Wolfenstein: The New Order - Boxed - PS3

Wolfenstein: The New Order marks the return of one of the oldest first-person shooter franchises, Wolfenstein 3D, once again putting the player in the role of Polish-American soldier William “B.J.” Blazkowicz. The game begins in 1946, as Blazkowicz hunts down his arch-nemesis General Wilhelm “Deathshead” Strasse, knowing that killing Deathshead will cripple the Nazi war machine. However, his plans backfire and Blazkowicz is fatally wounded, falling into a partial coma. He's rescued by a Polish fishing boat and taken to a Polish asylum, where he's cared for by a nurse named Anya for 14 years. When he finally wakes up and saves Anya from the Nazis' purge of the asylum, he soon learns that the war is over and the Nazis have won, leaving the entire world under their rule. Deathshead played a key role in this victory, developing vicious biomechanical beasts and giant robots to gain the upper hand on the battlefield while bombing the United States with nuclear weapons until it finally surrendered. Blazkowicz arms himself once more and sets out to reignite the flames of rebellion by freeing his friends from the Kreisau Circle and overthrowing the Nazi regime!

As with previous entries in the series, this is a fast-paced, violent first-person shooter with a few minor stealth and exploration elements. Players can hold several weapons at once, and these weapons can even be dual-wielded. Weapons range from traditional ones like knives, pistols and shotguns to more exotic equipment such as electricity-spewing grenades, lasers, blade weapons and more. You'll also get a handy tool called the Laser Cutter, which lets you cut through chains, fences and the like to reach alternative routes and secret items and areas.

The player fights numerous Nazi soldiers of varying strength, some wearing power armour and some even biomechanical, blending flesh with technology. There are also biomechanical German shepherd dogs that act as guard dogs and can sneak up on the player to tear out their throat. There are also larger, fully robotic dogs that are extremely fast, agile and dangerous. Players have the option of taking a stealthy approach and silently killing enemies with suppressed weapons and knives, which can be used for brutal takedowns from behind or thrown at enemies at a distance.

Occasionally, you'll be alerted to a Nazi officer in the area. Tracking them down and killing them quietly unlocks areas on the player's map. The game features a perk tree that progresses based on certain in-game challenges, such as silently killing 10 enemies with throwing knives to gain extra knife slots, or killing multiple enemies while overhealed (above 100%) to earn a perk where killing enemies grants small health boosts. These perks come in various categories (Assault, Demolition, Stealth and Tactics) and are based on the play style chosen by the player.

As in previous games in the series, there are also secrets to collect. These include items that reveal a full map of the area, notes and letters that provide background information, Enigma codes that unlock special game modes, as well as Nazi gold and treasures.