need help!–" The transmission went silent

“Great,” Duke grumbled as his careening ship missed a skyscraper "What’s the problem with all these aliens races attacking Earth anyway? How many alien races have to get their asses kicked?"

Duke slammed his fist into the waiting eject button

I guess one more.”

Like I said in my Wolfenstein 3d review, FPS games (Especially those from the 90s & throwback titles) didn’t have a complex story. Duke Nukem 3d is no exception, but it’s this game where we finally get the character we all know & love. In the original Duke & Duke 2, he was nothing more than a meathead with weird quirks (Apparently, he likes Oprah in the 1st game). It’s this game that established all of the personalities traits we know today: the bravado, the love for women, the embodiment of 80s/90s action movie stars, and a surprising well of pop culture references that have aged remarkably well in the 25+ years since this game came out. Other games would add more things (For better or for worse), but Duke Nukem 3d is perhaps the most recognizable interpretation of the character.  

Gameplay
Duke Nukem 3d isn’t that much different than Wolfenstein 3d when it comes to it’s most basic gameplay. You shoot enemies, look for keys to unlock parts of the level, look for secrets, and press a button to end said level. However, what separates Duke from B.J. Blaskowitz is a bevy of advancements. For starters, the roster of aliens that our hero shoves his boot up their ass is quite varied. There are alien grunts, mutated cops (Who are turned into pigs, btw), suicidal drones, and many others. Every enemy has their own set of attacks & traits, and you need to learn them in order to combat them effectively. This is especially true when there’s a variety of enemies in an arena, and there’s so many ways they’re engaging with you.

Next advancement of DN3d is it’s weapon variety. In Wolfenstein 3d, you had a knife, a Luger, an MP40 (I think), and a chaingun. In Duke Nukem 3d, you have your Mighty Boot (A kick attack), a pistol, a shotgun, a 3-barrel chaingun called the Ripper, pipebombs, an RPG launcher, a shrink ray/expansion ray, the Devastator (A rapid-fire micro-missile launcher), laser trip mines, and a freezeray/flamethrower. Like the enemies, all of Duke’s arsenal have their own quirks, as one weapon may be good in one scenario, while it might not be good in another. About the only weapon that I say would be bad would be the trip mines. They do a lot of damage, but you gotta have enemies walk into the laser beam in order for it to work, and enemies sometimes get stuck on a piece of the environment. The worse thing is that you can accidentally hurt yourself with your own mines, and you can’t disarm them. Once they’re stuck onto a surface, you can only get them off with explosives, but they’re destroyed in the process. I almost never use them, and I always wander around with a full set of them (10 mines).

Finally, and perhaps the biggest advancement when compared to Wolfenstein 3d, would be the levels. Whereas the levels in Wolf3d were simplistic in terms of layout (Though the design for some would be surprising for 1992), Duke3d’s levels are made in such a way as you appear & feel realistic. Outside of his trip into space in Episode 2, the illusion of reality is surprisingly strong. There’s strip clubs, a sushi restaurant, a movie studio, a post office on fire, and even a trip to a pot shop in Amsterdam in the World Tour edition. Even outside the various locales, what makes the level so memorable is the surprising level of interactivity. You can turn off/on light switches, look through security cameras, use a toilet to regain a hint of health, blow up certain walls to expose new areas & secrets, and so much more. FPS titles after Duke would have various levels of interactivity (Especially other Build engine games), but Duke Nukem 3d would be the game that did it the best!

Graphics
Let’s get one thing out of the way: contrary to it’s name, Duke Nukem 3d is not true 3d. It’s more accurate to say that it is 2.5d, or 2 & a ½d if you want to be a tiny bit insulting. The Build Engine that powers DN3D is made through the use of stacking multiple two-dimensional layers to create the illusion of 3d graphics. This is most noticeable when you’re on a higher ledge, and you’re looking down on an enemy, and said enemy doesn’t quite sync up with the environment. That being said, things still look impressive! There’s a greater usage of color than what was in Wolfenstein 3d, more realistic environments (Especially in the 1st episode, 3rd episode, most of episode 4, and most of episode 5), usage of actual angles & curves, etc. The remastered World Tour edition from 2016 does refresh the graphics quite a bit, but it still shows it’s age, though not as much.

Others
If you’d like to see this game in action, then click on the link below:

Duke Nukem 3d (Walkthrough)

Overall Impression & Rating
Duke Nukem 3d is a legend of a game. It took a character that barely had any personality, and transformed him into one of the all-time greats. Not only that, but it has aged like some of the finest wines ever taken from a vineyard. Sure, there’s a scratch here & there, but it’s insane at how much it holds up over 25 years since it’s release. Bullshit Justice Warriors might have a brain aneurysm nowadays about some of the content, but Duke is 10 times more progressive than any champion BJWs promote. If you want to see the extreme side of the 90s in video game form, then look no further than the Duke!

Duke Nukem 3d gets a 9 to 9.5 out of 10.

And that was my review for the iconic Duke Nukem 3d, and sadly the end of my look into the 1990s. I hope you had a lot of fun on this nostalgic trip into our childhoods, as well as being the last time there was sanity & common sense in the world. I’m taking a break for the rest of the month, but with that said, September isn’t far away, so I’ll see you then!

5 Albums From The 90s You Should Own

Gonna miss looking back at the 90s fellow Otaku & Metalheads.

I’m definitely gonna miss looking back at the decade of our childhood. I’m going to miss looking back at the last decade where there was any common sense, and we weren’t at each other’s throats like we are now. However, I don’t want today’s post to be absolutely soul-crushing. In fact, I want to talk about the music of our decade. The music that’s definitely in my generation’s CD collection, but may not be stuff the younger generations have listened too (Maybe even the older generation hasn’t listened to these either). All of these I’ve either listened to when I was growing up, or discovered years later, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. With that said, here are 5 albums from the 90s you should own. Let’s begin!

1) Nirvana - Nevermind (Song)

I will always stick up for Grunge. Falsely accused of be the sole reason that classic Heavy Metal was killed in the 90s (Despite the fact that it was really the music companies that did the deed, and Grunge was just a highly convenient scapegoat), it somehow manages to remain in the consciousness of many music listeners from that time, and is a nice musical treat for anyone discovering it now. Practically at the forefront of the movement was Nirvana, not to mention it’s tragic frontman Kurt Cobain, and Nevermind was the face. A punky yet heavy release, Nevermind (And by extension Grunge as a whole) was different from Heavy Metal in that it was about reality. It wasn’t about being a rock star or being in a party mood, but it was about the real world & it not being quite as glamorous as we were led to believe. It doesn’t smash you in the face with it, but neither does it put the training wheels on. If you want to relive a piece of musical history, or want to see a metal elitist have a brain aneurysm, then Nevermind is a great choice!

2) Metallica - The Black Album (Song)

Last year marked something pretty significant in this album’s history. On the 12th of August last year, Metallica’s divisive fifth studio turned 30 years old. An album that firmly cemented them in the commercial spotlight, it’s legacy is still spoken of over 30 years later. On top of that, this record is some of the very first music I can recall with absolute certainty I listened to. Yes, there is a huge commercial element to the songs, but it’s still got that Metallica punch during the entire runtime, and the overall quality is very top notch! I admit that early childhood nostalgia has me eternally loving this album, but at the same time there are still people to this day that hold this release aloft into the metallic sky & sing it’s praises. There are still individuals that have their feelings split in the middle about this record, but The Black Album is still Metallica at it’s best.....despite the commercial nature.  

3) Queen - Innuendo (Song)

And here is where I had some trouble, as I was considering tying Made In Heaven here, or just Made In Heaven by itself. Like I said above, I didn’t want to be soul-crushing with this list, so instead I wanted to go with Queen’s last badass hurrah with Innuendo. Despite getting a mixed reaction upon it’s release (And receiving heaps of praise upon Freddy Mercury’s death), the last time that the band was truly together was perhaps the best thing they’ve ever released. There’s literarily something for everyone on this album: gospel, hard rock, AOR, Heavy Metal, you name it. Though the band definitely felt stronger & more united on their previous release, that strength and unity is 10 times more potent & obvious on Innuendo. It may have been the last time the boys were together, but that last time would be the biggest thing Queen ever released in their career, and one I finally treasure. As a way to go, Innuendo was one of the best!

4) Type-O Negative - October Rust (Song)

Ah Type-O Negative.....your music is still potent to this very day.

Despite iconic frontman Pete Steele now being gone from the world for over 12 years, him and the rest of the Brooklyn juggernauts that were his bandmates & friends carved a niche in the music scene with their own brand of Gothic Metal. Mixing in some Beatles, Black Sabbath, and a few other things, it’s easy to see why they are still spoken about by the fans long after the band split up. Practically any of their 90s output I could have put here, but October Rust eclipsed them all. The very first album I listened to, the more ballad-like structure of the songs created a slight fantasy vibe, as well as the atmosphere that is the embodiment of Gothic Fall. The wind is crisp and cool, leaves of brown, orange, and gold hang on the trees or lie on the ground, and there’s a gentle feeling that the year is going to end. October Rust also has the distinction of turning 25 years old in 2021, and there’s no sign that people will forget it’s autumn message for 25 years more. If you’re interested in the American side of the Gothic Metal scene, the October Rust is a perfect gateway. You won’t be disappointed.     
 
5) New Radicals - Maybe You’ve Been Brainwashed Too (Song)

And so I end this list with an album that’s the living embodiment of the 1990s. I said it back in June twice, and I will repeat myself here: this one-hit wonder encapsulates all of the good, the bad, the hopes, the dreams, the fears, and the ideas of the 90s. Using a mix of Alternative Rock, Pop Rock, and your standard Pop music, Gregg Alexander & his band of musical misfits crafted an album that has something for everybody. Sure, Maybe You’ve Been Brainwashed Too is not the heaviest record on here, and I can easily understand why anybody would laugh at this, but this lone release from the New Radicals is the living embodiment of not judging a book by it’s cover.  

And those were the 5 albums from the 1990s that you should own. The most experimental decade when it came to music, it left us with tunes that my generation still remembers fondly to this day. For those of you who weren’t born in that decade, these records will be your gateway into my generation’s past. So, I got to end this look at the 90s with something big. Something.....explosive. So join me next week, when we’ll take a look at a game that stars my no. 1 characters of all time. See you then!

Game Review: Wolfenstein 3D

Welcome to the final part of my trip into the 90s fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

I’ve had a lot of fun with this journey back in time. Back to the era of my generation’s childhood, it’s all the more important to look at a period in the world that wasn’t plague ridden or on fire. Back in June I looked at some of the most iconic records of the 1990s, and last month I reviewed two equally iconic 90s Sci-Fi anime. This month I’ve decided to devote to games, and they’re both titles that are still talked about in 2022. One might not have as much shine to as before, but they’re both games that are quite enjoyable still. So, salute the American flag, chamber a round into that Luger you grabbed off the guard in front of you, and enjoy my review of Wolfenstein 3D. Let’s begin!

Development History
Taken from Wikipedia:

“id Software his star developer, and he guaranteed id a US$100,000 payment on the project. Mark Rein, who had been brought on a few months prior as id's probationary president, also sold the idea of doing a retail Wolfenstein project to FormGen, which had published id's December 1991 Commander Keen in Aliens Ate My Babysitter, overcoming the publisher's concerns over Wolfenstein's proposed content. This put id in the unique position of selling simultaneously to the shareware and retail markets.

The project officially began on December 15, 1991. Romero and Hall designed the gameplay and aesthetics. Romero wanted the goal to be "to mow down Nazis", with the suspense of storming a Nazi bunker full of SS soldiers and Hitler himself, as well as dogs, blood "like you never see in games", and straightforwa In October–December 1990, a team of employees from programming studio Softdisk calling themselves Ideas from the Deep developed the three-part video game Commander Keen in Invasion of the Vorticons, the first game in the Commander Keen series. The group, who worked at Softdisk in Shreveport, Louisiana, developing games for the Gamer's Edge video game subscription service and disk magazine, was composed of programmers John Romero and John Carmack, designer Tom Hall, artist Adrian Carmack, and manager Jay Wilbur. After the release of the game in December through shareware publisher Apogee Software, the team planned to quit Softdisk and start their own company. When their boss, Softdisk owner Al Vekovius, confronted them on both their plans and their use of company resources to develop the game—the team had created it on their work computers, both in the office after hours and by taking the computers to John Carmack's house on the weekends—the team made no secret of their intentions. After a few weeks of negotiation, the team agreed to produce a series of games for Gamer's Edge, one every two months.

Ideas from the Deep, now formally established as id Software, used some of these to prototype ideas for their own games. Adrian Carmack used them to push his preferred, dark art style, while John Carmack began to experiment with 3D computer graphics, which until then was largely the purview of flight simulation games such as Wing Commander (1990). Carmack found that this was largely due to the limitations of personal computers of the time, which had difficulty displaying a fast action game in 3D due to the number of surfaces it needed to calculate, but felt that the increasing computational power of PCs meant that it may be possible. During 1991, he experimented with limiting the possible surfaces the computer needed to display, creating game levels with walls designed only on a flat grid rather than with arbitrary shapes or angles. He also took the unusual approach of creating the displayed graphics through ray casting, in which only the surfaces visible to the player were calculated rather than the entire area surrounding the player. After six weeks of development, Carmack had created a rudimentary 3D game engine that used animated 2D sprites for enemies. Id Software then used the engine for the April 1991 Softdisk game Hovertank 3D, in which the player drives a tank through a plane of colored walls and shoots nuclear monsters. In the fall of 1991, after the team—sans Wilbur—had relocated to Madison, Wisconsin, and he had largely finished the engine work for Commander Keen in Goodbye, Galaxy, Carmack decided to implement a feature from Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss, a role-playing game in development by Blue Sky Productions. Ultima Underworld was planned to display texture-mapped 3D graphics without Hovertank's restrictions of flat walls and simple lighting. Deciding that he could add texture mapping without sacrificing the engine's speed or greatly increasing the system requirements as Underworld was doing, Carmack enhanced the engine over six weeks from Hovertank 3D for another Softdisk game, the November 1991 Catacomb 3-D. Upon seeing it, Scott Miller of Apogee began to push the team to make a 3D shareware action game.

In November 1991, with the second Commander Keen trilogy of episodes nearing completion and their contractual obligations to Softdisk almost finished, id Software sat down to plan out their next major game. Designer Tom Hall, who initially wanted to do a third Keen trilogy, recognized that Carmack's programming focus had shifted from the 2D side-scrolling platform game series to 3D action games. After an initial proposal by Hall of a sci-fi project, "It's Green and Pissed", Romero suggested a 3D remake of the 1981 Castle Wolfenstein. The team was interested in the idea, as Romero, Hall, and John Carmack all had fond memories of the original title and felt the maze-like shooter gameplay fit well with Carmack's 3D game engine, while Adrian Carmack was interested in moving away from the child-friendly art style of Keen into something more violent. Encouraged by the reception to his idea, Romero expounded on it by proposing a "loud" and "cool" fast action game where the player could shoot soldiers before dragging and looting their bodies. The core of the gameplay would be fast and simple, for Romero believed that due to the novelty of a 3D game and control scheme, players would not be receptive to more complicated, slow gameplay. He felt the game would occupy a unique place in the industry, which was then dominated by slower simulation and strategy games. Adrian and John Carmack were excited by the prospect, while Hall felt that it was enjoyable enough, and that since he was the company's designer that they could return to his ideas at a later date.

Initially the team believed that they would be unable to use the Wolfenstein name due to trademark issues, and came up with multiple possible titles. They contacted Castle Wolfenstein developer Silas Warner, but learned that Muse Software had shut down in 1986, with all rights to Wolfenstein sold. The rights last belonged to someone in Michigan, and the team was able to purchase the trademark around mid-April 1992 for US$5,000. Thus they were free to use the name Wolfenstein 3D. The game concept met with immediate approval from Scott Miller of Apogee, who considered rd, lethal weapons. He also composed the general storyline for the game. Hall designed the levels while also adding collectible objects in the form of treasure and food for health items. He also did sketches for the bosses and the title screen. Carmack programmed "the core" of the game's engine in a month; he added a few features to the Wolfenstein 3D engine from Catacomb 3-D, including support for doors and decorative non-wall objects, but primarily focused on making the game run smoother and faster with higher-resolution graphics. The game was programmed in ANSI C and assembly language. The graphics for the game were planned to be in 16 color EGA, but were changed to 256 color VGA four months before release, which also enabled the game to have higher resolutions. Romero in turn worked on building a game with the engine, removing elements of the initial design, like looting enemy bodies, that he felt interrupted the flow of fast gameplay. The sprites for the enemies and objects were hand drawn at eight different angles by Adrian Carmack using Electronic Arts's Deluxe Paint II. Initially the team had an external artist who assisted him and created animated wall textures, but the team felt that the quality was poor and did not use it in the game. The level design, by Romero and Hall, due to the grid-based level design, took some inspiration from Pac-Man, and paid homage with a hidden Pac-Man level. Romero later said in 2017 that making the levels was uninteresting compared to those from Commander Keen. The team was going to include some anti-fascist references and Nazi atrocities, but left them out to avoid controversies. They ensured that the presentation of the game created the atmosphere that they wanted, adding violent animations by Adrian Carmack for enemies being shot and music and sound effects by Keen composer Bobby Prince to make the guns sound exciting. Prince took some inspiration from his days as a platoon soldier in the US Army. With the aid of a 16-bit sampler keyboard and cassette recorder, he composed realistic sounds from a shooting range in addition to Foley sounds. The development team along with Scott Miller did the voicing for the enemies. Some of the enemy shouts were based on the original Castle Wolfenstein game.

As development continued, id Software hired their former Softdisk liaison Kevin Cloud as an assistant artist, and moved the company out to Mesquite, Texas, near where Apogee was located. Scott Miller of Apogee was pleased to have his star developers nearby, and agreed to not only increase their royalty rate to 50 percent, but have Apogee create their next game for Softdisk, ScubaVenture, so that id could focus on Wolfenstein. The game was intended to be released using Apogee's shareware model of splitting it into three episodes and releasing the first for free, with ten levels per episode. The level maps were designed in 2D using a custom-made program called Tile Editor (TEd), which had been used for the entire Keen series as well as several other games. Upon finding out that the team was able to create a level in a single day using the program, Miller convinced them to instead develop six episodes, which could be sold in different-sized packs. Around the same time, the team changed members and structure: id fired probationary president Mark Rein and brought back Jay Wilbur, who had stayed in Shreveport, to be both their CEO and business team; Bobby Prince moved into the office temporarily to record sound effects, while Adrian Carmack moved out of the office to get away from the noise.

As the game neared completion, FormGen contacted id with concerns over its violence and shock content. In response, id increased these aspects; Adrian Carmack added skeletons, corpses, and bloody wall details, and Hall and Romero added screams and cries in German, along with a Death Cam that would show a replay of the death of the final boss of an episode. The team also added "Horst-Wessel-Lied", the anthem of the Nazi Party, to the opening screen. John Carmack, meanwhile, added in walls that moved when triggered to hide secret areas, a feature that Hall had been pushing for months but which Carmack had objected to for technical reasons. Hall also added in cheat codes, and wrote a back story for the game. The team did a month of playtesting in the final stage of the game's development. In the early morning of May 5, 1992, the first episode of the shareware game was completed and uploaded by Apogee and id to bulletin board systems. The other episodes were completed a few weeks later. The total development time had been around half a year, with a cost of around US$25,000 to cover the team's rent and US$750 per month salaries, plus around US$6,500 for the computer John Carmack used to develop the engine and the US$5,000 to get the Wolfenstein trademark.

The following summer, most of the id Software team developed Spear of Destiny, except John Carmack, who instead experimented with a new graphics engine that was licensed for Shadowcaster and became the basis of the Doom engine. The one episode of Spear of Destiny was a prequel to Wolfenstein 3D and used the same engine, but added some new audio, graphics, and enemies. It took two months to create, and was published commercially by FormGen in September 1992. The publisher was concerned that the material would be controversial due to holy relics associated with World War II, but Romero didn't think it was that different from the Indiana Jones films.”

In-Game Story
Taken from the game manual:

“You’re William J “B.J.” Blazkowitz, the Allies’ bad boy of espionage and a terminal action seeker.

Your mission was to infiltrate the Nazi fortress Castle Hollehammer and find the plans for Operation Eisenfaust (Iron Fist), the Nazi’s blueprint for building the perfect army. Rumors are that deep within Castle Hollehammer the diabolical Dr. Schabbs has perfected a technique for building a fierce army from the bodies of the dead. It’s so far removed from reality that it would seem silly if it wasn’t so sick. But what if it were true?

You never got a chance to find out! Captured in your attempt to grab the secret plains, you were taken to the Nazi prison, Wolfenstein, for questioning and eventual execution. For 12 long days you’ve been imprisoned beneath the castle fortress. Just beyond your cell door sits a lone thick-necked Nazi guard. He assisted an SS dentist/mechanic in an attempt to jump start your tonsils earlier this morning.”

Let’s get this out of the way: id Software was never deep with a game’s lore. Outside of Doom 2016 & Doom Eternal (Maybe even Doom 3), stories were kept incredibly simple. As John Carmack once said:

“Story in a game is like story in a porno. It’s there, but you’re really not there for that.”

Gameplay
The dawn of the FPS genre was exceedingly simple in 1992, and Wolfenstein 3d is no exception. In this game’s case, you shoot nazis, you find keys to unlock doors, etc. However, it’s the little things that leave an impression. For starters, you got a live system. You earn lives through killing enemies, grabbing treasure, and finding live orbs, as well as getting points at the end of a level for how much you stuff you did. When you die with a life, you’re respawned at the start, but no weapons. It’s cool, but oddly pointless since there’s also a save system. Health is also interesting, as there are a variety of items that refill various amounts of health (10% from dog-food, and full health with a life orb), but if you have an incredibly low amount of health (below 10), you can actually get some hit points back if you drink blood off of the floor. That’s gimmicky, but is actually really useful if you can’t find any immediate health items!

However, there are some significant issue with this game. Chief among them are the secrets. For starters, it’s incredibly difficult to find them. Due to the graphics (More on that below), you will constantly be clicking on ever single wall to find them. On top of that, there’s almost never a sign that show’s a secret nearby, and you can even theoretically block a secret off due to how a wall moves, which means the only way to access it is if you reload a save from before. Another issue is how damage is dealt. There is an odd hitscan like system in place, and if you or a target are far away enough you won’t deal damage. It’s only until either side gets close enough that you can hit somebody, and even then it seems oddly random at how much you get hit by, This doesn’t help when you’re playing on high difficulties, as it seems so much more potent a lot of the time.

But, the biggest problem with Wolfenstein 3d is that the whole experience is so.....overwhelmingly.....repetitive! Back in 1992 gamers probably didn’t notice this since the FPS genre was so new at the time, but over 30 years later it’s far too obvious. It doesn’t help the fact that some levels are far too big & maze-like (Especially in later episodes), and as such you’re more than likely to get lost, and with the lack of a map button you will stay lost for a bit unless you’re a master at the game. This isn’t so bad if you play just the 3 original episodes, but if you decide to go through the extra 3 in the Nocturnal Missions, then it becomes obvious. I don’t have as much issue with this since the game has been with me since I was a kid, but every once in a while I do notice it.

Graphics
So, back in 1992 Wolfenstein 3d was oddly impressive to look at. Regardless of the genre, games didn’t exactly look all that impressive (Alone In The Dark was an exception in my view), but id Software really did step up the game. There was more fluidity in the movement of enemies & objects, and there was much more color than normal, giving things a “realistic” appearance in 92. I definitely recall my 5-year old mind being blown away by it back then, and I have to admit it still has a nostalgic charm to it. That being said, things have aged horribly over 30 years since it’s release (Hell, it was aged horribly even by the end of the 90s). Limitations back then included non textured floors & ceilings, and no realistic lighting. To simulate lighting, there were certain wall textures that were either a little darker or lighter, and the illusion was further enhanced by lamps or other light fixtures. However, I hinted at this earlier, but this makes finding secrets an absolute pain. There’s no slight texture change to even remotely show that there’s something off about a particular wall you can push, and even when there’s some object placed nearby to give you a hint, you still can’t tell. It was infuriating back in 1992, but nowadays it’s more of an annoyance thanks to guides (Video & readable).  

Other
If you’re curious about this game, click on this link below:

Wolfenstein 3d (Longplay)

Overall Impression & Rating
Wolfenstein 3d is ageless & timeless. Doom may have pushed the FPS genre into the spotlight, but it wouldn’t have been possible without the actions of Mr. Blaskowitz. Yes, by today’s standards it is exceedingly dated & repetitive, but back in 1992 it was something special. It’s a game of 2 sides: one side is just fun & nostalgia, while the other side shows that time hasn’t been kind. It’s strange, but at the same time it’s a game I still have fun with whenever I have the urge to play. If you’ve wondered what the beginning of the FPS genre was like, then I suggest you give it a go.

Wolfenstein 3d gets a 10 out of 10 due to pure nostalgia, but perhaps a 7 to 7.5 out of 10 practically.

And that was my look at Wolfenstein 3d. It was special in 1992, and it’s managed to remain so over 30 years later. If this game isn’t on anyone top 10 FPS list, then I will pray for those people. So before we get to my other game for this month, I’ll be showing off the albums from the 1990s you need in your musical library. See you next week!