817th played so far
Genre: First-Person Shooter
Platform: PC
Year of Release: 2003
Developer: Splash Damage
Publisher: Activision
There’s something nice, for me, about playing the occasional free game – it’s pretty helpful for my wallet, if nothing else. Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory started life as an expansion pack for Return to Castle Wolfenstein, which was turned into a standalone multiplayer game because of some technical difficulties. Apparently this became the game that pioneered level ups and growth that kept you playing and through that it became an early popular online shooter.
This means that I’ve got to play another multiplayer game, but at least there are some mods available to get bots in, which gives me my preferred way to experience these.
Our Thoughts
Based on the server list, this game still seemed to have quite a few players, so I wouldn’t have needed them. However, I’m sure they were experienced enough that a new player like myself wouldn’t necessarily be appreciated. So I played against some bots and those bots were better at the game than I was. Part of it is probably the structure. I guess deathmatch or capture the flag were the prevalent modes at this point, and even playing modern games like Overwatch, those and escort missions dominate the game. Here, while the game doesn’t have loads of maps by default, it has a more complicated set of objectives.
The first map, for example, has a final goal of getting some packages from radar dishes and getting them back to a gathering point – classic capture the flag. However, you don’t go all the way back – the truck is parked nearby. Instead, you need to get to it first and have one of your demolitions guys plant explosives to get in. There are some earlier control points to capture, so you respawn closer to your goal. And as a defender, there are a bunch of defenses to build.
Other maps do the same, both having a few sets of objectives and most important offering lots more tools to work with. The maps may not actually be large or complex, but they feel it and they feel far more like a location than other multiplayer shooters. There’s a bit of story here, and it’s quite a bit of fun. In fact, it really does feel like a campaign with RPG elements, just one that focuses on multiplayer rather than being a single player experience.
Final Thoughts
I’m not sure I’ll ever love multiplayer shooters, but this experience was quite good even if I was playing against bots. There were some clunky bits, but I mostly wished to see what else could be done with the engine. It feels like it could have some great maps out there, I just need to find them.