Gaming
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus Review — Propulsive pulp classic
With fascist figures influencing the world, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus is as timely as a first-person shooter video game about fighting Nazis can be. How effective is its message conveyed through story and gameplay?
There is an important legacy to the Wolfenstein name. Wolfenstein 3D basically started the 3D first-person shooter genre in 1992. That name, however, had become irrelevant since then, as its World War II setting and white-bread protagonist BJ Blazkowicz were used as a template for a lot of FPS games for years. It wasn’t until Wolfenstein: The New Order came out in 2014 and surprised gamers that Wolfenstein mattered again.
It wasn’t because of innovative gameplay, although The New Order was certainly solid in that department. What wowed fans was its nuanced narrative.
As a direct sequel to The New Order, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus was then burdened with the challenge of being as good or even better than its sleeper hit predecessor. Its marketing that capitalized on the political climate in the US only served to raise the stakes.
The New Colossus wields its storytelling and gunplay like dual shotguns to blow away those expectations and then some.
Horrifying alternate history
The New Colossus picks up right where The New Order left off. There’s a short video recap for the events of the previous game for players who missed it. It’s 1961 and the Nazis are at the height of their power. They won World War II and have taken over the United States of America after dropping a nuke on Manhattan, forcing the US government to surrender. Protagonist BJ Blazkowicz is with his ragtag resistance group from Europe. On board a captured high-tech German U-boat, they’re sailing to American soil to start a revolution and liberate the nation from Nazi rule.
Sounds like a hopeful premise to start with, no?
The New Colossus hacks that hope with a hatchet in the most shocking intro to a video game I’ve ever seen. In the first half hour alone, it features extreme graphic violence, domestic abuse, animal cruelty, racial and homophobic slurs, aggressive sexually suggestive behavior, and body shaming.
It’s understandable that some might find all this immediately off-putting and done for cheap shock value. However, considering the atrocities that the Nazi party, the Ku Klux Klan, and other racial supremacist factions committed throughout history, it’s critical for a game that has those groups in power to depict them for what they truly are: evil people who hold beliefs that cannot be reasoned with yet are rooted in very real human frailty.
Brutal combat for brutal difficulty
The game establishes its villains in the beginning so effectively that you can’t help but want to bring them down. Fortunately, you build up a small arsenal to do so in supremely bloody fashion. You get throwable axes, machine guns, explosives, and lasers to maim and murder Nazis. There are upgrade systems to improve your weapons as well as your character’s base abilities like movement speed and health regeneration.
You’ll need to take full advantage of these mechanics to beat these virtual fascists. The New Colossus is unforgiving in its difficulty. Most levels begin with you in stealth, but sneaking around is tough because of how most levels are structured. You’re either going through narrow hallways with just a couple of paths or wide open arenas with very little cover.
Like in The New Order, there are commanders that you’ll have to eliminate to keep them from calling in reinforcements. Unlike in its predecessor, these commanders are almost always hidden away at the very end of the sections you’re traversing. So what usually happens is you get spotted after taking out a couple of guards, the commanders sound the alarm, and waves of heavily armored soldiers swarm in for a gunfight.
Seconds of sustained gunfire will kill you. Making matters worse is there’s little feedback to indicate you’re taking damage. It’s very easy to get gunned down without you expecting it. Recovering health is finicky, too. While you can walk over health packs on the ground to restore your life, most of these items blend in the background and are up on shelves and desks. You have to manually look at these pickups and press a button to use them, and the seconds you take to do so can be enough to eat bullets from all sides.
The answer is to never stop moving and always pull out two firearms. Only through relentless mobility and ferocity can you reliably overcome these encounters. It helps that sprinting and shooting in The New Colossus looks and feels good. You can blitz across rooms while carrying an automatic shotgun in one hand and a grenade launcher in the other. Every blast from your guns explodes in a rhythmic song of righteous fury.
Momentum-driven human drama
This philosophy of constant, confident movement rings resoundingly in the cinematics. The New Colossus rarely lets up on dropping atomic plot bombs. The entire cast crackles with character in every cutscene. The dialogue and delivery pop and snap like a Quentin Tarantino flick, with motion capture rivaling the Uncharted games for expressiveness. The industrial metal soundtrack, courtesy of DOOM (2016) composer Mick Gordon, rips and tears to hype you the hell up.
It’s not just bluster, either. You take commands from the leader of a militant African-American organization and partner with a socialist armed rebel group. Both parties holler at the social injustices that are deeply ingrained in America’s racist and hyper-capitalist culture, long before the Nazis came along. In fact, The New Colossus reveals just how poised pockets of American society are to fully embrace white supremacist authority, which apparently isn’t so different from reality.
What is most impressive though is the game’s deep dive into protagonist BJ Blazkowicz’s psyche and personal history. He cuts the perfect Aryan figure; a white, blonde, blue-eyed, square-jawed, deep-voiced, musclebound manly man. But The New Colossus takes the time to explore his emotional vulnerabilities, his sources of inner strength, and how his core values differentiate him from the insecure, paranoid, and destructive narcissism of Nazi oppressors.
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus is a double threat of ultraviolent action and ballistic fiction. It swings from hilarity to horror with rockstar swagger while maintaining pitch-perfect solemnity in its soliloquies. 25 years since the series debut, Wolfenstein proves that it’s always relevant to resist.
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There’s a certain expectation that comes with a My Hero Academia game, especially one billed as the “final chapter.” You expect big emotions, loud battles, and characters pushed to their limits. After spending time with My Hero Academia: All’s Justice, it’s clear Bandai Namco isn’t trying to reinvent the arena fighter formula. Instead, it’s refining what fans already know and framing it around the series’ most climactic arc.
Early on, the game feels immediately familiar. If you’ve played previous My Hero Academia console titles, you’ll know exactly what you’re getting into. Combat rhythms, camera angles, and overall pacing don’t drastically change. For casual fighting game players like myself, the differences feel more granular than transformative, but that familiarity makes the game easy to settle into.
One notable addition is the dual control scheme: “Normal” and “Manual.” Normal mode smooths out inputs, lowering the skill floor, while Manual mode is the classic arena fighter setup. Normal works but reduces player agency in ways that feel unusual. Outside of combat, the game also replaces a standard menu with a city-like hub. Playing as Deku, you pull up a smartphone-style menu to access modes, subtly increasing immersion.
Combat and battle system
Combat feels largely unchanged in speed but leans more aerial than expected. Characters spend a lot of time in the air, creating distance and forcing you to think about positioning. Aggressive players may struggle, as patience and smart movement are rewarded more than constant pressure.
Quirks are intuitive, even for newcomers to 3D arena fighters. Visual indicators clearly communicate cooldowns and power states. Some Quirks are tuned for balance, but they still feel faithful to the anime. Ultimate and cinematic moves are satisfying and feel earned, never spammy.
Character variety is a standout. Deku, Bakugo, and Shoto share similar combat prompts, but their Quirks dictate unique movement, attack patterns, and space control. Deku, in particular, feels beginner-friendly, making him a natural starting point.
Roster and character balance
The roster feels large without overwhelming the player. Final-form characters aren’t instantly dominant; the true power spike comes when a character enters a “Rising” state after being the last fighter, gaining buffs across damage and abilities. Villains are just as enjoyable as heroes, with Dabi proving particularly fun to play. Story mode also presents moments of genuine challenge, such as facing multiple opponents at once.
While it’s early to speak on balance issues, the game seems thoughtfully tuned so far. Beginner-friendly characters include Deku, Bakugo, and Shoto, while other fighters may require more experience to master.
Team Up Missions
Team Up Missions offer shorter, varied challenges that feel like playable mini OVAs. While not essential to the main story, they unlock legacy battles and extra content for fans.
AI allies are competent and punish reckless play, which makes team composition matter more than cosmetic choices. While these missions don’t dramatically expand the fantasy of teamwork, they add fun replayable content for single-player fans.
Story and cinematic presentation
Story mode is where All’s Justice shines. Experiencing the Final War interactively delivers the same giddy excitement as watching those moments unfold in the anime. It evokes memories of the Naruto Ninja Storm series, balancing spectacle and fan service. Transitions between gameplay and cutscenes are serviceable—neither jarring nor groundbreaking.
The game assumes familiarity with the story, so newcomers may feel lost without prior anime knowledge. Battles often carry emotional weight, effectively allowing players to relive key moments of the Final War.
Visuals, performance, and audio
The game runs smoothly on PS5, even during effects-heavy fights. Character models are adequate, though not as sharp as hoped, while facial animations during story moments are expressive and well-done. The UI does enough to keep combat readable without distracting from the action.
Audio stands out. Voice acting delivers intensity, hit sounds feel impactful, and music consistently elevates big moments. The game is loud, but in a way that matches the over-the-top energy of the series.
Should you play My Hero Academia: All’s Justice
My Hero Academia: All’s Justice feels like a proper final chapter. It doesn’t overreach but delivers where it matters most. Competitive players will find depth, while anime fans can relive beloved battles interactively.
It may not redefine the genre, but it understands exactly what kind of game it wants to be—and it delivers that confidently.
The combination of familiar combat, a large and varied roster, cinematic story moments, and thoughtful extras like Team Up Missions makes it a satisfying experience for anyone looking to step into the shoes of their favorite heroes and villains.
It’s been a while since GPU companies focused on making chips for consoles. With how the industry is going now, chips feel like they’re destined to end up in the suffocating deluge of AI servers. Now, however, AMD is showing signs of healing by teasing the next-generation Xbox.
In the latest earnings call (via Engadget), AMD CEO Lisa Su teased that the next-gen Xbox, built with a custom AMD SoC, is “progressing well to support a launch in 2027.”
The subtle tease is vague enough to obscure any details about the upcoming console but clear enough to confirm that it’s coming. Since the Xbox Series X|S has been out for several years now, it’s not surprising that Microsoft is thinking about what’s coming next.
However, it’s still intriguing that Microsoft is going for another console. Previous reports have speculated that the company might focus on delivering games, especially through the Game Pass. Lately, both the PlayStation and the Switch have thoroughly dominated the console market ahead of the Xbox. Handheld consoles are likewise impressive, too.
Other reports have speculated that the upcoming generation will focus on delivering both a gaming and a PC experience. With the Steam Machine coming soon, it seems natural that the next consoles will be usable PCs as well.
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Gaming
Overwatch reinvents itself with a new story and five new heroes
And it’s not “Overwatch 2” anymore.
Overwatch 2 was not a disaster for the popular multiplayer shooter franchise. It did, however, make the game more polarizing. For 2026, Blizzard is shaking things up once again, starting by dropping the “2” from Overwatch 2.
During its scheduled showcase, the new-and-improved Overwatch will feature annual storylines that will keep the game fresh for years to come. The system will go live on February 10. By then, the year-long event called Reign of Talon will start with Season 1.
As the name suggests, this year will be all about the villain-coded Talon organization, and it’s going to be more story-driven. Right off the bat, a new cinematic sees Vendetta seemingly kill Doomfist and take over the leadership of Talon.
Blizzard says that the year will see ten new characters introduced to the roster. In fact, five of those will already be playable starting in Season 1.
Without a doubt, the highlight character for this round is the formerly cancelled Jetpack Cat. The character was first rumored all the way back in 2017 but will now be fully playable this season. The flying feline hero is a support character that can hook another hero to a location while healing them. Their ultimate reverses this by having them crash land onto enemies and then hooking one to, ideally, drop them off the map.
Jetpack Cat will join four other heroes. Anran, who is also affiliated with the Overwatch faction, deals fire damage. Domina, who, along with the next three heroes, works with Talon, is a shield-based tank. Emre imagines an evil version of Soldier: 76. Finally, Mizuki is a Talon-affiliated healer.
Besides a new story and heroes, Overwatch will feature new game modes and improvements across the board. The new Season 1 starts on February 10.
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