Everything You Need to Know About Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus

In the midst of all the excitement for Assassin’s Creed Origins, let’s not forget there’s another major title releasing this Friday: Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus.

First revealed at Bethesda’s E3 2017 showcase, Wolfenstein II is the sequel to Wolfenstein: The New Order (2014). We’re picking up with B.J. Blazkowicz, who is waking up after the battle from the last game- a battle which left the Nazi’s victorious in World War II and free to take their tyrannical regime to America. Luckily there are still Resistance fighters left, and it’s up to B.J. to bring them together and ultimately start the second American Revolution. Wolfenstein II has gotten a handful of trailers and plenty of details ahead of its launch. In case you lost track of the news somewhere between June and now, here is everything you need to know.

Watch any one of the trailers for Wolfenstein II, and you’ll see the game is just as action packed and filled with even bigger guns and explosions than the previous one. The Nazis have taken over America, wreaking chaos from Manhattan to New Orleans to the west, and they are quickly turning the country into an unrecognizable wasteland. B.J. has some new methods of combat up his sleeve, though, that will help him “shoot, stab, shock, separate, strangle, sunder, shatter, singe and strike down any and all Nazis he encounters along the way.” Before he can get to that point of running and shooting, he must first recover from the life-threatening injuries he sustained in The New Order. 

At the beginning of the Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, B.J. is in a wheelchair and must find a way to make it without anyone’s assistance. Soon, he teams up with some familiar faces from The New Order, including Frau Engel, Wyatt, and his wife Anya, who is pregnant with twins. (Depending on your decisions in The New Order, Wyatt won’t be in every player’s campaign during The New Colossus.) 

Tensions are running higher than ever in this game, as witnessed in one of the earlier trailers entitled, “Strawberry Milkshake.” The Nazis’ presence is striking fear into regular civilians, as a mother encourages her son to speak German in a diner and promptly leaves when a Nazi enters. An extended look at that trailer shows that conversations can go south at any moment.

In a nearly thirty minute gameplay video released by Bethesda Softworks, we get a look at eleven new ways to bring down Nazis, seeing everything from the classic “run n gun” style of gameplay, to B.J. yielding two unique weapons at the same time. The latter will be a nice change from the The New Order and will provide us with more strategic options for gameplay, especially against hard-armored Nazis. Another helpful addition to the combat is a contraption called “Battle Walker”, which will allow B.J. to climb onto hard-to-reach platforms and areas hidden from view.

In addition to some new game mechanics, the season pass ($25USD) and DLC packs were also announced for the game shortly after its reveal back in June. Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus will be getting four expansions which are part of the Freedom Chronicles season pass. Check them out below:

• Episode Zero – This “zero” expansion will be out at launch for season pass holders, as well as those who have pre-ordered The New Colossus. We will be introduced to three playable characters, who will make appearances throughout the other three DLCs.
• The Adventures of Gunslinger Joe – The first expansion is about a former professional quarterback named Joseph Stallion, as he defeats hordes of Nazis while navigating a ruined  Chicago.
• The Diaries of Agent Silent Death – As ex-OSS agent and assassin Jessica Valiant, this second DLC will have players “infiltrate Nazi bunkers in California and discover the secrets of Operation San Andreas!”
• The Amazing Deeds of Captain Wilkins – This final DLC has players embarking on a mission to destroy a Nazi-controlled Alaska. Don’t forget your coat.

To round off everything you need to know, Bethesda Softworks recently revealed the minimum and recommended specs for the PC version of The New Colossus.

PC SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:

Minimum

• CPU: Intel Core i7-3770/AMD FX-8350 or better
• GPU: NVIDIA GTX 770 4GB/AMD Radeon R9 290 4GB or better
• RAM: 8 GB
• OS: Win7, 8.1, or 10 (64-Bit versions)
• Storage: 55GB
• Additional Requirements: Steam account and broadband internet connection for activation and installation
  AMD GPU drivers no longer support Windows 8.1

Recommended

• CPU: Intel Core i7-4770/AMD FX-9370 or better
• GPU: NVIDIA GTX 1060 6GB/AMD Radeon RX 470 4GB or better
• RAM: 16 GB
• OS: Win7, 8.1, or 10 64-Bit
• Storage: 55GB
• Additional Requirements: Steam account and broadband internet connection for activation and installation
  AMD GPU drivers no longer support Windows 8.1

Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus is releasing this Friday, October 27, for Xbox One, PS4, and PC. A version for Nintendo Switch will be released in 2018. Watch the complete launch trailer below.