Wolfenstein 3D

Wolfenstein 3D is a first-person shooter developed by Id Software and published by Apogee Software in 1992 for DOS. It has since been ported for several systems including PC-98, Mac, Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360.

The game was inspired by the 1980s Muse Software video game Castle Wolfenstein, a top-down infiltration game.

Wolfenstein 3D came out hot on the heels of the Commander Keen series and utilized the game engine created by John Cormack. It was pre-Doom, but you can see that many of the gameplay elements made their way into this future release. Playing as a captured allied spy, you must escape your Nazi captors and foil their plans for world domination. The game is broken down into six episodes which further break down into ten levels each. Eight regular levels, a boss level, and a secret level. Each level has a labyrinthian set up with lots of areas to explore, secrets to find, and enemies to blow away. You have a set number of lives, but it is possible to earn extra lives as you play.

Wolfenstein 3D is one of Apogee’s best selling games and is looked at by many as the godfather of 3D and first-person shooters, first of all, Doom. It raked in cash for both Apogee and Id in its heyday. 26 years later it still holds up as a classic of the genre and a hell of a good game.