Cold Winter - Hands On Preview

The prospect of yet another first-person-shooter is hardly a cause for much excitement around the TVG office. Sure we lurch towards them ahead of most other genres, and theyâ??re often the source of the largest technical innovations; however in the space of 12 months weâ??ve done it all, fended off an alien invasion (ish) of Earth, sent demons packing back to Hell on Mars and recreated the infamous 101st Paratrooper drop ahead of D-Day â?“ to say weâ??re slightly jaded by them would be a monumental understatement!

So when the opportunity to check out Swordfish Studios PS2 exclusive, Cold Winter, came around you can imagine our slight trepidation; MI6 agents, Chinese prisons, forgive us if weâ??ve said weâ??d seen it all before.

Thankfully meeting up with Cold Winterâ??s Lead Designer, Julian Widdows, was enough to reassure; impressing not only with the overall quality of the game but more so the design concepts that lurk beneath. The conversation with Julian prior to the gameâ??s demonstration naturally centred on other first-person-shooters along with their various merits and flaws, however testimony to the fact that he just loves videogames, soon began to take on other aspects such as the unexpected (and quite frankly criminal) sales of Hostile Waters and the need for games to be pigeonholed into genres.

Although the first-person-shooter genre has found itself inundated with releases over the last few years, itâ??s fair to say that the Playstation2 has yet to receive a true AAA title - itâ??s this target that drives the team at Swordfish. Wanting to bring a darker, edgier and more mature experience to the format closer to those found on the PC, Cold Winter follows the story of MI6 agent Andrew Darling, captured, conveniently forgotten, tortured and awaiting execution in a Chinese prison.

The story picks off with Darlingâ??s rescue by a mysterious friend from his past, setting off a chain of events that could possibly rock the foundations of global security and wreak chaos on a worldwide level. Specific details on how the plot progresses was justifiably kept a closely guarded secret, however weâ??re assured that all is not what it seems as the dark story twists with many double crosses and dubious forces.

Signalling the level of thought gone into the creation of Cold Winter right from the start, Widdows cited a common held fact that 80% of all gamers never bother to complete the games they purchase â?“ a startling fact that probably holds some truth. So the team at Swordfish took this as a challenge, as Widdows claimed, â??youâ??d be disappointed if 80% of the audience walked out half way through the cinema.â? The truth behind the figure however stretches further back in time to a period when videogames were fundamentally built around a series of increasingly complex challenges. Back then it was game designers vs the gamers, a real â??them vs. usâ? situation; fast forward a few years and the increasing popularity of videogames has all-but eliminated this type of challenge, deemed too frustrating for the masses.

Swordfish however doesnâ??t necessarily believe that the â??challengeâ? has to be completely removed in order to create an experience for the masses; instead wisely recognising the need for a smoother progress through the game, providing subtle assists to the player to extend the session and prevent infuriating deaths. Naturally the player will die at times throughout the game, however Cold Winter ensures that thereâ??s no re-tracking throughout the entire level if you do so and provides a greater perception of injury and danger when the main character comes under fire.

Again citing a cause for much frustration amongst those new to the genre, Cold Winter eschews inverted control set-upâ??s, x and y-axis sensitivity options and other such complexities; in its place the game cleverly detects the very first motion made by the player and can decide whether theyâ??re a normal or inverted type of person. Widdows claims that the system â??gets it rightâ? 98% of the time and thereâ??s always the option to calibrate settings manually if you so wish â?“ a small touch for sure, but one that highlights the level of thought poured into the game during the early stages.

Further evidence of the ingenuity that flows throughout Cold Winter and an attempt to straddle the gap between hardcore and casual gamers, comes in the shape of armour being awarded upon a kill. The truly smart touch coming in the small detail that the amount of armour is dictated by how clinical the kill - so taking somebody out accurately with a headshot will result in a greater armour boost then messily destroying them with a grenade launcher!

Another aspect designed around the issue of accessibility, is the capacity to heal the main character at any stage throughout the game â?“ a touch thatâ??s likely to have hardcore fps fanatics screaming out aloud, but one that yet again makes sense when you discover more about the game. Not being restrained to collecting medi-packs at certain locations within the stage, changes around the overall dynamic of the game considerably and ensures that thereâ??s a smoother progression through the game rather then the â??kill-restartâ? dynamic featured in many of its rivals. Those fearing a sacrifice to the gameâ??s overall challenge can rest easy, as the pace of the game and sophisticated AI ensures that thereâ??s not too many situations where youâ??ll have time to heal yourself â?“ but also opens up the scope to play the game in a variety of ways.

Without wanting to sound too old and cynical, a number of games â??these daysâ? sell themselves solely on technical accomplishments and statistics, so itâ??s more then a welcoming change to hear a developer talk so passionately about the actual design of the game first and foremost â?“ however thatâ??s not to say Cold Winter doesnâ??t impress when it comes down to visual effects and technical achievements.

The use of real-time physics within the game easily represents the most advanced weâ??ve yet to see on the Playstation2. While games such as Half Life 2 have easily ramped up the expectation, many console shooters (particularly on the PS2) strike a weird balance of some objects reacting to physics while others bizarrely donâ??t. Virtually every object in Cold Winter is affected by forces, setting the scope for some exhilarating gunfights and allowing the use of large objects to form cover when things get a little heated.

Watching and playing the game for the first time brought up a significantly different experience to what weâ??ve become accustomed to in the past, most notably in the shape of the opponent AI that the player comes across. One particular example saw Darling take out a guard accurately only to sit in the shadows and watch as his friends came over to investigate, the overall result being something closer akin to a stealth title then your run-of-the-mill first-person-shooter.

Although rag-doll animations are becoming increasingly apparent within videogames, theyâ??re often the source of â??hit-and-missâ? results, exemplified by limbs hanging at awkward direction and unbelievable positions. Despite featuring enough weapon-power to annihilate those standing against Darling, Cold Winter features a startling array of lifelike animations to keep the experience fresh and more importantly alive.

With a wide selection of weapons on offer, each providing a satisfactory sense of impact and diversity yet with a distinctive â??point and shootâ? feel, combat throughout Cold Winter is a frenzied experience and more importantly feels right. Further innovation stems from the ability to collect and assemble various bits and bobs, McGuyver style, to create a variety of concoctions including lockpicks and Molotov cocktails, which can often be used in combat or to discover secret areas.

Naturally any first-person-shooter needs to offer multiplayer and in this regards Cold Winter looks to have it all, offering 4P split-screen, 8P online and even bot support for Billy Nomates! Whether or not itâ??s up to the quality of TimeSplitter: Future Perfect remains in question, however thereâ??s little doubt that as an overall experience, Cold Winter is an intriguing prospect.