I finally got around to playing this for the first time and let me just say, what a masterpiece this game is. Not only did id Software take a risk and steer away from their typical game design, but also create a game that's scary, action-packed and fantastic at the same time.

Weapons felt great, with the exception of the shotgun because of that freaking spread (point-blank is the best way to go with this bad boy) and I LOVE THE PLASMA GUN! This is by far, the best iteration of the plasma gun out of ALL the games. Maybe The Dark Ages will bring us something sick, but the VFX, SFX and animations on this thing are top notch. I purposely shot a bullet every now and then just so I can hear that amazing charge sound whenever the cell goes in. It's like the M1 Garand ping, but the futuristic version.

Level design is top notch from top to bottom, didn't encounter any issues and the tight spaces play well with its survival horror theme. Didn't mind the whole read PDAs to get codes and what not, majority of the time they give you the code in the same room you found it in, which is nice

I've seen a lot of complaints about the handheld flashlight, which is changed in the BFG edition, but personally, I loved it. It created moments where I'd pull it out in dark areas to either scan my surroundings or scavenge for supplies, knowing that I won't have a weapon out while I'm doing it. The swap out time isn't that bad either. I'm not sure why this is such a big deal for some people, it adds more to the tension

Movement is another topic, but is built to be a lot slower and more methodical because of the level design. I learnt mid-game that you can sprint and fire at the same time, handy for fighting the big demons whenever you encounter one of them

Game looked incredible back then, still does now. Granted, it lacks certain resolutions, which can thankfully be fixed by downloading a source port (dhewm3 is what I used and is regarded as the best port, keeps everything vanilla as well). I also downloaded D3HDP, a high-quality texture pack that upscales and increases and resolution on everything without changing the look and feel of the game

Wider mod availability, a LOT more than what the BFG edition offers. For those wanting more out of this game, mod the OG version. God will thank you

I freaking enjoyed this game way more than I thought I would, and absolutely recommend it to anyone who wants a good old-fashioned horror FPS. I hope that after Dark Ages, id considers going back to this style of game. Did I forget to mention this game came out the same year as Half-Life 2 and Halo 2?

Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus is the sequel to New Order and follows up shortly after the events of said game, and is not the sequel I was expecting.

• Graphically, the game looks incredible, moving from id Tech 5 to id Tech 6, and is often stunning at times, from the derelict and destroyed streets of Manhattan to the somewhat vivid and bright New Orleans. The improvements made to the engine really helped to push this game forward, alongside other titles like DOOM and still look good 7 years later thanks to its great use of lighting and volumetric effects to bring the destruction of the Germans to a bigger and higher scale. Higher budget probably helped with this too
  
  
• Gameplay is massively improved from the New Order, feeling more satisfying, weapon upgrades that impact the power of your weapons and B.J being given new contraptions as they like to call it, gear that allows Blazko to perform certain moves, such as ramming at doors, double jumping and going into tight spaces (anything vent related). Gunplay is satisfying and I found myself going into combat more than stealth, which is both a blessing and a curse
  
  
• The marketing on this game for the time was so good, a great way of building your audience, given how great The New Order was. Had to give this a shoutout because it was good to watch those old trailers again
  
  
• Sandbox elements remain here, being given the choice to either sneak or go guns blazing
  
  
• Stealth takedowns are some of the most visceral I've seen in an FPS - throwing a hatchet at a soldier will tear his freaking leg off!
  
  
• Love that bloodstains get retained on Blazkwicz's arms and body, something that tends to get overlooked in these kinds of games, since it's violent (it's got an R-18 rating here in Australia)
  
  
• Set pieces are super good here. I won't spoil for those who've seen it, but it feels like they went for style over substance with a bunch of these scenarios and opened up the world a bit more, especially the alternate history side of things
  
  
• Good amount of side content and things to do during and post-game, with the option to go back to districts and chase items, if that's your thing
  
  
• Really appreciated the personal mission that Blazkowicz gets, which is going back to his old house to find an engagement ring and bring back old memories. Up until this point (you could argue the start because of seeing young B.J with his mother and whatnot), we never got any backstory behind him other than being a guy good at killing, so to see this was a nice treat and a way to take a breather and learn more about his troubled past
  
  
• Runs pretty well and thank GOD they added an option to finally turn the depth of field off!!!

• The story in this game... is so disappointing. I didn't like it the first time I played back in 2017 and I still don't like it now. It starts off with an interesting premise, as Blazkowicz is in a weakened state and gets assigned a mission to head over to the United States and recruit more members into the resistance. Once you get said members, it just kind of falls off. Dialogue is all over the place, cutscenes drag way longer than they should and some of the things that happen here make no sense. TNO struck that balance between humor and seriousness, and here they pushed more for that humor side that, even though I got a few laughs, it was just silly
  
  
• Recycled content - Oh man, where do I begin. This game brings back the enigma code system, and once you decrypt each sequence with codes you find from dead commanders, you get the locations of these ubercommanders, which send you to locations... you've already been to in the main story. Machine Games had a missed opportunity and should've instead sent us to brand new locations within the same districts to add some replayability, but also potentially affect the story. Would've loved to see what happens if you only take out a few of them or take out none of them, that sort of thing. I liked it at first, but realised it was just an excuse to keep doing these for the gameplay and nothing else
  
  
• The amount of commanders they throw at you in this game is ridiculous - it's all because of commanders being tied to enigma codes, and it's the only way to get them. Why change this up when it was already good in the first place from TNO?
  
  
• Stealth is a LOT harder in this game - I think this may be a design decision of some sort to get people more involved in combat, but with the super soldier units, big mechs and panzer dogs, it's just ultimately harder to stealth, resorting to having to try and walk past enemies now instead of just downright killing them. To add to this, one wrong move and you're pretty much cooked from the get go, commanders are instantly alerted and there isn't much you can do about it
  
  
• Memory leaks - Not sure if this is common or not, but I kept getting memory errors every time I played this game, despite having a 3080. It never made my game feel like crap or anything, but every time I'd load up a new save or travel back from one place to another, this error would pop up. Lowering my settings sure didn't solve this either. Just annoying to get that error every time
  
  
• Characters in this game aside from the previous game suck and are forgetful
  
  
• Game is too short, took me 7 hours to complete the main game, alongside a bit of side content. Played on Bring 'em on Difficulty
  
  
• DLC is overpriced and horrendous - only buy it on sale and if you want more of the gameplay. Don't get it for any other reason
  
  
• Collecting secrets isn't satisfying anymore - I had to compare TNO's sounds of collecting gold compared to this game, and it's just... so underwhelming and disappointing. I can say the same for pretty much any collectible in this game too

Despite its problems, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus is still a game I recommend for fans of the series and those who want a short and sweet FPS, with great visuals and satisfying gameplay. At least it's not as bad as Youngblood...