The story of the game takes place in Germany during WWII, for those who haven't played the original or the recent Wolfenstein release. You are a soldier behind Nazi lines, stuck inside Castle Wolfenstein, a terrible place where you must deal not only with Hitler's barbaric troops but also with a slew of nasty German Shepards and even some of the dead human experiments who have resurrected and are looking to destroy everything that breathes. In this latest installment, Enemy Territory abandons the mystical and single-player plots in favor of a team-based multiplayer-only environment that reminded me more of a Tom Clancy game title.
As you first enter the multiplayer mode, it looks very similar to the original RtCW. You choose which team you want to play on, so which class you want to be, such as a soldier, a doctor, an engineer, and so on. In Enemy Territory, there are also newer characters, such as a covert operations character that appears like your adversary before they open fire, allowing you to slip into and around enemy zones, and a field ops character who can have on-the-run ammunition and call in air and artillery attacks. You will also pick different weapons to use in each of the grades, which makes it feel more like you're making your own character rather than having any of the weapons that the game assumes you can play with. After that, it's back into the fray for you, soldier.
The first thing you'll find when you join a server is that there are a few little button-looking items on a map that says "Mission???: 1 of 3." The creators simply combine three different goal areas to form a single quest that allows you to take over new weapons and items that you've collected while playing (keep reading for more details). This makes for an aggregate win or defeats for the Axis or Allied sides after all rounds have been finished, so though you could lose the first round... keep focused, and the next two may be yours.
Enemy Territory's inclusion of an RPG-style experience point structure was a highlight feature for me. You gain experience if you kill an opponent. For a certain amount of time, you can advance from a humble private to 1st lieutenant, sergeant, corporal, and so forth. Another very good aspect of this skill framework that they built is that completing what you're meant to do will give you experience and help you progress in general as well as in particular fields like small arms fire or heavy guns. A medic, for example, will simply sprint around the map doing nothing but giving adrenaline shots to soldiers who are nearly dead in order to save them or dropping energy packs to recover front line fighters while also leveling up not just in rank but also in their chosen profession. Just doing what you're meant to do earns experience, even while it's a little lower than a frag (kill), it's still there, because you don't feel or seem like you didn't do something if you're not the greatest marksman, because it lets you stay focused on helping and doing your part with the squad.
This game was all about competing as a cohesive team, and there is also a neat aspect of providing several goals that must be achieved on a per-map basis in order for your team to succeed. For eg, one stage requires you to construct a bridge for objective 1, then escort a tank to a checkpoint for objective 2, and so on. Because each player has a clear job to do to ensure that all goals are accomplished, this greatly improves coordination. Engineers will install the bridge while attack fighters have an eye out for attackers, scouts will be stationed behind trees to detect intruders and issue alerts, and medics will be on hand to cure the fighters and engineers so that the job can be finished. It isn't always perfect because of the players who participate more than the game itself, so whether you have 5 or 6 people working together, it really does go together and improves the chances of winning.
There are two areas of Enemy Territories that I suspect can trigger problems for certain teams. The most notable difference is that the original game has been transformed into a modern kind of game, with the eerie, single-player, and somewhat dark aspects of the franchise being replaced by a straight team-based online game. This could raise two issues in general. The first is that not everyone wishes to play as a team and would rather play alone. After you've played Enemy Territory, you'll have little option but to play multiplayer, because if you don't do what you're meant to do or end up murdering your army mates, you'll get a good dose of burning on top of missed experience points. The second thing to note is that even Wolf veterans like myself can face a learning curve, as this seems like a completely different type of game from the first. Personally, I think it's brilliant, but a couple of the people I know and have played with soon fled the battleground and went back to the original, never to be seen again.
Enemy Territory keeps the cool id Software graphics from the Quake III engine. The settings are a decent scale, and the character designs, ears, and costumes were all well-done. There are some very cool-looking smoke and blast results, and soldiers will also scream for medics and try to sit up while seriously burned and on the brink of death. When characters are traveling at a distance, there are several problems with clipping and choppy graphics.
Enemy Territory's audio was also strong, with some solid character voices and a commander-style guy who advises you on how you and your squad are doing or improving, as well as what the enemies have defeated or created. The sounds of war are clearly everywhere about you, and they will get more aggressive and dirty as the battle intensifies.
