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- Cold Winter
Cold Winter
- April 01, 2005 18:38 PM PST
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Despite its easy to confuse and un-catchy name, there's a satisfying FPS game to be found underneath in Cold Winter--perhaps one of the best in its genre on the PlayStation 2.
First-person shooter franchises for the PlayStation 2 have never taken off in the same way as Halo has with the Xbox; Killzone tried with all its marketing might but ended up being a let down, and the Timesplitters franchise has been relegated to the ignoble status of a 2nd-tier FPS.Attempting to fill the gap is Swordfish Studios' Cold Winter, a modern shooter putting players in the role of a captured spy. The story itself is rather forgettable--in-game cut-scenes sluggishly move a story that few will care to get engaged in.
Eye on Gold
Where the game shines, however, is the gameplay itself--the controls just feel right. Hitting enemies in Killzone was a chore, but landing headshots in Cold Winter is much easier--and more gratifying. Although you can't tinker with controller sensitivities, the developers did a great job of tweaking the movement delay/reaction to make aiming much more natural than in previous PlayStation 2 games.
Weapons are another high point of Cold Winter. Adding a tinge of realism to combat, each weapon has different recoil and bullet dispersion characteristics, meaning bigger isn't always better. For example, an AK is great for all-round combat while an Uzi with its fast rate of fire and quicker accuracy is ideal for close-range battles. A sawed-off shotgun is useless anything past point blank but delivers a satisfyingly lethal punch when mashed into an opponent's gut. Rocket launchers will blow away any hapless opponent who happens to be nearby with its devastating splash damage. It's apparent that Swordfish put some care into tweaking and balancing the weapons, and it paid off.
Artificial Intelligence shows some lapses in judgment but has moments where it shines. Enemy soldiers will use objects in the environment for cover fire, and even slowly advances while effectively using cover. They do seem to cheat occasionally, especially when shooting at you while a smoke grenade totally obstructs their vision.
Multiple Menace
On the multiplayer front, the game shows promise, too. Players are given the option of choosing what weapons appear in a level by either choosing the individual weapons or selecting preset loadouts (something Halo 2 would've benefited in having). Since each weapon has its own strengths and idiosyncrasies, firefights are more exciting than the usual monotonous strafe 'n spray. Bots range from lethal to lethargic--but your sights will be set on human players anyway.
The minor gameplay gripes so far are the unsatisfying melee attacks--you can never really tell when you're actually hitting somebody, and it really needs some kind of clear "crunch" to indicate that damage is being done. It would help to have some powerful melee weapons, too.
Icy Impressions
Where Cold Winter is most lacking is the graphics--the mediocre textures and lighting hide and tarnish the solid core mechanics of the game. Level designs are mostly generic and unexciting. Characters talk with stiff stoicism as though taking too much Botox. One upside is the physics engine, which actually goes a step beyond gimmicky by having interactive objects that serve a purpose. You can kick down a table and use it for cover fire, or throw around every day objects as in Half-Life 2.
Cold Winter isn't groundbreaking in any one specific aspect, but so far shows refinement where PS2 FPS games need it most: controls and weapon balance. With its bland graphics and no brand name to build off from, the game will likely crawl under the radar when released, but first-person shooter fans ought to keep an eye out for the game it hits retailers this summer.
