Wolfenstein 2 begins with a surprise: gun-toting Nazi-killing machine B.J. Blazkowicz is blasted to bits, his body a useless husk. The end of MachineGames' eye-catching debut did not go well for poor old B.J. and so, when he's forced awake from a coma on board a resistance submarine that's under attack from the Nazi regime, he can't even stand. He tries and falls down.
And so, B.J., who throughout Wolfenstein: The New Order was about as overpowered a video game hero as you can get, is all of a sudden wheelchair bound. You have a weak automatic pistol to defend yourself with and that's it. One hand creaking your wheelchair forward, the other pulling the trigger. When you "sprint", B.J. puts the gun on his lap and uses both hands to power forward. This is not the way we're used to starting big-budget shooters.
It's a welcome surprise, and I credit MachineGames with doing something interesting here. Wolfenstein 2's first level is not easy. In fact, it's a bit of a struggle. Nazis are everywhere, and you are, clearly, not at your best. In fact, it feels like you're dying with each push and pull of your wheels, like B.J. is bleeding out from his catheter and each health pick-up is doing no more than delaying the inevitable. I like that.
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