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Brevity
04-04-2003, 12:55 PM
Source: Gamespot

We recently had the chance to get some hands-on time with a more complete build of Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Tides of War for the Xbox. The console incarnation of the 2001 PC hit that followed up id's first hit, the classic Wolfenstein 3D, is being tailored specifically for the console market. The game features a number of tweaks and additions to its gameplay and content, a strong overall presentation, and some truly impressive multiplayer elements, including a new cooperative mode and Xbox Live support.

While the core content in Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Tides of War is obviously based on Return to Castle Wolfenstein for the PC, the game is not a port. Developer Nerve Software and id have taken the opportunity to revisit the entire game. The results so far build on original developer Gray Matter's excellent work in the single-player game and Nerve's own stellar multiplayer contribution to the original game. The game's story has been fleshed out and includes a prologue made up of a series of missions set in Egypt that detail the first meeting between main character B.J. Blaskowicz and Agent One.

As far as gameplay goes, Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Tides of War offers the same core game mechanics with some enhancements, and some changes have been made to the structure of the game. The game's user-friendly control scheme is a marriage of the control options from the PC game and Halo-style controls. While the setup works well, Nerve has also added an enhanced targeting option to compensate for the obvious loss in precision when going from a mouse to a console controller. Another bit of functionality added to compensate for the lack of a mouse is a variation on the 180-degree quick turn in the PlayStation 2 version of the game. While the PS2 has a button dedicated to instantly switching your view 180 degrees around, the Xbox game lets you speed up how quickly you can turn. By holding the down button on the d pad, your turning speed will dramatically increase, and you can quickly shift your aim anywhere you like.

When playing the single-player game, veteran PC players will likely pick up on a change to Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Tides of War's gameplay. Many levels will encourage a much more deliberate style of play that is a departure from the more "guns blazing" approach that was one of the engaging aspects of the game's PC cousin. The levels we had the chance to play were spread throughout levels in the prologue, crypt and factory, and X-lab areas and gave us a good feel for what to expect out of the game. The control was easy to pick up and was spot on once we got comfortable with the Xbox's controller S. The varied levels let us cut our teeth on the different gradients of challenge you'll encounter as you go deeper into the game. We were able to try out some of the new additions to B.J.'s arsenal--the EMP device, which temporarily incapacitates the cybernetic creatures in the game, and the X-shield, which forms a protective shield around B.J. for limited amounts of time. The X-lab level also gave us a peek at some of the new enemies being added to the game, most notably the X-shepherd. The cyberpooch shoots you from afar with its back-mounted machine gun or tries to gnaw your face off when it gets in close.

One of the notable differences in the Xbox game is in the pacing. There's a stealth component to the gameplay that gives you the option of slinking around and quietly knifing people in the back pretty regularly. The game actually encourages this by giving rewards in the form of useful pickups when you successfully shank someone from behind. The stronger emphasis on this element of the game actually works pretty well and adds a new layer of tension to the action. At the end of each level you'll come to a statistics screen that shows you a detailed breakdown of your performance. Unlike in the PlayStation 2 version, the secrets in the Xbox version of the game don't offer up points you can use to enhance B.J.--you'll be awarded set bonuses instead.

While the single-player game is solid and as engaging as its PC predecessor, the real hook in Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Tides of War will certainly be its multiplayer options. You'll be able to play through the single-player game with a friend in split-screen cooperative mode, which is a solid addition to the game. However the game's Xbox Live multiplayer modes is where Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Tides of War shines. You'll have a choice of several different game types to try with up to 15 other players on 13 multiplayer maps. To ensure that the online game experience is as rich as possible, Nerve has worked to offer a robust selection of customizable options, in addition to the standard Xbox Live features, for playing online, such as the ability to set up an Xbox as a dedicated server whose games you can customize.

The online game types are a mix of team-based and competitive games that offer a welcome range of possibilities when you're playing with friends. Objective and stopwatch are goal-oriented matches that pit teams of players, divided into Axis or Allied forces, against each other in a race to accomplish a specific goal on a level. The catch with the stopwatch game is that once the goal is accomplished by a team, its time is logged and the game restarts with both sets of players on opposite sides. The goal is to beat the winning team's time using the same forces. Checkpoint games require you and your teammates to capture and hold flagpoles strewn throughout a level. Whichever team holds them all wins. Finally, elimination matches are standard last-man-standing-style bouts where you have one life. You'll emerge victorious if you manage to be the last one on the battlefield.

Team-oriented gameplay is strongly emphasized, due to the differing abilities of the four classes--soldiers, engineers, medics, and lieutenant--available in the game. Soldiers can use all the weapons found in the game. Engineers can both plant and defuse the dynamite needed to destroy goal structures, and they can also repair the mounted guns that appear in various fixed positions throughout the maps. Medics can drop health packs and revive "dead" teammates, permitting them to instantly respawn where they've fallen. Each medic also provides every team member with 10 extra starting health points. Lieutenants can drop ammo packs, and they are the only class equipped with binoculars. Lieutenants can also call in air and artillery strikes, which cut a wide swath of destruction at their target point. As you'd imagine, all four of the classes are useful and necessary when playing the various game types. The only catch is that they require proper team coordination to ensure each of the classes is represented in matches. There's nothing more pathetic than a team of soldiers staring helplessly at a bundle of dynamite that an engineer could easily defuse. However, if situations like that do come up, you'll be able to use the Xbox communicator to curse out your fellow team members using a variety of voice masks.

In terms of its presentation, Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Tides of War is doing some very cool things on the Xbox. The game matches the PC title's graphics and adds some polish to boot. The core graphics have been brought over pretty much intact but are now spruced up by little touches such as a new animated sky and new particle effects used for blood splatters. Detail in the game is very high, and the frame rate is impressively fluid. And the game's HUD has been redesigned for the Xbox. Character models have been tweaked to reflect the region they're in--enemies will be wearing desert fatigues in the Egypt levels and thermal clothing in the ice levels. You'll also find general streamlining of the Allied and Axis character models in the multiplayer games. The game's performance was fairly solid, even during an Xbox Live game with testers in a different state. The game's audio has shaped up quite nicely on the Xbox, making use of multichannel Dolby surround sound, which does an excellent job of pulling you into the experience. On the whole we were quite impressed by how the game looks so far, especially considering it has had a shorter development cycle than the PlayStation 2 version of Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Tides of War--it's been in development for only eight months or so.

From what we've seen so far, Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Tides of War is coming together very nicely. Not only has Nerve managed to ably bring over the single and multiplayer experiences, but the developer has managed to throw in some cool extras, such as three downloadable multiplayer maps via Xbox Live and, as a special treat, the complete version of the original Wolfenstein 3D. Fans of first-person shooters and Xbox Live owners eager for some very slick multiplayer action will want to keep a look out for Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Tides of War when it ships this May.
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WOW, sounds like they really did a good job with this port. I remember it was originally going to be 8 players, but now its up to 16! Awesome. This is shaping up to be a killer app now.

EHWfedPres
04-04-2003, 01:14 PM
I'll pick it up as long as its not as bad as timesplitters 2 is...ugh

LynxFX
04-04-2003, 01:20 PM
Wow, good read. I wasn't even going to look at this game since I've played through it a number of times on the PC but it sounds like they have changed nearly everything. There are too many good games coming out. Ahhhhh! :D

Variation-XBA
04-04-2003, 01:44 PM
Im sold purely cause LIVE :)

JJaX
04-04-2003, 01:46 PM
Still waiting for my demo :(

But i feel this is a must buy! Its an Id game ;)

No Fear 23
04-04-2003, 01:57 PM
thanks for the post brevity. this is some good news :)

SPARTAN VI
04-04-2003, 11:09 PM
Originally posted by JJaX
Still waiting for my demo :(

But i feel this is a must buy! Its an Id game ;)

I play the PC version with my dad, in fact, he's playing as I'm typing this.

When TheCovenant brought the OXM demo to my house, my dad was totally involved. He knew what changed and what was the same. Remembered the exact location on the Nazi bastages with Panzerfausts/flamethrowers (aka: the tougher SS soldiers). He was impressed, but the rest of the crap on the demo disk was pretty disgusting (except the Sudeki vid).

I'm gettin this game even though I already have it on my computer, but it'll be hella fun to play with you guys and my SPARTAN buds. :D

Flood
04-05-2003, 01:05 AM
the demo for this game= Beautiful!
this game on XBL= gonna be amazing!!!


this game will hold me over until Halo 2

Evil_Dr_Beefy
04-05-2003, 01:55 AM
The PC game is really cool, i have got high hopes for the xbox version...

l Maximus l
04-07-2003, 04:58 PM
That's a great article. I also read this article and found it to be extremely positive from the dudes over at ign.com. Here it is:

Source: http://xbox.ign.com/articles/392/392223p1.html

Snoopy7548
04-07-2003, 05:17 PM
yea, this was a cool game on the pc. i got the oxm demo disc with it, but the disc was cracked, so i had to order a new one. its so annoying. ive gotten like 3 cracked discs so far. and like 2 that didnt work:mad:

Kyle Static
04-07-2003, 09:53 PM
Theres a demo!? Nice, I have to pick it up. I cant wait for this game, too long to wait, a month :P. All the good games are coming out in 1-2 months RTCW/SoF:2/MidM:3/MidnightC gahh, cant wait. If Red Faction had live play I'd pick it up too.

Xbox Owner
04-07-2003, 10:05 PM
I'm really starting to get pumped for this game.. hopefully it's not a let down.

BTW, does the PS2 one have online capibilities?

VeNoMiZA
04-07-2003, 10:16 PM
Originally posted by Xbox Owner
I'm really starting to get pumped for this game.. hopefully it's not a let down.

BTW, does the PS2 one have online capibilities? no ofcourse not LOL. are you crazy? hahaah.

Xbox Owner
04-07-2003, 10:18 PM
Originally posted by VeNoMiZA
no ofcourse not LOL. are you crazy? hahaah.

errr.. my friend wondered. I had no clue to be honest.

l Maximus l
04-08-2003, 07:33 PM
I got to put my greedy, slimy, beer frosted hands on the playable demo for RTCW. While the game looks very cool, it's still no Halo. I would say that by playing the demo alone, it's a step up from Unreal Championship and and step down from Halo. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to compare RTCW with Halo or UC because RTCW is definately a game in it's own, however, because it is an FPS, I thought I would make the contrast.

I was a little frusterated with it at first because it was so damn easy to kill the nazis, the zombies, and the zombie nazis. However, realising that the default controls are on auto-aim, I decided to take it off and I can tell you that the game is so much more enjoyable. A headshot is nearly impossible with auto-aim enabled. So, take the damn thing off and show your skill!! One shot in the head = a DDC style kill ;) One shot.

I will admit, I hope the full version will allow you to change up the control style and customize it to each button. I am not a big fan of using the left trigger to jump...I prefer the A button like Halo. It just seems more natural. Another slight peave I have is how you select your weapons. While it's not too difficult to do, I found myself scrolling through a dozen weapons trying desperately to get the gun I wanted in the situation.

One of the huge things I love about the RTCW demo is that you can peek around walls by holding down the B button and simply using your left analog stick to lean whatever direction you want. This is ten times better, in my opinion, that Ghost Recon's corner peak. And, when you peak around the corner, it's not like the view is right side up...it's slighly slanted, therefore, providing more realism.

Graphically, even the demo is stunning, despite it not being final code. Not a single glitch in frame rate as this puppy is running at an obvious 60fps. For those who are curious about the speed, in regards to how fast you walk, I found it to be faster than Halo and slower than UC's default speed.

All in all, I think the game should be cool, though, I wish the demo levels were a little bigger. The maps seemed really small. I liked how they were maze-like, however, again, they were pretty small overall. I'm a little picky because all I do is compare every FPS to Halo since it's the BEST F'N GAME OUT THERE, period.

# 1 Stunner
04-08-2003, 08:56 PM
i loved the demo and this game should be great on live..

Apocalypso
04-08-2003, 08:58 PM
i can tfreakin wait for this !!!!!!!

TegSkywalker
04-09-2003, 02:55 PM
Originally posted by EHWfedPres
I'll pick it up as long as its not as bad as timesplitters 2 is...ugh

TimeSplitters 2 is pretty fun. Especially the multiplayer over system link or XB Connect.

l Maximus l
04-09-2003, 04:25 PM
Did I mention that I beat the demo on both levels in less than 25 minutes?! :D What can I say, I love FPSs. I will admit, the first time I played it, I didn't beat both of them that fast...I was really trying to check out the game, the concepts, and reading and smashing stuff. I recall also humping the corpse of a nazi zombie :D

JJaX
04-10-2003, 11:26 AM
Originally posted by Maximus-XBA
Did I mention that I beat the demo on both levels in less than 25 minutes?! :D What can I say, I love FPSs. I will admit, the first time I played it, I didn't beat both of them that fast...I was really trying to check out the game, the concepts, and reading and smashing stuff. I recall also humping the corpse of a nazi zombie :D

25 minutes isnt bad, but its not JJaX, ya mean?

Slow poke...

How about your look settings?

I have my horizonal maxed out and my vertical 7 down from max. Im comfortable with that. I can at least do 180s in the air, which does come in handy.

I also noticed, the shotgun wasnt that powerful, and the flame thrower is to powerful.

JJaX
04-10-2003, 11:39 AM
Originally posted by Maximus-XBA


One of the huge things I love about the RTCW demo is that you can peek around walls by holding down the B button and simply using your left analog stick to lean whatever direction you want. This is ten times better, in my opinion, that Ghost Recon's corner peak. And, when you peak around the corner, it's not like the view is right side up...it's slighly slanted, therefore, providing more realism.


Leaning in wolfenstein only gives you a heads up of whats coming down the hall. You cannot shoot from the leaned position, so its not 10 times better. Easier to do, yes. More effcient, NO.

TegSkywalker
04-15-2003, 07:44 PM
Originally posted by EHWfedPres
I'll pick it up as long as its not as bad as timesplitters 2 is...ugh

You are kidding right? TimeSplitters 2 is probably the 2nd best FPS game on the Xbox. The SP is fun but the multiplayer is a blast!

l Maximus l
04-15-2003, 09:21 PM
Originally posted by JJaX


Leaning in wolfenstein only gives you a heads up of whats coming down the hall. You cannot shoot from the leaned position, so its not 10 times better. Easier to do, yes. More effcient, NO.

Good point, punk ass :D

I actually should have been more clear...I prefer the control scheme of RTCW over GR's when it comes to leaning, though, being able to shoot while leaning would have been clutch.

XBX_Junior_XBX
04-15-2003, 09:24 PM
This game will finish with UC and Ghost recon forever!! : P

JonTheCanuck
04-16-2003, 06:39 PM
i was planning to buy this game, looks promising

Toonz
04-16-2003, 07:21 PM
anyone get all the secrets yet. I found the 2 on the soldier level but the 3 on the The Crypt elude me. I don't wanna know where they are I wanna find them myself but just curious if you guys found all 3

Trento52
04-16-2003, 07:39 PM
The game is fun but i ain't very good at the factory level but the crypt level was great but it reminded me sooo much like timesplitters 2 with the dead zombies and stuff but both of those games look like ps2 quality to me but i guess you can't expect to have all the games for xbox to be perfect or for short like halo because it is for all the nex gen consoles isn't it? If i don't get it for xbox i might for gameboy even though it looks pathetic compared to the box it might be fun. :cool:

Flood
04-17-2003, 08:15 AM
i pre-reserved it yesterday....now i just gotta wait till may 7th.....

i liked the factory level a lot more than the crypt...i thought it involved more planning and thinking.....in the crypt it just felt like a shoot em up, due to enemies popping up behind you and through the walls.

l Maximus l
04-17-2003, 04:31 PM
I wish the levels were more....MASSIVE....and not so small. One would think that the multi-player would have to be much larger scale since the game supports 16 people.

I'm so damn used to Halo that I keep comparing every FPS to it. Is that my problem? Or is it not my problem and every single game developer should use Halo as the benchmark for now and the future!?

Toonz
04-17-2003, 06:10 PM
Some of the Multiplayer boards are just as large as the Halo multiplayer ones. I'm not sure what its called but one of my Fave RTCW maps is large airstrip type map where you the Germans must gain control to a gate in the middle of large airstrip and than proceed further down to the allied soldiers base either above ground or below to a allied base/tower where they must destroy a satellite. Its to bad the demo wasn't a online one. Than pre sales would really start racking up I think. IMO most the RTCW boards atleast from the PC version need about 5 on 5 minimum to keep the action rolling and in some cases much more

fadywwf316
04-17-2003, 08:05 PM
cant wait, sounds awesome, nice info