Cold Winter
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Cold Winter | |
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| Developer(s) | Swordfish Studios |
| Publisher(s) | Vivendi Universal Games |
| Designer(s) |
Julian Widdows (director)
David Percival (project lead) Mark Willot (composer) Drew Markham (executive producer) |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2, Xbox (cancelled) |
| Release date | NA May 11, 2005 PAL June 3, 2005 |
| Genre(s) | First-person shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: M (Mature) PEGI: 18+ |
| Input methods | DualShock 2, PlayStation 2 Headset (optional) |
Cold Winter is a first-person shooter (FPS) video game developed by Swordfish Studios and published by Vivendi Universal Games.
Contents |
[edit] Story
In Cold Winter, you play as an ex-Special Air Service (SAS) operative who has been captured and jailed in a political prison in China. Before you are executed, one of your old friends saves you, because he needs you for a job only you can handle.
Cold Winter focuses on two story lines which connect towards the end of the game. These include the protagonist, Andrew Sterling and the antagonist John Grey.
The writing is credited to award-wining author Warren Ellis.
[edit] Andrew Sterling's story
Andrew sterling is a former SAS soldier working for MI6. He is captured in China and jailed in Chang Political prison. MI6 destroys all files on Sterling to prevent an international incident. Andrew is rescued the night before his execution by an old acquaintance named Kim and a former fellow SAS soldier Daniel Parish.
To repay his debt to Parish for saving his life Andrew Agrees to work for his private security agency. Andrew then travels to Egypt to eliminate the leaders of an arms dealing cartel who possess a missile guidance system called Octopus.
Andrew completes his mission but at the cost of Kim's life.
[edit] John Grey's story
John Grey (voiced by Tom Baker) was a young man who enlisted in the Royal Air Force to defend Britain at the height of World War II. Horrified by nuclear weapons John Grey formed a secret society ,"Greywings" inspired by the heroes of the H.G. Wells novel The Shape Of Things to Come. Greywings sought out and destroyed nuclear threats but ultimately came to the conclusion that the only way to abolish nuclear warfare would be to create a nuclear winter leaving the survivors afraid of nuclear warfare.
Greywings planned on initiating their plan codenamed Operation: Cold Winter by providing world powers with the Octopus guidance systems.
[edit] Conclusion
John Grey hired Parish to liquidate the Egyptian arms ring because they stole an Octopus unit which was intended for world powers rather than the third world country's it's thieves planned on selling it to. John Grey soon after betrays his own organization to save the life of his infant granddaughter. Andrew Sterling is sent to Greywing's headquarters in the Himalayan mountains where he destroys the facility's power core and escapes in Parish's helicopter. John Grey is then seen in the games last scene on a bench in Prague where his former subordinates murder him.
[edit] Gameplay
The gameplay is standard for an FPS and has a host of multiplayer options. It somewhat resembles the Soldier of Fortune series with realistic gore and violence. The game also uses the Karma physics engine, allowing for interactivity with items in the game world and for rag-doll effects on fallen enemies. Cover can also be improvised by using objects in the environment. For example, you can flip a table to provide cover or grab a table and block a door. Over 30 weapons are available, most closely based on real life small arms used by military and police agencies throughout the world. Handguns include the suppressed PSU 9 mm (based on the H&K USP) with which Sterling begins each mission and the 288 9 mm (possibly based on the SIG-Sauer P228). Larger weapons include submachine guns such as the M-320 (Based on the Micro-Uzi), and the K53 (based on the HK53) and assault rifles like the Chinese Type 56 Assault Rifle (an AK-47 clone). The game also includes shotguns, machine guns, various sniper rifles and a large collection of grenades.
Using a small inventory menu, some weapons and tools have to be assembled first: Molotov cocktails are made by mixing oil rags with bottles of alcohol, and so forth. Lock picks, that can only be used once, are made by cutting wire with pliers. The player picks up a lot of objects (wire, timers, plastic explosives, bottles, etc.) throughout the levels and has many choices, because not only one single combination is possible: A fuel canister can be used to make multiple molotov cocktails or, combined with other ingredients, a timed fuel bomb. The currently available combinations are shown in this inventory.
[edit] Weapons
Pistols
- PSU 9MM - H&K USP 9MM(Can be found silenced too)
- 288 9MM - SIG P226(Can be found with scope and extended)
- Hardballer - AMT Hardballer
- B93 Burst - Beretta Model 93R
SMG's
- M-320 - Micro-Uzi
- K53 - H&K MP5(7.62x45mm)
- P5K SMG - H&K MP5K(Can be found with suppresser)
- P90 SMG - FN P90
- 9mm TMP SMG - Steyr TMP
Assault Rifles
- AKS-47 - AK-47
- Stur ARG - Steyr AUG
- M4A1
- G11 Assault Rifle
Shotguns
- Pump-Action Shotgun - SPAS-12
- Sawn-Off
- Double Barreled Shotgun
- Jackhammer
Sniper Rifles
- Dragunov Sniper Rifle
- PS1 Sniper Rifle - H&K PSG-1
- L50 - Barrett M82A1
- L96AW - AWP(.338)
Heavy Machine Guns
- PK-S Medium Machine Gun
Heavy Weapons
- 40mm Grenade Launcher - H&K HK79A1
- RPG Launcher - RPG-7
- KV-8 Dragon Flamethrower
- LAW - M-72
[edit] Multiplayer
The game offers a multiplayer component that supports up to 4 players offline and 8 players online; in the offline mode, human players may be substituted for CPU's. There are a dozen maps and six modes including deathmatch and king of the hill.
[edit] Reaction
“Cold Winter” was released with some moderate success with reviews averaging to about 75%. The strong interactivity with ordinary objects was particularly noted - possibilities such as pushing, pulling, and tilting tables and trolleys allowed additional tactical moves.
