But overall the new Wolfenstein game is a pleasure. There’s variety in its levels and flexibility in the way you approach combat. There’s gore, insane set-pieces and obvious-but-effective scares. And while it doesn’t do much that’s particularly new, it will keep you entertained from start to finish even as the silliness struggles against the sincerity. All in all a very effective plug for the next-gen gaming gap. READ MORE: The 200 Greatest games of all time Review by Tom Parsons

At its best offers big, bombastic fun; Great production values; Inventive setting and tech; Open combat options;

The balance between silly and sombre isn't quite right; Some difficulty imbalances;

At its best offers big, bombastic fun; Great production values; Inventive setting and tech; Open combat options;

The balance between silly and sombre isn’t quite right; Some difficulty imbalances;

is the melding of your typical, everyday shooter with quality writing and a cast of believable and relatable characters. Machinegames' more grounded treatment of the often way over-the-top alternate Nazi history is also a nice touch, and while The New Order is in no way, shape, or form a simulation...

Interesting alternate history storyline; High presentation values; Great writing; characters

Archaic ammo/item pick-up; Bad dual-wielding

It's 1960, and the Nazis have taken over the world. Once-beautiful cities like Berlin and London have been transformed into oppressive urban landscapes. Propaganda posters are plastered over miles of depressing concrete, while loudspeakers echo the doctrine of the Nazis' totalitarian regime and the...

Old-school combat mechanics are a refreshing change of pace; Big; loud guns with excellent feedback; A simple but effective stealth approach

Laser cutter can't be used creatively; Inconsequential perks system

Best FPS of the year so far. Best single player Wolfenstein experience yet! Picked it up at the midnight release and played it all night. I plan on getting the platinum trophy so there are easily 20+ hours of gameplay here. The first thing that I will say is that the story really sucked me in.

Wolfenstein: The New Order is the Inglourious Basterds of Nazi-killing video games. All the requisite violence of the genre is there, but there's a well-considered style and grace that elevates it beyond its mindless, dime-a-dozen brethren (e.g., Medal of Honor , Call of Duty ).

The best Wolfenstein game ever made and one of the best single-player shooters for years, with a brave attempt to tackle serious issues and still have fun at the same time.

Superb gunplay mixed with largely optional, but extremely rewarding, stealth mechanics and non-linear set pieces; Great variety in locations and a daring, if schizophrenic, storytelling style

As understandable as it may be the story pulls its punches when it comes to the greatest horrors of the Nazi regime; The characters are all very thinly written

No matter what happens with the first-person-shooter genre, the patriarchs of the popular gaming category -- Wolfenstein (grandfather) and Doom (father) -- refuse to retire. But while titles such as Duke Nukem Forever attempted a fusion between old-school shooters and contemporary mechanics, the...

B.J.'s weapon selection is nothing short of what you'd expect to find in this reimagined game. He's got knives, pistols, and assault rifles up the wazoo! You'll have access to his full arsenal before you know it, like upgrades that include scopes and rocket attachments.

Visually stunning; Compelling story you'll want to finish; Killing Nazis never gets old

Odd gameplay to cut-scene transitions; Tags

A new take on the long-running WW2 series has some great ideas and fantastic action sequences, although the tone varies wildly