Wolfenstein: The New Order

Wolfenstein: The New Order is a first-person shooter video game with action-adventure elements, Players use melee attacks, firearms, and explosives to fight enemies, and may run, jump, and occasionally swim to navigate through the locations. Melee attacks can be used to silently take down enemies without being detected. Alternatively, players can approach enemies in direct combat, which often results in an intense firefight between the two parties. A cover system can be used in combat as assistance against enemies. Players have the ability to lean around, over, and under cover, which can be used as a tactical advantage during shootouts and stealth levels. The game gives players a wide variety of weapon options; they can be found on the ground, retrieved from dead enemies, or removed from their stationary position and carried around. Players have access to a weapon inventory, which allows them to carry as many weapons as they find. With some of these weapons, players have the ability to dual wield, giving them an advantage over enemies by dealing twice as much damage. ==Synopsis==

Setting and characters The New Order is set in alternate history where Nazi Germany deploys advanced technologies to turn the tide against the Allies and ultimately win World War II, taking over most of the world. Its storyline is loosely connected to 2009's Wolfenstein and features returning characters Kreisau Circle leader Caroline Becker (Bonita Friedericy) and SS-Oberst-Gruppenführer Wilhelm "Deathshead" Strasse (Dwight Schultz), the nemesis of series protagonist, U.S. Army Ranger Captain William "B.J." Blazkowicz (Brian Bloom). Blazkowicz suffers a severe head injury during the escape attempt and lapses into a persistent vegetative state. He is brought to a psychiatric asylum in Poland, where he is cared for by its head nurse Anya Oliwa (Alicja Bachleda), and her parents, who run the facility under the Nazi regime. Blazkowicz watches as Anya's parents are regularly forced to hand patients over to Nazi authorities, who deem them Untermenschen for their mental disabilities and take them to Deathshead for unknown experimentation. Other major characters include Frau Engel (Nina Franoszek), the Commandant of an extermination camp in northern Croatia known as Camp Belica; Set Roth (Mark Ivanir), a member of a Jewish mystical secret society known as the Da'at Yichud who is incarcerated at Camp Belica; Bombate (Peter Macon), a Namibian prisoner of Camp Belica who assists Blazkowicz; and Max Hass (Alex Solowitz), a seemingly brain-damaged member of the Resistance who is looked after by former Nazi member Klaus Kreutz (Ken Lally). Plot In July 1946, the Allies, on the brink of defeat in Europe, launch a massive aerial raid against a fortress and weapons laboratory run by Deathshead. Blazkowicz, a paratrooper taking part in the operation, joins the assault but is captured inside its human experimentation laboratory. Blazkowicz escapes from the laboratory's emergency incinerator, but is severely injured and admitted to a Polish psychiatric asylum where he remains in a catatonic state. When a Nazi death squad orders the asylum to be "shut down" and executes Anya's parents when they resist, Blazkowicz regains consciousness and eliminates the extermination squad before fleeing with Anya to her grandparents' farm. When Blazkowicz identifies himself, Anya and her grandparents reveal it is 1960 and that the Nazis defeated and occupied the United States in 1948, achieving world domination; an anti-Nazi Resistance fought back, but almost all members have been captured or killed. Blazkowicz interrogates a captured officer from the asylum and learns the top members of the Resistance are imprisoned in Berlin's Eisenwald Prison. Anya's grandparents smuggle her and Blazkowicz through a checkpoint in Stettin before they travel to Berlin. During the train ride, Blazkowicz encounters Frau Engel for the first time. and learns the Resistance movement is led by Caroline, who was left paralyzed due to an incident at Isenstadt in 2009's Wolfenstein. The Resistance executes an attack on a Nazi research facility in London, bombing their operations base and stealing secret documents and prototype stealth helicopters. The documents reveal the Nazis are relying on reverse-engineered technology derived from the Da'at Yichud, which created inventions such as energy weapons, computer artificial intelligence, and super concrete; however, it is revealed that someone is tampering with the super concrete's formula, making it susceptible to mold deterioration. The Resistance discovers a match with Set, who is imprisoned in Camp Belica. Blazkowicz agrees to go undercover inside Camp Belica and meets Set, who tells him that the Nazis have co-opted Da'at Yichud technology to mass-produce and control robots, and offers to help the Resistance in return for the destruction of the camp. Blazkowicz finds a battery for a device that controls Camp Belica's robots, which he and Set use to incapacitate Engel, destroy the camp, and liberate its prisoners. Set reveals that the Nazis' discovery of one of the Da'at Yichud caches, which included advanced technology centuries ahead of its time, allowed Germany to surpass the Allies in military might. Set agrees to assist the Resistance by revealing the location of one such cache but states that the Resistance requires a U-boat to access it. Blazkowicz and the Resistance hijack a U-boat, the flagship ''Eva's Hammer'', and learn it is equipped with a nuclear cannon that requires keycodes from the Nazi lunar research facility to operate. Blazkowicz uses the Spindly Torque—a Da'at Yichud spherical device capable of destroying super concrete—to steal the identity of a Nazi lunar scientist and infiltrate the Lunar Base. He succeeds at obtaining the keycodes, but upon returning to Earth, he discovers that Engel has mounted an assault on the Resistance base, killing several members and capturing the survivors on behalf of Deathshead. The Resistance use the Spindly Torque to breach Deathshead's fortress. After liberating Deathshead's captives, Blazkowicz travels to the top of the tower, where Deathshead's workshop is located. Inside, Deathshead reveals to Blazkowicz that he possesses the preserved brain of the soldier Blazkowicz chose to die, and uses it to power a robot that fights Blazkowicz. Blazkowicz defeats the robot and destroys the brain, putting his friend to rest. Commandeering a larger robot mecha, Deathshead attacks Blazkowicz, who gets the upper hand and destroys the robot. He drags Deathshead out of the wreckage and attacks him, but Deathshead arms a grenade that kills himself and gravely wounds Blazkowicz. Crawling to a window, Blazkowicz mentally recites "The New Colossus" as he watches the Resistance survivors board a helicopter. Believing they have reached safety, Blazkowicz gives instructions to fire the nuclear cannon. After the credits, a helicopter is heard approaching. ==Development==

{{multiple image |align=right |direction=horizontal |total_width=300 After developer MachineGames was founded, the employees 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 granted an access code to Dooms beta, developed by id Software. In accordance with Strafgesetzbuch section 86a, the German release of The New Order had all Nazi symbols and references removed. The German software ratings board, Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle, later introduced the "social adequacy clause", which allowed the use of such imagery in relevant scenarios, reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Bethesda made the uncensored international version, which lacks German as a language option, available for purchase in Germany on 22 November 2019, while continuing to sell the censored and localised version separately. Gameplay design 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 element 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. 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". engine, which allowed the developers to scale the game equally between different platforms. 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. The design for the Nazis in the game was influenced by the aesthetics of the Nazis at the end of the World War II; "it's blended with the style of the 1960s and the fashion ideals of how to express yourself visually", Öjerfors explained. This viewpoint is 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. 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". Characters and setting 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 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. 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. 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 tried to make players become "emotionally in sync" with Blazkowicz, using the morality choice in the game's prologue to do so. 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 was inspired by the character of Garp from John Irving's novel The World According to Garp. "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 alternate 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 few 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. Music production Wolfenstein: The New Order makes use of an original score that reflects the alternate universe depicted in the game. "We wanted to identify with different sounds that were kind of iconic, 1960s sounds, and then do our own twist on them to make a sound authentic enough that it felt realistic", said Hines. The team placed a high importance on the game's music. During the game's development, composer Mick Gordon traveled to Sweden to meet with the team, and he spotted the game over three days, partly collaborating with both Fredrik Thordendal and Richard Devine. Gordon expressed the difference in composing the soundtrack for Wolfenstein: The New Order compared to other games: "Usually you sign onto a project and then you're given a list of 150 battle cues to do." The team began searching for a genre on which to base the soundtrack. They initially sought inspiration from the music of Richard Wagner, who was admired by Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler. After studying Wagner's work, however, the team discovered that it did not necessarily fit with the game's tone. They searched for a style of music that would suit the Nazis, ultimately selecting distortion. "There's lots of analogue distortion types, there's all sorts of different pedals and valves and things that are really breaking up", said Gordon. They also took inspiration from 1960s music, using analogue equipment such as tape machines and reel-to-reel machines. Gordon has said that the soundtrack is "a tribute to all things guitar". In collaboration with each other, the team of musicians composed over six hours of music which scores the game. Matthies said, "A lot of the score features odd time signatures yet it's all very groovy." Bethesda, AKQA, and COPILOT Music and Sound collaborated on the marketing campaign for Wolfenstein: The New Order to invent the fictional state-owned German record label Neumond Recording Company. The campaign was crafted to introduce the video game's alternate history in the form of pop music from the 1960s. The label promoted ten fictional German pop artists: seven original songs, and three covers reworked into German from their original versions. Each artist was given a full biography, and the singles were packaged with album cover artwork. The covered songs were featured in trailers but omitted from the game because the songs' owners did not want their work to be associated with Nazi imagery. The original songs created for the Neumond label were initially written in English to ensure that the lyrics reflected Wolfensteins alternate history without creating content that could be used for actual propaganda outside of the game, given the sensitive nature of the game's subject matter. ==Reception==

Critical response Wolfenstein: The New Order received "generally favorable" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic. Kotakus Mike Fahey felt somewhat divided about the story, initially finding the attempts at emotion too obvious, but ultimately feeling satisfied, calling it "spectacular". He also praised the characterization of Blazkowicz in the game. GamesRadar's Taljonick also felt mixed about the game's characters, finding Blazkowicz interesting, but feeling as though the supporting characters were quite undeveloped, leaving players to forget about them during gameplay. , settling their victory. Reviewers praised the use of this alternate history within the game.|alt=A mushroom cloud emerges over a destroyed city, with the Statue of Liberty in the foreground. The game's use of an alternate history concept, with the Axis victory in World War II, was commended by many reviewers. IGNs Moriarty and GameSpots Hindes called it "interesting", while Owen Anslow of The Mirror called it "intriguing". Most critics and commentators shared the opinion that The New Order was better than they were expecting from a Wolfenstein game. Jon Blyth of Official Xbox Magazine called the game an "unexpected gem", while ABC's Walker said that he "never expected [to] enjoy [the game] so much". Tom Watson wrote in New Statesman that The New Order was "the big surprise of the year" for "modernis[ing] this old classic", praising its graphics, game play, and plot. Sales Within a week of its release, Wolfenstein: The New Order became the second best-selling game of 2014 in the United Kingdom, behind Titanfall. The game topped the weekly UK charts in its first week, totaling a quarter of all games sold in the region and accounting for 36% of revenue. According to MCV, it was the 22nd best-selling game of 2014 in the UK. In the United States, the game was the fourth and seventh best-selling game of May and June 2014, respectively. The game was ranked the fifth and fourteenth best-selling digital PlayStation 4 game of May and June 2014, respectively. In its first week in Japan, the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 versions of the game were placed on the charts at 15th and 8th, respectively, collectively selling over 11,000 units. By June 2014, the game had sold almost 400,000 physical units in Europe, equating to over €21 million. Awards Wolfenstein: The New Order received multiple nominations and awards from gaming publications. The game won Game of the Year from Classic Game Room, received nominations from the Golden Joystick Awards, Good Game, Game Informer, and IGN Australia, and received runner-up from Polygon. It was also placed on various lists of the best games of 2014: USA Today placed it at 9th, Eurogamer at 10th, and Ars Technica at 6th. The game also received nominations for Best Shooter from The Escapist, The Game Awards, Game Informer, GameTrailers, Hardcore Gamer, and IGN. It received nominations signifying excellence in storytelling from The Game Awards, the Golden Joystick Awards, IGN Australia, and the SXSW Gaming Awards. It achieved runner-up for Biggest Surprise awards from both Giant Bomb and the readers of Kotaku. It was also nominated for Best PC Game by IGN Australia, receiving runner-up by Kotaku readers. The game was also nominated for Best Multiplatform from Hardcore Gamer, Best Console Game from IGN Australia, and Best PlayStation 3 Game, Best Xbox 360 Game, and Best Xbox One Game from IGN. == Sequel ==

At E3 2017, Bethesda announced Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, a sequel to The New Order. It was released on 27 October 2017. == Notes ==