Return to Castle Wolfenstein

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Return to Castle Wolfenstein {{#if:{{{image\|}}}\|<tr><td colspan="2" style="text-align: center;">{{{image\|}}}
Developer(s)	id Software Gray Matter Interactive Nerve Software {{#if:{{{publisher\|}}}\|<tr><th style="background-color: #ccccff;">Publisher(s)<td>{{{publisher\|}}}
Release date(s)	2001
Genre(s)	First-person shooter
Mode(s)	Single player, multiplayer {{#if:{{{ratings\|}}}\|<tr><th style="background-color: #ccccff;">Rating(s)<td>{{{ratings\|}}}
Platform(s)	PC (Linux, Windows), Mac, PlayStation 2, Xbox {{#if:{{{media\|}}}\|<tr><th style="background-color: #ccccff;">Media<td>{{{media\|}}}

Return to Castle Wolfenstein is a first person shooter computer game published by Activision and released in 2001. The single player game was developed by Gray Matter Interactive and Nerve Software developed its multiplayer mode. Id Software, the creators of the original game entitled Wolfenstein 3D, oversaw the development of the game and were credited as executive producers.

There are many different versions of the game. The Collector's Edition comes in metal case and includes promotional materials. The Game of the Year Edition comes with the original Wolfenstein 3D and game demos. The Platinum Edition comes with Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory, a stand-alone expansion.

In 2003, the game was ported to the PlayStation 2 and Xbox video game consoles and subtitled as Operation Resurrection and Tides of War, respectively. Both console versions include a series of prequel single player missions where the main character, William Joseph "BJ" Blazkowicz (Agent Two) and his partner Agent One operate in Nazi-occupied Egypt / North Africa. The two player co-op mode is exclusive to consoles and allows the second player to play as Agent One (later tortured to death in the Wolfenstein castle/prison of Mission 1). The Xbox version has the addition of online play via Xbox Live.

The game is powered by a heavily-modified version of the Quake III engine. The Return to Castle Wolfenstein engine was subsequently used as the foundation for Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory (Splash Damage/Activision), "Trinity" (Gray Matter Interactive/Activision) (shown at E3 in 2004, but cancelled shortly after) and Call of Duty (Infinity Ward/Activision).

1 Overview
2 Plot outline
3 Weapons
4 Multiplayer
5 Enemy Territory spinoff
6 Return to Castle Wolfenstein 2
7 See also
8 Awards
9 External links
10 References

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Overview

Return to Castle Wolfenstein is a remake of sorts of the early, seminal first-person shooter, Wolfenstein 3D. However, with the advances in graphics technology and gameplay design since the original game, without the name and the occasional in-game references, it would be unrecognisable as a remake.

It features a story-based single player campaign (taking up many of the themes from the original game), as well as a team-based networked multiplayer version which features different character classes that must work together in order to win, similar to the concept of Team Fortress. Although there are only four classes - lieutenant, medic, engineer, and soldier - the soldier can be one of several subclasses depending upon the special/heavy weapon that he selects. Some unique weapons not found in other WWII-themed first-person shooters include the flamethrower and the airstrike beacon. The multiplayer demo included a beachhead assault similar to the opening of the movie Saving Private Ryan.

The game is based on Castle Wewelsburg, a 17th century castle occupied by the Germans under Heinrich Himmler's control, and used for occult rituals and practices. Unlike the original Wolfenstein 3D, only a handful of the single player missions in Return to Castle Wolfenstein takes place in the infamous castle/prison. The single player game takes place in Nazi-occupied Europe during 1943 and revolves around Allied Commando B.J. Blazkowicz, who, along with another agent (Agent One in the Xbox and PS2 versions), is sent to investigate rumors surrounding one of Heinrich Himmler's personal projects, the SS Paranormal Division. The agents are, however, captured before completing their mission and are imprisoned in Castle Wolfenstein. Taking the role of Blaskowicz, the player must escape the castle and continue investigating the activities of the SS Paranormal Division, which include research on resurrecting corpses, bio-technology, and secret weapons. During the game the player will face numerous foes, including Wehrmacht soldiers, elite Fallschirmjäger (paratroopers), legions of undead creatures, and horrific Übersoldaten (supersoldiers) formed from a hideous blend of surgery and chemical engineering. The end boss is an undead Saxon warrior-prince named Heinrich I. Some of the missions involving the undead were influenced by The Mummy (1999) and The Mummy Returns (2001) movies, and somewhat similar to Indiana Jones. Other missions are similar to romanticized fictional stories of Allied commandos and resistance fighters that operated behind enemy lines to spy and sabotage.

To make the game eligible for sale in Germany, the developers of the game removed the infamous Nazi swastika in Return to Castle Wolfenstein. In its stead, the German forces' logo is a creative logo that can be interpreted in 3 different ways; Quake III Arena (a game previously developed by id Software and the graphics engine that Return to Castle Wolfenstein is based upon), an Eagle (a symbol often used to represent Germany), and "W" (standing for Wolfenstein). Every reference to the "Third Reich" was removed; thus, the player is not battling Nazis, but a secret sect called the "Wolves" led by Heinrich Höller, whose name is a pun of the original character Himmler (Himmler roughly translates as "Heavener", Höller as "Heller").

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Plot outline

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Mission 1: Ominous Rumors: While investigating the activities around the SS Paranormal Division, B. J. Blazkowicz and Agent One are captured by the Nazis. Agent One is killed during torture, and B. J. manages to overcome his guard and escape. Armed only with a Luger and a knife, he has to find a way out of the castle, fighting through platoons of guards, and ultimately using a tram car to leave the area and look for a German resistance agent in a nearby village.
Mission 2: Dark Secret: Helga von Bulow, the leader of the SS Paranormal Division, had her team excavate deep within ancient catacombs and crypts beneath the village. There they awoke an army of vile undead - zombies and skeletal knights. B. J. has to descend in those crypts, fight hordes of undead, and locate an ancient defiled church, where Helga's Elite Guard, and a hideous beast, await.
Mission 3: Weapons of Vengeance: The German scientist at the SS Special Projects Division, Wilhelm Strasse, "Deathshead", has planned a vicious attack on London using a V-2 rocket fitted with an experimental chemical warhead. B. J. is sent to stop this before London is hit by the deadly missile. His mission is to use stealth and surprise in order to sneak into the rocket base and destroy the missile. At success, he will also have to steal an experimental Nazi aircraft from a guarded airbase.
Mission 4: Deadly Designs: Seeking to investigate more into Deathshead and his secret projects, the OSA sends B. J. to a mission in a heavily bombarded city. He is to discover and damage Strasse's Secret Weapons Facility (SWF). The focus of the mission is the retrieving of the plans of the experimental Venom Gun, which has immense destructive power. He would also be able to retrieve one of those guns and try it out on his own. In the SWF, the agent will encounter new powerful mutants, and see as Deathshead escapes with his submarine...
Mission 5: Deathshead's Playground: B. J. is sent to put an end to Deathshead's mad schemes once and for all. He is to penetrate his secret X-Labs, retrieve his journals, and learn more of the Über Soldat project, as he would encounter one of those robotic monstrosities. Deathshead ultimately escapes but promises that some day they would meet again...
Mission 6: Return Engagement: As "Operation: Resurrection" is revealed, B. J. is sent to the village of Paderborn and Chateau Schutzstaffel to stop a dark ceremony that would arise the ancient Dark Knights. On his way, the hero would have to assassinate the SSPD officers, and then locate the ceremony site, where something quite evil awaits.
Mission 7: Operation Resurrection: The Nazis are to resurrect the ancient Saxon prince Heinrich I. If they are not stopped, and Heinrich rises, B. J. would have to face him in battle, and prevail...

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Weapons

When you first start the game, your only weapon is a knife. If you walk over the guard, you pick up his Luger.

The third weapon you get is an MP-40 German SMG. You enter the radio room and kill the guards and pick up their MP-40's. (Hint: If you walk into the room, instead of running, the guards won't notice you. If you stab the one guard in the back with your knife, it kills him silently and you can do the same for the next two guards.)

The fourth weapon is the Mauser rifle without a scope. It has good accuracy and damage. Later on you will receive a Tommy gun and Colt 45 which are slightly more powerful than MP-40 and Luger, however their ammunition is hard to find. Further more you will receive more sci-fi weapons like the Tesla Cannon and Venom Minigun.

Also available is the Panzerfaust, the Fallschirmjagergewher Model 1942 paratrooper rifle, an experimental American sniper rifle with a night vision scope, and the pinapple and stick grenades of the allies and axis, respectively.

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Multiplayer

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Enemy Territory spinoff

Template:Main A multiplayer-only spinoff of the series, Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory, was originally planned as a full-fledged expansion pack for Return to Castle Wolfenstein developed by Splash Damage. The single player component of the game was never completed and thus was removed entirely. The developers at that point decided the multiplayer part would be released as a free, downloadable standalone game. Enemy Territory is a team-based networked multiplayer game which involves completing objectives through team-work and by using different character classes.

In 2005, id Software and Splash Damage announced a follow-up to Enemy Territory using the Doom 3 engine. This new game will feature similar large-scale gameplay but instead of taking place in the Wolfenstein universe it will be a prequel to Quake II and Quake 4. This game is entitled Enemy Territory: Quake Wars and is due for release in the first half of 2006.

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