Wolfenstein ３Ｄ
（ SFC 1994 Feburary 10 Imagineer Co., Ltd. ）
「The origin of the FPS」
[source: http://hw001.gate01.com/otimusya/wolfenstein3D.htm]
[translated by: Ragey]
Wolfenstein ３Ｄ
（ SFC 1994 Feburary 10 Imagineer Co., Ltd. ）
「The origin of the FPS」
I first saw the game when I was in elementary school. The Super Nintendo had been out for four years, and my interest in games was fading, so I was not expecting much from this title. My first childish thought was, "a game played from the viewpoint of the hero's eyes?... but I want to see what he looks like...", and so I had little faith in the game. It was a chance encounter in a department store's book shop, where I accidentally discovered it whilst in the company of my mother - perfect timing. My favourite reading material at the time was Famicom Tsushin (now Famitsu); if you asked kids to rank "magazines I secretly read without my parents' knowledge", porno would've been number one, but Famicom Tsushin would've been a close second... of course, I was no exception. Turning the pages quietly was a conditioned reflex, and to this day I still remember the instant impact Wolfenstein 3D made when I saw its article for the first time. When you look at it now the game's visuals might look unsightly, and its characters honestly a little eerie, but that didn't faze me then, such faults were hardly a blip on my radar. It blew me away to see a game played from the eyes of the protagonist; it looked so much better than I had expected, I was shocked! Following that I went straight to the toy store and got the game with what little savings I had; every day afterwards I could hardly wait to get home from school to play it, I was so addicted! ... so, you can guess how I felt when I heard talk of a certain game called 「DOOM」...
This game is 「Wolfenstein 3D」
a computer game by
『id Software』 that was later ported to the SFC,
They went on to make 「DOOM」 and became
world famous following its success.
The masterpiece of FPS games:
「DOOM」
For the uninformed, FPS is an abbreviation of 「first-person
shooter」,
Which means it is a shooter played in a
【first-person perspective】.
It's a mega-popular genre overseas,
but it hasn't got much love in Japan.
Aside from 「DOOM」, 「HALF-LIFE」 is another well-known game.
Another stunning FPS which won many
awards:
「HALF-LIFE」
But the game we're playing is 「Wolfenstein 3D」
which was ported to the SFC.
It wasn't too bad in those days, but...
It's limited by the capabilities of the SFC.
The pixels are very coarse...
To show how rough it looks...
You're sometimes unable to identify an enemy
from a distance.
（Magnified×５）
They kind of merge with the background.
The scrolling is very smooth. Here I am demonstrating it by rubbing against the
door,
but the 3D effects often leave me feeling a little motion sick.
As for the contents of the game,
From the title screen alone it's easy to see we're playing as a
macho man.
You've got to eliminate all the enemies on each floor, including the boss.
When you manage to trounce the area's boss, you clear that area and move on.
Anyway, the story is as follows:
↓
「The protagonist is alone in a secret infiltrative mission of an important military base where an incident is said to have taken place! A drug has been developed that revives the dead into monsters, and are said to be the cause of the incident. The objective is to eliminate the Special Forces team, led by Colonel Trautman, and escape. However, should you fail in your duty, the authorities will deny all involvement in the mission...」 |
『 CHEMICALS・INCIDENT・ESCAPE 』
The macho man isn't the protagonist I envisioned for this story,
but I'm not complaining. Knowing I'm buff gives me peace of mind.
However, that story appears only in the SFC version.
The original story was not quite so complex.
I'll sum up the original plot as best I can.
Four words:
「Kill the Nazi forces!」
... would you look at that.
I think something got changed in translation.
What a guy, though;
one man accepting the absurd command of
crushing the enemy single-handedly,
and accomplishing it without breaking a sweat!
It's just like that guy from Commando!
Here comes the main character!
"I'll be back, Bennett."
...
...ideally that would be the right answer.
Unfortunately he isn't it.
Candidate #2
What about Steven Seagal, founder of the Seagal
Fist?
...er, well...
He's just too damn strong for this game!
Even barehanded he'd totally annihilate the bad guys in just an
hour or two; and besides...
I kinda feel sorry for the enemies.
Okay, let's get serious; here's our real protagonist.
This is the hero.
I can already smell the dangerous aroma of adrenalin.
But because the game is played from his perspective,
You'll mostly be seeing a face and his gun-toting arms.
Here's a screenshot of the game in action.
By the way, the weird face on the bottom belongs to our hero.
It acts as an indicator of where the enemy are shooting from.
⇒ 
⇒ 
⇒ 
His face slowly changes as his injuries get worse.
（ Feelin' fine ⇒ I oughta retire ⇒ Not like this! ⇒ Dead man ）
Okay, let's start our mission immediately!
However, it's unwise to go out fighting barehanded.
I'd like to introduce you to the weapons
you'll be gathering along the way.
《Weapon info》
Survival knife
Our hero begins with this weapon.
If he has no ammunition, he'll be forced to use it.
It has miniscule range and its killing potential is zilch.
You're better off not using it.
Pistol
Another weapon our hero begins the mission with.
Naturally, it's far more effective than the knife and can shoot targets from a distance.
It's not bad to begin with, but its rate of fire is frighteningly slow.
If this is all you've got, you might want to find stronger weaponry as soon as you can.
Machine gun
This weapon shoots rapidly and is a must-have for clearing out crowded doorways.
Certain enemies will drop this when defeated, which you can claim for yourself.
A great asset, but its effectiveness dips in the game's later stages.
Chain gun
You'll always want this weapon equipped once you get it, nicknamed "Painless
Obliteration."
It's most famous for Arnold Schwarzenegger's usage of it in 「Terminator
2」.
This lovely weapon mows down pawns with ease, and is very effective when facing
bosses.
Flamethrower
This shoots even faster than the chain gun, spraying chunky fireballs in front of you.
Its power surpasses the chain gun as well, so it can be used to great effectiveness,
but the one bitter drawback? You can barely see where you're aiming while it's firing!
Rocket Launcher
This has the strongest firepower in the game.
With just one shot it can penetrate several enemies at once,
but you're best reserving it for use against overwhelming bosses.
Now that the weapons are introduced,
let's begin our mission.
Upon starting the game you'll encounter some basic soldiers; these guys are the cannon fodder.
The enemies are truly deserving of the moniker 「King of Grunts」, they fit the bill perfectly.
「But are they really grunts?」 Well, just because they've got uniforms doesn't mean they aren't punks.
Let's take this opportunity to introduce the baddies.
《Enemy info》
Guard soldier
These guys are the gruntiest of grunts, a real representative of small fry foes.
They are very dutiful, though - upon seeing you they'll shout 「STOP！」 and begin approaching.
They're not strong or well-armoured, so you can easily dispatch them with a pistol so long as they're not surrounding you.
They'll drop ammunition upon dying, so there is good reason to spend a bullet on them.
Their only attack is this pistol shot
Elite Guard
These guys have obviously received training, as they're tougher and stronger than the previous soldiers.
Don't get too close, otherwise they'll open fire with their mean-looking machine guns.
You'll want to dispatch these foes as soon as possible, before they get within firing range.
They'll always drop a machine gun.
Officer
They might not be strong, but they have some nasty battlefield tactics and the quickness to match.
They will approach in a strafing motion, swinging from left to right, so aiming your sights before firing can be tricky.
In addition, they'll take advantage of crevices and corners to ambush you.
These guys make use of evasive techniques before
opening fire.
Mutant
A fighting machine built by Dr. Schabbs in the base.
Be wary of their shortblades and chest-mounted guns, they're mighty tough.
They are capable of approaching without making a sound, so watch your back.
When it opens fire it makes this dopey pose
But doesn't it look more like...
A flag signal?
By the way, this motion in flag semaphore is known as 「affirmative/trust」, which means:
「Aye aye, please transmit」
At least, that seems to be the message.
In other words, it comes across like this:
「Aye aye, (BLAM) please transmit! Aye aye, (BLAM) please transmit!」
Rest in peace〜
Mutant Rat
Another creation of Dr. Schabbs, this is a mutant rat.
Upon seeing our hero it will zoom in with lightning-fast strikes,
but it is very weak and can only attack at close-range, so taking care of it is no sweat.
If you ever encounter those strafing thugs, get behind a doorway and let 'er rip.
It's a good way to avoid getting shot in the back.
Let's jump into the strategy guide.
Level 1
|
The Wolfenstein Disaster |
|
The Den of the Dead |
|
Scars of Eisenfaust |
|
The Living Doll's Curse |
|
Comrade-in-arms |
|
The Battle Without A Victor |
"Please
return."