Return to Castle Wolfenstein

Return to Castle Wolfenstein is a first person shooter computer game published by Activision and released on November 20, 2001. The single player game was developed by Gray Matter Interactive and Nerve Software developed its multiplayer mode. more...

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Id Software, the creators of the original game entitled Wolfenstein 3D, oversaw the development of the game and were credited as executive producers.

There are many different versions of the game. The Collector's Edition comes in metal case and includes promotional materials. The Game of the Year Edition comes with the original Wolfenstein 3D and game demos. The Platinum Edition comes with Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory, a stand-alone expansion, and Wolfenstein 3D.

In 2003, the game was ported to the PlayStation 2 and Xbox video game consoles and subtitled as Operation Resurrection and Tides of War, respectively. Both console versions include a series of prequel single player missions where the main character, William Joseph "BJ" Blazkowicz (Agent Two) and his partner Agent One operate in Nazi-occupied Egypt / North Africa. The two player co-op mode is exclusive to consoles and allows the second player to play as Agent One (later tortured to death in the Wolfenstein castle/prison of Mission 1 by "Dr. Z"). The Xbox version has the addition of online play via Xbox Live.

The game is powered by a heavily-modified version of the Quake III engine. The Return to Castle Wolfenstein engine was subsequently used as the foundation for Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory (Splash Damage/Activision), "Trinity" (Gray Matter Interactive/Activision) (shown at E3 in 2004, but cancelled shortly after) and Call of Duty (Infinity Ward/Activision).

Overview

Return to Castle Wolfenstein is a remake of sorts of the early, seminal first-person shooter, Wolfenstein 3D. However, with the advances in graphics technology and gameplay design since the original game, without the name and the occasional in-game references, it would be unrecognisable as a remake.

It features a story-based single player campaign (taking up many of the themes from the original game), as well as a team-based networked multiplayer version which features different character classes that must work together in order to win, similar to the concept of Team Fortress. Although there are only four classes - lieutenant, medic, engineer, and soldier - the soldier can be one of several subclasses depending upon the special/heavy weapon that he selects. Some unique weapons not found in other WWII-themed first-person shooters include the flamethrower and the airstrike beacon. The multiplayer demo included a beachhead assault similar to the opening of the movie Saving Private Ryan.

The game is based on Castle Wewelsburg, a 17th century castle occupied by the Germans under Heinrich Himmler's control, and used for occult rituals and practices. Unlike the original Wolfenstein 3D, only a handful of the single player missions in Return to Castle Wolfenstein takes place in the infamous castle/prison. The single player game takes place in Nazi-occupied Europe during 1943 and revolves around U.S. Army Ranger B.J. Blazkowicz, who, along with another agent (Agent One in the Xbox and PS2 versions), is sent to investigate rumors surrounding one of Heinrich Himmler's personal projects, the SS Paranormal Division. The agents are, however, captured before completing their mission and are imprisoned in Castle Wolfenstein. Taking the role of Blazkowicz, the player must escape the castle and continue investigating the activities of the SS Paranormal Division, which include research on resurrecting corpses, bio-technology, and secret weapons. During the game the player will face numerous foes, including Waffen SS soldiers, elite Fallschirmjäger (paratroopers), legions of undead creatures, and horrific Übersoldaten (supersoldiers) formed from a hideous blend of surgery and chemical engineering conducted by Wilhelm "Deathshead" Strasse. The end boss is an undead Saxon warrior-prince named Heinrich I. Some of the missions involving the undead were influenced by The Mummy (1999) and The Mummy Returns (2001) movies, and somewhat similar to Indiana Jones. Other missions are similar to romanticized fictional stories of Allied commandos and resistance fighters that operated behind enemy lines to spy and sabotage.

Read more at Wikipedia.org