Wolfenstein: The Old Blood

Wolfenstein: The Old Blood doubles down on blood and guts, but in doing so sacrifices some of its heart.

The Old Blood's madcap attitude shines throughout its campaign, but the game fumbles when it strays from its Nazi-filled levels.

If all that is expected of an expansion or spin-off is to deliver more of the same, then The Old Blood goes above and beyond its obligations. The decision to downplay the story elements does sometimes leave it feeling a bit overwhelming and stodgy - the textures and rhythms that made its predecessor such a sleeper hit simply aren't here - but as a lovingly crafted continuation of a game that was already pretty bloody great, there's little here worth complaining about.

MachineGames are still masters of first-person violence, but this return to Castle Wolfenstein doesn't give them anything new to work with.

The Old Blood mostly nailed the components that made New Order good, but it doesn't quite manage to capture what made it great.

Wolfenstein: The Old Blood is very much an expansion of its fun, entertaining predecessor, but doesn't quite pack the same emotional clout. Still, a great FPS worthy of your attention.

With myriad nods to Wolfenstein's past, The Old Blood captures the essence of the series, but does less than The New Order to advance it

What gives the MachineGames' Wolfenstein titles their own mojo is the casual way they pair generic gameplay with silver-tongued characters who reflect on their faults, speculate on their fates, and enjoy mundane occurrences like going to a pub and cadging free drinks. In this way the game's B-movie vibe is evocative of the work of those skilled filmmakers who embrace the silly or even the self-consciously stupid.

[F]ifteen quid, lots of bullets, lots of steampunk Nazis and some monsters too. If that's (still) your poison, you can't go far wrong with this.

Wolfenstein: The Old Blood operates just like an old school PC expansion should, and if you liked New Order, this is a no-brainer. In fact, due to the pulp feel of the second half I even slightly prefer it to the original, and the two interconnected plots are incredibly easy to swallow in an afternoon.