Why it matters to you
Fans of the first installment, Wolfenstein: The New Order, finally get a sequel this October that should be bigger and better than Blazkowicz’s explosive gameplay in 2014.
During Bethesda’s E3 2017 press conference, the company revealed the sequel to 2014’s Wolfenstein: The New Order. Called Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, it’s developed by MachineGames and based on id Software’s id Tech 6 game engine. The setting? A Nazi-controlled America of 1961, and once again, players take the role of BJ Blazkowicz, a member of the Resistance fighting back against the Nazis to reclaim the land of the free.
“Your assassination of Nazi General Deathshead was a short-lived victory,” Bethesda says. “Despite the setback, the Nazis maintain their stranglehold on the world. Only you have the guts, guns, and gumption to return stateside, kill every Nazi in sight, and spark the second American Revolution.”
Locations players will visit throughout the campaign include a “post-nuclear” Manhattan, New Orleans, and Roswell. Blazkowicz will have a huge arsenal at his disposal ranging from machine guns, pistols, and hatchets to “high-tech” weaponry such as the Laserkraftwerk and the Dieselkraftwerk. Players will even have the ability to dual-wield weapons, becoming a one-man army.
As you might expect from the franchise, Wolfenstein II’s take on Nazi-occupied 1961 America will include cyborgs, monster machines such as the beast-like Liesel, and “über soldiers.” If that weren’t bad enough, Blazkowicz will have family and friends to protect, as we discovered during Bethesda’s reveal that Anya Oliwa is pregnant with his two twin children. We also learn that Frau Irene Engel has been on the hunt for Blazkowicz ever since the end of the first game, and eventually finds him.
The reveal trailer opened with a Nazi-controlled city. The player sat at the bar of a local diner, presumably dressed as a fireman. A Nazi soldier entered the establishment and began talking to the player, commenting that Blazkowicz’s face looked very familiar. He asked for the player’s identification papers, and then the trailer moved to an entirely different, scene with Blazkowicz on the open sea fighting Nazis on a ship.
It’s here we see Blazkowicz’s cast iron-like armor, with a retracting full head piece that protects his noggin and hides his identity. In another scene, he’s wearing just the helmet as it retracts, while he tries to convince two potential Resistance recruits that he’s not a Nazi. He grabs one fighter while the other threatens to blow all three up with a grenade.
Eventually we get to see first-person gameplay, with Blazkowicz plowing through Nazis with a wide array of weapons to meet the needs of every gamer, whether they’re standard guns or over-the-top laser-shooting cannons of destruction. Heck, the gameplay footage ended with Blazkowicz feeling the blade of a hatchet and then chopping into a Nazi commander.
According to Bethesda, Blazkowicz will have new abilities in addition to the arsenal of new weapons. “Unleash your inner war hero as you annihilate Nazis in new and hyper-violent ways,” the company adds. “Regardless of your playstyle, invent all-new ways of stabbing, shooting, and killing Nazis.”
Sounds like fun — and a well-earned M rating! Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus is slated to hit the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC on October 27, 2017. Bethesda also revealed The Evil Within 2 and Skyrim for the Nintendo Switch console. For more E3 2017 coverage, head here.