The two Wolfenstein games made by MachineGames are far different from any other shooters released recently, not only for its complete focus on a single player story mode but also for the daring themes explored in the plot.
Speaking with GamesBeat, Creative Director Jens Matthies commented on a comparison with Call of Duty WWII by expressing his belief that only Bethesda would greenlight projects like Wolfenstein and Wolfenstein II.
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I don’t think there’s really anything alike in the games we’re making. They’re first-person shooters, fundamentally, but in terms of the vibe and the twists and turns of the story beats — basically, I don’t think any other publisher would greenlight these projects.
That’s something Chris highlighted thoroughly in his review of Wolfenstein II.
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus is a true testament to the fact that not every game needs a tacked on multiplayer. Not every game needs some shoe-horned in loot box system. Not every game needs to compromise itself to appeal to a broader audience. Like Wolfenstein: The New Order and DOOM before it, Wolfenstein II shows that being the game you want to be is more than enough.
It subverts the old-school shooter tradition by featuring an incredible cast of characters with varied personalities in a world that makes you want to explore more and more of the society it features. The gameplay is very engaging, though can sometimes outstay its welcome at parts with a mixture of levels that range from the extremely interesting to dull and repetitive. Whatever its flaws, Wolfenstein is a great game that’s well worth playing and will keep you coming back for more as you purge the US of Nazis.
Truth to be told, Bethesda is possibly the only big third-party publisher to focus almost exclusively on single player games these days. While most of those recent titles (Arkane’s Dishonored 2 and Prey, MachineGames’ Wolfenstein II and Tango Gameworks’ The Evil Within 2) have been widely praised by critics, though, they haven’t sold nearly as well. Will the publisher keep greenlighting these projects? We certainly hope so.
Wolfenstein II will launch later this year on Nintendo Switch, ported by Panic Button (the same studio that delivered the DOOM port).
