Game: Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus
Publisher: Bethesda
Developer: Panic Button
Reviewed: Nintendo Switch
Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus is one of 2017’s biggest games. It won big at the Game Awards and the fans ate it up earlier that year when it released. Its high octane, fast-paced, and thrilling gameplay gripped players from the start and didn’t let go until the final minutes of the game. Not only that, but Wolfenstein 2’s story was impactful, meaningful, and had a great ensemble of side characters that you’ll interact with.
The game has all the right keys and they were executed to perfection. Now take that formula and add it to Nintendo’s latest console, the Switch, and you’ll be cooking with some serious fire. Bethesda has been a big supporter in the “little machine that could” — they have brought over two of their biggest titles as of late, Skyrim and DOOM. They ran well enough to give players what they wanted for a portable version of the game, so there was no foul harm done.
So why not try again with Wolfenstein 2? They did and it manages to work out pretty well – for the most part at least.
Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus is a very twitchy shooter with some pretty nice graphics. The Nintendo Switch isn’t the powerhouse that PS4 and Xbox One are, but it manages to keep the game running at both a steady frame rate and reasonable resolution. And by reasonable resolution, I mean sub 720p, sometimes even 480p. This is to be expected though, from the Switch, you didn’t really think the game would run at 1080p 60 frames per second, did you?
The low resolution makes up for the devices low tech hardware, and for the most part, it works. If you are a graphics nerd and need to play the game in high fidelity then you’ll have a problem with the Switch version. It looks like the lowest PC setting you could probably get, but on a handheld screen, it doesn’t look that bad. It actually looks pretty good. This is a massive game so to have it look remotely good, I think developer Panic Button did an outstanding job.
Its cool to have Wolfenstein 2 on the go, it creates moments where the player will want to finish a segment before putting the game down for the night. It allows players to take it on the go, it makes the longevity of the game increase, which is always a plus for a single player game.
And the controls play pretty solid as well. I did notice that the joycons have a slight latency issue because when moving and shooting a bunch of guys, the movements can start to feel not as snappy as it does on other consoles. The pro controller is the obvious choice for quick and snappy movements, but that is really only for docked play. I would assume, for the most part at least, that Wolfenstein 2 for the Nintendo Switch will be played in handheld. There is also a mode for motion controls, but as you would it expect, it’s more of a novelty than reality.
If you’re a fan of the Wolfenstein franchise then Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus on the Switch is perfect for you. Take it on the go, play on your big screen, its the best of both worlds with some slight resolution setbacks. The resolution in my honest opinion is really the only thing that would be a negative of this version of the game. That and the slight latency in the movements, but besides that, Wolfenstein 2 plays great on the Switch.
If you’re not looking to spend $60 on the game, hold out a little, but definitely give this title a shot. Just like its predecessors — Skyrim and DOOM — Wolfenstein 2 manages to blow away the player.
Did you like Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus? Are you picking it up for the Switch? How’d you like it? Let us know in the comments below!
