Return to Castle Wolfenstein

The Good
What's so good about this game is the thought and dedication Gray Matter and id Software have put into its design. They've preserved all the elements that made the original Wolfenstein 3D fun, and managed to include all the technological and gameplay advances that occured since the release of the original Wolfenstein 3D a decade ago.

Just in ways of technology, the game's brilliant. With a decent video card (Nvidia Geforce level or higher) the game never looks less than beautiful. id Software's Quake III Arena engine allows the player to explore everything from dark, murky crypts and catacombs to large outdoor areas - and the detail in geometry, textures and characters is amazing at times.

But this isn't just a technology showcase like (according to some) Quake III Arena was. The gameplay pretty much sticks to the classic 3D shooter formula pioneered by the original, though it's full of surprises and great moments. You'll sprint trough the shady streets of a German village leveled by Allied bombardments, supported by artillery fire. You'll have intense dogfights with Nazi troops in dungeons, forests, tunnels and villages - all realised with very convincing realism and great atmosphere.

And that's just the single player game. Multiplayer games are great too, with an Axis and Allied team battling each other in brilliantly balanced maps - some new, some modified single player maps.

In short, the game's great. It's not an earth-shaking masterpiece like Doom or Half-Life, yet it accomplishes its mission : to be a near-perfect 3D shooter for new and old Wolfestein fans alike. Killing Nazis was never this much fun.

The Bad
RTCW actually avoids the usual pitfalls of 3D shooters - repetitive switch-flicking puzzles, predictable AI and unimaginative weapons. So in short, I can't really think of anything bad :)

The Bottom Line
Pick it up. Now. I'm not kidding, y'know.

NOW.