By Myles Goldman
Assistant Arts & Entertainment Editor
On May 7, 1946, Germany surrendered and signaled the end of WWII, but in the “Wolfenstein” timeline, things are a bit different. 
In the video game “Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus,” the Nazi’s were never stopped. In fact, they invaded the United States. In the game, you play as William “B.J.” Blazkowicz during his recovery from a 5-month coma, leaving him paralyzed for the first hour of gameplay. Even though Blazkowicz is paralyzed, he still gets around in his wheelchair to deliver a beating to the Nazis. Irene Engel, a lieutenant general and the primary antagonist, is out to get Blazkowicz after killing her lover, Bubi Engel, in the previous game, “Wolfenstein: The New Order.”
In the game, Blazkowicz and his resistance network known as the Kreisau Circle, a paramilitary group, collaborate with the American Resistance. Their goal is simple: destroy the Nazis and reclaim their land from them. The story brings you to many places, such as New York City, Roswell, N.M., New Orleans, and even Venus. New York and New Orleans are nuclear wastelands, while Roswell is left clean. However, there are Klu Klux Klan members patrolling the area alongside the Nazis, giving off an unsettling feeling as they form a congregation of evil.
The objective of the game is to hit Engel and the Nazis where it hurts. The storyline follows the resistance’s efforts to do just that. “Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus” is more of an interactive movie due to Blazkowicz’s internal monologue and the healthy amount of cut scenes. Recently, a lot of video game companies are using this style of narrative to immerse the player into the story, which is what the “Wolfenstein” series is all about.
There are only a couple weak points in “Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus,” and one of them is what happens after you finish the game. There’s not much to do except eliminate any remaining Nazis, and you can’t go back and replay missions. The second weak point is the game’s emphasis that the player must sneak around while doing such doesn’t have an effect on the outcome of a mission. Sneaking is incredibly difficult, even if attempted on the game’s lowest difficulty setting. This creates a hassle for players more inclined to take a stealthy approach to winning the game. “Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus” is more of a history lesson of an alternate universe. It answers the question, “What if Germany won WWII?” This motivates the player’s mission to do whatever it takes to keep fascism from spreading, even in a fictional world.
This game is available on www.amazon.com and in Best Buy stores for the Xbox One, Playstation 4 and PC. “Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus” is Rated M for Mature.
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