Return to Castle Wolfenstein
Description official descriptions
Two secret agents are captured while they are investigating Nazi Germany's occult activities in Castle Wolfenstein. Agent One is subsequently tortured to death by his interrogator, but B.J. Blazkowicz manages to escape his cell by killing the guard.
Return to Castle Wolfenstein is a first-person shooter and a reboot of Wolfenstein 3D. The game puts the player in the combat boots of Blazkowicz, who will first have to escape the castle and report back to his superiors, and afterwards restart the hunt for the SS Paranormal Division. This division was founded by Heinrich Himmler and is trying to find the grave of Saxon warlord Heinrich I to bring him back to life. The player's arsenal includes among others a Luger, MP 40 submachine gun, Mauser rifle with sniper scope, flamethrower, dynamite and grenades.
The game also features a multiplayer component in which players are split into Axis and Allies sides with each a set of objectives to complete.
Spellings
- 重返德军总部 - Simplified Chinese spelling
- 重返德軍總部 - Traditional Chinese spelling
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Credits (Windows version)
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Reviews
Critics
Average score: 85% (based on 43 ratings)
Players
Average score: 3.9 out of 5 (based on 200 ratings with 13 reviews)
The Good
Gameplay.
Graphics.
Sound.
Multiplayer.
If these were the basic requirements of a good game, RTCW has it all and a dose of good quality that leaves the competition in the dust. You might have seen this in the stores with a hefty price tag and I'll admit it did make me wonder. So I bought it.
Never before have I seen a more complete first person shooter quite like this. Kudos to Gray Matter for truly using the old noodle on this one.
True to the original RTCW starts out within the walls of Castle Wolfenstein (hence the title) with a brief explanation of why you're there. Things go straight uphill from there as you traverse dimly lit, dusty and cobwebbed hallways of an ancient castle tightly gripping the handle on your overused pistol which looks like it has seen dozens of wars.
The environment of RTCW from the start is nothing short of breath taking and we're not talking about corridors with nice torches. Expansive rolling hills with Nazi encampment for you to infiltrate and reveal the secrets within. Underground labratories with gleaming sterile walls of steel and tile housing the hidden projects of true evil. Timeless villages ravaged by wars and more. Level design is not even a factor when considering the quality of this game. If it were a tour through Germany's history, I could believe it, save me the guns n' glamour.
Characters and AI both set RTCW aside from your average shooter as well. Not every game out there can say that the enemies will act as you'd expect them to in real life. Where most attempt, RTCW delivers with striking creations that will make you wonder if it's really a game. At this point you're probably saying, well great! What's the gear like?
Juicy.
While the animations leave some to be desired (discussed in the bad) the weapons are top-notch in their recreation of past tools of destruction our ancestors used. And the creative addition of fantastical arms allowed for a new notch to be carved in my gaming history books. We all heard about a great flamethrower but it wasn't a great thrower. It was freaking unbelievable. Not only will the stream of burning death please your pupils but the following effects as stuff burns... hoooweee!
Story in RTCW is another aspect altogether. While glitz and gore are all fantastic things to consider, if the story isn't there than you just bought Serious Sam. As opposed to the original Wolfenstein, RTCW has a very well-written plot taking you across Germany for many sensical and satisfying, yet mouthwatering reasons that will cause you to want the next page. While it is not as in depth as say, Max Payne or Metal Gear, RTCW does a good job of turning what some expected to be mindless Nazi stomper into a full blown game which will please for hours upon hours without regret or remorse.
On a side note, I will say that the multiplayer option in RTCW will please any and every fan of Team Fortress out there. If you're looking for a fresh aspect of TF to play with, here it is. I'm not big on multiplayer though.
The Bad
While all the features are all there to make RTCW a brilliant effort overall, it does have it's shortcomings as any game does. First and foremost though I will say that the briefings and cinematics are a might too slow and while this may sound like a mere nitpick I do declare that for a game of this calibre I expected more in the way of cinematic experience.
As I mentioned earlier in the good, the animations on the gear you carry is also lacking somewhat. However you will note that there is a reason for this. Upon witnessing your knife you'll notice a striking similarity (pun intended) between the original and the new. While it looks a helluva lot better, the usage animation is just as it was in the past. Simple, but effective. In my personal opinion though, this does draw away from the game. All your first person gear lacks somewhat in animation quality which is odd when you watch as your opposition flows about in perfect frames per second.
The Bottom Line
Overall this game is most definetly a must buy when weighing pros and cons. Return to Castle Wolfenstein has all the features of a great game, even the right mistakes, in a sense.
If you're looking for a gaming experience with the right qualities to keep you captivated and interested for more than a few kills, RTCW will have you cutting notches all night long and loving it.
Windows · by tantoedge (19) · 2001
It's never been as fun to kill Nazis!!
The Good
RTCW is one of the most beautifullest (most beautiful, for you grammar freaks) games I have ever played. The textures are almost as good as Max Payne's! Also, some parts are extremely scary, such as the zombie crypts. Many monsters made me want to run away from that part of the level and not turn back. I remember opening a door in a lab and seeing this HUGE robotic thing clumbering towards me...THE GROUND EVEN SHOOK!! That really freaked me out! The multiplayer is frickin' awesome, especially that new Trench Toast level. The environments are very well designed.
The Bad
The game is somewhat linear. Also, some enemies are very hard. Finally, it gets really repetative after you down the same enemy for the 1000-th time. There are no captions and you can't pause the cutscenes. And finally, as usual with most Quake 3 engine games, you can't use the mouse's side buttons. Oh, yes, and another gripe: the end boss is WAY too easy. I mean, c'mon, all he does is slash at you with his sword and summon zombies! A guy a whole army can't defeat, a guy who was put down by only a powerful spell...just died because of my minigun. Guess he, um, lost all of his strength over the ages! Finally, where are the cries of "Mein liben!"?? The Nazis speak English!! UGH!! Wolfenstein 3D was funny BECAUSE OF THE NAZI SCREAMS!! I LEARNED SOME GERMAN FROM WOLFENSTEIN 3D!! All I learned from RTCW was how to speak English with a funny accent.
The Bottom Line
A really fun and exciting FPS that might as well be the Action GOTY!
Windows · by Archagon (108) · 2002
The REAL sequel to Wolfenstein 3-D
The Good
So you thought that Spear of Destiny was the sequel to Wolfenstein 3-D? Well, you thought wrong. In Return to Castle Wolfenstein, B.J. Blazkowicz is asked by the Office of Secret Action (OSA) to uncover the reason behind the Nazi's activity centering around Castle Wolfenstein. The leader of the Nazi Paranormal Division, a General by the name of Himmler, has increased his activity in this area. Apparently, reports have come in that his group is experimenting in occult magic and horrific scientific experiments involving cybernetics and genetic manipulation.
So B.J. and another agent is sent on a mission to do just that, only to be captured and held in Castle Wolfenstein for interrogation and, eventually, execution. However, like in Wolfenstein 3-D, B.J. waits on the ceiling for a guard to come in and falls on top of him and takes his gun. As you explore the many locations within the game, you can interact with certain objects by going up to them and pressing <ENTER> on the keyboard, but only if its corresponding icons shows up at the bottom of the screen. Walk up to a button, and a icon representing a finger is shown, indicating that you can press it; go up to a painting or a notice board, and the "break" icon appears, indicating that you can break the object. (A blue bar may or may not appear below this icon, telling you how much strength is required in order to do justice.) Secret areas can often be found by breaking objects. Walk up to the ladder, and the "ladder" icon appears meaning that you can climb up or down.
RTCW is not split up into numerous levels like Wolf3D. Rather, the game is split up into seven missions, consisting of roughly four or five parts, and each part has various objectives, which must be completed before leaving the part. It is important to review your objectives, as well as the mission summary. If you do, you will also be able to see a map, showing where you're heading. During most of the game, you will usually be going around the level shooting nazis that get in your way until you get to the exit. When killed, nazis will leave their weapon behind. Your default weapons are the knife and pistol, but a variety of weapons can also be collected, and range from assault rifles, tesla cannons, sniper rifles, and guns that emit laser beams and electrical charges. You also have the opportunity to use grenades and dynamite. However, every person you encounter are not just nazis, as you will also encounter innocent citizens and scientists. If you are facing them, a red X will be on their faces, telling you not to shoot them. If you do, you will fail your mission. Also, there are a couple of scenarios where you have to go around the territory undetected. If you are detected in these scenarios, the alarm sounds and you'll also fail the mission. Another situation where you can fail your mission is losing all your health.
Also laying about in every location are some treasures, which may include gold or chalices. Once you have completed one of your objective, a notebook icon appears telling you so and it's time for your next task. Once you reach the exit, a dialog box details the time taken to complete the part; and the objectives, secrets, and treasures found, as well as the number of attempts. Too bad the dialog box doesn't include the number of nazis killed. As expected, there are cut-scenes within the game. Once you have completed a mission, you get to watch cut-scene showing the two guys over at OSA outlining your next mission. By the way, some of the tasks you have to complete are interesting. Somewhere in Mission 3, for instance, you have to abort the V2 rocket launch that will destroy London, and much, much, later, you have to stop the resurrection of Heinrich I.
The character AI is rather good. Nazis are not standing still while they shoot. They shoot and move around at the same time, making it a little difficult for you to shoot them. They even go out of the room, only to come back seconds later to have another go at you. The stereo sound gives realism to the game, as sounds travel between speaker to speaker whenever you shift your gaze, and are facing left or right of the nazi. The manual that comes with the game is interesting too, especially the "Wolfenstein Lore" trivia, feeding you information that you may or may not already knew about both id Software and Wolf3D.
The Bad
There is only one problem that I've noticed in the game. The nazis don't speak English in both Wolf3D and Spear. So why do the nazis suddenly speak English this time. Seems like ID/Gray Matter forgot this fact. Perhaps someone will point out this mistake to them.
The Bottom Line
As far as I know, this game was released in Germany as a modified version, really modified. The German version of RTCW had some parts omitted, such as the song, a definite no-no in Germany. As well as this, turns out that the plot is crap. I'm glad that I'm not one of these people who aren't living in Germany.
Rating: ****½
Windows · by Katakis | カタキス (43087) · 2004
Trivia
1001 Video Games
Return to Castle Wolfenstein appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.
Castle
Castle Wolfenstein is based on Castle Wewelsburg which Heinrich Himmler used for occult rituals and practices.
German index
On February 28, 2002, the English version of Return to Castle Wolfenstein was put on the infamous German index by the BPjS. The German version followed April 30, 2002.
For more information about what this means and to see a list of games sharing the same fate, take a look here: BPjS/BPjM indexed games.
In addition, the game is violating §86a of Germany's penal code (for using characteristics of unconstitutional organizations), therefore it is illegal to produce, distribute, import, export and use it in the public. But this does not mean it is illegal to just own the game.
German version
For the German release, the story was altered: You fight against the "Wolf-Sekte" (Cult of the Wolf), which is very dangerous to the freedom of the country because of their dark experiments.
That's it. Nothing else. No word of Himmler and his dark plans, no Nazis at all. It is clear that this "background" was made up for the only purpose of getting the game past the German feds - the word "Nazi" is a red sheet for them. They altered some of the names, too: Himmler is now called "Holler" and Oberst von Bülow has been renamed too. With this new storyline, the game makes absolutely no sense.
The funniest thing about this is the packaging which shows Doktor Zan (appearing at the very beginning of the game when he fries our comrade) - and on his jacket, you can clearly see the Nazi emblem (an eagle sitting on a circle in which is a swastika).
Even more changes to the German version, most of them regarding speech:* The "Horst-Wessel-Lied" (a Nazi song) was changed to a classical piece - the same is being played on a record player in the first outdoor mission. Seems they put it together in a hurry. * A picture of the "Führer" (Hitler) was changed to an odd-looking guy without beard but with the well-known army cap. Found in a more-or-less secret room in the village (accessible via the rooftops). * a speech of Hitler about the Reichstag (map: dam) was deleted and replaced by classical music * The speech "Wie geht's, Willie?" (How are you, Willie?) has been replaced by "Was ist passiert, Willie?" (What happened, Willie?), removing any sense from this talk. * A drunk soldier in the wine cellar under the cafe (map: village1) babbles: "Shut up you slowenian swine". In the German version, the word "slowenian" was removed. * In the labs, someone asks "What are your orders, Herr Oberführer?". This was changed to "What are your orders, pack leader?". * A voice of the generic German soldier was changed: In US, he said "Halt, Schweinehund!" (Stop, you pig!) - in Germany, he says "Halt, Verräter!" (Stop, traitor!), removing the profanity.
Language
Some posters in the game, don't have a German description, but it is in Dutch!
Music
- Record players can be heard playing either Für Elise or Moonlight Sonata, both composed by Germany's own Ludwig Von Beethoven.
- Bill Brown's score for this game was influenced by war movies made during the late 50's to the late 60's. Movies like The Bridge on the River Kwaii and The Dirty Dozen.
Technology
The developers included a unique set of motion captured animations for each character. Gray Matter also incorporated a skeletal animation system so they could articulate the models in a fluid and realistic way.
They also incorporated a brand new music system to change with the scene, much like LucasArts Imuse system.
Weapons
Gray Matter Studios really did their research for this game. In-game, you find the following guns:* Luger, MP-40 and the Sten which use 9mm ammo. * Colt and Thompson that requires .45caliber. * Mauser and the FG42 that require 7.92mm.
These guns were manufactured and commonly used during WWII. Gray Matter even included a temperature gauge for the Sten, since the real life counterpart had a tendency to burn the hands if the user sustained fire for a period of time. A sizzling sound would trigger every time your hands would be burnt. The developers also took great efforts in modeling the guns and stock cartridges.
Some weapons in the game are fictional, but the M1S Snooper Rifle does really exist. It is based on the M3 Carbine and uses .30 caliber ammunition.
Awards
- Computer Gaming World
- April 2002 (Issue #213) – Best Weapon of the Year (Flamethrower)
- GameStar (Germany)
- Issue 03/2002 - Best Game in 2001 (Readers' Vote)
Information also contributed by Der.Archivar, Medicine Man; RobbertC, Scott Monster and Xoleras
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Related Sites +
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Achtung! Wolfenstein
A good resource site for the Wolfenstein games. -
Bill Brown - Music Composer
Listen to streaming and downloadable MP3 music tracks from this title at the composer's official site. -
Mac OS X Meets WWII
An Apple Games article about the Macintosh version of Return to Castle Wolfenstein (February, 2002). -
Return to Castle Wolfenstein
Official Website -
Return to Castle Wolfenstein
Official game page on id Software's website -
Return to Castle Wolfenstein UK
Resource site on Jolt in the United Kingdom
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Contributors to this Entry
Game added by Kartanym.
Macintosh, Linux added by Corn Popper. Windows Apps added by Plok.
Additional contributors: Unicorn Lynx, Indra was here, JPaterson, Jeanne, phlux, AdminBB, Zeppin, Paulus18950, Patrick Bregger, Titan10, FatherJack.
Game added November 21, 2001. Last modified August 2, 2024.