is inherently silly, it’s strangely
thoughtful and brilliantly written
as well. The flow of it is captivating,
and there’s unexpectedly excellent
characterisation on display,
particularly for B.J., who up until
now hasn’t been much more than
a one-dimensional, Nazi-culling
cipher. Sure, there’ll doubtless be
those who’ll pick apart the more
emotional aspects of the storyline
as being forced and trite, but I
thoroughly appreciated it, possibly
because I didn’t expect anything as
well-rounded as this.
Even if the story were as
mindlessly vapid as I’d imagined
it’d be, the FPS action (which is
what most people are here for
anyway) would still make The
New Order an intensely satisfying
experience. Most of your weaponry
is grounded in reality, so expect
an arsenal mostly comprised of
things like assault rifles and pistols.
Everything feels solid and weighty,
lending the guns a hefty punch.
Your death-dealing tools can be
dual-wielded as well if you can find
duplicates, and there are very few
weapons in gaming as ferocious
as The New Order’s dual-wielded
shotguns. Combat feels wonderfully
fluid, with many of the larger, more
open skirmish zones offering a
multitude of options as to how to
50 The OverClocker Issue 30 | 2014
approach them. There’s a variety of
enemies to keep you on your toes,
from run-of-the-mill Nazi grunts to
dogs that are effectively tanks with
teeth.
Stealth is an option in missions
too, thanks to simple but effective
stealth mechanics that let you clear
areas quietly using your knife and
silenced pistol. You’re also able to
approach each engagement more
tactically using a basic cover system
that lets you lean around obstacles.
The way you choose to play will
gradually unlock perks that’ll further
augment your play style; choosing
to adopt stealthier methods will let
you move faster while crouched, for
example, or allow you to regain a
small portion of health when killing
enemies silently. There’s a definite
clash of old-school sensibility with
more contemporary mechanics, and it
works really well. You’re able to carry
more than two weapons, for instance,
and your health can be temporarily
overcharged for a brief boost.
As you progress, you’ll eventually
discover a laser cutter that’s
used to cut chunks out of certain
destructible scenery, and later
doubles as a weapon. It’s mostly
used for very, very light puzzle
solving, and I couldn’t help
wondering why it wasn’t used in
more clever puzzle designs. That