Wolfenstein 3D

Today is 4/20 – or April 20, for you pedants out there – and if you spend a lot of time on the internet or otherwise consuming pop culture, you probably already know that it’s a trendy day to get high, thanks to the habits of a group of 1970s high school kids who liked to smoke out every afternoon at 4:20. However, it’s not just an undeclared pothead’s holiday; it’s also the real-life birthday of one of gaming’s most enduring, hated and mockable villains, Adolf Hitler...

Sure, organic enemies are tough, don’t get us wrong. Nazis, mercenaries, cannibal chefs, insane clowns, monsters of every shape and size, zombie everything: gaming’s fleshy baddies have a rich tradition of wreaking havoc and murdering our favorite characters. But fully organic opponents have always lacked that extra something that makes a truly epic amoral sociopath: processing power. The technological terrors below have all the advantages of clean circuitry and streamlined programming to churn out the homicide. Untroubled by annoying human traits like the necessity for food or an aversion to wide-scale genocide, these machines can compute carnage at a speed that leaves the human brain in the dust...

Over the last 30 years, videogames have given us a seemingly endless supply of memorable villains on which to hang our hate. For 26 of those years, however, one has stood head and shoulders above the rest as the favorite target of millions of angry gamers. One who has the advantage, unlike Bowser or the Gravemind or M. Bison, of actually being real. Of course, we’re talking about Adolf Hitler, infamous head of the Nazi state and prime instigator of World War II.

From its inception, the idea behind Week of Geek has been “as niche as possible.” To some, an article about videogame music is obscure enough, but as an ardent fan of all things VGM, I wanted to truly geek out and talk about game music that references other game music.

Let’s point fingers! Ever wonder why games are still treated like a child’s medium? Well, part of that responsibility rests on the shoulders of Nintendo of America and the censorship they exhibited during the dominant period of the NES, Game Boy and SNES.

From the medium’s inception, Japan seemed to have no qualms in dealing with themes no heavier than those found in movies and TV, such violence and sexuality.

Death happens a lot in videogames, but for some reason it never seems to stick. From heroes who get infinite do-overs to supporting characters who “die” only to resurface at the nick of time down the road, videogames might be the only medium in which the audience feels surprised, and perhaps even cheated, if a dead character isn’t magically brought back to life.

The Official Hint Book of Spear of Destiny, a Wolfenstein 3D Graphic Adventure is more than your average strategy guide. Sure, there are the usual maps, hints, and cheats. But it’s also a labor of love that’s full of obscure trivia, rare concept art, and personal anecdotes about what it was like to work on the Wolfenstein games at id Software.