Well, I finished Wolfenstein 3D. I don’t think I ever did it that fast. Actually, I’m not sure if I’ll ever played through the entire game (legitimately). Thank god for ECWolf’s automap feature. With some levels, it’s downright essential.
Did the game age well? Probably not. But it sure is still a lot of fun. And it can be pretty exciting at times, more so than many modern FPS. However, the fact that it created the genre is pretty obvious, in how basic it is. While Doom has a clear identity and fans don’t like it when a game goes against it, people are much kinder to Wolfenstein (from RtCW onward, no Wolfenstein game is like 3D) and it’s not hard to see why. Unlike Doom, you can’t really make a modern game like WOlfenstein 3D. Pretty much all of its elements are used in other FPS anyway, albeit in more “realistic” fashion, and those that aren’t (like the arcade-y stuff like lives and scores) don’t add anything to the genre anyway. So any new Wolfenstein game is bound to be unlike Wolfenstein 3D either way.
However, as much as I like the games, there are things I dislike. Particularly how maze-like it can be, which wouldn’t be so bad if it had an automap feature.
Particularly E6M7 is awful about it, as it’s utterly dominated by a maze. I don’t think I’d have beat the level without ECWolf’s automap.
Episode 6 is awful in general. Not just that it uses mazes too much, it has an over-reliance on corridors or rooms with lots and lots of niches where enemies are hidden. The very first level has such a corridor, with multiple branches (solely using officers as enemies, no less), as its main part and its fucking horrible. It’s tedious, monotonous and unfun, which largely describes Episode 6 in general.
Level 6 is a big exception, though, as it’s basically an arena with irregular walls (as much as possible, with 90-degree limitation). If you fire only one shot, you get swarmed by enemies from all sides. It’s not unfair, since they come from different places and there’s lots of cover, so you’re not attacked immediately from everywhere, but that also makes it easy for enemies to downright ambush you. This results in some really exciting and fun battles. I wouldn’t say it’s my favorite level in the entire game, but it certainly is my favorite in Episode 6. Level 8 isn’t bad either (especially after the horrid maze of level 7), but rather tricky, since there are several rooms with lots of enemies. Level 9 can easily seem nearly impossible, if you don’t know there’s a secret with lots of ammo and health right at the beginning. With it, it’s very manageable, though.
The final end screen sure is something. It feels like a parody.
But it’s good to know that I have official confirmation that I’m cool.
