Instruct: Given a question, retrieve passages that answer the question.
Query: When was Wolfenstein: The New Order first released?
The first two games in the series, Castle Wolfenstein and Beyond Castle Wolfenstein, were stealth-based and featured a 2D top-down perspective. The third game in the franchise, Wolfenstein 3D, developed by id Software, introduced a first-person perspective with faster-paced action. Because of this, it is widely regarded to have helped popularize the first-person shooter genre. In 2001, the series was rebooted with Return to Castle Wolfenstein, developed by Gray Matter Interactive. It was followed in 2003 by Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory, by Splash Damage. Raven Software's Wolfenstein followed in 2009. After ZeniMax Media acquired id Software, Swedish developer MachineGames released Wolfenstein: The New Order in 2014 and a standalone expansion Wolfenstein: The Old Blood in 2015. A direct sequel to The New Order entitled Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus was released on October 27, 2017.
Development began in 2010, soon after id Software gave MachineGames the rights for the franchise. The development team envisioned "Wolfenstein: The New Order" as a first-person action-adventure game, taking inspiration from previous games in the series and particularly focusing on the combat and adventure elements. The game attempts to delve into character development of Blazkowicz, unlike its predecessors—a choice from the developers to interest players in the story. They also aimed to portray him in a heroic fashion.
Beyond Castle Wolfenstein is a 1984 World War II stealth game. A direct sequel to "Castle Wolfenstein", it is the second game in the "Wolfenstein" series, and the last installment to be released by original developer Muse Software before the name was revived for a first person shooter in 1991. "Castle Wolfenstein" was written solely by Silas Warner for the Apple II, while the sequel was was developed simultaneously for the Apple II and Commodore 64 by Warner, Eric Ace, and Frank Svoboda III. It was quickly ported to the Atari 8-bit family and MS-DOS.
"Wolfenstein: The New Order" makes use of an original score that reflects the alternative universe depicted in the game. "We wanted to identify with different sounds that were kind of iconic, 1960s sounds, and then do our own twist on them to make a sound authentic enough that it felt realistic," said Hines. The team placed a high importance on the game's music. During the game's development, composer Mick Gordon traveled to Sweden to meet with the team, and he spotted the game over three days, partly collaborating with both Fredrik Thordendal and Richard Devine. Gordon expressed the difference in composing the soundtrack for "Wolfenstein: The New Order" compared to other games: "Usually you sign onto a project and then you're given a list of 150 battle cues to do."
Wolfenstein is a first-person shooter video game developed by Raven Software and published by Activision, part of the "Wolfenstein" video game series. It serves as a sequel to the 2001 entry "Return to Castle Wolfenstein", albeit loosely; and uses an enhanced version of id Software's id Tech 4. It was released in August 2009 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, to a lukewarm to positive reception by critics; as well as poor commercial sales, selling a combined 100,000 copies within its first month. This was the final game id Software oversaw as an independent developer, released two months after their acquisition by ZeniMax Media in June 2009.
"Castle Wolfenstein" inspired the game "Wolfenstein 3D" and its prequel "Spear of Destiny" by id Software, which were both released in 1992 and helped popularize the first-person shooter genre. Id went on to release "Return to Castle Wolfenstein" in 2001, "" in 2003, "Wolfenstein" in 2009. "", using the Id game engine id Tech 5, but developed and published by MachineGames and Bethesda Softworks, respectively, was released in 2014.
The development of "Wolfenstein RPG" has been a long and difficult task involving id Software, Firemint Software and Electronic Arts and many months of development. Mobile version was released in late 2008. EA Mobile announced the availability of Wolfenstein RPG on August 14, 2009, a new take on the classic game originally created by id Software, on the App Store. Wolfenstein RPG is a worldwide release to all territories that host the iTunes App Store, including Germany. It is compatible with iPhone and iPod touch and minimum requires is iPhone OS 2.2.1 or later. "Wolfenstein RPG" is the fourth generation of our turn-based titles under EA Mobile John Carmack, founder and technical director at id Software said that, "The App Store version is dramatically better than on any other platform, with by an order of magnitude more media in high resolution graphics and audio, all rendered fast and smooth with hardware OpenGL graphics acceleration."
The game is a loose remake of Return to Castle Wolfenstein, with heavy resemblances noticed within the storylines of the two games, as well as the existence of various characters as homages to the ones from the older title. Developed by MachineGames and published by Bethesda Softworks, the game serves as a stand-alone expansion pack to Wolfenstein: The New Order, and was released in 2015.
After developer MachineGames was founded, the employees all began brainstorming ideas, and pitching them to publishers. In June 2009, MachineGames owner ZeniMax Media acquired id Software and all of its property, including "Doom", "Quake" and "Wolfenstein". Bethesda Softworks, who had previously declined a pitch from MachineGames, suggested that they develop a new game from a franchise acquired by ZeniMax. MachineGames inquired about developing a new game in the "Wolfenstein" series; the studio visited id Software, who approved of MachineGames' request for a new "Wolfenstein" game. By November 2010, paperwork was signed, allowing MachineGames to develop "Wolfenstein: The New Order". Preliminary development lasted approximately three years.
Return to Castle Wolfenstein is a first-person shooter video game published by Activision, released on November 19, 2001 for Microsoft Windows and subsequently for PlayStation 2, Xbox, Linux and Macintosh. The game serves as both a remake and a reboot to the "Wolfenstein" series. It was developed by Gray Matter Interactive and Nerve Software developed its multiplayer mode. id Software, the creators of "Wolfenstein 3D", oversaw the development and were credited as executive producers. The multiplayer side eventually became the most popular part of the game, and was influential in the genre. Splash Damage created some of the maps for the Game of the Year edition. A sequel, titled "Wolfenstein", was released on August 18, 2009.
Four promotional motion comics, each about three minutes long, were released. Each was based on a particular installment in the "Wolfenstein" series and served as a nostalgic reminder. The first one recreated "Wolfenstein 3D"s escape from Castle Wolfenstein, the Hans Grosse killing and the final battle against Adolf Hitler. The second was based upon "Wolfenstein 3D"s prequel game "Spear of Destiny", and recreated its final battle, in which B.J. fights the cybernetic Death Knight and the Angel of Death for control of the Spear. The third comic was based on "Return to Castle Wolfenstein" and recreated the battle with Olaric, the destruction of an experimental V2 rocket and later the final battle against Heinrich I. The fourth comic was based on the "Wolfenstein"s own cinematic introduction and shows B.J. infiltrating a Nazi battleship and stealing the first Thule medallion.
Wolfenstein: The New Order (Original Game Soundtrack) is the soundtrack to the video game "". The soundtrack was released on 19 May 2014, consisting of an original score featured in the game. Composer Mick Gordon took inspiration from multiple sources while producing the soundtrack, ultimately creating over six hours of music. Critical reception to the soundtrack was positive, as reviewers considered that the music had been appropriated effectively for gameplay.
"Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus" was released to "generally favorable" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic. Chris Moyse's 8/10 score on "Destructoid" stated that "Impressive effort with a few noticeable problems holding it back. Won't astound everyone, but is worth your time and cash." Michael Goroff's score of 8/10 on EGMNow said that ""Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus" story and imaginative level design carry the burden of its quality on their shoulders, but they're backed up by solid shooter mechanics and really cool guns. While the experience as a whole might be inconsistent and sometimes frustrating, it's an experience worth having. After all, you get to blow up a bunch of Nazis. Also, did we mention the guns were really cool?" Jason Faulkner from Game Revolution gave the game a score of 4 out of 5 stars saying that ""Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus" wraps up the feeling of a blockbuster movie in something you can interact with. There's a lot of games that do that, but the spectacle here is outstanding, and the fast-paced gunplay and compelling main story made me want more when the credits rolled. Killing Nazis is one of the most fun and wholesome things a person can do, and there's no better way than to do it with "Wolfenstein II"." Andy Hartup of GamesRadar+ awarded it 4.5 out of 5 stars stating that ""Wolfenstein II" offers slick shooting, plenty of spectacle, and heaps of fun characters to interact with. The plot is far from perfect, and levels are a touch dull, but overall it's a must-play." 9.1/10 was Dan Stapleton's score on IGN with the consensus: "The excellent shooting action in "Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus" is paired with a fantastically written and acted story." Samuel Roberts's 81/100 score on "PC Gamer" stated that ""The New Colossus" is a fun and frantic FPS, even if it doesn't feel quite as fresh as "The New Order" did." ""Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus" jumps from breakneck bloodshed, to humour involving your endearing crew, with aplomb; a masterfully done sequel," was Colm Ahern's conclusion on VideoGamer.com with a score of 9/10.
At E3 2017, Bethesda announced "", a sequel to "The New Order". It was released on 27 October 2017.
There are many different releases of "Return to Castle Wolfenstein". The original release, version 1.0, came in a game box featuring a book-like flap. A Collector's Edition, packaged in a metal case, was released at the same time. The contents of the Collector's Edition changed depending on when it was purchased and could include a poster and fabric patch, a poster and a bonus CD, or just the bonus CD. The Game of the Year Edition (2002 - v.1.33) came with the original "Wolfenstein 3D", game demos, and seven new multiplayer maps (Trenchtoast, Tram Siege, Ice, Chateau, Keep, The Damned, and Rocket.) The Platinum Edition (2004 - v.1.41) included "", a stand-alone multiplayer expansion, and "Wolfenstein 3D". "Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Tides of War" also came with the original "Wolfenstein 3D" as an unlockable after beating the campaign, and included some enhancements like surround sound.
The company's breakout product was released on May 5, 1992: "Wolfenstein 3D", a first-person shooter (FPS) with smooth 3D graphics that were unprecedented in computer games, and with violent gameplay that many gamers found engaging. After essentially founding an entire genre with this game, id Software created "Doom", "", "Quake", "Quake II", "Quake III Arena", "Quake 4", and "Doom 3". Each of these first-person shooters featured progressively higher levels of graphical technology. "Wolfenstein 3D" spawned a prequel and a sequel: the prequel called "Spear of Destiny", and the second, "Return to Castle Wolfenstein", using the id Tech 3 engine. A third "Wolfenstein" sequel, simply titled "Wolfenstein", was released by Raven Software, using the id Tech 4 engine. Another sequel, named ""; was developed using the id Tech 5 engine and released by MachineGames in 2014, with it getting a prequel by the name of "" a year later; followed by a direct sequel titled "" in 2017.
"Wolfenstein: The New Order" was released to mostly positive reviews. Metacritic calculated an average score of 81 out of 100 based on 23 reviews for the Windows version, 79 out of 100 based on 18 reviews for the Xbox One version and 73 reviews for the PlayStation 4 version. Reviewers liked the game's concept, narrative and combat mechanics.
Within a week of its release, "Wolfenstein: The New Order" became the second best-selling game of 2014 in the United Kingdom, behind "Titanfall". The game also topped the weekly UK charts in its first week, totaling a quarter of all games sold in the region and accounting for 36% of revenue. According to "MCV", it was the 22nd best-selling game of 2014 in the UK. In the United States, the game was the fourth and seventh best-selling game of May and June 2014, respectively. The game was also ranked the fifth and fourteenth best-selling digital PlayStation 4 game of May and June 2014, respectively. In its first week in Japan, the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 versions of the game were placed on the charts at 15th and 8th, respectively, collectively selling over 11,000 units. By June 2014, the game had sold almost 400,000 physical units in Europe, equating to over €21 million.
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus is an action-adventure first-person shooter video game developed by MachineGames and published by Bethesda Softworks. It was released on 27 October 2017 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, and was released on 29 June 2018 for Nintendo Switch. The eighth main entry in the "Wolfenstein" series and the sequel to 2014's "", the game is set in an alternate history which takes place in 1961 following the Nazi victory in the Second World War. The story follows war veteran William "B.J." Blazkowicz and his efforts to fight against the Nazi regime in America.
Wolfenstein 3D is a first-person shooter video game developed by id Software and published by Apogee Software and FormGen. Originally released on May 5, 1992 for MS-DOS, it was inspired by the 1981 Muse Software video game "Castle Wolfenstein", and is the third installment in the "Wolfenstein" series. In "Wolfenstein 3D", the player assumes the role of Allied spy William "B.J." Blazkowicz during World War II as he escapes from the Nazi German prison Castle Wolfenstein and carries out a series of crucial missions against the Nazis. The player traverses each of the game's levels to find an elevator to the next level or kill a final boss, fighting Nazi soldiers, dogs, and other enemies with knives and a variety of guns.
Although id Software did not develop another "Wolfenstein" game, as their development focus shifted to "Doom" shortly after release, and has never returned to the series, multiple "Wolfenstein" titles have been produced by other companies, sometimes using game engines developed by id. The first of these newer "Wolfenstein" games was "Return to Castle Wolfenstein" in 2001, a reboot of the series, and the latest is the 2017 "".
On 10 June 2018, Bethesda Softworks announced "", a standalone sequel, in similar vein to "", to "Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus" that will be released in 2019.
At release, "Wolfenstein: The New Order" received generally positive reviews, with praise particularly directed at the combat and the narrative of the game. Critics considered it a positive change to the series and nominated it for multiple year-end accolades, including Game of the Year and Best Shooter awards from several gaming publications. A stand-alone expansion was released in May 2015, set before the events of the game and entitled "". A sequel, "", was released in October 2017.
"PC Gamer UK"'s Chris Thursten said, "what was novel a year ago isn't necessarily novel now". He was mostly positive of the game's action gunplay, calling it "excellent". He said the Challenge arenas are also a good addition that he'd like to see in future "Wolfenstein" games. Most negative comments were related to "The New Order", in Thursten's opinion, being superior to "The Old Blood". Thursten said ,"Nothing in "The Old Blood" exceeds what was achieved in "The New Order", and there are moments when the two are uncannily similar".
The existence of "Wolfenstein: The Old Blood" was first acknowledged by Bethesda Softworks on 4 March 2015, through the release of an announcement trailer. Footage of the game was showcased at PAX East on 6–7 March 2015. Though initially announced to only be available digitally, it was later confirmed that the game would also receive a physical retail release in Europe, Australia and New Zealand.