Cold Winter Preview

Andrew Sterling has a problem.

He was once a noted member of MI-6, British intelligence, but that was before his cover was blown while on assignment documenting Chinese military installations. There was no Mr. Phelps warning, but somewhere along the line his status was disavowed, leaving him buried and forgotten. Well, maybe not forgotten. The Chinese at Chang Prison didn’t forget him as they beat him merciless, trying to draw out information he would not divulge.

And someone else didn’t forget about him. On the night before he was to be executed, on the eve of the Chinese New Year, a svelte woman clad in black paid a visit to the prison. Executing guards silently, and rather ruthlessly, she made her way to Sterling’s cell and freed him up.

Andrew Sterling is back in the world, assuming – of course, that he successfully escapes from Chang Prison. And now the world is about to find out what this forgotten agent is capable of.

Cold Winter is the PlayStation 2 title from Swordfish Studios and Vivendi Universal that is slated for release in April.

The game is a combination of shooter and adventure with maze-like puzzle levels. GameZone received previewable code on this title and launched into the world of Sterling, beginning in the depths of the prison in China.

At the core of this game lies an insidious organization called Grey Wings, which is reaching tendrils into the global political infrastructure. Sterling is given aid to escape the Chang prison, but to what end, and how does he figure into the plans of the organization? Is he a pawn being used by them, or the rogue piece in the chess match that can turn the entire gambit on its ear?

The preview code was remarkable in the shooter aspect in many regards – foremost was the way that enemies took bullets. A head shot or body shot to vital areas put the foe down for good, but winging them in the arm or leg usually meant they would continue to shoot back. The puzzles did have some linearity, and that may hamper replayability, but the overall adventure was entertaining.

Cold Winter will support multiplayer modes with up to eight players involved in deathmatch, king of the hill, flag tag, domination (capture, defend and hold objective points), last man standing and head match scenarios. Other features include an arsenal of more than 30 weapons, and real-world physics. Searching the environment and enemy bodies will yield items that can be used to advance you along the level.

The control elements are simple to understand and use. This game has a very short learning curve in that regard. The sound is strong and really does a terrific job in supporting the mood of the game. Of  course, in any game that is a shooter, the targeting controls are key. Cold Winter has made this a smooth process, not too fast or sensitive and player should have no trouble in swinging the crosshairs from one target to the next.

And then there are the graphical elements …

The game can be rather brutal when it comes to the way it depicts violence, but it is not gratuitous – rather it thoroughly supports the mood of the game. It is an extension of the game’s tone, not merely thrown in to satiate the appetites of those looking for violence. However, the game will receive an “M” rating. The environments are sparsely interactive, with the ability to overturn tables and use them as a shield, but not the ability to utilize all environmental elements. A door barred with wood planks will stay barred no matter how much you pound on them with the butt of your AK-47, and the wood is bullet resistant as well.

The game is billed as an FPS shooter, and it plays up to that quite well. It appears to have a strong storyline and accentuates that with solid action and challenging gameplay. Cold Winter might well be one of the hot spring titles.