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LazyLion
King of de Jungle
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http://games.slashdot.org/games/09/03/31/0322208.shtml
http://kotaku.com/5190809/wolfenstein-lifts-the-veil
Trailer here....
http://www.joystiq.com/2009/03/30/gdc09-wolfenstein-hands-on/
Attendees of this year's GDC were given an early look at Wolfenstein, the new shooter in development by id and Raven. We've previously discussed the "Veil" ability that protagonist BJ Blazkowicz uses to hide himself, and much of the coverage relates to how it affects gameplay. "Early on, Blazkowicz stumbles upon an experiment and manages to blow it up, releasing waves of ethereal blue material. The Veil seems to turn gravity on and off as Blazkowicz tries to escape the area, making for some very original gunplay. ... The folks on hand told me that the Veil would be incorporated into game's multiplayer, but wouldn't go into details." A trailer for the game is available at Joystiq, and they had this to say: "Wolfenstein's look and gameplay is dated — and not in a retro chic way. Without the Veil, the game could be mistaken for a last-gen title, so the game's success rests on how compelling this feature will be throughout an entire playthrough."
http://kotaku.com/5190809/wolfenstein-lifts-the-veil
Mystical weapons and plentiful Nazis remain a mainstay in the latest iteration of first-person shooter Wolfenstein.
"For id, Wolfenstein is a very important IP, it goes way back and we care a lot about it," said Peter Sokal, community manager for id Software.
The game takes place right after the events of Return to Castle Wolfenstein, said Activision's Steve Holmes. In the game, Wolfenstein lead B.J. Blazkowicz stumbles upon an amulet that has secret powers and track those powers back to a town in Germany.
Blazkowicz is sent in to try and figure out what's going on. The game will have you interacting with three factions: A civilian resistance, a group of mystic-researching scholars and a black market. All of the weapons in the game are fully upgradable.
The developers walked us through a level or two, to show off how the game kicks off, transitioning from a straight up shooter to a game with a bit more depth thanks to the powers of the amulet.
Early on, Blazkowicz stumbles upon an experiment and manages to blow it up, releasing waves of ethereal blue material. The veil seems to turn gravity on and off as Blazkowicz tries to escape the area, making for some very original gunplay.
Later we discover that the amulet allows Blazkowicz to slip into the veil where key items and enemy weaknesses are highlighted. In the veil, Blazkowicz can also see and shoot Geist, these fat floating creatures that act as a sort of honey bee in the veil. When shot, the Geist explode, hurting those around them. Blazkowicz can also locate and recharge in pools of liquid while in the veil. There are also doors only visible in the veil.
As you progress through the game, Blazkowicz discovered and unlocks new abilities for the amulet. The one I saw was called the Mire ability and slows down time, allowing you to dodge weapon fire or make your way through tricky traps.
Of course, those darn Nazis also have access to the veil, which means a selection of new enemies. One, called the Scrie, uses the powers of the veil to put shields around other solders and can shoot veil energy at you.
Another enemy, later in the game, can only be taken out by damaging power packs on his back, something highlighted while in the veil.
Of course, there are veil-empowered weapons as well. My favorite was a particle canon that instantly disintegrates enemies it touches. The enemies sort of disappear in a puff of pixels, leaving only their hats.
I pointed out that maybe the Nazis should work on uniforms made out of that hat material, but no one laughed.
The Nazis also make use of veil suppressors, items which can shut down your ability to use the veil in certain areas until you destroy them.
The folks on hand told me that the veil would be incorporated into games multiplayer, but wouldn't go into details. I also asked if Hitler would be making any appearances in the game, but they say he will only be present in paintings found in some of the levels.
Our walkthrough of the game ended with Blazkowicz confronted by a Nazi officer turned into something like a zombie by a massive veil explosion.
Trailer here....
http://www.joystiq.com/2009/03/30/gdc09-wolfenstein-hands-on/
During our Activision GDC preview, we got a closer looks at id Sofware's Wolfenstein reboot and the game's supernatural aspect, "the Veil" -- or as we like to call it, "turning on the HUD." This new Wolfenstein features mystical powers that are learned during the course of the game and activated through the d-pad or button combos. It's an element that's fairly common in many games today, but it's still the only feature of Wolfenstein that makes it anything more than a ho-hum World War II shooter.
The drawbacks we noted in our Comic Con preview are still present in the current build, especially the poor enemy AI. There were times when enemies were clearly looking at us and tracking our movements, yet weren't firing their guns. It was almost as if they were saying, "Just go ahead and shoot us. We're Nazis. We deserve it."
Although the supernatural is nothing new to Wolfenstein, it was hard to play through the levels they were showing off at GDC and not think: Hellboy. There are Nazis, weird portals into the unknown, and a lot of strange happenings going on in general. (The only thing you'd need is a Big Red Guy to complete the illusion.) The game takes place immediately after the events of Return to Castle Wolfenstein, and we were shown one of the opening levels and another level about a third of the way into the game.
Our demo was focused on the game's aforementioned Veil functionality,. Once your character finds the mysterious Veil amulet in the game, he starts learning how to develop Veil powers; the first being "Mire," which is basically bullet time. Turn it on by hitting right on the d-pad, and everything slows down. It'll chew through your Veil meter pretty quickly, but obviously gives you the upper hand in combat situations.
The other Veil power we were shown was "Veil Vision," which can be switched on at any time (it barely affects your Veil gauge) and highlights hidden areas, shows you the path you should be following, and reveals invisible baddies. It will also reveal the location of "Veil pools," which you can wade into to recharge your gauge. The Veil recharges slowly over time, but standing in one of those pools will top it off quickly. You'll also see creepy floating bugs, called "Geists," while in Veil Vision, and you can shoot them to blow up Nazis that happen to be near them.
The amulet has four slots on it, and it twists and rotates like the puzzle box in Hellraiser, but we didn't get access to any other powers during our demo. We did encounter a large boss called the Heavy Trooper, however, and he blasts at you with an enormous Ghostbusters-like particle cannon. Once you've defeated him (Veil Vision will paint his vulnerable spots red), you can take his cannon and use it as your own. One interesting note: the particle cannon will totally obliterate enemies ... except for their hats and guns. Food for thought: Why didn't the Nazis make their entire uniforms out of the indestructible hat material?
Besides basic enemies, we encountered the Trooper, a Scribe (who creates shields around fellow soldiers using the Veil), and a boss known as the Despoiled. He's a glowing green skeletal Nazi officer ... who doesn't like you much. He can take you down with just a couple of hits, but once you learn the secret to offing him, he's a piece of cake. [Spoiler alert: Pop a Geist near him, and he drops like a sack of potatoes.]
"Veil will be in multiplayer," Raven assures.
Apparently every weapon and Veil power in the game is upgradeable, although we weren't able to do so in the demo. To upgrade weapons, you'll have to spend gold, looted along the way, and stop at weapons shops to tinker with your guns.The Veil powers are upgraded using collectible Tomes.
As we previously noted, Wolfenstein's look and gameplay is dated -- and not in a retro chic way. Wiithout the Veil, the game could be mistaken for a last-gen title, so the game's success rests on how compelling this feature will be throughout an entire playthrough. We didn't get to check out multiplayer, but developer Raven did assure us that "Veil will be in multiplayer."
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