William (B.J.) Blazkowicz is back and badder than ever. The second part of the brutal, Nazi-killing trilogy is a sight to behold, as long as you can stomach the good stuff. From beginning to end, Wolfenstein II accomplishes the itch of shooting, stomping, and hacking away at the Nazi regime. For those new to the franchise, the setting takes place in an alternative timeline in which the Allies lost D-Day in Normandy and Germany developed the atom bomb first. The year is 1961 and the second American Revolution has begun..

This game is DARK, have no doubts about that. Killing Nazis is fun and all, but B.J. takes his job serious. The opening scene has you making tough decisions right from the start when you’re forced to sacrifice one of your comrades. There’s also a short interaction with your parents that pulls you into the B.J. character and gives insight into his backstory. The opening mission had to have been the hardest first 30 minutes of a game I’ve ever played.

The wheelchair-bound protagonist has to escape captivity while you find your grounds and learn how to ‘execute’ his style. This game is not for beginner’s unless you’re playing on the easiest mode and I wouldn’t recommend trying to tip-toe around. Remember, this game is made by the same developers as DOOM; so don’t hesitate to run-n-gun. The game does a tremendous job of keeping you involved with progression and introduces new weapons up to the very end.

There are two big aspects of this game I found perfect: story line and soundtrack. First, the story line was absolutely captivating. There were so many times my jaw just dropped to the floor. The twists and turns were movie-like and matched the awesome graphics. The violent nature of B.J. went in line with the violent cutscenes complete with a gnarly decrepit Hitler and main antagonist, General Engal, one bad lady. I played last-gen’s Wolfenstein and The New Order, but didn’t complete them. I probably would have felt closer to all the characters and story line if I would have.

The soundtrack is just badass. There’s times where the electro-synth rock was blasting along with the gunfight to encourage mayhem and sweet violins to go along with the reunion with your parents. I rarely pay attention to the score of a game, but this one reaches out to you in a strong way. I’ve even added the soundtrack to my gaming playlist for the future. For lack of originality and at risk of making a dad joke, it’s a “killer” soundtrack.

The initial perk system seems a little bland at first, but that’s until you realize there’s a lot more to unlock. It’s objective-based instead of a point system gamers are more used to like you’ll see in Fallout, Destiny, or CoD. There’s also the sweet treat of getting to play the entire Wolfenstein 3D port including save/load features found at your home base. That’s like two games in one if you’re for nostalgia.

This game is near perfect. That’s why I’m calling this a 9. I was really into the story and was blown away after some scenes. You’ll see original ideas you’ve never seen or even heard of as the story progresses. That’s something gamers have been hungry for lately, and Wolfenstein delivers. The only reasons I can’t give it a perfect 10 are minor details. The game is a little short for it to be so good. It was a badass journey, but the replay value is slim with little to accomplish until the DLC arrives. The other downfall is the mechanics, which require precise accuracy during absurd moments. Gunfights can get hectic and fast-paced, but the game still requires exact aim and tons of bullets from even the strongest weapons. I can still say confidently, I would recommend this game for full price; just don’t binge through it in a week and enjoy the ride.

Have you played Wolfenstein II yet? If so, tell us what you thought about it and leave your comment below!