Vintage ’90s

25 Mar, 2009

Wolfenstein 3D Makes Computer Gaming Cool

Posted by: The 90s Guy In: Video Games

Not to tick off any of my computer gaming fans - happy to have you here, guys! - but I’m not a big fan. Video games in general are mildly entertaining. I may get whooped up in a good game of Madden on my XBox 360, but I sure run a lot more DVDs on that thing than I do games. Games tend to bore me at some point.

But there was a certain mystique to Wolfenstein 3D.

Allow me to set the stage of my youth: while Wolfenstein 3D was released in 1992, I believe I first came across it in 1993 at the tender age of 8 years old. An innocent young tyke, I hear that there is a graphically bloody video game getting passed around school. My older brother got a hold of this game and we got to play it. And it was good.

Now, Wolfenstein 3D, by today’s standards, is ridiculously mild. Sure, it’s got a little blood, but overall, it’s not much compared to the graphic gore that is shown in games today. But at that time? Mortal Kombat was just starting to pick up steam. Kids didn’t know what blood looked like, apart from a skinned knee or when a classmate falls down on the playground and busts his head open (happened to a buddy of mine).

Wolfenstein 3D set the tone for future first-person shooter games like Doom and Duke Nukem. Its premise was simple: walk around and shoot Nazis. Then you can kill Hitler.

One bad German dude.

This is what was great about certain parts of American history: everyone was united against something. Today, hippies talk about how terrorists have human rights, despite the fact that they’re trying to KILL PEOPLE. There was a time when you wouldn’t think twice about killing a Nazi because he was a BAD DUDE. Same goes for the Russians. Think the Cold War was all bad? Check out any action movie from the ’80s - all Commies. And you hated them for it.

Get him, Rock! He killed Apollo! And he wants to take your money and give it to everyone else!!!

Anyway, I digress.

There was a buttload of controversy surrounding this game. The country of Germany ripped it from the shelves because it used Nazi symbols and Nazi music. Super Nintendo tried to avoid trouble by wiping it clean of all Nazi references and changing the crazed dogs to giant mutant rats.

Yup, because it’s much more acceptable to shoot rats, who are just as much of an innocent animal as dogs, and random people as opposed to Nazis.

Anyhoo, the good news is that a new game, just called “Wolfenstein”, is being worked on for all the major gaming platforms. I probably won’t buy it, but that’s still pretty cool news.

Here’s a video of some of the simple gameplay behind Wolfenstein 3D. Enjoy!