The new Wolfenstein game is released on the 21st of August, on the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC and I'm excited not only because it looks like a brand new, quality first person shooter for me to get my teeth into, but also because the franchise's history carries so much positivity and good gaming experiences for me in the past. For me and most of my generation, who started playing video games in the late 80s and early 90s, Wolfenstein, along with Doom, was one of the first, and one of the best, games I played and introduced me to so many aspects of FPS gaming that I'd go so far as labelling it a defining game in my personal gaming culture and tastes.  Being a bit of a history nut Wolfenstein just pips Doom for me with the WWII back drop and visuals making it that little bit more enjoyable and iconic.

Plunged once more into the world of the Nazis and the Occult, you will play as  BJ Blazkowicz in 1943, sent on a special ops mission behind enemy lines and into the heart of the 3rd Reich to investigate evidence that they have a mysterious new power in their arsenal. 

A member of the Office of Secret Actions, Blazkowicz finds that through some remarkable 1940's technology (…) the Nazis are harnessing the power of something called the Black Sun, via a dark parallel dimension called The Veil, to create a new weapon of mass destruction and bring victory to the fascist war machine.  Clearly based on historical fact, this sounds at once a bit silly, but also admittedly a bit awesome, as you attempt to (not for the first time in Mr. Blazkowicz's career and probably not for the first time in your gaming career) save the world from Nazi domination.

The Veil itself will play more than just a part of the storyline, with the player able to drop into it and utilise special abilities such as slowing down time, progress through areas otherwise impossible in the “real world” or defeat enemies otherwise indestructible.  It is also via The Veil that supernatural and occult enhanced weapons will be created and used by the Nazi's, with Blazkowicz gaining access to these as the game progresses.  Meanwhile it is through The Veil and the Black Sun that weird and vicious enemies will be brought into the world giving the familiar mixture of Nazi and dark, fantastical enemies that is generally acceptable to be shooting at in video games.

So, single player looks like a good new offering of Wolfenstein goodness, how is the multiplayer panning out? Details are admittedly thin on the ground.  It will be based on the same modified engine as Enemy Territory: Quake Wars and has been developed by Endrant Studios who you would be forgiven for never hearing of.  Cooking up the Wolfenstein multiplayer is the studio's first project, but I think this is as much a reason to be excited as it is wary; although it's the studio's first project the studio itself is made up of talent that has worked on dozens of other titles in the past.  Their goal is to  to make “exciting, fun and accessible games that translate to the masses” which means absolutely nothing to anyone but, I'm still not too worried.

What we do know we can see glimpses of in screenshots, press releases and from the play.com offer. Classes, levelling up, upgrades, and some kind of shop to buy new weapons/items are likely, primarily because we can see if you Pre order Wolfenstein from Play.com and you'll receive an exclusive multiplayer unlock, which consists of 2000 in-game gold pieces to spend on upgrades and bonus items.  I think we'll see objective based classics like CTF and I would expect something a little different and off the wall through which the new studio might try to get themselves noticed.  It's their first project as a team and they're going to be as keen as mustard to produce a cracking multiplayer game.

Modern Warfare 2 is the game on FPS fans' radar right now but Wolfenstein looks like a great game to not only fill the gap to November 10th, but as a good game in its own right and deserving of attention. If you're going to buy, the play.com offer looks good and the free 2,000 in game gold pieces will give you an immediate online advantage.

In the meantime you can check out videos, images and more at the official site or compare prices on wolfenstein below.