A year removed from its launch last May, Wolfenstein: The New Order, one of 2014’s biggest surprise hits from Bethesda Softworks and MachineGames, will get a prequel chapter titled Wolfenstein: The Old Blood on May 5th of this year.

The Old Blood will be released as a $19.99 digital download for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One (nope, no PS3 or Xbox 360), but don’t you dare to even think of calling it DLC. It is a standalone prequel consisting of two interconnected stories that will unfold over eight chapters. (So think more along the lines of a Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon.)

The story setup goes a little something like this:

The year is 1946 and the Nazis are on the brink of winning World War II. In an effort to turn the tide in the allies’ favor, B.J. Blazkowicz must embark on an epic, two-part mission deep within Bavaria….

Part one of Wolfenstein: The Old Blood – Rudi Jäger and the Den of Wolves – pits BJ Blazkowicz against a maniacal prison warden as he breaks into Castle Wolfenstein in an attempt to steal the coordinates to General Deathshead’s compound. In part two – The Dark Secrets of Helga Von Schabbs – our hero’s search for the coordinates leads him to the city of Wulfburg where an obsessed Nazi archaeologist is exhuming mysterious artifacts that threaten to unleash a dark and ancient power.

In The Old Blood, you will once again take up arms as B.J. Blazkowicz, only this time the intense first-person shooting will play out across “rural Germanic towns, sprawling valleys tangled with cable cars and bridges, ghostly catacombs, as well as a return to the iconic Castle Wolfenstein.” B.J. will also be rocking new gear (dual-wielding metal pipes for wall climbing and stealth takedowns), weapons (bolt-action rifle, 1946 shotgun, Kampfpistol grenade launcher), and perks as he confronts new Nazi baddies like Super Soldiers and elite shock troopers.

Sounds like it’s going to be another wild ride through alternate-history WWII!

Collector’s editions that come with an actual copy of the game they are attached to is so old hat. With the Wolfenstei​n: The New Order Panzerhund Edition, Bethesda Softworks is selling a bundle of typical special edition goodies, including a steelbook case, only a copy of the game itself, Wolfenstei​n: The New Order, must be purchased separately. Does that make absolutely no sense at all, or is it just me?

Wolfenstei​n: The New Order Panzerhund Edition is now available for pre-order at store.bethsoft.com for $100 in a limited global supply of just 5,000 units. It contains the following collectible items stuffed inside a stamped and numbered 20″ x 10.5″ x 8.5″ vintage footlocker:

· An 8 inch fully articulated hand-painted Panzerhund statue and base

· Classified folder containing salvaged secret war documents including maps, case files, letters, blueprints and an x-ray

· A set of 14 full-color ‘vintage’ postcards from Wolfenstein’s alternate 1960’s, bound in a display book

· Three embroidered patches

· Custom replica dog tags

· An exclusive Steelbook case to house your copy of the game **Actual game sold separately.

That’s a swell collection of stuff, but I still don’t quite get the point of selling this without a copy of the game, maybe at a price point of $150 so it is ever so slightly cheaper than buying both individually. It would seem to me that any Wolfenstei​n fan serious enough to order the Panzerhund Edition is already going to be buying the game anyway, so why not just put them together like every other collector’s edition?

Wolfenstei​n: The New Order for PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One and the Panzerhund Edition are both scheduled to ship May 20th.