It just shows that they actually used german actors instead of Americans trying to sound German. The German is also well written and sounds natural for the most part. Lots of other games use expressions that no native speaker would ever use.
It probably has better German voice work than most German localizations which I avoid like the plague.
There was a scene in Chapter1 where you can sneak up to an officer having a phone conversation with his "Gruppenführer" and man did that impress.
First of all he speaks perfect Austrian/Bavarian German, not an American/English actor trying to pass off as German.
So I stand behind this officer, my knifes ready, the prompt to do a stealth take down appears, I think, hey why not wait a bit and listen in to the conversation.
So the SS officer is like:
"Yes, Gruppenführer, yes oh she is pregnant. Yes. My biggest fear yes."
I'm like SHIT. Then he continues: "Yes 2 children. Can't wait to see them again when I get home"
SHIIEEET. I try to think of alternatives to killing him. Sneaking around him? After like 2 minutes of contemplating I pull the trigger and knife him and feel bad for the rest of the chapter.
There was a scene in Chapter1 where you can sneak up to an officer having a phone conversation with his "Gruppenführer" and man did that impress.
First of all he speaks perfect Austrian/Bavarian German, not an American/English actor trying to pass off as German.
So I stand behind this officer, my knifes ready, the prompt to do a stealth take down appears, I think, hey why not wait a bit and listen in to the conversation.
So the SS officer is like:
"Yes, Gruppenführer, yes oh she is pregnant. Yes. My biggest fear yes."
I'm like SHIT. Then he continues: "Yes 2 children. Can't wait to see them again when I get home"
SHIIEEET. I try to think of alternatives to killing him. Sneaking around him? After like 2 minutes of contemplating I pull the trigger and knife him and feel bad for the rest of the chapter.
Spec Ops: The Line did that idle enemy chatter thing to help empathize with the people you're killing, I'm glad Wolfenstein ripped a page out of that book.
It just shows that they actually used german actors instead of Americans trying to sound German. The German is also well written and sounds natural for the most part. Lots of other games use expressions that no native speaker would ever use.
It probably has better German voice work than most German localizations which I avoid like the plague.
They really seemed to pay attention to detail in this game. Personally, I don't really like general tone of it, but it's nice to see that many others really enjoy the unique identity that the game has crafted.
They really seemed to pay attention to detail in this game. Personally, I don't really like general tone of it, but it's nice to see that many others really enjoy the unique identity that the game has crafted.
Quite a few of the older Starbreeze guys are huge comic fans. I feel they are inspired by people like Alan Moore, Garth Ennis etc. Hence you have this blend of serious themes, monologues, obscure dark humour etc (and lots of depravity).
Wait, where am I comparing this game to Bioshock Infinite again? What is your point exactly. Does GAF always feel the need to pick another popular game and throw it into a discussion about another? Are you going to compare it to TLOU too while you are at it? It is kind of a weird way to react to the point I am trying to make.
I never even said this game can't be GOTY (because, opinions, man) but it most certainly isn't as amazing as some of the comments in this thread are making it out to be. And I'm saying this as someone who got more enjoyement out of this game than any other I have played this year up to this moment. It will easily make my personal Top 10 of 2014. Hell, it might even be in my Top 5 if fall isn't packed with too many fantastic games.
But if you want to have this discussion anyway: BJ and Anya their relationship was no way near that of Booker and Elizabeth in terms of how well it was handled and how interesting and complex it was. Story spoilers for Wolfenstein:
He has a nurse who cares for him for years, they fall in love, after that she is basically just your average love interest. Even the fact they want to live a happy life together but can't because of the circumstances is cliché as hell. Don't get me wrong; the two of them way more interesting than you would expect them to be; both BJ and Anya are great, three-dimensional characters on their own. But their relationship isn't anything to write home about and has been done before in hundreds of games, movies, books, plays, you name it.
And compare that to Infinite, where basically the entire game is a study of the developing relationship between the two main characters, with a few interesting twists and turns in that complex relationship along the way. You really need to replay Infinite if you think the main relationship in Wolfenstein is the better one, because this isn't even close. The real discussion here would be which has the better characters. That I think is the defining factor when it comes to you caring about these relationships or not.
Also; enough doe-eyed characters in this game to make Wolfenstein deserve at least 90 Metascore by your standards. Not quite Elizabeth levels, but just look at this glittering pair of big beauties.
(Seriously, though, what a weird argument. Even if it is meant to be sarcastic.)
And, to be honest, while the presentation of story, characters, etc. in this game are great, and it easily beats Infinite in every aspect related to gameplay, it still isn't nearly as imaginative, unique or special as the experience of traveling through the world of Columbia. That is pretty much the only reason people love Infinite to the point of it being GAF's #2 GOTY anyway. But in the end this comes down to preference, like you noted yourself already, so to argue about that would be pointless.
I mean, I like Elizabeth as a character and everything, but at the end of the day she was still the Disney princess that followed you around like the Adoring Fan from Oblivion and randomly threw power-ups at you in the middle of combat.
And compare that to Infinite, where basically the entire game is a study of the developing relationship between the two main characters, with a few interesting twists and turns in that complex relationship along the way. You really need to replay Infinite if you think the main relationship in Wolfenstein is the better one, because this isn't even close. The real discussion here would be which has the better characters. That I think is the defining factor when it comes to you caring about these relationships or not.
I'm kinda surprised they didn't fix the audio, especially the low voice-acting during gameplay (cutscenes seem to be better).
I just remembered me and my colleague told them (some of the devs present at gamescom) about this "problem" way back at gamescom last year and they told us they would look into it.
Quite a few of the older Starbreeze guys are huge comic fans. I feel they are inspired by people like Alan Moore, Garth Ennis etc. Hence you have this blend of serious themes, monologues, obscure dark humour etc (and lots of depravity).
Spec Ops: The Line did that idle enemy chatter thing to help empathize with the people you're killing, I'm glad Wolfenstein ripped a page out of that book.
And guess what, I still knifed the first one and shot the other.
the two in the prison
Thats what happens when you pick the wrong side. Sides its not like they are going to hesitate to ventilate my ass.
Its not like real life where there is the chance for actual dialog and the lowering of weapons. AI in games just isnt programmed like that, which is why personally it triggers no such feelings of empathy from me. Though at least it does add to the atmosphere of the game no doubt! As it gives a bit of "life" to the enemy AI on occasion with little events like that.
I actually shared your sentiment earlier in this very thread. While I do believe those were their inspiration sources (to a point; and even if not just for this particular game, then more as constants that continue to influence how they work in general), I also feel the result is a bit haphazard. I appreciate the effort though. It's by no means a bad direction to be shooting for.
I'm kinda surprised they didn't fix the audio, especially the low voice-acting during gameplay (cutscenes seem to be better).
I just remembered me and my colleague told them (some of the devs present at gamescom) about this "problem" way back at gamescom last year and they told us they would look into it.
We are aware of the sound issue, in the most recent patch we had a fix for this problem. On the PS4 once the game is fully downloaded and up to date, clearing the cache and restarting the system will help if the problem is not fixed immediately. Thank your for being proactive in your support of Wolfenstein, and I am glad you are able to enjoy the game with the proper audio levels!
Yeah, I know. I'm just saying that there appears to be an upcoming patch and the CSR rep may have been referring to it instead, not realising it hasn't been released.
Based on the positive buzz here I'm very much looking forward to starting this off tomorrow, since I've just finished up with Child of Light this evening.
More or less how I feel, and I enjoyed Infinite far more than I expected to and have fewer criticisms than many of the more vocal GAF posts. Nevertheless, the shooting, encounter design, level diversity, set pieces, narrative, characters, and journey as a whole is so much more superior in New Order that I consider it by far the better of the two.
Its funny I literally hated Infinite the first time I played it, then went back to it, stuck with it and wound up the story being one of my highly rated ones in a while. Great stuff. Just that yeah folks need to know it starts off a bit slow.
Well, Bioshock Infinite wasn't exactly a love story so that is irrelevant. Saying one is better 'because these two people seemed to love each other more' is a weird way to judge a narrative anyway. I'm purely talking relationships here, which could also be about the hate between BJ and Deathshead for example.
And even if the love story in Wolfenstein isn't original and we take for granted that that doesn't matter, it sure as hell isn't interesting. They create a basic relationship in ten minutes
(14 years she is his nurse and that's the reason they love each other, okay, on with the game!)
and after that it just doesn't really go anywhere. There is zero character development between the two; they dream of a happy future without Nazi's shooting them and they say they love each other with a kiss here and there. That's all that happens in terms of a 'love story' unfolding until the
dramatic
ending hits and even then not a whole lot happens.
I cared about BJ and Anya individually since both were given a good backstory and the writers made them very likeable and interesting, But the relationship between these two characters is something that is just 'there' and not built upon at all really. I'm not sure how one could argue that beats the whole Booker/Elizabeth thing.
I haven't actually played Bioshock Infinite, so I can't really comment on that much further, but if you took what I wrote as meaning "the couple just love each other more" then you misunderstood what I meant. What I tried to implicate was about authenticity, which can be achieved in many ways, none of which has anything to do with originality or uniqueness.
Whether they actually succeeded or not with this in Wolfenstein is an entirely different matter though.
I understand what you are trying to say and agree that authenticity matters more than being original when it comes to you caring about the characters (hyperboled the 'heartfelt' a bit too much in my reaction, my bad). That still doesn't make an relationship interesting however, just believable. There is nothing noteworthy about the main relationship in Wolfenstein is all I'm trying to say.
Every one has a opinion yours is you liked the chemistry between Booker/ Elizabeth more. Others opinion is to say DJ/Anya chemistry is better. I don't like Bioshock because the main characters put me off the game, but I really like every character in the Wolfenstein.
Wolfenstein for me is the best game I have played for years. At this moment in time it is also game of the year. I loved every second of the game that I want more content already. The way some people post on Gaf it's like they want a reaction then to simply put their opinion.
I'm not talking about chemistry, but the development of the relationship between the characters. The chemistry of the main couples is great in both games. (Good voice acting goes a long way in that regard)
And like I said, I loved the game too, and if it's your favorite game in years then good for you! I'm not going to decide what you should and should not like, but I can still state that this game is being overrated by GAF at the moment. An absolutely fantastic single-player FPS, but nothing more if you ask me.
Well, Bioshock Infinite wasn't exactly a love story so that is irrelevant. Saying one is better 'because these two people seemed to love each other more' is a weird way to judge a narrative anyway. I'm purely talking relationships here, which could also be about the hate between BJ and Deathshead for example.
And even if the love story in Wolfenstein isn't original and we take for granted that that doesn't matter, it sure as hell isn't interesting. They create a basic relationship in ten minutes
(14 years she is his nurse and that's the reason they love each other, okay, on with the game!)
and after that it just doesn't really go anywhere. There is zero character development between the two; they dream of a happy future without Nazi's shooting them and they say they love each other with a kiss here and there. That's all that happens in terms of a 'love story' unfolding.
I cared about BJ and Anya individually since both were given a good backstory and the writers made them very likeable and interesting, But the relationship between these two characters is something that is just 'there' and not built upon at all really. I'm not sure how one could argue that beats the whole Booker/Elizabeth thing.
Every one has a opinion yours is you liked the chemistry between Booker/ Elizabeth more. Others opinion is to say DJ/Anya chemistry is better. I don't like Bioshock because the main characters put me off the game, but I really like every character in the Wolfenstein.
Wolfenstein for me is the best game I have played for years. At this moment in time it is also game of the year. I loved every second of the game that I want more content already. The way some people post on Gaf it's like they want a reaction then to simply put their opinion.
It just shows that they actually used german actors instead of Americans trying to sound German. The German is also well written and sounds natural for the most part. Lots of other games use expressions that no native speaker would ever use.
It probably has better German voice work than most German localizations which I avoid like the plague.
Same goes for Polish, every written piece is very well done, the voice acting is top notch, even Blazko's Polish was fine and his pronounciation of "USA" with half-polish, half-english accent made me laugh more than it actually should. If they wanted a real polish name they should have gone with Anna or Ania instead of Anya, but other than that the whole Polish part of the game was done superbly.
I'd say your aversion to lean has more to do with the fact that it virtually went the way of the dodo after the early 2000s, arguably because the shift of focus to consoles necessitated less varied control schemes. Off the top of my head, the only FPS games released over the past decade that sported a proper lean function (i.e. not the contextual nonsense you see in the likes of Thi4f) are the original FEAR and more recently Dishonored.
Well, Bioshock Infinite wasn't exactly a love story so that is irrelevant. Saying one is better 'because these two people seemed to love each other more' is a weird way to judge a narrative anyway. I'm purely talking relationships here, which could also be about the hate between BJ and Deathshead for example.
I haven't actually played Bioshock Infinite, so I can't really comment on that much further, but if you took what I wrote as meaning "the couple just love each other more" then you misunderstood what I meant. What I tried to implicate was about authenticity, which can be achieved in many ways, none of which has anything to do with originality or uniqueness.
Whether they actually succeeded or not with this in Wolfenstein is an entirely different matter though.
For a second there, I was thinking how cool it would be to have a Tarantino-penned TNO sequel, but then I realized that probably somewhere around the moment that BJ is having an improvised, one-take conversation about pocket lint with his partner, I would wonder where the actual game is.
But it would be the best conversation about pocket lint you ever hear.
More or less how I feel, and I enjoyed Infinite far more than I expected to and have fewer criticisms than many of the more vocal GAF posts. Nevertheless, the shooting, encounter design, level diversity, set pieces, narrative, characters, and journey as a whole is so much more superior in New Order that I consider it by far the better of the two.
I think it's hilarious how we have dozens of threads active at one time regarding the graphics of games coming out, but then when a game is good/great (like this), no one even mentions the sub-par graphics.
Just shows that most of Gaf bitches about graphics just to waste time. In the end, graphics rarely define the enjoyment one gets from a game.
I'd wager most of those threads are about games that aren't out yet, like Watch Dogs. When you can't play a game, there's not much else you can discuss about it other than how it looks.
It just shows that they actually used german actors instead of Americans trying to sound German. The German is also well written and sounds natural for the most part. Lots of other games use expressions that no native speaker would ever use.
It probably has better German voice work than most German localizations which I avoid like the plague.
I recall someone here watching the "On a Train to Berlin" trailer and mentioning how the German in the English version was better than the localized version.
Only in Chapter 2 so far but it is a mixed bag.
The rocky cliffside/shore outside in Chapter 1 basically looked last-gen. Like Doom3 levels of outside rendering ineptitude. Once you are inside, the game often looks beautiful, but that is mainly the art direction, not render features. There are screenspace reflections on lots of materials, fake sun rays, but most materials look basic. Haven't seen anything like POM,SILPOM or nicely tessellated objects yet.
Player water interaction is non existent from what I saw, the "volumetric" sun rays feel a bit low res. There are also some distance fog blending issues with Deathshead's tower in the background.
And even on ULTRA textures on a TITAN with 6GB VRAM, 32GB RAM and a fast SSD you occasionally see the id tech5 typical low res texture smear and small object pop in when you rotate around fast.
Also no AA method inside the menu. You can force it with CVARs apparently but read reports of it becoming unstable.
But all that really doesn't matter. The gunplay is super satisfying. Every shot counts and feels powerful and 60fps is nice.
Can't wait to get home and play this some more. This game deserved better review scores. This is going to be one of those games there's a PSA thread about every time it's on sale on steam.
In terms of stealth and the guards noticing you they are roughly on the same level as the guards in the Metal Gear games.
Seriously, stealth in this game feels really Metal Gear-ish somehow.
That is a good thing.
