When we think back on our proudest achievements throughout our video gaming careers, a few notable moments come to mind -- for instance, the first time we caught 'em all. Or when we topped our friends' high scores on Pac-Man Championship Edition. The first time we beat the wretched wind tunnel level in Battletoads. Oh, and how could we forget -- that time we shuffled robo-Hitler off this mortal coil in Wolfenstein 3D. That guy was a jerk.

Unfortunately, the satisfaction one feels after putting the kibosh on a genocidist won't be present in Id Software and Raven's next installment in their Nazi-stomping franchise, Wolfenstein. In an interview with Eurogamer, Id lead artist Kevin Cloud confirmed that the Fuhrer will not be present in the upcoming title, claiming that the developer needs to "save something for future Wolfensteins." Who could possibly replace him as the game's nefarious evil boss, though? Eva Braun? Bowser, perhaps?

Though we would have thought that, in light of recent events, a draft of Grand Theft Auto would be more appropriate (What? Too soon?), it seems that Roger Avary is still plugging away at the script for a big-screen Wolfenstein feature.

id's Todd Hollenshead told Eurogamer that, though the recent writer's strike slowed things down, progress is being made, saying, "I've recently been in contact with Roger and he's actually working on the script right now." Hollenshead thinks that the progress is slower than id would have liked, but considering, oh, every other video game movie ever, we think we can find a way to hold out.

Straight from QuakeCon 2008 come some piping hot Wolfenstein goodies from the upcoming game, namely the trailer and a gallery of images. It might look like The Ghostbusters Meet Hitler, or the opening scene of the first Hellboy movie, but we're excited about the supernatural side of World War II. Thank you for that, Raiders of the Lost Ark.

This is a lot more footage than what we saw at Activision's "Not An E3 Event" event earlier this month, and it looks like it has some potential. The paranormal parts look decent, but why does some of it make us think of Call of Duty... 1? Hopefully we'll get some better looks in the coming months ahead, culminating in some Halloweenalicious spooky soldiers.

Hot on the (wolf?) tail of the ever-so-brief debut trailer for the game, Activision has unleashed a pack of first-ever Wolfenstein screens. Well, technically, they're of the new Wolfenstein ... not the original, although they share the same title (minus a "3D"). But we figured you'd guessed that after taking a gander at it above.

Oh, and to clear up any confusion, Activision has confirmed that the game will hit PCs as well as PS3 and Xbox 360. The only thing we need now is a date. (Our eagerness to crack some nazi skulls remains more than sufficient, thankyouverymuch.)

We've known about it for a while years, but it was nonetheless nice to see the next Wolfenstein formally announced for PS3 and Xbox 360 tonight. Activision, id, and Raven Software have finally shown a trailer showcasing the fruits of their collective labor – one that's over rat-a-tat-tat fast.

It was revealed that the game's most intriguing hook will be the ability to enlist the aid of underground resistance in combating a nigh-endless flood of nazis. Nazis who are attempting to rip open a hole between our dimension and one called "Shrell," which we assume is Raven's way around officially licensing "Hell."

id's Todd Hollenshead, who was on hand to introduce the quick clip, announced that more footage (and, we hope, details) will be dished out at QuakeCon on July 31.

We thought it was important to comb through Spike TV's E3 coverage plans, if only so we could plan our walking paths to put us in front of the cameras as much as humanly possible. But imagine our surprise when we actually found news hiding within our ticket to stardom. Check this listing:

"Geoff Keighley is on the E3 show floor to give Spike viewers the inside scoop on the sights and sounds of the show. Also, tune in for more world exclusive surprises including something special from id Software and Raven Software. -- Tuesday, July 15 and Wednesday, July 16 (11:59 PM - Midnight, ET/PT)"

Something special from id and Raven, huh? Could it be the 2-and-1/2-years-in-development Wolfenstein follow up that's supposed to arrive this year? Yeah, we think that's a pretty safe bet. Here's hoping we get to hear more about another return to the castle next week.

Wired reminds us that that today is the 16th anniversary of when the ubiquitous first-person shooter genre really took off. Wolfenstein 3D celebrates its "sweet sixteen" in the firm knowledge that it not only helped springboard a genre, but also id Software, which went on to make the Quake and Doom series.

Although the FPS had been around since the '70s, Wolfenstein 3D is the game that most people (old enough) can point to being their first real experience with the genre. The game is also remembered for being one of the earlier instances of censorship, as it was banned in Germany for its non-educational use of swastika and Nazi music. As for the next time we'll re-return to castle Wolfenstein? The last we heard it's supposed to be later this year.

Update: Wait, it's 2008? So much for celebrating its quinceañera.

Film director and screenwriter Roger Avary, whose game-related work includes the Silent Hill, Driver and Return to Castle Woflenstein adaptations, has been arrested in Ventura, California on suspicion of driving under the influence and manslaughter.

Avary was driving the car with his wife Gretchen and friend Andreas Zini when the car crashed. Avary's wife was injured and Zini later died at the hospital from injuries related to the crash. Avary is also known for co-writing Pulp Fiction and Beowulf. He has been released on $50,000 bail. The film adaptation of Return to Castle Wolfenstein has been on hold since the beginning of the Writer's Guild of America strike.

Though the Writer's Guild strike probably has you relieved that Mario and Master Chief can't take to the picket line, it's still having an effect on some video game-related properties. One of the first casualties we've heard about is Roger Avary's big screen take on Wolfenstein.

The writer told Sci-Fi Wire that he "is almost done with the script and am proud of it, but everything as far as the production date and that kind of thing won't be decided on until after all this [is] over. And I fully support the strike." Avary's one of the few in Hollywood who seem to care a lot about video game properties, so we hope he's able to still get the project off the ground after the strike is settled.

In a new interview with Ain't It Cool News, Roger Avary – the recently announced writer/director of the Return to Castle Wolfenstein Oscar contender – talks about the process of adapting a video game to the big screen ("it's a bit of an uphill climb"), the character of BJ Blazkowicz ("he is not racist or an anti-Semite"), and casting the role ("all one needs to do is look at the box art on the Return to Castle Wolfenstein game and you can see who I see in my mind for the role.")

Well, we looked at that box art and, unless they're casting a lapel pin in the role of Nazi-killing machine BJ Blazkowicz, we'll assume he means the RtCW: Tides of War box art pictured above. Nevertheless, we're having a tough time seeing precisely who Avary has in mind. We've crossed our eyes; stood away from the screen; nothing. Maybe generi-tough guy Jason Statham? Or sensitive tough guy Ben Affleck? Our vote is for aging tough guy, Bruce Willis. He practically has Nazi-killer written all over him.

Even though we couldn't liveblog the QuakeCon keynote, that didn't mean we weren't taking notes. It's Sunday, the final day of this giant BYOC (bring-your-own-computer) LAN party organized by volunteers right in id's backyard: Dallas, TX. Want to see how things went down on Friday night, when they announced Rage, their first game built using the id Tech 5 engine? Or how about the status of the next Wolfenstein game (hint: they're making one). Or how about John Carmack's thoughts on cell phone game development (if anyone can get us excited ...).

6:10pm - We're all filing in.

6:17pm - Todd Hollenshead takes the stage. Sponsor thanks; QuakeCon 2008 date is already set! (July 31 - August 3, 2008). He announces that the Enemy Territory: Quake Wars beta is open to all attendees both at the BYOC LAN, and as a downloadable beta once you get home. (The crowd goes wild). An October 2nd ship date is already set for ET: QW so mark those calendars.

6:24pm - OMG! Wolfenstein news! A new game is in development! ... and that's it. We already knew that much. No other news, just the teaser. Thanks for nothing, id!

Smack dab in the middle of QuakeCon, Variety brings news that Silent Hill movie producer Samuel Hadida has secured the movie rights to id Software's Return to Castle Wolfenstein, with Silent Hill writer Roger Avary tapped to both write and direct the new project. Avary said, "I've been playing the character of B.J. Blazkowicz since the epic Wolfenstein 3D first bruised my brain and have ever since wanted to bring his adventures to life on the bigscreen." We're not doctors, but we're quite certain a significant amount of cranial bruising would be necessary before considering the story of B.J. Blazkowicz well-suited for the silver screen.

Of course, solid details on the next Wolfenstein game have been holed up in a bunker for years and tonight's QuakeCon keynote by John Carmack and Todd Hollenshead is as good a place as any to unveil new details. Just sayin' ...

[Thanks, Ethan]

After falling off radar for a little over a year, the "next-gen" version of Wolfenstein continues development with a 2008 release date attached to it. Announced back in 2005, the game was expected last year and just sorta disappeared. Now a random story by a Wisconsin television station about motion capture technology brings news that the game isn't complete vaporware and developer Raven Software (Marvel Ultimate Alliance) is still working on it.

The focus of the news piece is the actress Raven Software hired to play "an elite force assassin" in the game. The actress, Carrie Coon, will have her face scanned for use in the game. Femme fatales always make a game better, just ask Ada Wong (Resident Evil) or Mona Sax (Max Payne). Well, we hope that the game will get a real name soon and some screens to go with the official announcement. With any luck the title won't disappear for another year -- we need more WWII based, Nazi killin', first-person shooters!

It's been a long time since id Software defined the first-person shooter with Wolfenstein 3D, and later took it to a new level of insanity with Doom. The company got rich not only off their own revolutionary games, but also by farming out their powerful engines to other developers.

In recent years, id has fallen from prominence. Doom 3 and Quake 4 were mere shadows of their predecessors. id began to lose FPS market share as other people's engines got more play. Even id founder/visionary John Carmack seemed to be losing interest in the genre he created, and spent his time building rockets and cell phone games.

But in a new interview with Next Generation, id CEO Todd Hollenshead makes it clear that his company has a few tricks up its sleeve, the most exciting of which is Carmack's "brand new shooter that is not based on any previous IP." While Hollenshead refuses to reveal much about this mysterious new game, he does say that "[Carmack's] approach allows us to do some things visually that we haven't ever been able to do before. He is really unfettering the ability of artists to go absolutely nuts."

Do you hear that, video game artists? Are you tired of those fetters on your ability to go absolutely nuts? Get a job at id.

The net's full of debate about the perfect game protagonist (ninjas, pirates, or robots?) but too little real debate about what makes the perfect in-game enemy.

In comments on yesterday's post about upcoming Xbox 360 (Japan) zombie stomper Oneechanbara, Joystiq reader Gimbal posited that risen corpses may well be the ideal enemy: "Zombies, like Nazis, are the perfect enemy for video games." Zatso? What makes a perfect enemy anyway?

The perfect enemy is:

• Ugly: the perfect enemy generates involuntary revulsion on the part of the beholder. Examples: Alien, Klingons, Predator, zombies, headcrabs, trolls, orcs, snakes.
• Inherently dangerous: It's in the enemy's nature to damage humans or the human way of life. If the enemy is to live, humans must suffer. Whether driven by pure malice, the need for a warm, wet place to lay eggs, or mere appetite for brainsss, the enemy's existence must be predicated on human destruction.
• Foreign: the perfect enemy cannot share the same values as the protagonist. Whether that means the enemy believes that Democracy is wrong (and Communism right) or the believes that humans are tasty: foreign values allow all sorts of wonderful misunderstanding and conflict. The enemy should not speak our own language.
• Sentient: the perfect enemy is smart enough to maliciously plan your death. The Atlantic ocean, for instance, is inherently dangerous, but tends to be at the mercy of winds and doesn't appear to be plotting against us all.
• Politically appropriate: the perfect enemy is culturally and politically acceptible to hate and destroy. In ages past, the perfect enemy might have been the Visigoths, Muslims (remember the Crusades?), people with different skin color, whatever. Nowadays, it's generally more politically correct for the enemy to be inhuman. Zombies and aliens make great enemies precisely because it's hard for America's religious extremists to object to ostensibly wholesome themes such as "protect the human race from Martian invaders!" or "Defend your homeland from unholy swarms of undead!"
• Difficult but not impossible to eliminate: The perfect enemy needs to be vulnerable (else there's no hope, and no way to win the game), but not so vulnerable that the enemy doesn't pose a credible threat.

Is this definition sufficiently inclusive? Any examples of enemies that fall outside of the requirements?