[Review] Wolfenstein: The New Order

[vagabondn.]

 

 

 

In a “blunt” interview with The Economist, Macron said Europe stands on “the edge of a precipice”, and needs to start thinking of itself strategically as a geopolitical power otherwise “we will no longer be in control of our destiny.”

“What we are currently experiencing is the brain death of Nato. You have no coordination whatsoever of strategic decision-making between the United States and its Nato allies” he said, singling out the “uncoordinated aggressive action by another Nato ally, Turkey, in an area where our interests are at stake”.

Accusing the Trump administration of turning its back on its long-standing partners in Europe, he also said he was unsure whether he still believed in the “collective defence” sti[CENSORED]tions of article five of Nato’s founding treaty, under which an attack against one member is considered an attack against all members.

Trump has frequently accused European Nato members of failing to provide their fair share of military spending and for relying too heavily on the US for their defence. Last year, he threatened to “moderate” Washington's commitment to the alliance if members fail to meet a 2% of GDP defence spending target.

By contrast, his abrupt decision to pull most US forces out of north-eastern Syria in October angered many European Nato members and opened the way for Turkey, itself a powerful Nato member, to push into Syria and expel Kurdish fighters from a security zone along its border.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
For a round-up of the most important stories from around the world - and a concise, refreshing and balanced take on the week’s news agenda - try The Week magazine. Get your first six issues for £6
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

“This about much more than one US president” says BBC defence correspondent Jonathan Marcus. “Nato must defend against multiple threats which different countries perceive in different ways. And a number of allies seem less and less keen to espouse the liberal democratic values that lie at Nato's core”.

The Guardian says Macron's comments amount to a “questioning of Nato’s effectiveness and suggestion European countries in the 29-member alliance should reassess their situation” ahead of a 70th anniversary summit with leaders including Donald Trump in the UK early next month.

Highlighting “the deep splits between Europe and the US over the transatlantic military alliance” the Financial Times reports his remarks “triggered angry private reactions from some European diplomats who saw them as damaging to Nato — if not necessarily untrue”. 

In a sign of splits within Europe as well, DW says Macron's remarks are “a long way” from those made by German Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer a day earlier, in which she described the alliance as a cornerstone of modern Europe.

“Nato is and will remain the anchor of European security,” Kramp-Karrenbauer said at a private event with Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg. “But it is also clear that Europe must increase its own complementary ability to act.”

Reuters reports France “has long pressed for closer European defense cooperation but has faced resistance from Britain and others which say the United States remains key to Western defense, especially in the face of a more assertive Russia”.

 

Then again, when it comes to mechanics, The New Order doesn't do much to differentiate itself from the glut of shooters that come out every year. Blazcowicz has a typical array of weapons at his disposal -- a knife, a pistol, a machinegun, a sniper rifle, and so on -- as well as some Nazi future tech, like laser rifles, that give the game the alternate history feel that Wolfenstein has thrived on for 22 years. Gunplay is fun and fluid, though I have to question the inclusion of dual-wielding, which, while cool in theory, is exceptionally cumbersome and entirely inadequate in heated firefights.

Combat is made more dynamic by a heavy emphasis on stealth, which is both a blessing and a curse in The New Order. Slinking around wide-open maps and linear corridors -- knife in hand -- is satisfying, especially when you score a stealthy kill with a slash or toss of your blade or the shot of a silenced pistol. I also enjoyed the inclusion of special enemies with the ability to call endless reinforcements if you're spotted. By finding and killing them in secret, you can mitigate the challenges presented by specific areas while illuminating the locations of secret items on your map (like gold, Enigma codes, and letters). It's just a shame that these stealth mechanics expose some questionable and inconsistent AI that seems designed to make things a bit easier on you if you opt to play with a quiet slant. Sometimes it seems blind, both to you and to the freshly knifed bodies of their compatriots under their feet.

 

Developer Machinegames did bring some novelty to the experience, however, especially when it comes to The New Order's skill progression system. It isn't based on leveling up or spending skill points; rather, dozens of skills are nestled underneath four separate headers, and they're unlocked by completing tasks in-game, like scoring headshots, killing foes from cover, or eliminating your enemies with potato masher grenades. Better yet, many of these skills must be unlocked in sequence, giving the entire scheme some depth. I really liked this system; it feels genuinely unique next to many of Wolfenstein's shooter contemporaries.

Where The New Order really shines, however, is in its plot, characters, and presentation. It's swimming in cool, alternate history lore that makes Wolfenstein feel strangely believable. While the Nazis didn't actually build large, building-sized machines, affix plate armor to their dogs, or implant human brains into mechs, it's honestly not that far-fetched to think they might have tried if the Allies didn't extinguish them in 1945. These are the people that performed heinous experiments on living humans, obsessed over racial purity with their Ahnenerbe-affiliated pseudo-scholars, and even contemplated building something called the Sun Gun, not to mention endless arrays of special missiles, nuclear bombs, jet aircraft, helicopters, and more under the moniker of Wunderwaffe. That's all real, so it's not too farfetched to think that if Nazi scientists in the real world were experimenting with, say, bone and nerve transplants, that they might have eventually tried to do it with the human brain, too. Wolfenstein seems to understand this, even if it's taken to a still unrealistic degree.

Machinegames should also be commended for artfully working unsanitized references to real-life Nazi atrocities into its alternate history story without fear of offending anybody. You're given startling glimpses into Nazi's systematic mistreatment of the mentally ill and handicapped, a first-hand look at a forced labor camp, and plenty of allusions to Nazi treatment of non-Aryan people around the world, including in occupied America. All of this, peppered into in-game and pre-rendered cutscenes, makes The New Order feel surprisingly human, and your situation quite desperate.

The New Order has a wide array of environments to explore that highlight some what-ifs of a victorious Nazi Germany. In Wolfenstein, the Nazis have a thriving space program, devastating ordnance, and an all-new, gilded version of their capital city, Berlin. Some of these areas seem a little vacant when it comes to foot and car traffic, but it's cool to see Machinegames' vision of this terrible new fascist-dominated world. Unfortunately, scouring these environments can sometimes be a bit of a grind, especially when you're constantly collecting endless amounts of health, armor, and ammunition, each of which requiring the press of a button. Oftentimes, I'd see the on-screen prompt to collect something before I could even see what I'm collecting, taking away from the immersive nature of the world. Why can't I just pick up the ammo by walking over it? This aspect of The New Order made it feel very old.

Edited November 16, 2019 by vagabond.