The problem with first person shooters is exactly the same problem with horror movies: its easy to impress newcomers, but it is nearly impossible to impress experienced players.

I remember the days when I was an *avid* consumer of horror flicks - the B'er they were, the better :). Among my favorite directors, there was (and there is) Brian Yuzna, who I remember mostly because of the Re-animator series, where the viewer meets someone interested in bringing back to life his love... Yes, it feels very much Frankenstein, but NO, it is NOT Frankenstein.

Clearly, Yuzna is deeply influenced by Howard Philips Lovecraft's writings, despite such influence not showing as much in recent works. His 1980s movies are heavy on the Lovecraft world, but the 1990s - despite 1993's Necronomicon - are softer and even more comedy than horror...

Yuzna represents the whole horror concept: there is suspense, gore and a regular sexual innuendo. This cocktail translates into good laughs, and to a certain "can't stand it", for those who have issues with Brian's very explicit representations... a bit like the early days Carpenter.

Oh, but back to Return to Castle Wolfenstein (rtcw), the bridge happens because ID's latest clearly tries to surprise the player in quite a few occasions, with a quality level design and a rhythm that is "just right" (as "right" as seen on horror flicks).
But don't get me wrong: this is the original player-centered Quake, set on the original Castle Wolfenstein, with Quake3 graphics, on a "Nazis meet abnormal monsters" theater... the difference is the rythm... expect a punctual in-your-face drama, then rest assured you'll wait a few "resting" moments, until the next big thing.

The dramas are the "level bosses", and a script that grows more interesting, episode after episode. It all boils up to a game that should be as super to the single player, as Quake. Multi player issues were not the priority.

Audio plays an increasingly important role on games, and it is absolutely superb on RTCW. Some movies have a musical score that falls way behind RTCS's dynamic orchestration. Most movies? You decide...
But it is not just the music: the guns have quite a credible punch; and the locations' acoustic properties will reflect their supposed materials and dimensions. It is really natural.

The adversaries are credible to the point of fighting anything that threats them, even when you're NOT around. This means that a valid tactic is to start a fight between two or more foes... this one is around since the Doom days, but still works and somehow feels better on RTCW.

Recommended!