Blood: 20th Birthday & Retrospective

Here’s another 20th birthday & retrospective, fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

Around the middle of this month we took a look at Shadow Warrior, an over-the-top action FPS in the vein of Duke Nukem 3d. It’s cheesy, it’s over-the-top, and it’s delightfully offensive. It’s managed to come back in recent years, with the excellent 2013 reboot, and the relatively recent 2016 sequel. However, the subject of today’s 20th birthday & retrospective has sadly managed to exist within the misty realm of obscurity, apart from it’s still alive fanbase. Despite it’s obscurity, today’s game franchise in question is one of the most gore-filled series to have come from the 90s. A series that’s dripping with gothic & horror atmosphere, and owes more than it’s fair share of dues to iconic horror films & dry humor. So don your leather jacket & wide-brimmed hat, sharpen your pitchfork, and get ready for the 20th birthday of the sleeperhit Blood. Let the retrospective begin!

Blood (1997)

With the success of Duke Nukem 3d, it seemed only natural for 3d Realms to attempt to make another successful Build engine franchise. So Q Studios, an independent developer, received funding for the development for the game that would become known as Blood, and it was actually made public in June of 1996 due to weekly updates on their website. The game was stated for a early 1997 release, but that was stopped when Monolith acquired the ground in November 1996. By late January of the next year, it was announced that Monolith acquired all of the rights, and in the process this allowed 3D Realms to focus their efforts on Shadow Warrior, as it also happened to be released in 1997 (See my look at Shadow Warrior from earlier in the month). So Monolith worked like hell, and on May the 31st of 1997, Blood was released.

Reception for Blood was pretty good back in 97, and even here in the 2010s it’s still considered to be a classic of the time. Player Attack in 2011 described Blood as “the best of the Build engine games after Duke Nukem 3D, with its combination of scary atmosphere, great level design and challenging gameplay putting it above the rest”, and GamingOnLinux reviewer Hamish Paul Wilson said that Blood was “one of the most underrated shooters of the whole decade. Blood arguably built more on the legacy of Duke Nukem 3D than Shadow Warrior did, taking its gameplay to sophisticated new heights and offering its referential overtones with an even greater degree of refinement.” Personally, I think that both Shadow Warrior & Blood advanced equally in their own way, but that’s just me.

Best Aspect? If you’re familiar with the likes of Duke Nukem 3d, Shadow Warrior, and even Redneck Rampage, you’ll feel right at home with Blood. The formula is the same: run & gun, look for secrets, find keys, etc. What is different is the combat itself. Instead of future sci-fi tech, Caleb has access to more traditional weapons (ex Sawed-Off) along with more bizarre, magical, and even dieselpunk-like weapons (Roasting enemies with a can of hairspray is a treat). The violence has also changed, with enemies unleashing torrents of blood & gore everytime they get hit. If a bundle of dynamite or ball of napalm happens to hit them, then they immediately explode into a cloud of meaty organs. Getting lit on fire? Then they become a screaming, running pyre. The amount of ways enemies can die are endless!

Second is Caleb himself. Whereas Duke Nukem, Lo Wang, and Leonard & Bubba rely on more childish forms of humor, our undead gunslinger relies on jokes that are more sophisticated than his peers, and he also relies heavily on his dry wit & humor. If you leave him standing, chances are you’ll hear him sing a showtune or two. If a cultist gets loaded up with bullets, and a witty comment/insult will come from his lips. Often he’ll let out a comment that references something from pop culture (Particularly from Horror or something Gothic-related) That said, he’s not afraid to be at least a little childish from time to time, as he can say something unexpectedly silly. Just travel to the carnival level in the 1st episode & find the Duke Nukem secret. Trust me on this!
                               
The atmosphere makes the 3rd best aspect of Blood. Thanks to the slightly modified graphics (3d objects & dark/faded color pallette), Blood has a look that different than the other Build engine games of the 90s, with maybe the exception of Redneck Rampage. There’s a grimy look over each & every single level. From Caleb’s return at a haunted cemetery, to the halls of the dark god Tchernobog, you get a constant feel of dark wonder & dread. The levels also have a healthy dose of horror & gothic tones both subtle & obvious. Blood’s music also help: instead of sci-fi sounds ala Duke Nukem, the music in Blood plays out like more like a horror/gothic film.

Finally, there are the expansion packs. It seems it’s a given that Build 3d fps games in the 90s get an expansion pack or two, and Blood is no exception. There’s the Plasma Pak developed & released in September 1997 by Monolith, and Cryptic Passage, which was developed & released in June of 1997 by those mad geniuses Sunstorm Interactive. Both brought something to the bloody table, with the Plasma Pak adding new content & fixes, and Cryptic Passage creating a side story for Caleb to trounce through. Which one is better? For me, it’s the Plasma Pak, but that’s only because I played that one. Cryptic Passage wasn’t added to Steam unlike Blood or the Plasma Pak, so there’s that as well.

Worst Aspect? Honestly, there isn’t much wrong with it. Monolith did such a good job with the game, it’s hard to find anything wrong or bad. The only thing bad one could point out would be the difficulty. Even on the middle option, it always seemed like the enemies were able to get to you before you got to them. I often found it infuriating when they were positioned in spots that seemed like they couldn’t hit anything, somehow they could get a shot or scratch in. The difficulty also impacts the health, as it always seemed harder to find in comparison to other games from the Build Engine 4. There’s hearts, Life Seeds, and medical bags, and that’s all you got. In the case of hearts you could only find them in the environment & enemy deaths, but even then it was not always guaranteed that a foe would drop a heart. Fortunately, chances of them spawning were a little higher in the easier/moderate difficulties.       

Blood. A fun & challenging shooter from the 90s, with it’s only real fault being it’s more obscure nature. If you would like your 90s FPS a little more on the serious side, this might be that game. Next!

Blood 2: The Chosen (1998) ***

Taken from Wikipedia:

“Blood II: The Chosen was developed by Monolith Productions and featured Monolith's new fully 3D engine Lithtech, which was previously used in Shogo: Mobile Armor Division. The game was released on October 31, 1998 by GT Interactive, which was later purchased by Infogrames. An official expansion pack was released in August 1999 under the title of Blood II: The Chosen - The Nightmare Levels. As with Blood, a guide book was released for the game entitled Blood II: The Chosen Strategy Guide by Jamie Madigan.

Work on porting it, and LithTech in general, to Linux, and then later potentially to other systems like Solaris, was being done by employee Jeremy Blackman but was never completed.

Around 1999 the source code was partly released to allow easier modding. On April 29, 2010 Blood II was re-released by the digital distributor gog.com.”

Reception for Blood 2 was a little more mixed than the original game. Some people back in the day & now gave it great reviews, and other reviewers were more on the “Meh” to mildly bad side of things. Metacritic gave it a 72 out of 100, Thunderbolt Games gave it a 5 out of 10, and Steam gave Blood 2 a 6 out of 10. It’s disappointing to see review scores like this, but I can definitely understand some of it’s faults.

Best Aspect? Like the original game, Blood 2's goal is simple: kill everything you see! If it moves, it’s gonna die! Even if you’re an innocent bystander, you’re gonna be dead soon! This time around, your arsenal is more on the modern day/science fiction mixed with the occult. Original weapons like the Sawed-Off & Napalm Launcher make a return, but now you have tools of destruction like the Singularity Generator & Dread Orb to unleash upon the forces of CabalCo. Blood & gore isn’t quite as over-the-top as the original Blood, but there’s still plenty of it as you gun down everything in front of you.

Secondly, Blood 2 has a surprisingly good story behind it. Keep in mind this is a 90s FPS, and 90s FPS games were usually skimpy on storylines, but it’s interesting to see how Monolith advanced Blood’s lore. You learn how the Cabal changed since the original game, you see how Caleb has evolved since his more extreme days, and you’re given some new characters to follow along with. The only fault here is that while you’re given access to all 4 characters, you miss out on cutscenes if you pick anybody but Caleb. You can play through as Gabriella, Ishmael, and Ophelia (The other members of the Chosen), but you never see anything unfold in the game’s timeline. Even with that fault, I can still respect Monolith’s attempt to give at least...something.

Third & finally is the atmosphere. For starters, Blood 2 has a far more advanced graphics engine. Whereas the original game was based on a modified version of the Build engine, B2 is built from the ground up on the company’s own 3d engine (Blood 2's graphics also happened to be used in another game, Shogo: Mobile Armor Division). Better usage of color, better texture, better lighting, etc. For it’s time Blood 2 looked fantastic, but it has not weathered the storm well (More on this below). Blood 2 music has improved as well. While it’s not quite as gothic inspired as the game before, it instead comes across more like grimy modern-industrial mixed with notes of science fiction. It fits with the city & industrial areas you go through, but luckily that sense of dread from the original blood still manages to come through.

Worst Aspect? Similar to the first game, Blood 2 was built surprisingly well. However, the problems it has are far more apparent & obvious. For starters, the graphics have aged horribly since 1998. Though it was nice for it’s time, it has not weather the years well. Clipping, texture issues, dated particle effects, and blocky models are far more apparent now than they were then. This makes the levels feel not quite as atmospheric today, whereas the original Blood still somehow manages to stand the test of time.

Secondly, and more on the minor side, is the gameplay. Like the first one, Blood 2 is all about running & gunning through a horde of baddies, shooting up everything you see. That said, I wasn’t as fond of the puzzles in this game. Things seemed a little more confusing than before, the direction isn’t as clear, and often it devolves into a guessing game in some cases. The original Blood

Finally, there’s the lone expansion pack. Called Blood II: The Chosen - The Nightmare Levels, it was a small collection of 6 maps, with it’s own story of Caleb & his partners talking about points in their past & wandering through them. It’s a neat premise, and it’s cool to go through the minds of the rest of the chosen, but it goes by so quickly it’s almost not worth it. It doesn’t help the fact that there’s barely anything else new added in (2 New Weapons & 3 New Enemies & 1 New Boss), which add further to the lack of staying power.

Blood 2. Maybe not quite as memorable or flawless as it’s predecessor, but still has the essence of what made the first game so great. If you want something a little more advanced, then this game might soothe that craving. Certainly recommended, but not quite as much as the original Blood.

So that was a look at the late 90s cult-classic Blood. Beloved among it’s fans, but sadly lost to the sands of times. If you liked the gameplay of Duke Nukem but wanted something a little more serious, then maybe fighting alongside Caleb is more of your thing. See you tomorrow for a new summer festival, when things get quite powerful around here!


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That’s all Wikipedia had. Trust me!

Wolfenstein: (Belated) 15th Birthday & Retrospective

Sorry for the delay, fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

This past week was rather busy for me. My folks were out at a wedding, and I had been doing a lot of cleaning & other house-related chores. I was able to get my belated Serious Sam birthday/retrospective done last week early on, but everything else somewhat stopped me from getting this one out last week (Although you can tell I worked on it in the meantime). In any case, don your military uniform, grab your trust MP40, and get ready for a belated birthday & retrospective on Wolfenstein. Dismissed!

Wolfenstein 3d (1992)

Taken From Wikipedia:

“Wolfenstein 3D is a first-person shooter video game developed by id Software and published by Apogee Software and FormGen. Originally released on May 5, 1992 for MS-DOS, it was inspired by the 1981 Muse Software video game Castle Wolfenstein. In Wolfenstein 3D, the player assumes the role of Allied spy William "B.J." Blazkowicz during World War II as he escapes from the Nazi German prison Castle Wolfenstein and carries out a series of crucial missions against the Nazis. The player traverses through each of the game's levels to find an elevator to the next level or kill a final boss, fighting Nazi soldiers, dogs, and other enemies with knives, pistols, and other guns.”

“Wolfenstein 3D was the second major release by id Software, after the Commander Keen series of episodes. In mid-1991, programmer John Carmack experimented with making a fast 3D game engine by restricting the gameplay and viewpoint to a single plane, producing Hovertank 3D and Catacomb 3-D as prototypes. After a design session prompted the company to shift from the family-friendly Keen to a more violent theme, programmer John Romero suggested remaking the 1981 stealth shooter Castle Wolfenstein as a fast-paced action game. He and designer Tom Hall designed the game, built on Carmack's engine, to be fast and violent, unlike other computer games on the market at the time. Wolfenstein 3D features artwork by Adrian Carmack and sound effects and music by Bobby Prince. The game was released through Apogee in two sets of three episodes under the shareware model, in which the first episode is released for free to drive interest in paying for the rest. An additional episode, Spear of Destiny, was released as a stand-alone retail title through FormGen.

Wolfenstein 3D was a critical and commercial success, garnering numerous awards and selling over 200,000 copies by the end of 1993. It is widely regarded as having helped popularize the first-person shooter genre and establishing the standard of fast-paced action and technical prowess for many subsequent games in the genre, as well as showcasing the viability of the shareware publishing model at the time. FormGen developed an additional two episodes for the game, while Apogee released a pack of over 800 fan-created levels. Id Software never returned to the series, but did license the engine to numerous other titles before releasing the source code for free in 1995, and multiple other games in the Wolfenstein series have been developed by other companies since 2001.”

Save that “developed by other companies since 2001” part for a little bit.

Best Aspect? Simplicity. Wolfenstein 3d was always a simplistic game, especially in the modern day. There’s just 4 weapons, various health pickups, keys for locked doors, and a small selection of enemies & bosses for BJ to blast into Nazi hamburger. It’s always satisfying to see Hitler turn into a giant pool of blood & gore, and it’s a treat to see the numerous other bosses get riddled with bullets. Graphically, Wolf3d is certainly archaic, but there’s a weird nostalgic charm to it all. It’s usage of a surprisingly fair range of color strangely fits with the rather comical depiction of violence, as you sometimes traverse hallways & rooms that have brightly colored bricks, all the while gunning down every Nazi or other foe with ease.

Worst Aspect? I was actually tempted to say that age is once again the biggest flaw (Which would have included graphics), but I’ll skip that this time around. Wolfenstein 3d’s only flaw is just how maze-like many of the levels are. Earlier levels are more simplistic in design, but later levels (Especially in the later episodes) are constructed in such a frustrating manner. Numerous dead-ends, loop-arounds, and sneaky enemy placements really make this game a struggle sometimes. Even finding secrets is a chore, as you really can’t tell what’s a secret wall or not. Modern gamers take secrets a challenge, but way back in the early 90s, you had to work your butt off!

Wolfenstein 3d. You can certainly tell when this game comes from, but for being just over 25 years old, it has a timeless quality that really can’t be beat. If you want to play what I consider to be the origin of the FPS genre, this is what you need to try. Next game!

Return To Castle Wolfenstein (2001)

Now here’s the game that turned 15 last year! With Wolfenstein 3d helping Id establish themselves, they advanced their career further & further. Games like Doom and the first 3 entries in the Quake franchise proved that they were a company to be reckoned with. Sadly, it seemed like old Wolfenstein would be left behind, but leave it to the gaming gods to give us a blessing. After the reveal of an awesome trailer (Trailer), excitement was built up for the release of a Wolfenstein entry nearly a decade since the last one, and on November 19, 2001, Return To Castle Wolfenstein was released. The game was not developed by Id (Although they were the executive producers), but instead was made by 2 groups: Grey Matter Interactive & Nerve Software (Nerve produced the multiplayer component of RTCW).

Storywise, we find that World War 2 is in full swing in 1943. William Joseph "B.J." Blazkowicz & a partner have been captured by the SS, and are thrown in the jail cells of Castle Wolfenstein. After his partner is killed, B.J. breaks out to complete his mission. As he continues his battle against the Nazis, he discovered a plan to bring back an ancient & unholy German knight, and it involves horrific science & the occult. Apart from one break for a more normal mission, Blazkowicz battles arcane forces that have rarely been seen on this earth, and the experience leaves an impression on the man (More on this later).

Best Aspect? In a change from Wolf3d, Return To Castle Wolfenstein actually has some story & character injected into it’s veins. Not a heavy amount, but enough where you manage to establish a small personal connection to BJ & the allied forces, and even some of the German/Nazi soldiers. If you haven’t been caught, you can often seen them doing little things like smoking, talking, or sometimes try to find cover in a fight. The A.I. doesn’t come across as genuine as it once did (More on this below), but at the same time you don’t always see this level of detail in modern games.

Graphics are another plus. The engine used for this was based off of Quake 3 Team Arena, which in turn was an evolution of Quake 3 Arena. The team arena engine was heavily modified for Return To Castle Wolfenstein to take advantage of larger areas, of which this game has many. Even when the game isn’t in a larger space, the power of the team arena comes through in lots of ways. Dynamic lighting, greater texture detail, and reflective surfaces are just a couple of things that this engine pulls off. Even today, Return To Castle Wolfenstein still looks great, although there are certain aspect that show off how old this game is (More on this in a sec).

The levels are also another plus for Return To Castle Wolfenstein. You cover a wide variety of Nazi-controlled territory. From the castle itself, to an airbase with experimental craft, to an advanced science facility, the world of RTCW is a surprisingly large one. Little details like wind that blows around the (At the time) realistic grass in some levels, to distant thunder, and clever lighting really make the levels feel alive. The graphics are also a big help in this department, as they lend a visual strength to everything the player sees. Even something as basic as the sky comes alive, thanks to the advanced Quake 3 Team Arena engine.

Worst Aspect? Return To Castle Wolfenstein really only has 2 flaws to it: graphics & predictability. The graphics have aged surprisingly well since it’s release back in 2001, and as I stated earlier, was based off of the Quake 3 Team Arena engine. It was highly advanced for it’s time, but it’s flaws are highly apparent. Dated textures, clipping, and numerous other things show off how old it is now. As for predictability, I should have said heavily scripted. Back in it’s first few years the game felt somewhat realistic, but lord so much of what goes on has a healthy dose of scripting. Even some of the smaller things that go on feels artificial now, and the larger big-scale events are still grand, but they come across as rigid sometimes.

Return To Castle Wolfenstein. The return that surprised everybody, it’s staying power has managed to last even into 2017. If you like your Nazi-killing with a little more substance, this will scratch that itch. Next game!

Wolfenstein (2009)

Now here we come to what I call the “Lost” entry in the Wolfenstein franchise. Released on the 18th of August in 2009, Wolfenstein marks the first time in a while that the iconic Raven Software had developed a game on their own (For the most part). Using a modified version of the Id Tech 4 engine (The original form of the Id Tech 4 engine was used in the iconic Doom 3), Wolfenstein 2009 was the first game in nearly 8 years that was released to the public, but it’s reception was probably less than what Raven & Activision were hoping for. Average scores were generally in the low 70s, with IGN giving it a more positive outlook, though they said that  "...you can't help but wish that they developed the kernel of ideas in this game into something more. As it is, this new Wolfenstein comes off as an engaging, if otherwise forgettable, shooter". As a result of lower sales coupled with the lower scores, Activision have laid off Raven employees, and that probably did more damage than some might have thought. It’s a crying shame, as Wolfenstein 2009 is pretty fun to play! Maybe nothing game changing, but definitely some fun to be had.

As for the story, we find ourselves a year after the events of Return to Castle Wolfenstein. World War 2 is still going strong, and the Nazis are still trying to harness the powers of the occult. After stealing an ancient medallion from a ship (And subsequently killing the entire crew), B.J. goes back to the OSA, and discovers that the source of the medallion’s power comes from a fictional city called Isenstadt. Upon arriving, Blazkowicz becomes involved between the local resistance group fighting back, and the Nazis that had control & were excavating the ancient ruins all around Isenstadt. B.J. encounters some colorful characters on both sides, and you gain something of a personal connection with many of them. Not the deepest connection or character development, but it does add a little more substance to B.J.

Best Aspect? For starters we’ve got the graphics. In a sense it almost felt like playing Doom 3 again, as the graphics engine is basically the same. However, Wolfenstein’s take on the engine is a little different: character models are a little smoother & flexible, textures look a little more realistic, particle effects are more genuine, better reflections, etc. While at time it shows off how old the Id Tech 4 engine is, it’s improvements make it a little more hardy to the passage of time, and still holds up somewhat today.

Second, Wolfenstein offers up a degree of flexibility that was previously unknown in prior games. The city of Isenstadt is put down, basically immediately, for the player to traverse. There’s sewers, rooftops, streets, alleyways, various buildings, and all other kinds of locales for B.J. to mow down the Third Reich. You can charge in guns blazing, or you can be a little more stealthy, and go in through a potential backdoor to take out the enemy silently. There’s usually at least 2 or 3 ways to approach a fight, with only certain battles (Mostly bosses) having 1 approach to it. This get more interesting once you begin using the power of the medallion, and the Veil is open to you. The magical dimension allows access to areas that are unavailable to those in reality. Be wary though, as various entities in the Veil may take notice of you, especially when you’ve been using your power to much. Speaking of which.....

Third & finally, you’re given access to a small group of powers to help you as you traverse Isenstadt. They’re not the most grand of powers, as they’re actually very typical ones, but they’re new to Wolfenstein. There’s the basic ability that allows you to see previously unrevealed locations, but you’ve also got a shield ability, super speed, and piercing/increased damage (Can’t remember which). The sight ability is constantly active when you’re inside the Veil, but you can only have 1 of the previously mentioned abilities active at a time. This complements the arsenal of weapons you receive: some of which you’ve seen & used in RTCW, and others are brand new for this game. Both your powers & weapons can be upgraded with loot you find in secrets all over the game. Tomes of Power for your powers (Nice Heretic/Hexen references), and Gold for your guns. If I had any complaint about the guns, it would be that you’ll definitely favor some other others. No joke, but I had a preference for some of the weirder ones over the more normal ones. Tesla cannon for days!

Worst Aspect? In a strange way the critics are right about this game. It’s certainly fun, but something about Wolfenstein 2009 makes it forgettable. Maybe it’s the thin storytelling. Maybe it’s something about the characters. Maybe it’s something about the gameplay itself. I’m not really sure, and I think I might never get an answer for it. The only other fault I have with this game is how rigid it can be. It’s true you’re essentially given access to the whole city to explore from basically the start of the game, they also dole out where you can go in a semi-limited manner. While I wandered the streets, sewers, and alleyways of Isenstadt, I felt a strange form of limited control. I could go anywhere I saw, but in some circumstances I was mysteriously blocked.

Wolfenstein. A sadly forgotten game in Wolfenstein’s library, but one that really has some interesting fun in it. If you want more flexibility with your Nazi killing, this might be what you’re looking for. Next game!

Wolfenstein: The New Order (2014)

Taken from Wikipedia:

“After developer MachineGames was founded, the employees all began brainstorming ideas, and pitching them to publishers. In June 2009, MachineGames owner ZeniMax Media acquired id Software and all of its property, including Doom, Quake and Wolfenstein. Bethesda Softworks, who had previously declined a pitch from MachineGames, suggested that they develop a new game from a franchise acquired by ZeniMax. MachineGames inquired about developing a new game in the Wolfenstein series; the studio visited id Software, who approved of MachineGames' request for a new Wolfenstein game. By November 2010, paperwork was signed, allowing MachineGames to develop Wolfenstein: The New Order. Preliminary development lasted approximately three years.

The existence of Wolfenstein: The New Order was first acknowledged by Bethesda Softworks on 7 May 2013, through the release of an announcement trailer. Prior to this, Bethesda teased the upcoming project by releasing three images with the caption "1960". Though originally due for release in late 2013, the game was delayed to 2014 in order for the developers to further "polish" the game. In February 2014, it was announced that The New Order would launch on 20 May 2014 in North America, on 22 May 2014 in Australia, and on 23 May 2014 in Europe. The Australian and European release dates were later pushed forward, resulting in a worldwide launch on 20 May 2014. All pre-orders of the game granted the purchaser an access code to the Doom beta, developed by id Software. For the German release of The New Order, all Nazi symbols and references were removed; it is a criminal offence to display Nazi imagery on toys in Germany. Following the game's release, MachineGames began developing Wolfenstein: The Old Blood, a standalone expansion pack set before the events of The New Order. It was released in May 2015.

The initial inspiration for Wolfenstein: The New Order came from previous games in the franchise. Senior gameplay designer Andreas Öjerfors said that it was the "super intense immersive combat" that defined the previous games, so MachineGames ensured that this elements was included in The New Order. The development team refer to the game as a "first-person action adventure", naming this one of the unique defining points of the game. "It is the David vs Goliath theme," Öjerfors explained. "B.J. against a global empire of Nazis." Öjerfors also acknowledged that many aspects of the game's narrative are simply exaggerated elements of the Nazi Party: "The larger than life leaders, strange technology, strange experiments." The team viewed the game as a "dark-roasted blend of drama, mystery, humor." Creative director Jens Matthies explained that they "take perhaps the most iconic first-person shooter franchise in history and push it into a strange new world."

Wolfenstein: The New Order is the second game to use id Software's id Tech 5 engine, after Rage (2011). The game utilizes the engine to add a large amount of detail to the game world. The team often found it difficult to develop the game with 1080p resolution at 60 frames per second, particularly on complex environments, but "we always made it work somehow", said Matthies. He has also said that the main advantages of the engine is the speed and the detailing, while its biggest disadvantage is dynamic lighting; "on the other hand the static light rendering is really awesome, so you have full radiosity and can do really spectacular-looking things using that," he added. Senior concept artist Axel Torvenius said that one of the main inspirations for the art design of the game was movies from the 1960s, calling out the James Bond movies. The design for the Nazis in the game was influenced by the aesthetics of the Nazis at the end of the Second World War; "it's blended with the style of the 1960s and the fashion ideals of how to express yourself visually," Öjerfors explained. This viewpoint is also influenced by the element of exaggeration, which is common throughout the game's design and has been acknowledged by the team as a development inspiration. Character models can be covered in up to a 256k texture; however, this is not used often in the game on individual characters, due to the difficulty of seeing it from a distance.

Wolfenstein: The New Order only features a single-player mode. The team felt that dividing focus and resources across both a single-player and an online multiplayer mode would be less efficient. When questioned about the lack of an online multiplayer mode, Öjerfors explained that the decision was simple. "If we could take every bit of energy and sweat the studio has and pour all that into the single-player campaign, it gives us the resources to make something very, very cool, compared to if we would also have to divert some of our resources to making multiplayer." Executive producer Jerk Gustafsson attributed the choice to the style of game the team is familiar with, stating that MachineGames is "a single-player studio".

The team attempted to develop characters that offer a unique experience to the game. "The overarching goal for us was about building an ensemble of genuinely interesting characters we wanted to interact with," said Matthies. They also strived to connect the thoughts and actions of all characters to the human experience, allowing players to know "why a person is doing what they are doing". Matthies feels that all characters, particularly the allies, contain some dimension of his own personality. "They're an expression of something that is part of me that I think is interesting to explore," he said.

The game's playable character, William "B.J." Blazkowicz, has been previously featured as the playable protagonist of all Wolfenstein games. When developing the character of Blazkowicz for The New Order, MachineGames considered his appearances in previous games in the series. When doing this, they realised that the character had never really developed at all throughout the games; "He's just the guy that you play," said Pete Hines, Vice President of PR and Marketing for Bethesda. The team discovered that they were interested in exploring his story, which is what they later invested in. One particular scenario that the team envisioned is putting Blazkowicz in situations where he is uncomfortable. Matthies said, "that's really interesting to me. I love taking things and making them real." Throughout the game, Blazkowicz communicates some of his inner thoughts through short monologues, many of which reveal that he has been traumatized by some of his experiences. "We always loved the idea of a prototypical action hero exterior juxtaposed with a rich and vulnerable interior psychology," said Matthies. One of the largest priorities for the team when developing the character of Blazkowicz was to "reveal whatever needs to be revealed to [Blazkowicz] and the player" simultaneously; Matthies felt that, despite the simplicity of this concept, it is rarely used in games. Prior to developing The New Order, the team had primarily worked on games that involved antihero protagonists. However, id Software wished Blazkowicz to be portrayed differently in the game. Matthies said, "It's really important to [id] that BJ is a hero, and not an anti-hero." The team attempted to develop Blazkowicz into a character that players could relate to, as they felt that players are generally unable to relate to video game protagonists. "The goal is not to have a protagonist that's so neutral that you can project yourself into them; the goal is to have a protagonist that is so relatable that you become them," said Matthies. They also tried to make players become "emotionally in sync" with Blazkowicz, using the morality choice in the game's prologue to do so.

Wilhelm "Deathshead" Strasse, the game's main antagonist, has been previously featured as an antagonist of Return to Castle Wolfenstein (2001) and main antagonist of Wolfenstein (2009). For The New Order, the team achieved closure on his story; to do so in an effective way, they wanted to find an interesting angle to portray him: his personality is full of enthusiasm, and he appreciates life after his near-death experience in the previous game. When developing the Nazis, Matthies states that the team "didn't want to cartoon-ify them", instead opting to treat them seriously. Gideon Emery, who portrayed Fergus Reid, auditioned for his role in the game. He described Fergus as "a tough as nails soldier, who gives [Blazkowicz] both support and a pretty hard time in the process". Matthies felt that Fergus is a type of father figure to Blazkowicz, and that he "only gives negative reinforcement". Conversely, he saw Wyatt as a "sort of son surrogate", as Blazkowicz is tasked as being his protector and mentor, and that he gives "positive reinforcement". Max Hass, a seemingly brain-damaged member of the Resistance, was inspired by the character of Garp from John Irving's novel The World According to Garp. Alex Solowitz portrayed Max in the game. "Max was the most challenging character to cast, which seems counter-intuitive because he's a pretty simple guy on paper, but it took a tremendous actor to pull that off and a long time to find him," Matthies said.

A large aspect of the game is the alternative history in which it is set, where the Nazis won the Second World War. The team saw this aspect as an opportunity to create everything at a very large scale, with very little limitations; "so many things that we can create, and work with, and expand on. So, I never really felt that we were limited," said Öjerfors.”

Reception for The New Order has/was very positive upon it’s release. 80s out of 100, 8s out of 10, and 9s out of 10 were typically the norm upon it’s release, although there were some that were a little lower. Reviewers typically cited the story, gameplay, and usage of alternative history (Nazis winning WW2 instead of the allies) as the high points of the game. Rarely was there every any complaining, and when there was, some reviewers & critics cited the supporting characters & narrative as aspects with faults.

Best Aspect? Once again, graphics are a big plus in The New Order. Using the impressive Id Tech 5 engine (Previously used in it's debut game Rage), this new Wolfenstein world looks incredible. The modified Id Tech 4 engine used in Wolfenstein 2009 certain still look nice, but this game outshines it in terms of realism. Despite it's faults that were found in Rage, they don't appear to be here in TNO. Models look & move lifelike, buildings are imposing, the weapons look intimidating, textures & reflections about, etc. Though it's looks would be surpassed by Doom 2016 & it's usage of the new Id Tech 6 engine, the visuals of The New Order still enchant & delight to this day.

Secondly, The New Order has perhaps one of the most engrossing stories & most engaging set of characters in recent memory. Reviewers weren't wrong when they said the usage of alternative history was a positive: all throughout pop-culture when the Nazis were introduced, there were always movies/books/tv shows/games that always asked what would happen if the Third Reich won World War 2, and this game definitely answers that. Sure it's fictionalized, but it still paints a bleak picture of the world under the heel of the Nazis. With a world like this, it helps to have a colorful cast of characters, and The New Order provides such a cast. For the first time in this series, Blazkowicz finally has a solid identity. In prior games he really didn't have much personality (Especially in Return To Castle Wolfenstein & before), but now he feels like a real person. The same goes for everyone else: at a time where characters in the FPS genre are more wooden than a white picket-fence, it's refreshing to see characters with backgrounds & personalities. Some characters might not be as strong as others, but overall everybody that gets introduced has something that the player attaches to.

Thirdly, gameplay is essentially that same as that of prior Wolfenstein games. You see Nazis, you shoot said Nazis, etc. What makes this formula different are the new ingredients: you're given perhaps the most futuristic set of guns even seen in a Wolfenstein game. Auto-shotguns, a laser rifle that can double as a metal cutter, and more explosives you can shake a stick at are just some of the implements of destruction. You get upgrades for your weapons, but only after scouring various levels, but the search is most definitely worth it. There's a stealth system included as well, and while it's not the deepest, it does add an additional layer to combat, especially if you're trying to pick off more vulnerable targets before a battle. Finally, The New Order has 4 sets of passive skills to earn over the course of the game. Each sets of skills deals with a certain aspect of the game (Stealth, Explosives, etc), and you have to complete certain tasks to gain these skills. Some are easier to get, while others are harder. In the end, you gain a benefit that will last you for the rest of the game, or more if you replay (If I'm remembering right).

Worst Aspect? There’s not really all that much wrong with The New Order. MachineGames did such a great job with developing the game, that you really can’t find fault with it. The only gripes (Nitpicks to be honest) I have are with the save system & skill system. In regards to the save system, it’s honestly not that bad. They swapped out saving everywhere for a more traditional checkpoint system, but they checkpoints are frequent enough to the point where it really doesn’t cause too much trouble. The skill system isn’t terrible either, as you’re given a wide variety of upgrades to earn. The only complaint I have is that some of the requirements to obtain these skills can be a little unfair, but again it isn’t entirely unreasonable.

The New Order. A different look, feel, and attitude for Wolfenstein, but a welcome one at that. If you like your Nazi killing a little more on the serious side and with more depth, you might want to play this. Next game!

Wolfenstein: The Old Blood (2015)

I find it somewhat silly to talk about The Old Blood. Not that the game is bad, because it isn’t. It has all of what made The New Order great, but at the end of the day it comes across like a rehashing of gameplay mechanics. Storywise.....oh no, this is something different!

Taking place before the beginning of The New Order, we find B.J. and a ally he mentioned in TNO are attempting to go undercover near Castle Wolfenstein to obtain information that might help them win World War 2. The mission fails, and from here on out it’s up to B.J. to escape the dungeons of Wolfenstein & find his partner. That “find the partner” part goes south, and eventually B.J. gets out of the castle, and into the village below. Discovering that the Nazis have unearthed an ancient tomb, B.J. infiltrates a pub where a familiar foe from a previous game is currently. He manages to find this foe, only to get caught, but not before the Nazis at the site blow up a chamber & release some sort of ancient alchemical gas. This destroys the village, and turns many of the inhabitants (Along with many of the Nazis) into the burning undead (Literarily & figuratively). B.J. journeys through the city & manages to catch up with his foe, but runs into something old & eldritch. I can’t say anymore, as it would actually spoil the reveal.

The Old Blood. Redundant? Maybe, but it’s worth it for the story alone.

So that was a look at the venerable Wolfenstein franchise. Without this game & Doom afterwards, the FPS genre might have never evolved into the juggernaut it is today. So, Catchup Month has finally be completed. Late, but completed regardless. Well, summer isn’t that far away, and that means a new special event is coming. Let me tell you when I say that it’s gonna be very......powerful. See you then!


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Apologies for the rush job & over-usage of Wikipedia in this. I was cutting close to the start of my new summer event, and had to make some shortcuts. Sorry!

Serious Sam: (Belated) 5th Birthday & Retrospective

Welcome back to Catchup Month, fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

Finally, I’m getting the content I promised up. I was actually pretty busy with a bunch of stuff, and doing these two belated birthday/retrospectives actually took a little time. Luckily, I managed to snag some time this past weekend, and managed to complete what I promised you. For starters, let’s take a look at a belated birthday of Serious Sam, one of the more obscure FPS series, held aloft by nostalgia & (Relatively) recent revivals. So with that out of the way, here’s my (Belated) 5th birthday & retrospective on the man.....known as Sam. Enjoy!

Serious Sam the First Encounter/Second Encounter (2001/2002)

The story of Serious Sam starts in the early 90s. 1993 to be exact, and in the little country of Croatia of all places. Originally composed of just 6, they really weren’t known for making anything specific, save for a few sports games on the Amiga 500 & 1200 (Along with a PC port or two). After a few years, the group would eventually be known as Croteam, and would begin creating their own in-house graphics engine. Dubbed the Serious Engine, it was capable of  maintaining dozens of moving enemies (often stampedes) and enormous enemies, even on a modest system challenging the well known id Tech, Unreal Engine or Source engines. The "Serious Engine" can render through both Direct3D or OpenGL and, while it does not support pixel or vertex shaders, it is optimised for Direct3D 7's hardware transformation, clipping and lighting. The "Serious Engine" is available for licensing from Croteam. Once the engine was done, a game had to be made, and on March 21, 2001, the first Serious Sam game was released. A year later, on February 2, 2002, and expansion titled Serious Sam: The Second Encounter was released, expanding upon what the main game produced.

As far as the story goes, it’s rather thin, but serviceable. In ages past, an ancient alien race known as the Sirians had landed upon Earth, and helped the ancient Egyptians advance their civilization to new heights. However, this attracted the evil entity known as MENTAL, who wanted to conquer the known universe. The Sirians managed to push him back, but in the process were defeated as well, leaving behind much of their technology. Ages later, humanity finds this technology, and uses it to advance all, attracting MENTAL once again in the process. In a desperate move, the forces of Earth send “Serious” Sam Stone back in time to see if there’s a way to take out MENTAL once & for all. Again, it’s rather bare-bones, but it works.

Reception for the First & Second Encounter were pretty high back in the day. As it stands, the First Encounter has an 87 out of 100 over on Metacritic, and the Second Encounter an 85 out of 100. Both games received many awards, with the First Encounter getting awards for game of the year (GameSpot) & editor’s choice award (IGN), while the Second Encounter getting a Game of the Month award in February of 2002 from GameSpot.

Best Aspect? For starters, Serious Sam’s gameplay harkens back to the FPS heyday of the 90s. Though the first & second encounter were only released at the start of the 2000s, they’re both strangely refreshing to play. A hero with goofy one-liners, a rogue’s gallery of weapons, a venerable horde of enemies (Beheaded Kamikazes anyone?), simple goals & puzzles, etc. There’s health, armor, powerups, and secrets, which was still pretty much the standard back then, only the secrets were a little odd sometimes (Mini werebulls is easily one of the strangest). This formula was basically the same across the man game & it’s expansion, with the expansion adding extra guns, enemies, and levels. Speaking of which.....

Levels are another good thing about Serious Sam. Croteam did a good job designing the zones of each game. With the First Encounter, we’re given a variety of oases, tombs, and cities in ancient Egypt, with the final encounter with the boss at one of the great pyramids. The Second Encounter takes place over a variety of locals, such as the empire of the Aztecs/Mayans (Forgot which one), ancient Babylon & the Tower of Babel, and finally Eastern Europe during the Dark Ages, with the epic conclusion at a church & it’s surrounding grounds. Each zone feels unique & distinct from one another, and in the case of the Second Encounter, The areas in each theme are varied as well.

Finally, the graphics are a plus for Serious Sam. While it might not have held up well over the years (See below), for the early 2000s it was something special. Lens flare when it was sunny (Sometimes you’d get a little if the moon & starts were out), reflective surfaces, dynamic lighting, particle effects, you name it. The Second Encounter has the added benefit of new textures & effects, along with additional forms of lighting.
   
Worst Aspect? For only the 3rd time since I’ve done one of these, age is this game’s only detriment. While I wouldn’t say it’s as old & archaic as FPS games from the 90s, it still shares a lot of things from that time. On top of that, the graphics really have not weathered the ages well: dated & repetitive textures, models, particle & sound effects, etc. This is more obvious in the first game, where the Egyptian theme got incredibly repetitive towards the end. The Second Encounter didn’t have this problem, as each theme never outstayed it’s welcome. Finally, many of the encounters in both games often seem unfairly designed. I understand that Serious Sam is all about challenging fights, and it most definitely delivers, but there are encounters where it seems like it was specifically designed to screw the player over. Even on medium difficulty (My preferred mode) I had trouble, as enemies seemed too numerous, and there’s not enough resources to keep you alive.

Serious Sam. Definitely dated, but beneath all of that age lies an action packed FPS game. If you want something a little more challenging & lighthearted, you might want to pick this up. Next!

Serious Sam 2 (2005)

Taken from Wikipedia:

“Development of Serious Sam 2 began in mid-2003 with the decision to create the game on a new engine. Croteam planned to release the game in the second quarter of 2004, but this was later pushed to the second half of 2004 and finally to fall 2005. For a period of time, Croteam posted weekly updates, but these became bi-monthly, then monthly, and then stopped completely after August 2004, as Gathering of Developers shut down and folded into 2K Games, Croteam's publisher, wanted to handle the release of information from that point forward. In April 2005, the game was officially announced by 2K Games, at which point the release date was set as Fall 2005.

Shortly following the game's official announcement, Serious Sam 2 was featured as the cover story for the June 2005 issue of Computer Games Magazine, and was later showcased at E3 in May 2005. Shown at the E3 Expo was the official trailer for the game, and an early build of the game was playable on the show floor. A result of the E3 presentation was a 30-minute video preview of the game featuring gameplay footage while a question and answer session took place between fansite Seriously! owner and director Jason Rodzik and Fernando Melo, the game's producer. In the time following the game's official announcement, 2K Games released a steady trickle of screenshots showcasing the vibrant colors and wide-open spaces that characterized the previous games and helping to build up hype as the game neared release. A demo of the PC version was released on 21 September 2005, and a second demo was released on 17 October 2005.

On 11 October 2005, Serious Sam 2 was released for PC and Xbox, and a patch for the game was released the day before, bringing it up to version 2.064b.[27] Croteam stated that a substantial list of features were cut due to time constraints.”

Reception for Serious Sam 2 wasn’t quite as positive as that of it’s two predecessors. The average review score of the time according to GameRankings was 75%, although many other review sites & magazines had scores from the 70s through the 80s. IGN had given the game a 8.2 out of 10, and summed up the game as follows:

“Like its predecessor Serious Sam 2 caters to a very specific taste. Fans of old school action games that focus exclusively on shooting down wave after wave of enemies will definitely find that this game delivers. Still, the endless fragfest that is Serious Sam 2 occasionally runs the risk of becoming monotonous. What saves the title is the endless variety of enemies that come your way and the intense challenge that they offer. Throw in an engine that can handle it all with ease and a unique, colorful visual style and it's the perfect game for twitch-happy action junkies”

This part is taken from Wikipedia:

“One of the main criticisms of the game was that it was a lot less "serious" and a lot more "cartoony" than The First Encounter and The Second Encounter. An over-emphasis on reflective surfaces and oddly out of place pixel shading were perceived as being more about showing off the capabilities of the engine than about defining the atmosphere of the game. Lighter colors and a more upbeat soundtrack made the game feel less grounded in reality, contrary to the realistic Egyptian tombs and Mayan pyramids of the earlier games, and players complained that while the weapons of the previous games seemed to be massive and powerful, those in Serious Sam 2 were less so.”

I personally disagree with most of this, but I’ll get to that when the time comes.

Best Aspect? Things haven’t really changed since the First & Second Encounter. Your main goal is still to kill everything you see, but there are some slight changes. For one, the basic puzzles that were in the first game have largely been removed, saved for some situational moments. Tonally, Serious Sam 2 is far more comedic & silly than the first 2 games. Not that the first 2 games were funny, as there were moments for humor, but this game barrages you with jokes constantly. For the most part they work, but some of the more culturally-specific ones might fly past your head (There’s a couple soccer ones I didn’t get). Even a lot of Sam’s humor is more on the juvenile side, though there’s a clever joke once in a while, and many of the enemies are wackier than before (The werebulls became killer windup bull toys). 

Secondly, Serious Sam 2 has a greatly enhanced graphics engine. Though the original Serious Engine was capable of a lot in it’s time, the 2nd iteration of the Serious Engine is capable of much more. The more advanced features of the engine included detailed refraction effects, high-resolution textures, high-dynamic range lighting, and light bloom effects. On top of that, there was greater animation when it came to the enemies, Sam, and the few basic NPCs you do meet. It makes this 2nd iteration of Sam feel far more alive than the first, and speaking of which....

Third & finally, Serious Sam 2 has one of the most detailed worlds I’ve ever seen in a FPS. Though the First & Second Encounter has places that were really attention grabbing, they could get boring rather quickly (Especially in the 1st game’s case). With this game? You are given a host of worlds to explore! From an African-inspired savannah in the first episode, all the way to a high fantasy kingdom in the 5th episode, to a neon-colored futuristic city in the final episode, not a single one of these places you travel to ever gets tiring, as the amount of levels in each keep things fresh & exciting. On top of that, many of the levels are inhabited by minor NPCs, which added further life to the episodes. Though many of them don’t do much, some will come to you in a battle with health/armor/ammo pickups, and outside they’ll speak a simple greeting. It’s little things like this that keep Serious Sam 2 in my head, and really shows that the FPS genre can be more than what it normally is.

Worst Aspect? It’s really a sliver of small things that give the game a blemish or two. Like I said above, the graphics have aged surprisingly well, but some little things show it’s age. Particle effects look dated, some of the enemy & npc models look a little blocky or jagged, and some textures might not look as good as they did back in 2005. Gameplay always felt a little easier than in the first Serious Sam games, as there always seemed to be a little extra ammo, armor, or health lying around. On top of that, there’s the extra life mechanic. On the console I understand why it’s around (No saves at will), but it’s strange to see it on the PC, especially since you can save & load (Quick Save/Load is a godsend sometimes). Some of the larger encounters can still be challenging, but even then sometimes you can find items that are conveniently abundant.

Serious Sam 2. Maybe not for everybody, but it’s perhaps the most energetic title in the Serious Sam series. If you like your shooter with a healthy dose of wackiness & zaniness, this game is for you. Next!

Serious Sam 3: BFE (2011)

After Serious Sam 2 was released, it not as fantastic reception led many to believe that another Serious Sam game would not be released, and for a little while it seemed like it. Then, in 2009 rumblings of a new graphics engine was being developed by Croteam, and later on in that year we would receive a preview of sorts (As well as a after-preview in 2012). After more news came out, it was only inevitable that a new game would come to market. So then, on the 22nd of November 2011 (October the 17th in 2012 for Xbox 360 & May the 13th 2014 for Playstation), Serious Sam 3: Battle For Earth was released to the public in all of it’s explosive glory.

Storywise, BFE is actually a prequel. Taking place before the events of The First Encounter, we find Sam in the heart of Cairo, fighting back against the forces of MENTAL. MENTAL’s army has almost driven humanity to extinction, but for those that remain, there is hope in a Sirian device known as the Time-Lock, which has the power to send anyone back into any known point in history. Unfortunately, it’s not currently, so it’s a race against time & extinction to get it back on, and have Sam go through to find a solution to MENTAL’s defeat. Again, BFE doesn’t have a beefy story, but there’s a little more depth to it than the first game, and actually has a sense of urgency to it that surprised me the first time I played through.

Reception for BFE was mostly positive. 7s & 8s out of ten were generally the norm across the board: Eurogamer praised BFE for what Duke Nukem Forever failed to deliver,but criticized the redundancy of the title's gameplay compared to its previous iterations in the series. Game Informer praised the game for its graphics and the heavy metal score while being true to its original concept, while Destructoid said "It's a lot of fun indeed. A lot of backbreaking, grueling, soul-destroying fun". I somewhat disagree with this, but I’ll save my thoughts on this for a little later.

Best Aspect? Yet again, the core gameplay of SS3 has stayed pretty much the same. Run & Gun, complete small puzzles, you name it. You’re given an arsenal that would make an 80s action star blush, and Sam is back (Strangely sporting sunglasses again) with a plethora of wisecracks & pop-culture references. I can’t speak about this any further, as I’d just be repeating myself.

Secondly, SS3 has perhaps the best graphics out of all the Serious Sam games. While SS2's graphics still manage to hold up to a degree, BFE is perhaps the most realistic. Ironically, we got a preview of sorts a year or two beforehand with remastered version of both the First & Second Encounter, using what was called the Serious Engine 3. BFE’s is known as the Serious Engine 3.5, but there really wasn’t that much of a difference between the two. What is obvious that both graphics engine share amazing textures, wonderful animated sprites, realistic particle effects, lighting effects that are also highly realistic, and reflecting surfaces that you’d swear are real. Once again, this ties into...

The world. In many ways, SS3's setting is simultaneous wondrous & repetitive. It’s repetitive in the sense that it’s a world that’s already been done before, but it’s wondrous because Serious Sam hasn’t been back to Egypt since his very first game. At the beginning you traverse the more urban areas of Cairo, but as you go further, you traverse the more familiar tombs & ruins that might be familiar to longtime Serious Sam fans. Thanks to the 3.5 engine, there’s a sense of life that permeates the whole game. Seeing dust float in a beam of light in an ancient crypt really makes the whole experience real!

Worst Aspect? Boring! So mind-numbingly, frustratingly boring! The gun battles, especially on the larger scale are fun, and the variety of enemies is as impressive as always (Re-imagined or Brand New), but something about the whole experience is bland for me. In many ways SS3 felt like a return to the first Serious Sam, and not necessarily for the best. The old Egypt meets modern Egypt theme was great, but then seemed to discard that for something maybe a little too familiar. In short, if I could understand why fans disliked Serious Sam 2, then I don’t understand why they like this one (Apart from some people).

3 other things I think are bad about Serious Sam 3. First, our hero is far more serious in mood than in any other Serious Same game. He still has jokes, but doles them out far less than any other incarnation. He also comes across a little like an ass. To be perfectly honest, the incredibly few characters that are added really don’t have much in term of personality (Sam included). Secondly, the decision to have the Sniper Rifle & Plasma Gun (Along withe the Cannon, although I might be wrong on that one) as secret weapons is odd, but once you get them they’re kept until you lose your guns towards the end (You can’t get the 2 back afterwards). Finally, DLC was added to a game that really didn’t need it, although I can’t complain as I never got it & I heard it was singleplayer based.

Serious Sam 3. A fun game in bursts, but will ultimately come across like a grind for some. If you like modern mixed with old-schooled, you might get a kick out of this. It’s not my cup of tea, but I can see why some people would enjoy it.

So that was my look at the series known as Serious Sam. A quirky & semi-obscure FPS series, it’s a lot of silly fun, and the fans make sure that it will never fade. Definitely a franchise to look into if you’re more of a fan of the beaten off path. Well, I’ll see you next week for a look at another classic FPS franchise. Until then, be sure to be serious once in a while.





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If you’re interested in playthroughs of each game, check out the links below:

Serious Sam (First Encounter)

Serious Sam (Second Encounter)

Serious Sam 2

Serious Sam 3

Shadow Warrior: 20th Birthday & Retrospective

Happy May, fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

May is a......strange month so far. Originally I had planned for it to be light on content, as I’ve got something special planned for this summer, and if you remember what I did last year, you might have an idea as to what I’ve got coming. 2 of the posts I had are going to be late, and the subject of today’s happens to be off by a few days as well. Unlike my 2 other belated retrospectives, I didn’t miss this one, but it’s off by a couple days. The subject of today’s birthday & retrospective happens to deal with the legends that are 3D Realms. How ironic that their flagship game Duke Nukem 3d turned 20 years old last year, and another classic happens to turn 20 this year. For a time it was popular, then for what seemed like ages, it fell off the radar. What shooter from this company went through this process? Why, none other than Shadow Warrior of course!

Ah, Shadow Warrior. In recent years this franchise has gained a resurgence in popularity, and has regained it’s place in the realm of first person shooters for a new generation. How did it manage to regain it’s spot on the totem poll, when other FPSs seem to be higher up? Well, that’s what this post is for! So sharpen your sword, grab your bag of throwing stars, and take a look at my birthday/retrospective of the (Stereotypical) Asian-spiced Shadow warrior. Enjoy!

Shadow Warrior (1997)

Taken from Wikipedia:

“Development of Shadow Warrior began in early 1994 as Shadow Warrior 3D, and preliminary screenshots were released with Hocus Pocus in May 1994. George Broussard in 1996 stated: "We want Shadow Warrior to surpass Duke Nukem 3D in features and gameplay and that's a TALL order." To this end, more tongue-in-cheek humor was added to the existing game in order to better match the style of the popular Duke Nukem 3D. Shadow Warrior was published in North America by GT Interactive Software on May 13, 1997. At E3 1997, an area in the GT Interactive Software booth was dedicated to Shadow Warrior.”

Reception for Shadow Warrior was generally mixed upon release. Users & fans gave generally favorable scores, but critics were a little harsher. Thierry Nguyen of Computer Gaming World commented that "Shadow Warrior is an average action game. While there are some good enhancements to the BUILD engine and some good level design and enemy AI, the rest of the game is mediocre.", and Soete of GameSpot says that "in the end however, Shadow Warrior's only merits are its gameplay". GamingOnLinux reviewer Hamish Paul Wilson had the harshest view on the game, stating that “Shadow Warrior was the weakest of the three major Build engine games, stating that its gunplay was the least balanced and its levels the most likely to descend into tedium or frustration”.

Best Aspect? If you liked the formula that Duke Nukem 3d established, you may be pleased to know that Shadow Warrior hardly deviates from that formula. You’re still a wisecracker, you still run & gun, and the action never seems to stop. Whereas Duke Nukem was a parody of action & alien movies, and Blood payed homage to gothic horror, Shadow Warrior lampoons martial arts & action features, and has more than it’s fair share of anime painted all over. This mix of things could have only come from the 90s, but it has managed to weather the year surprisingly well.

Secondly, there’s Lo Wang himself. Much like Duke, the man named Wang is a goofy & silly individual. Like Duke, much of Lo Wang’s lines come from pop culture (Some of which is anime-based), and is the embodiment of all things stereo-typically Japanese. His accent is thick, and you’d almost expect him to stutter with his L’s. This was actually something of a issue when it came out, as it actually caused something of a stink among politically correct people of the late 90s (Especially among Japanese people.....loooong story). However, Lo Wang being so politically incorrect is the source of his charm. You know you’re not supposed to laugh at some of the jokes he says, but when you do, you loosen up yourself, and enjoy life a little......especially when you find the anime girls (No spoilers!!).

Third, Shadow Warrior marked the first time that there was 3d vehicles/turrets in a Build engine game. Granted, there isn’t that much versatility to them (See below), but it’s remarkable to see them. When a vehicle/turret happens to be in a level, you’re going to do an impressive amount of damage. I do have to laugh at one thing: sometimes a vehicle or turret will be broken, and you have to fix it with a repair kit. If you try to use it before it’s fixed, you’ll hear Lo Wang say this “Oh, must be American Made”. I laughed.

Fourth good thing about this game are the levels. Shadow Warrior’s design team was basically the team that worked on Duke Nukem, so it should come as no surprise that the quality of the levels is pretty damn good. In a interesting twist, a majority of Shadow Warrior’s levels take place in some sort of realistic/quasi-realistic location, with only a few levels dedicated some something fantastic or over-the-top. There’s just something about this game’s collection of locales that makes the game come across as more believable than the rest (With maybe the exception of Redneck Rampage), and as such stick a little more in your mind.

Finally, Shadow Warrior was no stranger to the phenomenon of expansion packs developed by 3rd-party companies. However, this is where things.....get a little interesting.

Let’s start of with the weird story of Wanton Destruction. Developed by Sunstorm Interactive, it was original tested by 3D Realms themselves, but never got physically released by the distributer, with the reason (I believe) being cited as poor sales of the main game. So it sat unreleased for nearly a decade, until a curious thing happened. On September 5, 2005, former Sunstorm Interactive president Anthony Campiti contacted 3D Realms, and said that he found the expansion on an old hard-drive, and it was released 4 days later as freeware. Taking place after the original game, Lo Wang was visiting his folks in the U.S., when Zilla strikes once again, forcing the great ninja on a new journey. While there was no new materials as far as guns & enemies (There were 2 re-skinned enemies), there was a host of new levels to go through, and given the nature of Sunstorm, they’re a nice mix of maze-like & simplistic.

Then there’s the other official expansion pack, Twin Dragon. Release on the 4th of July in 1998 for free, the expansion wasn’t developed by any company, but instead was made by Level Infinity and Wylde Productions over on Planet Quake (A site that still exists today). Taking place sometime after the events of the original game, we find out that Lo Wang has a evil twin brother (Conveniently named Hung Lo), and he’s amassing a horde from the remnants of Zilla’s old army, and our fearless ninja has to stop him. While there’s no new content as far as enemies & weapons are concerned (The final boss is just a re-skinned Zilla), you have access to 13 fan-made levels that are pretty impressive for being made by the public.

There was even supposed to be a 3rd pack! Titled Deadly Kiss, it was originally supposed to be about the journey of Tensi Yoka, who was Lo Wang’s baby sister. It was getting developed by SillySoft (Spin-Off of Simply Silly Software?), and there were screenshots released in January of 1998, but as of now it has still not been released. There have been rumors about it in recent years about it, but that’s all they are.

Worst Aspect? As great as the original is, at the end of the day it’s just a Duke Nukem clone. Wisecracking hero, invading force, wacky weapons, keycards & inventory, etc. The formula exactly is the same as well: wander around, kill enemies, look for keys/keycards, and so fourth. To be perfectly honest, Blood & Redneck Rampage follow this formula as well, but like Shadow Warrior they had small little variations to the formula established by Duke.

Apart from that, there’s really only 2 other small issues I would have with Shadow Warrior. The first is Lo Wang’s inventory of items. He’s got a medkit like Duke, as well as night vision goggles, but from there things are a bit different. There’s caltrops that’ll do minor damage to foes (and yourself if you aren’t careful), repair kits that’ll fix broken vehicles (one-use only), smoke bombs that’ll turn you invisible for a brief period, gas bombs that’ll damage enemies in a small area for a few seconds (Again.....you as well if you aren’t careful), and flash bombs that blind foes. It’s a very cool kit, but it’s also incredibly gimmicky as well. I often found myself not really using anything, with the exception of the medkit and 1 or 2 of the bombs. Curiously, there’s no scuba gear-like item for Shadow Warrior’s underwater areas, although in defense of this, there aren’t as many when compared to the other 3 games in the big 4 of the Build engine.

The other small issue I have is the vehicles. Like I said earlier, they were actually really remarkable given the circumstances. The problem is that you really can’t do much with them. Whether it’s on land or on the water, you’re not really give much room to use them. They’re put into a really small space, and to make matters more disappointing they’re often put in a space just for use as a tool. For example: in the 4th level of the 1st episode, there’s a wall blocking your path, and a tank placed not far away. You could theoretically blow the wall down with your explosive weapons, or you could repair the tank. After you did the 2nd option, there really wasn’t much else you could do with it apart from blow up a few enemies that were behind the wall.

Shadow Warrior. Maybe too much of a Duke Nukem clone, but a fun clone regardless. If you want to relive another FPS legend of the 90s, this game is for you. Next!

Shadow Warrior (2013)

After it’s more mixed reception upon launch, it seemed like Shadow Warrior would be a one-time FPS game from the 90s, and for nearly a decade & a half it seemed like it would be. However, some unlikely saviors from Poland of all places would come to the rescue, and would putout Shadow Warrior. Released on September 26, 2013, this new Shadow Warrior was a revision of sorts, but stayed true to the roots of it’s 90s predecessor. The history of this game is interesting as well: Devolver Digital (American game & movie distributer) had made plans to reboot the franchise, with Flying Wild Hog (Polish game developer) as the group to make the game. Like the group’s prior game Hard Reset, studio writer Jan Bartkowicz stated that they wanted to reflect the "old school design" of the game, with a big emphasis on fast-paced shooting against masses of enemies and no use of cover mechanics. He also said that they wanted the gameplay to also be new in other aspects, particularly the katana, not wanting it to be "only used when you ran out of ammo" but rather make it an integral part of the gameplay. As far as the writing & characters were concerned, Bartkowicz explained it as "a much more clever sense of humor and wit, rather than relying on the old Duke Nukem or Shadow Warrior tropes, falling back on jokes about women and racial stereotyping," instead being drawn to what they considered to be the "rich setting" of the original game.

Shadow Warrior 2013 story is surprisingly good: once again we find that our friend Lo Wang working under the serpentine gaze of Orochi Zilla. After a deal to acquire a priceless katana goes south, and demons from another dimension begin coming in to look for the blade. After joining forces with the demon spirit Hoji (Who was originally working for the 1st owner of the katana), they begin the journey to acquire not just the original katana, but 2 others to form a weapon that can stop the ruler of the demons. Along the way, the two become friends, and a bigger & surprisingly clever story unfolds around them.

Reception for Shadow Warrior 2013 was far more favorable than it’s 97 predecessor. Reviewers focused on the old-school flavor, fast-paced & visceral combat, and the humor, story, and characters as the high points of the game. The only complaints that seemed to have been brought up were the bosses (Kevin VanOrd of GameSpot commented that while they "make for a fearsome presence" visually, he noted the overly straightforward strategy for all of them, causing them to "drag" and become "slogs"), Paul Goodman of The Escapist also called the combat "enjoyable" yet took issue with the "flow-breaking" loading transitions between areas and felt that the openness and exploration aspect of the levels caused "needless backtracking", and Edge Magazine on the other hand felt that the pausing to the upgrade menu was "pace-breaking" after saying "that unless you’re willing to hop back and forth between these back-end menus frequently... you’ll be at a severe disadvantage throughout". Review scores were pretty consistent as well, ranging anywhere from 7/70s to 8/80s.

Best Aspect? Lets start off with the graphics, and holy cow is this a major improvement over the original game! Flying Wild Hog took the legacy of Lo Wang from the days of 2.5d, and plopped him into a fully 3d world. Textures are detailed, colors are crisp, character models seem real, and the animation is exquisite. The levels come across as incredibly realistic, and like the original Shadow Warrior, the more realistic levels seem incredibly believable, and you’d almost expect to find some of these places over in Japan. The supernatural levels are awesome as well, although they’re few & far between as they’re used more for boss encounters (With 1 story-focused exception).

Secondly, the new version of Lo Wang is rather interesting. On the one hand, he’s still somewhat like the original: rude, crass (Though nowhere near as racially sterotypical), and knows when to use some pop culture references in his jokes. What’s different is his mindset: Lo Wang 2013 still rushes into things frequently, but he’s a little smarter. A little more clever. A little more likely to plan things out, even if said plans collapse. He’s also seems to have a little more morality to his attitude, and this seems a little more like a hero than his predecessor (Although he’s still selfish to a degree). His relationship with the demon Hoji at first is a little rocky, somehow the two mix incredibly well, and it comes across as a genuine friendship. The old Lo Wang might try to kill him, but that’s me.

Third, there’s actually quite a bit of versatility when it comes to the skills, powers, & weapons of Shadow Warrior 2013. As far as the skills are concerned, they’re spread out over a variety of skill trees. Luck, Restoration, you name it. You gain upgraded versions by slaying enemies & gaining Kharma Points, and gain things like increased damage to smaller enemies or increased health. You increase your chi powers’s effectiveness by locating Chi Crystals, and they boost & alter the abilities that Hoji gave you. The various guns you obtain are great, but by finding money throughout each level, you gain funds that can enhance your weapons in many ways. Increased fire-rate, bigger explosive radius, multi-barrel firing, etc. All of the upgrades cost various amounts, some more expensive. The only thing I can complain about the weapon upgrades is that you can’t un-sell them to get cash back. Higher end weapons like the rocket launcher have upgrades that cost quite the amount of cash, and an alternate source of income would be helpful..

Fourth & finally good point, Shadow Warrior 2013 has a surprisingly good story. You’d expect Flying Wild Hog to go with something like what the 1997 game did, but nope they didn’t! They actually took time to flesh out Lo Wang and all the other characters in many ways, and it’s done very well. You learn how things started, how things might go, and how it might all end. There’s plenty of moments for comedy, but there’s also moments that are more serious/thoughtful. As for the ending.....well, I can’t spoil it, but I will say it managed to get me to shed a tear or two.

Worst Aspect? I’ll start off with the lone minor issue, and that’s the lack of multiplayer. In defense, Flying Wild Hog wanted to recreate a solid singleplayer experience, and they most certainly did. However, the action that took place (at least for me) screamed for even a teamplay mode (More on this below). We were given a horde/survival mode a little after the game was release, but that’s all there was as far as extra content is concerned.

However, the biggest issue with Shadow Warrior 2013 is how incredibly linear the game is! In comparison to the original Shadow Warrior, you’re given far less to explore & look for secrets. It wasn’t taken out entirely, but there’s nowhere near as many opportunities to search the various nooks & crannies of the levels. Worse, when you go to another stage of the level, you can’t go back to look for anything you missed at all! You better be sure that you found everything, otherwise you could have missed out on some extra cash or bonus ammunition. There’s really no need for a 2nd or even a 3rd playthrough, unless you’re trying to find all of the secrets.

Shadow Warrior 2013. A damn fine return of a 90s classic, with a lot of respect put into the product. If you’d like to see Lo Wang in a different & more modern light, this game is for you. Next game!

Shadow Warrior 2 (2016)

With the success that was Shadow Warrior 2013, it seemed that a sequel was inevitable, and we would be given such a sequel a short 3 years later. Released on October 13, 2016 for PC, and just a few days ago for PS4 & Xbox One, Shadow Warrior 2 was originally announced on June 11, 2015, and various gameplay & developer videos came out in the time before the game’s release. Taking place 5 years after the events of Shadow Warrior 2013, we find Lo Wang wandering the countryside of Japan, killing the demons that have now managed to gain a foothold of sorts, all the while fighting back against Zilla, who took an opportunity to increase his power & harness the energy from the demon world’s overlap with ours. After an accident with the new female sidekick Kamiko, the two were stuck together in a manner not unlike Lo Wang’s time with Hoji. From there, they go on an epic journey that also mirrors the scale of what 2013's Shadow Warrior created.

Much like it’s 2013 incarnation, reception for Shadow Warrior 2 is pretty consistent with it’s 7/70s to 8/80s scores. Lief Johnson from IGN gave it an 8.6 out of 10, and summarized his review by saying this: “Wang's stupid wisecracks kept me smiling from start to finish, and the variety of melee and ranged combat and the loot that dropped from it was satisfying enough that I came back with friends for more. It's great fun in solo or in co-op, and its small degree of randomization is enough to keep the action fresh for at least a few runs”. It should also be noted that Shadow Warrior 2's sales were quadrupled in comparison to SW 2013, and Flying Wild Hog stated that “We could not be happier with the reception of Shadow Warrior 2. Our fans and critics have largely applauded our efforts means the absolute world to us”.

Best Aspect? Much like Shadow Warrior 2013, SW2's graphics are a plus. While I wouldn’t call it a massive improvement over SW 2013, Shadow Warrior 2 looks pretty damn good. Like the previously mentioned game, there’s a lot of detail put into everything. It looked pretty damn good on my machine, but everyone in a while I had it stutter & stick. Not enough to ruin the experience, but enough to the point I knew it was there. There’s essentially a brand new set of textures used, from the rustic Japanese countryside, to the more urban stylings of Calamity Town & the various areas occupied by the Yakuza, to the more demon-tainted ruins & netherrealm, and the neon-cyberpunk attitude of Zilla’s city & headquarters. If there is anything that’s repeated as far as graphics or textures, it’s usually something small.

Secondly, Shadow Warrior 2 is a far more flexible game when it comes to structuring Lo Wang. The chi powers & skills are back, but instead of getting Chi Crystals for upgrading your powers, you simply use Karma points. Unlike SW 2013, you can upgrade a skill or power up to 5 times (In most cases), increasing it’s effectiveness in some way. They cost more Karma points as you upgrade, but the benefits are often worth it. Guns have received the biggest overhall in this new game: the selection of guns has been heavily expanded, and they’ve been divided into 8 separate categories. From pistols all the way to special weapons, Lo Wang has far more options than he did in his previous outing. Some guns & melee weapons eventually eclipse one another in terms of quality, but all are viable to use in someway. Finally, Lo Wang also has access to item mods that not just enhance & alter your weapons, but also enhances & alters your powers. I really must commend Flying Wild Hog in creating such a surprisingly flexible system, as I find myself changing out modifications frequently as the situation calls for it.

Finally (& tying in with the previous paragraph), Shadow Warrior 2 has an impressive world for Lo Wang to go through. As you complete the main story, numerous side quests open up for the player, allowing him to explore the world further. These side quests allow you to see other parts of the landscape in one of the 4 previously mentioned settings I talked about earlier. And there’s no pressure in completing the missions, as you’re given an unlimited amount of time to do them, allowing you to explore & kill enemies at your leisure. What’s really cool is how dynamic the world can be. You could enter one mission & it would be nighttime, while it might be raining in another one. It really makes Shadow Warrior 2 feel more like a living setting, compared to the more static (But still nice) one that SW 2013 had.

Worst Aspect? Unlike Shadow Warrior from 2013, the (Previously Mentioned) expanded world & flexible nature gives SW2 a degree of control that’s far greater than it’s predecessor. That said, if you play through again you’re still going through the same content again. Even certain areas of the world don’t reform, and it’ll feel like deja vu a lot of the time. In SW2's defense, there’s far more incentive to going through a 2nd or 3rd time, thanks to the Orbs of Masumune (Special material for upgrading weapons) & potential missed special enemies. There’s even a greater incentive to go through again if you didn’t pick certain items, as they’re still available as a quest reward if you missed it the first time. Even special enemies you missed on your first playthrough will drop a weapon you didn’t get before. Speaking of weapons & upgrades......

This brings me to the 2nd fault of the game. Like I said above, you’re given a wide variety of weaponry to use, and upgrades to improve yourself and your arsenal. On the one hand, such a variety of things really gives the players a big degree of control. Mixing & matching upgrades for yourself and your implements of destruction really makes it feel like you have more say in how to play. On the other hand, you eventually get too much in your inventory. You’ll get a horde of upgrades over your playthroughs, and by the time you get all the guns, you will either get confused on which guns to use, or tightly focus on just a small handful of guns (That’s what I did).

Finally, there’s the relationship between Lo Wang & Kamiko. Where Lo Wang & Hoji felt like a natural fit, and you really felt a connection between the two almost immediately, the relation between Lo Wang & his female spectral companion is more flawed. It’s not to say that the pair doesn’t work, because it does. The problem is that they seem to be constantly in conflict with each other, and they only truly connect towards the end of the game. The other factor is that for a majority of the time Kamiko is something of a brat, and is really irritating in certain circumstances. Her turnaround towards the end is heavily welcome, but for some people that might be too late.

Shadow Warrior 2. Maybe a little rough around the edges in some places, but still provides for an enjoyable time. If you liked Flying Wild Hog’s offering from 2013 but wanted something a little more in-depth, then this game is what you’re looking for.

Well fellow Otaku & Metalheads, that was a look at the franchise known as Shadow Warrior. Definitely one of the more lighthearted game series out there, and if you want a glimpse into the past & the present at the same time, the journey of Lo Wang is for you. I’ll do the best I can to get the rest of Catchup Month’s content up as soon as possible. I just hope there aren’t anymore delays.