Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Tides of War

Halo 2?s not coming out this year. Here?s how to cope.

Games may come and games may go, but you can always count on the Nazis to be a universally loathed digital enemy. Return to Castle Wolfenstein brings them to eerie life while giving shooter fans plenty to keep themselves busy.

The Reich Stuff
Taking the role of American Captain B.J. Blazkowicz, you?ll start your Allied adventure in Africa with your SAS buddy Agent One, but before long you?ll find yourself in fabled Castle Wolfenstein itself?and in deep trouble. Zombies, Nazis, killer dogs, evil experiments, secret passages, hidden treasures, punishing weapons, situational logic puzzles, and other surprises await as you take on the Third Reich from a first-person perspective.

Thankfully for console owners, this isn?t a simple port of the PC hit of the same name. Several aspects of the game have been rebuilt for the Xbox, including new, more sinister-looking enemy textures and the addition of a fresh weapon, the shotgun. The ability to save anywhere and the use of sensibly frequent checkpoints are also welcome inclusions.

War Bonds
Where Wolfenstein really shines, however, is its multiple modes of play. RTCW offers single-player, cooperative two-player, and SystemLink network games, as well as full-on Xbox Live support for up to 16 players with great team-based matches. As any PC player can tell you, Wolfenstein takes on an exciting new dimension when you go online as Axis and Allies; coordinating with your squad over the Live headset is far easier and more exciting than typing things in the Windows version.

If anything, the whole game feels a little stiff?it?s visually arresting and robust but not as immersive as some other first-person games. And boy, those Nazis are tough?they can take four or five rounds to the torso before collapsing. Then again, you probably won?t question being one man against an entire German army, nor will you blink at the malevolent mummies and half-machine, half-German shepherds, so maybe the realistic damage thing can slide in the name of tense action.

Mein Leben!
While the World War II shooter genre is getting awfully crowded lately, there?s definitely room for Return to Castle Wolfenstein?s occult/fantasy spin. If you?re looking for an evil good time?especially one you can share with friends?Wolfenstein awaits.

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