By Gary Kearney
Ever go on a blind date and hear the phrase “He/She has a great
personality?” It’s supposed to be something nice to say about someone that
is...well, somewhat lacking in the looks department. Given the rather shallow
nature of our society (American society anyway) that phrase is enough to scare
just about anyone away from said date. That scenario is a lot like Cold Winter
for the PS2 and that’s too bad because you could very well be missing out on a
great time. It may not be a real looker, but spend a little time with it and you
may find yourself having a good time before you realize it. Let’s find out
why...
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| OK, so it's not the best looking game around, but it will be there for you when you need it... |
Cold Winter is a first-person shooter for the PS2 developed by Swordfish
Studios and published by Sierra. I had not realized it before but there are not
a whole lot of FPS out for the PS2...at least not many that are worth that much.
Sure there's Timesplitters, Red Faction, and a few others but when compared to
the quantity and quality that the Xbox has PS2 owners must feel a little let
down (yea, I'm talking to you Killzone!) Cold Winter isn't about to win you any
bragging rights over Halo 2, but at least it doesn't suck and is actually fun.
The story is probably the strongest area of Cold Winter. Right from the start
you are in trouble. You play as Andrew Sterling, a British MI6 agent and general
expert in all things that go boom with a specialty in covert operations. But
apparently you’re really not the best agent on the planet because the game
starts with you being captured in China and going through their world renowned
justice system...which means a lot of beatings and a few broken finger before
you’re scheduled to be killed. MI6 does what it can by disavowing your existence
and destroying all records pertaining to you (guess you can take those guys off
of your Christmas list). Ah, but leave it to the private sector to pick up where
the government stops. An old friend of yours, Danny Parish, happens to run a
private security agency and sends one of his best employees, Kim, to snatch you
out of Chang Prison and you begin working for him. Thus begins an adventure that
will take you around the world and from run-of-the-mill arms dealers to a plot
of nuclear consequences.
As I so eloquently stated in the opening, Cold Winter is not a very attractive
game. Yet I found myself enjoying this homely title much more than many of the
beauty pageant winners I’ve tried recently. While the graphics are lacking the
overall experience more than makes up for this and makes this a case of the
whole becoming greater than the parts. It’s a little hard to explain that while
Cold Winter is missing or underachieving in some areas the game is just plain
enjoyable. The character development is interesting and the storyline, told
through some well-produced cut scenes, keeps you wanting to press on where you
may have already lost interest in other games of this type.
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