It’s amazing. Sometimes serendipity descends onto video game land and a bunch of the same games come out at almost the same time. In May and June we had three open world games come out that were very similar in Infamous, Prototype and Red Faction: Guerilla. This fall, two brothers from another mother were released within weeks of each other. Halo 3: ODST and Wolfenstein. They are the same game, yet one is the media darling and the other has been relegated to second class status. Can you guess which one is which?
Let’s get to the bottom of this…
I know, I know, the fanboy in you is already yelling at me, saying stuff like “you’re crazy” and “Halo3: ODST is like the daddy I never had”. Let’s take that little piece of insanity in your brain and put it in a lock box for the next few paragraphs while we hash this out. Okay? Good, now let’s get to it.
Lets get the obvious out of the way. Both are FPS games where you play as a loner looking to aid against an invading and currently, occupying force. For ODST it was the Covenant, for Wolfenstein it was the Nazis. Both games feature “hub over-worlds” that you navigate to obtain missions. Also similarly, the main story missions are played outside of this hub world and exist on their own.
But that’s not where the similarity ends…
There are even crazier similarities. In Wolfenstien, you fight Nazis that also are part of a covenant of dark magic people looking for magicky stuff. In ODST, the Covenant are a bunch of nazis looking for some magicky stuff in New Mombasa.
It gets even crazier. In ODST you fight for a fictional town of New Mombasa and in Wolfenstein you fight in the fictional town of Isenstadt. Both are fictional! Conicidence? I think not.
It goes on. In ODST you have this power called “visor mode” that lets you see enemies, items and other key things in the environment that you might have not seen. In Wolfenstein, you have this power called the “veil” that allows you to see stuff that you wouldn’t normally see… Wow.
Did you ever notice that they never told you the name of “the Rookie”? I bet that’s because his real name is… B.J. Blazkowicz!!! Case closed. ODST and Wolfenstein are the same game. No doubt about it.
You read it here first!
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Whilst I can (barely) see the differences, I can’t help but feel as though perhaps you either don’t like either game and were underwhelmed by both and want them put in a barrel full of concreate and left at the bottom of the ocean or that you’re just clutching at straws. Perhaps you had nothing else to write about, I dunno. I just feel as though that part of my brain still locked up needs to yell “you’re crazy” a few more times. Yeah, I think you were straw clutching on that one Lono.
I actually really like both games. I guess my joke just went over your head. Its all good thought. Thanks for reading it.
Fair points all round, but I’m one of the few who really enjoyed Wolfenstein.
Wolfenstein is actually the more preferable of the two because it doesn’t have gimped vehicle mechanics. Also, you can shoot nazis and stab people with your knife-gun. And there are Ghostbusters.
ODST is still pretty good though.
….did you just almost succeed in selling me on ODST?!?!?!?
Lol..
I see what you did there…
lol and it’s not even Friday
i have played both games and i can honestly say wolfenstein blows
I have to say, I completely agree with you. To me both games just werent worth 60 bucks and I love how you connected them together like that.
Well, they are both overhyped garbage that appeal to the person that couldn’t tell a good FPS from his ass.
“Did you ever notice that they never told you the name of “the Rookie”? I bet that’s because his real name is… B.J. Blazkowicz!!! Case closed. ”
I couldn’t stop laughing when I read that. Nice one Lono.
I really don’t care about either one, so I really cant agree or disagree with this. Definetly not a Halo fan, can tell you that right now.
I enjoyed ODST. As for Wolfenstein, I’ve played the demo and it’s not bad. It all depends on what you like. Don’t let others make up your mind for you.
Really? I thought it was more like Gears of War.
Clever and funny, an un-common combination.
Chur bro, too much!
Actually to me they both felt like…
LEFT 4 DEAD!
at the moment i think ODST sounds like a rip-off, placing map packs most people bought into the game and bumping up the price for it though i haven’t played the game so i haven’t had a chance to check out the main campaign or firefight so i’ll make my opioun of that when it’s released,
as for wolfenstien the original was the very first First Person Shooter wasen’t it so technicly every FPS borrowed at least one thing from wolfenstien. Dosen’t matter though becasue if everyone went around comparing games they wouldn’t be any first person shooters out except wolfeinstien.
Actually started Wolfenstein last night, and apart from the characters looking like something out of the PS2 at points during gamplay, I’m actually liking it better than ODST, because it does something different this time around.
Come at me, fanboys, with all your HATE.
Well wolfenstien was the first so it makes sense for the develepment team to be better then the team making ODST at making FPS, also this game dosen’t have master chief. Where is he? Still floating around with cortana in that dumb broken ship
HAHA great article, Lono. Definitely does tie in with some of my friends saying that they actually are the same game. I’m definitely shoving this article into their face. Classic humor to me.