60%PC

duo to buying on steam, it comes with even more bugs and its constant crashing making the gameplay impossible, even so, i accomplish a good 7 hours of the game and got stuck at mission 4, part 2.

80%PC

Another deeply immersive classic FPS game that is absolutely worth playing. The problem I have with the Modern Wolfenstein games is that they take themselves WAY too seriously when you think of the overall premise for this series and RTCW knows that it's blend of Advanced Nazi Technology, the Occult, WWII, Zombies, Experiments Gone Wrong and all sorts of wicked stuff is silly and isn't afraid to showcase that. I played with the RealRTCW mod which is mainly used for modern conveniences like High Resolutions, updated HUDs, new weapons and that sort of thing. But even though these conveniences are nice, they added a HUB area before almost every mission where you have to get your mission briefing and equipment for the mission. Unfortunately, this is where things fall apart in the mod because 1: It's completely redundant when the cutscene beforehand said we got our mission briefing and are heading out already and 2: The cracks start to show when you realize this is a shoddily put together area with atrocious voice acting from completely inexperienced people and it's almost too big to get around in parts. I think this is an optional thing that was turned on, but trust me, I would turn this off before playing and if you can't, there's always the Vanilla Plus mod which would probably remove said feature.

There's loads of strengths to this game especially when it comes to weapons and gunplay. There's loads of guns in the game that range from a Colt Pistol to an experimental Minigun that shreds enemies into giblets. All the guns were exciting additions and were incredible fun to use and switching around every often what gun you'll use kept the game fresh. The game is not just shooting everything in sight, there are stealth missions which are actually not that bad for a game made in 2001 but they are far and few in between. The AI is some of the most effective I've played in a shooter recently as well. They'll try to flank you, get near you if you're hiding, hide behind cover if you're trying to shoot at them, they are particularly very smart. Although, this game has another bad case of hit scan enemies which can really be annoying, especially with the Snipers who are 100% Perfect at every shot and will keep shooting you without having to reload.

It's also very immersive which is another thing I'm noticing about many of these Old FPS Games, they really get you into the world and gameplay with it's graphics and design and during this time developers were REALLY good at this. The game also has modding support with lots of User Campaigns to choose from and without a doubt, the replayability is super high. Some things I didn't like were the music being extremely repetitive, I mean 5 Second Loop repetitive, the very obvious hit scan enemies and features that the RealRTCW mod added in. I still think this is a REALLY good FPS that should be played. Trust me, if you have RTCW and trust me, it goes for cheap on sales, get the RealRTCW mod and have a blast playing this one. It's a very immersive FPS that doesn't take itself too seriously while still being deeply satisfying in most of the core aspects an FPS game should check off.

60%PC

3/5 - Okay/Mixed

The interactivity is impressive for its time. If you plan on playing this, prepare for very quicksave/quickload trial-and-error gameplay and anti-climactic boss battles. This was one of the last 'pre-Half-Life 2' PC shooters, and it's not bad considering that. If you aren't interested in the sci-fi WW2 aesthetic or this era of PC shooters, there's no shame in skipping this one.

Protip: Most of the power weapons are quite useless against bosses, except maybe the Venom. I still haven't figured out what the hell purpose the Tesla is supposed to serve, considering you can easily unload the entire capacity into someone with no effect.

Also, I don't know what's up with the in-game timer but you should ignore it, it never gives the correct time.

80%PC

Huge nostalgic factor, otherwise still very playable fun game.

100%PC

RTCW is the best shooter type game I have ever played. I remember that I was 5 years old, that is about 13 years ago, and I was playing RTCW with my father, I finished RTCW more than 100 times and I can say that it is my soul game!!!

85%PC

One of the best FPS offerings in its time. Set the bar in a lot of areas (combat, AI, level design, atmosphere) and still holds up well to this day

100%PC

Had fun discovering all the secrets.
Good game.

75%PC

Great 90s FPS shooter. I had ton of nostalgia for this game (though I didn't remember what game it was for years upon years), and am so glad I eventually rediscovered it.. and that I already had it!

90%PC

*Warning: spoilers*

Great game with excellent multiplayer.

The long awaited follow up of Wolfenstein 3D did not disappoint. Return to Castle Wolfenstein was a great game with some amazing visuals at the time. It is fast paced, hard as ever, and a worthy installment.

In Return to castle Wolfenstein, the German SS “Paranormal” Division tries to dig up an ancient curse in Egypt to create an army of zombies to fill the ranks of the nazi’s (classic Wolfenstein). They eventually dig up an “Dark Night”, and with him, the curse they were trying to release and control. This goes wrong of course, and the land is terrorized by zombies, demons and spirits.

The leader of the Paranormal Division is General Deathshead and you learn of his plans and whereabouts later in the game. You fight your way through a nazi research factory and discover some gruesome experiments from Deathshead. You eventually find the man himself, but he escapes via a U-boat. You track him down again, but this time, he throws one of his newest creations at you, the Über Soldat. You fight this abomination, only to see Deathshead flee in a Kobra rocket plane, disappearing for the rest of the game.

You eventually uncover the full plans of the Paranormal SS Division, which consists of resurrecting Heinrich I, a powerful Saxon Warlock King (it keeps getting better and better) from 943 AD. You make your way to the excavation site near Castle Wolfenstein while fighting off hordes of nazi’s, demons and even more Über Soldaten. You blast your way through the site and ruins and eventually fight Heinrich I himself. After killing him, Heinrich Himler disappears in the distance, confirming that you officially screwed up every plan the Germans had for this project and that he needs to face the wrath of the Fuhrer himself. Glorious.

The introduction of Stealth in this game was a little unnecessary in my opinion. Especially since there are some missions that require it to even progress. I did not think that it added much to the game and it sometimes slowed the game to a halt.

The visuals are stunning in Return to Castle Wolfenstein. This game is from 2001/2002, but can be considered next gen for its time. Explosions, animations and gun impact look really good and I can only praise it.

In terms of sound, Return to Castle Wolfenstein is also a fine piece of work. Gunfire sounds excellent and the sounds and rattles that enemies make, really enhance the experience. Nothing to complain here.

Movement and controls are fluent, and like I said, make the game fast paced. In the multiplayer mode, this showed even better, making for a good online experience.

The only thing I found a little annoying about this game, is the sudden difficulty spike with the introduction of those weird UFO human hybrid abominations. These things shoot lightning, almost insta killing you and have a ton of health. Maybe I just need to git gut, but these bastards killed some of the fun I had with the game.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed Return to Castle Wolfenstein and I am amazed how well this game holds up today in terms of graphics and gameplay.

Definitely recommend this beauty.

30%PC

The first review of the year! Jan 1st lets go, Return to Castle Wolfenstein it was rough. The game has not aged well. Let me talk about what I enjoyed about the game and why I finished it. The stealth section where you are in a city and you need to kill the officers, fun level. I do have to give some love for the 2001 fan service with some scandalous made models. Every level had a fun moment but overall it felt old. That is about as good as it gets with the minor stealth elements. Otherwise here are the issues I had.

Firstly there was no auto save, which is fine ish still think it is possible even back then. The larger issue was no auto save after a level was done. If I would have crashed or alt 4ed I would have been brought back to the first level. Huge issue with the game overall.

Second point is the balance. There are some iconic enemies in this game that are supposed to be “melee” but they can hit you with lighting through the floor. Just awful design. Some enemies shoot like storm troopers and others are like American snipers. What is the idea here? Can we not get something in between? There are also enemies with a shield and no matter where you shoot there when they are in defense mode the bullets shoot back to you even if you shoot somewhere the shield is not. There was a lighting gun that when you get it sucks but when the enemy has it shoots you from across the level. Just really rough balancing.

Hit registration was rough, only small spurts of blood and when you aim you move a micrometer you get pulled out of the scope, a frustrating game mechanic. No quality of life options like a weapon wheel hell Quake had a wheel and it made it incredibly easy to switch weapons. No meter for air, even trying to hold my own breath I can hold it longer than BJ granted I am not a running around and shooting underwater. This was a real rough time for the Wolfenstein genre but I am glad this was dropped 6 feet under so the remakes could sprint like they do.

I don't have a ton to say about this game that is positive. I would not take your time to play it.

60%PC

Used RealRTCW, I'm not a fan of the bloom gunplay and no ADS but it was manageable. Good selection of guns, semi-existent stealth. Good story. Can't really argue was a decent experience.

60%PC

I was a bit skeptical going into this game due to a few things. First off, I had heard that this was "the best Wolfenstein game" by many, even a few youtubers that I like to watch, however when I booted it up, it was clear to me that this game wasn't going to run on my computer, as it was too old (thanks to the RealRTCW mod on steam for fixing that!) Coming right from wolf 3d however, I was surprised to learn that this game wasn't just a new take on Wolfenstein, but an evolution on both the original and wolf 3d.

The story here is probably my least favorite aspect of the game, just due to how nonsensical it is. The game goes for a darker and more realistic tone, similar to what the original game was trying to achieve, however the story is rooted in the paranormal. This isnt unusual for a Wolfenstein game, and in fact wolf 3d had a pretty out there story at times, but I never really connected with the story here, especially because of its 7 different missions, which are similar to the episodes from wolf 3d, leading to the storying feeling a bit disjointed. The story is mostly told thru notes found in the missions and pre-mission briefings, and while there are cutscenes at the start of each episode, they just dont seem to tell the story as well as the notes, which even then is a pretty low bar. Nothing much happens in the story either, other than you find out nazis are doing some weird shit and you gotta stop them. Its enough for a 4 hour wolf game like this, but its def not gonna hold your attention on repeat playthroughs.

The gameplay in this game is what surprised me the most, because as I had alluded to in the my opening, this game is pretty much a mishmash of the run and gun "doom" style gameplay of wolf 3d, and the slower stealth-driven approach that castle Wolfenstein took. The stealth missions were my favorite in the game, because the enemies are really only in groups of 1 or 2, so you can easily kill them with a silenced weapon and keep moving. It honestly felt sorta like a run and gun stealth game, which is a perfect mix.

This balance doesnt last forever however, because when your not stealthing your way thru nazi soldiers the combat starts to fall apart. The run and gun approach is really fun, especially in closer combat because its easier to hide behind cover and kill those attacking you, however in more open areas it becomes horrible, because enemies will always hit you, no matter how far they are from you. This is a hard game, even on easy, and while I didn't die over and over, I did die a few times, especially in the boss fights, which are either ridiculously hard like the 2nd one, or very easy like the final one. Honestly, any enemy that isnt found in the original wolf 3d, just kinda sucks in this game, and the weapon balancing and combat just dont really do anything to help that.

Overall, its fascinating to see what is pretty much just wolf 3d in a more realistic setting, however I don't think this game really holds up as well as that one. This game kinda just felt like a bland cod campaign, and granted it is better than a lot of the cod campaigns, I don't think its great or anything. I can see how some people can like this game, because I'd imagine once you master the combat, there is something to like here. This is a classic pc shooter thru and thru, its just not one for me. I can't see myself replaying this game, but I appreciate what it tried to do.

95%PC

Super good, unique atmosphere, especially at the time of release.

85%PC

This game is my childhood and that's why I've already played it about 10 times. The gameplay is fast and fun. The level design is great and the Wolfenstein castle alternating between the lab, village and catacombs is nice. The graphics for that time are enough for me. The story here seems rather secondary to me, but otherwise it is interesting. Enemies are easier at first, but over time they become quite difficult. As a weapon, I tried to use all of them, but such a planemonet was completely useless to me. This game is one of the best from that era for me.

80%PC

The general gameplay is fun but the AI was very inconsistent and the bosses were easy

80%PC

Kalpenee aikansa mahdille MoH:Allied Assaultille, mutta silti kelpo räiskintä. Pelissä ollaan otettu mukavan kieliposkessa meininki josta löytyy myös hivenen vakavuuttakin. Eli vakavaa räiskettä ja ylempien tahojen kuivaa strategista juupaa mutta toisaalta seksikkäitä SS-erikoisjoukkoja, natsisotakoineita ja henkiinherätettyjä saksalaisia ritareita. Jotenkin balanssi kuitenkin toimii kokonaisuudessa.

Räiskintä ei ole yhtä herkullista kuin Allied Assaultissa ja väkinäinen stealth oli muutamassa tasossa soopaa. Käytännössä kaikki erikoisvihulaiset natsien lisäksi olivat tosi turhauttavia vihollisina ja pelin tekoäly on todella rikkinäinen isommilla örkeillä. Pelin kaikki pomotaistelut olivat myöskin suorastaan todella paskoja. Toisaalta pelissä oli kivasti old-school tyyliin ympäristöt täynnä siistejä secrettejä ja asevalikoima on melkoinen ja hauska käsitellä. Musiikit olivat aika mitäänsanomattomia, mutta hoitivat tehtävänsä.

80%PC

Classic. Last mission was the most fun.

85%PC

Первый мой шутер на прохождение в который я сыграл. Атмосфера просто шикарная, даже вот взять начало игры - ночь, замок, слышаться электрические разряды пыток, камеры темницы скрипят при открывании дверей, крысы бегают, слышна немецкая речь. Прям до мурашек. Особенно понравился переход, что вроде вот ты играешь в обычный шутер времен второй мировой войны, убиваешь нацистов, потом постепенно переходишь из замка в деревушку, а далее не местное небольшое кладбище. И вот тут постепенно нагнетая сменяется жанр с обычного шутера времен второй мировой на хоррор, потому что в склепе вдруг просыпаются зомби и мумии и атакуют тех же нацистов и нужно как то через это дело самому пройти. А у меня еще тогда на слабом компьютере плохо шла эта игра и был сильный туман а еще текстуры как бы пропадали в этом тумане и вообще не видно было куда идти и что делать, можно было ориентироваться только на слух. И тем не менее я как то это проходил, а уж босс этого уровня вообще жути нагонял я от него прятался в самом начале прохода к нему и боялся даже нос высунуть. Потом когда все же как то я его прошел начинается второй акт и тебя забрасывают на парашюте в тыл врага с бесшумной винтовкой и автоматом и тут уже включается третья эпостась этой игры - стелс. И тут я тоже офигел от вариаций того как можно проходить и разнообразия геймплея.

90%PC

great FPS. went in with no expectations and ended up liking it very much

80%PC

Used mod RealRTCW

70%PC

good sett

90%PC

Game from my childhood!

80%PC

It's great.

60%PC

Pretty good, but the presence of areas where you get shot without seeing the enemy is annoying. I'm a stealth fan, and the stealth missions here are okay – infiltrating camps was fun enough. You're presented with a few silenced weapons which you're told to use for these sections. Bosses, however, were not enjoyable across the board, especially the V2 Super Soldier and its tesla gun. At times, the designers made the female Nazis show a weird amount of skin, which is off-putting to say the least.

60%PC

A "nothing special" shooter. Although this would become the template for the fantastic Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory

80%PC

It's got quicksaves which you'll need. Levels are short enough to breeze through, and health packs keep you running. You get an arsenal you'll ignore for maybe 4 weapons. People complain about the stealth but it's not that bad. I tried running this on a dated G4 way back when and got screen tearing, playing it today I had about as much fun as I'd imagine. id Tech 3 rules.

60%PC

first part of 3rd misson was unexpected forced stealth mission

90%PC

Is it me or are these games just keep getting better?

70%PC

Very creepy and quite numerous jump scares. Stressful gameplay, die very quickly. Satisfying guns and controls. Cool world and story. Stealth parts annoying.

30%PC

Boring guns, hitscan enemies, stealth missions, bossfights are very dumb, levels are somewhat decent

100%PC

Played since my childhood. I think I completed the campaign 5 times.

80%PC

Уровень сложности: Нормальный + RealRTCW
Управление: Клавиатура + мышь
Язык: Английский

60%PC

+ Missions against normal nazis and stealth missions are fun.

- Zombies and proto/uber soldiers are too tanky and annoying.

- Bosses are extremely easy to beat.

- Some guns are just plain useless. You never run out of ammo, so there’s no need to use pistols. The night vision sniper is only useful in stealth missions, otherwise it is only useful to spot enemies. The first SMG you get is decent until you get your hands on any other weapon, after which you realise it is absolutely dogshit.

80%PC

+ nove zbrane potesia
+ je to community mod

60%PC

Very archaic. Still, a solid games with a few exceptions like the stealth missions. Better than most Wolfenstein games...

80%PC

In the context of 2002, this was a pretty good good game. All the modern FPS conventions weren't quite baked yet, but RTCW was pretty close. Worth a playthrough; collecting all the secrets is optional, as it doesn't unlock anything or upgrade your character. It's a pretty quik play, and introduces you to the modern incarnation of Wolfenstein.

70%PC

7/10.
Simple and fun classic arcade shooter, but bullet sponge enemies made for a few frustrating encounters.

100%PC

Awesome

50%PC

Review (And reason for flushing)
The Good
• Atmosphere and sound
• Voice acting
• Varied environments and a good length for what's on offer
The Bad
• Save scumming difficult balancing
• Some map design issues in terms of 'where next?' occurrences.
The Ugly
• Aim-bot RNG enemy and damage
• Tedious sequences and bullet-spongey enemies without a means to dispatch of quicker
• Stealth sections hideous, tedious and not suitable for engine / enemy ai

The Score 5/10 (Flushed at Mission 4 Secret Weapons Facility)
Really fun when it's balanced and flowing. However, poor AI that is while definitely beatable in an completable game, requires much save/load scuzzing and patience that becomes tedious after time. Fire-fights are also way too random in terms of damage and hit scanning / collision especially considering there is scripted sequences also.

60%Mac

I didn't get to really get into this game until this game was over 15 years old, and like Quake 2, I am quite impressed by how fun it was to this day, despite the outdated technology and stylistic choices. There are problems such as one painfully-long mandatory stealth mission that's frankly not remotely fun, but the locations change, the Nazis are plentiful to shoot, the challenge is solid, and in HD the game looked pretty nice for a game that came out in 2001. Some people called it horrifying in the zombie parts but honestly it's just a bit spooky; it is indeed a bit unsettling, but it's hardly Fatal Frame or the new RE2 remake. The story is decent if, especially today, derivitive, but I'd recommend it ultimately if you like old-school shooters and you're willing to forgive a few glaring issues, as it's pretty cheap nowadays.

70%PC

I did like the game except the bosses were all such awful experiences, to the point that it hurts the game a lot. They are just poorly designed. Most of them give you no way of knowing when they are attacking make them mostly unavoidable. Near as I can tell, most bosses, especially on the harder difficulties, require you to exploit the AI in order to win. I saw no intelligent strategy beyond this and I looked.
Any of the levels that focus around fighting the regular soldiers or the undead are quite a bit fun. Any time you have to fight the UberSoldat, Lopers it's save scum city. The final boss is just an exercise in frustration. As such, the first half of the game is a blast, the last half, much less so.

60%PC

No real flow. Stop and go. Becomes chore. Enemies overpowered.

80%PC

An overall great game that offers some challenge and is a definite classic.

What a great time. I had to 'quick-save often' as I would die quickly and unexpectedly at times (as you can basically get one-shot at times if shot 'right'). Definitely a fun campaign and only once did I get the "where do I go now" and that was on a level that required back-tracking a bit to get it to progress. Naturally, I got lost :-P

But a classic of a game!

70%PC

Für seine Zeit sicherlich "Über" gut und hatte ich hatte es in wohliger Erinnerung (damals auch höheren Score gegeben, denke ich), aber ganz ehrlich? Ich hatte an den anderen beiden Teilen (3D und SOD) echt mehr Spaß :-D Immer noch gut, aber ich musste schon etwas §drücken" um dran zu bleiben!

70%PC

Solid fun , lulzy story + levels - stealth missions annoying / AI glitchy.

100%PC

One of the best fps of all time.

100%Xbox

Great fun

50%PC

Not as good as everyone remembers it. Even in comparison with other titles from that era it's worse in almost all aspects except AI. Poor level design, poor gunplay, poor bossfight and overall poor design since sometimes you are forced to kill every enemy to get further. Only the setting is something different and nice, but I would not recommend playing it unless for nostalgic reasons.

90%PC

Still one of my all-time favourites. Gritty, dark atmosphere, nicely varied missions, tough enemies (for a game that`s 13 years old, AI is really good), fantastic soundtrack, sweet weapons and more. Story is retarded, of course, but if you`re a nazi occultism and wunderwaffe conspiracy theories nut, this game is a perfect fantasy to dive into. I like to get back to it for another playthrough on a regular basis and each time I`m having a ball.