Wolfenstein

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...

Cue the banjo! It wouldn’t be the Week of Hate without our trademark “100 Reasons” videos. In case you missed it, last year we targeted game platforms. So this year we thought we’d change it up and go after a few popular genres. Up first, the ubiquitous shooter.

It’s a common complaint among fans of World War II shooters: In the age of Medal of Honor and Call of Duty, the Wolfenstein series – with its Nazi über-soldiers, leather-clad SS dominatrices and undead monstrosities – is quaint, cartoonish and rooted in an era where videogames were too primitive to handle historical accuracy.

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.

Nobody likes Hitler. Mecha-Hitler, on the other hand, is irresistible. Maybe it’s the extra chainguns. Maybe it’s his over-sized armor. Whatever the reason, more metal seems to make boss fights more fun. Unfortunately, Mecha-Hitler - and his tiny toothbrush mustache - won’t be making an appearance in the next Wolfenstein game.

The secrets of their success in their own words.

Nazis are bad guys that need no back story. They’re evil. They want to take over the world. Plus, they’re really, really racist. And out of all the good guys in the history of gaming, no one’s put more of these bad guys to bed than Wolfenstein’s main hero, BJ Blazkowicz. Under the watchful eyes of his iconic bloodstained mug, mecha-Hitler was scrapped, legions of SS guards were slain, and countless secret rooms (full of Nazi gold) were discovered

Welcome to GamesRadar’s Week of Wolfenstein. Achtung, and prepare yourself for five days full of injured Nazis, delicious dog food, secret rooms, and mecha-fascists as we celebrate all that is pure and good about fighting the Third Reich. Today, we’ll be kicking things off with some essential factoids that all self-respecting Wolfenstein fans should know by heart - but probably don’t.