AI

Hey, wadda yah know! They ain't stupid! Enemies will throw 'nades, snipe at you, use their surroundings for cover and plan group attacks. Very nice. The Zombies of course just sort of lumber after you like idiots, but that's OK. :) The challenge that the other AIs present make up for it.

Manual

I got the Euro version of the game. (Hey, $60 rather than $90, AND it came in a DVD case, which I like very much.) Manual none the less gives you all the information you need to play. Personally I took a quick look at the key config, and jumped right in. No problems. Who needs manuals for a shooter? :) One thing I did think was very cool, they have info on the old Wolf 3D games in the margins, along with tips and tactics. Sweet.

Multiplayer

In Multiplayer, you fight as either a scum sucking Nazi pig or as the valiant allies. I don't know what it is, but just like in DOD I like to play the bad guys. :) I can't help it. In multiplayer they've tried to take a DOD/Team Fortress 2 approach to teams. Each team has four classes, each with different abilities, and by god you'd better be able to work together!

Soldier - Standard grunt, only class to be able to use all the two handed weapons. (Panzerfaust, Sniper rifles etc.)

Engineer - These guys rock. They're able to repair damaged weapons, and use explosives. Teams playing an assault game must have an engineer with them to demo objectives and obstacles.

Medic - Protect these guys, they save your ass. Medics give each player on their team a starting bonus of 10% health, drop health packs, and can revive the dead in most cases.

Lieutenant - LT's can drop ammo packs, and call in Air and Artillery strikes on enemy positions.

Gameplay and weapons differ in important ways from the single player game as well. For instance there is no ammo or health in MP. You must get these from your medic (health) or Lieutenant (ammo). Ammunition carrying capacity is reduced, and certain weapons make you move slower or have reduced firing rates.

There are several game play modes for MP:

Objective - Each team has one or more objectives to complete. First team to complete their goals wins.

Stopwatch - Rather like Assault for UT. After each round you switch teams, and you have to complete your objectives, and beat the other team's time to win.

Checkpoint - Just like Capture and Hold for Tribes 2. The two teams battle for control of flags. If you control all of the flags, you win. If you control the most when the time limit expires, you win.

The multiplayer is allot of fun, and pretty well balanced. (Heh. There's nothing quite like take a rocket launcher to a bunker a few of your buddies are hiding in! :) Some very cool maps as well.

I'm not sure why, but I still prefer the multiplayer on Day Of Defeat..... May just take some getting used to before I'm really into it. I also seemed to be getting allot of lag on the game, but that's likely just my recently quite crappy cable modem connection. (Stupid Rogers/AT&T)

Bug Hunt and Problems

No problems experienced during the time we played the game, no crashes or anything weird. One thing I did notice was the lack of a health bar for bosses, which would have been nice. Bodies on staircases always slide down them. I shot one guard at the top of a two story circular stair case, and the body followed the wall all the way to the bottom. :) Sort of funny seeing it actually. There were also a few strange clipping problems where dead enemies would vanish into a wall or the floor. Nothing really to take away from the enjoyment of the game.

I also found it kind of amusing that you can strafe jump. :) Quake players should be happy about that one. Pappy seems to be anyhows. (And he naturally is MR Quake.)

* Update Dec 13.2001 * For some reason, when I restored one of my quick saves (Thank GOD it was right at the start of a level) my player fell right through the map and kept on falling straight down........ This has only happened once, but it's damned strange. DO NOT save your game on a ramp or stairs. :)

Conclusion

A noble and worthy follow up to the classic Wolfenstein 3D. Go out and buy it, it's worth the money. Entertaining multiplayer and simply amazing single player missions will keep you occupied for some time to come, and all the eye candy will keep it from getting old. At least until Doom3 gets released. :)