Graphics and Sound

If the Q3A engine can do this…

Let’s get this settled in the open before we go any further. No game on the PC FPS market looks anywhere near as good as Wolfenstein. The difference between RTCW and Q3A at their best is far more than the best Quake II engine games and Quake II itself. This has interesting implications for future Quake III-powered games since apparently the bar can be raised significantly higher than expected.

Nearly every aspect has been upgraded. Textures are cleaner and, at times, photo-realistic. Lighting is much cleaner and more natural, but it seems like dynamic lighting has been toned down significantly or removed altogether. Lighting up a room with gunfire seems to be a thing of the past. Even the flamethrower, which is immensely bright, doesn’t seem to cast lighting on objects as strongly as it should.

Velkom to Cazle Volfenshtein

Piggies for zee picking, nein?

Zing, zoom, bullets fly

Speaking of which, the flamethrower is absolutely amazing. Although it is possible to spot flaws while looking for them, its liquidy, spewing fire is very natural and realistic. The texture work on the flames, the path they progress and the way fire expands near the end of the blast is just stunning. Splash-effect from walls will bounce the flame around at an angle, but does not balloon the fireball out if leveled directly at a wall. The improvements that have been made border upon the revolutionary, they’re so good.

Of course, the flamethrower is just one small aspect of the whole graphical package. The rest of the game takes an evolutionary approach over Quake III. Bigger textures, more detailed models, more frames in models, more detail on levels – standard improvements that add up for a very impressive experience if you have the hardware to run it.

The level designers in both multiplayer and singleplayer campaigns took full advantage of RTCW’s capabilities, showing off all sorts of effects and features. The designs are linear but the player gets a fair amount of leeway to explore at times, and the towns and cities definitely look old-school European. The castle tries for the typical medieval exterior and 18th/19th century interior – perhaps it comes off a little threadbare, but obviously with more detail than the original Castle Wolfenstein.

The outdoors are quite amazing as well. Wolfenstein is a huge leap forward over Team Arena. The terrain is naturally done by heightmaps, but the texture detail is outstanding as are the trees.

I hate their godlike aim

Ah, the turkey dinner

Machine Pistol duel

Effectiveness ratio?

As has been the situation for nearly a year, Castle Wolfenstein’s sound effects may be just average nowadays, but average is as good as anyone can get when there’s little room for improvement. Sure you can argue that some guns sound weak and some unrealistic, but they do the job and do it well. Ambient sounds are superb and voice acting is passable – there are a few situations where actors lose their German accents, unfortunately.

The music is the weakest point in the effects department. It is utterly cliché. If you’ve ever seen a military movie or played a Rainbow Six game, you’ve heard this music before. While it suits the atmosphere, it is a safe and predictable choice, lacking any excitement or imagination whatsoever.