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| Wolfenstein 3D: the first great first person shooter |
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One of the most influential games of all-time, 1992's
Wolfenstein 3D was the first great first person shooter. While
Wolfenstein 3D's concept was nothing revolutionary, its nearly flawless implementation,
presentation, and use of technology helped catapult
id Software to its current superstar
status.
The title screen of Wolfenstein 3D
In a worthless piece of videogame trivia, it turns out that William J. Blazkowicz's (the person
you play in Wolfenstein 3D) grandson turned out to be
Commander Keen.
Released during the glory days of shareware, still a few years before the Internet became
mainstreamed, Wolfenstein 3D's shareware version (and the full version as well, in some cases)
was widely distributed via thousands of BBS's (bulletin board systems) and passed along to
countless friends via floppies. While no one will ever know exactly how many people played the
shareware version of Wolfenstein 3D (millions), over 250,000 copies were sold direct via mail
order and limited retail distribution.
ActiVision
re-released Wolfenstein 3D some time ago, bundled with Quake II and Hexen II demos, so you may
even see it on the store shelves to this day.
While Wolfenstein 3D certainly wasn't the first FPS game ever released, it's combination of (at
the time) stunning technology, visceral action, and realistic theme made it an instant hit. The
"256-color, smooth scrolling virtual reality" engine was unlike anything most people had ever
seen before. When combined with the awesome sound and ahead of its time music by
Bobby Prince (who later did Commander
Keen's and DOOM's sound work), the result was an immersive,
fresh experience for even the most jaded PC gamer.
Wolfenstein 3D in action
Nearly everyone who played Wolfenstein 3D shortly after its release can remember being in awe for
a few minutes and then nearly jumping out of their chair once spotted by a shouting German guard.
This was one feature (amongst many others) that was directly taken from the game that Wolfenstein
3D was heavily inspired by, Silas Warner's Castle Wolfenstein for the Apple II. Castle
Wolfenstein is (obviously) a great game in its own right, and was popular enough to spawn a
sequel (Beyond Castle Wolfenstein). Wolfenstein 3D also produced a sequel, the not nearly as
popular Spear of Destiny.
Wolfenstein 3D is also a great example of how far '3D' games have advanced. The game seems
incredibly primitive when compared to the FPS games of today, as levels feature only 90-degree
angles, no changes in elevation, lighting, or height. However, Wolfenstein 3D's gameplay, for the
most part, still serves as the foundation for the FPS games of today. There are a few
arcade-style influences that weren't really necessary to implement in hindsight, such as a
traditional point scoring system and a limited amount of lives (with one-ups), but the basic
'find the key, push switches, pick up guns that are laying around and kill everything in sight'
style of gameplay is still going strong.
While the graphics look dated and pixilated now, they're still pretty decent. The sound and music
may actually be even better than you remember it, as most sound cards of the time didn't support
some of the more advanced MIDI instruments that are used in the game. The hardest thing about
playing Wolfenstein 3D is the fact that the game runs too fast (at least while you're running)
on today's powerful computers. You can solve this problem with the DOS application Mo'Slo for
example.
Very few games have made a bigger impact than Wolfenstein 3D. Wolfenstein 3D not only practically
gave birth to an entire new genre, its repercussions changed the entire industry forever.
Thanks to ClassicGaming.com.
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