Wolfenstein 3D Xbox Live Arcade Review

Wolfenstein 3D pretty much revolutionized the first person shooter. With its release on PC back in the early 90's, Wolfenstein 3D led to several other legendary shooters down the road such as Quake and Doom. In June Wolfenstein 3D was released on Xbox Live marketplace and the Playstation Network. I have played through the Xbox 360 version and here is my review of Wolfenstein 3D.

Wolfenstein 3D is a first person shooter from 1992 that involves the main character, B.J. Blazkowicz attempting to escape castle Wolfenstein and defeat the Nazis crazy regime. You will encounter several forms of Nazi soldiers, officers, SS troops and German Sheppard's. You will also encounter mutants which are undead soldiers resurrected by a madman. It's your job to bring everything down.

Nothing has changed in this arcade version of Wolfenstein 3D. It's the same great shooter we all knew and loved back in the day. This arcade game comes with all six episodes from the original with everything in between. There is no multiplayer component to this arcade game other than the online leader boards. Online multiplayer just doesn't seem like it would work with this game. It worked for the arcade version of Doom but there's not enough to Wolfenstein 3D for it to be any fun. In one nice addition, you can earn money towards the new Wolfenstein game by unlocking achievements in the game. You can unlock $1000 towards weapons upgrades in the new Wolfenstein game released in August.

Visually, Wolfenstein 3D is again, identical to the 1992 PC release. No major changes in that category. I played through every level in the game and have yet to run across any glitches or bugs that hinder the game play. Having an HDTV won't be a huge advantage with this game but it looks good and the picture won't get stretched out by widescreen formats. You can adjust the screen size to what you want it at. The audio is as good as it can be for an older game. Gun sounds, effects, music, voices all sound good seeing that the game is from 1992. There isn't a lot of talking in the game anyways, just mainly shouts from enemy guards and bosses.

All the secrets from the original Wolfenstein 3D return as well. Secret levels, rooms, treasure, all your favorites are back. Memorable bosses such as Mecha-Hitler and Hans Grosse return with all of your favorite enemies as well. It's nice to see a classic such as Wolfenstein 3D getting some attention again. In the future I really hope to see the add-on Spear of Destiny added to the Xbox Live marketplace and Playstation Network.

If you're a fan of first person shooters, classic games, WWII stories and all of the above, then Wolfenstein 3D is definitely worth checking out. If nothing else, just download the trial of it off the Xbox Live marketplace or Playstation Network and give it a try. Not everyone enjoys the older games but Wolfenstein 3D is a pioneer and a classic. You can find Wolfenstein 3D on the Xbox Live marketplace and Playstation Network for 400 Microsoft points or $4.99 on Playstation Network.