WinBack

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WinBack
Developer(s) Omega Force
Publisher(s) Koei
Platform(s) Nintendo 64, PlayStation 2
Release date 1999, 2001
Genre(s) Third-person shooter
Mode(s) Single player, multiplayer
Rating(s) ESRB: Teen (T)

Winback (Known as "Operation: Winback" in Australia) is a video game developed by Koei for the Nintendo 64 in 1999 and PlayStation 2 in 2001. It is popular for its unique style of gameplay and somewhat notorious for its difficulty.[citation needed]

A sequel, WinBack 2: Project Poseidon, produced by Cavia Inc. for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox game consoles, was released on April 25, 2006.

The story follows one Jean-Luc Cougar, a secret agent infiltrating a laser satellite's command center. Gameplay revolves around taking cover behind corners and then ducking out to shoot. The player cannot move while shooting; instead, the control stick is used to aim, a task made easier by the fact that every weapon is equipped with a laser sight. Metal Gear Solid seems to have influenced much of the story and aesthetic, though in terms of gameplay, the two are decidedly unlike each other.

Contents

[edit] Story

In the beginning, an armed group takes control of a space based laser weapon. This is used to attack a military installation housing the controls to the weapon, called the GULF system. The leader of the terrorists calls himself Colonel Kenneth Coleman and he is the leader of The Crying Lions. The Secretary of Defense contacts the Special Covert Action Team (SCAT) with their orders: Enter the GULF complex and reclaim it. Jean-Luc Cougar is part of the team in a helicopter that is soon shot down. One by one most of the team escapes the copter. The player takes control of Jean-Luc as he leaps a wall and enters a parking lot. The team is scattered and you must find them and destroy the satilite's control center. You must also race against the clock and the ever increasing body count of your own friends, as they are being killed off one by one. Along the way you will face a number of laser traps, puzzles, machine gun nests, ambushes and mazes. You will face sub bosses culminating in a semi final boss fight. The ending varies, depending on how much time it took to make it through the game In a separate game mode, you can fight the sub bosses to unlock them as multiplayer characters.

[edit] Multiplayer

The game featured a standard multiplayer mode where players had access to all of the game's abilities and weapons. At the beginning of the game, all the members of Jean-Luc's team are available as selectable characters. Each one featured their own special weapon. As the player progressed through the game, they could unlock the bosses they had defeated in story mode (Except the last boss, who was playable at the beginning of the game). Each boss had a unique weapon they used in the story mode with infinite ammo.

[edit] Characters

[edit] S.C.A.T. Members

JEAN-LUC COUGAR: Jean-Luc is a former member of a city SWAT team and Special Forces, 27 years old and single. His ability to remain levelheaded in even the most harrowing situations gained him a spot as the leader of the Advance Strike Team of S.C.A.T. He is highly respected by the younger teammates (most likely an NCO or basically a go-between officers and non-oficers), and finds it easier to express his fighting spirit in actions rather than words. His handgun is the last reminder he has of his older brother Alan, a member of the Army Special Forces who was lost in battle and is presumed dead.

LISA ROBERTS: The only female member in S.C.A.T. Her grandmother was Japanese, and Lisa claims to possess a strong fighting spirit. After acing her courses on criminal psychology at the university, she went to join the National Bureau of Investigation. She is also an excellent long-range sharp shooter, and was once offered to test her skills in the Olympics. She was offered a position in S.C.A.T. after Dan saw her in action during a training session at the NBI academy. Survived mission.

DANIEL STEWART: S.C.A.T.'s first and only commander. His experience and leadership help hold together the various personalities that make up S.C.A.T. He is also a former member of the Army Special Forces and a trusted friend of Jean-Luc's brother Alan. He was the one that killed Tom and Steve.

LAW BRUFORD: 6'6" 250lbs of pure fighting machine. He was transferred to S.C.A.T. from the Marine Corps Recon Battalions on the recommendation of his commanding officer. He is unmatched in hand to hand combat, and was Jean-Luc's toughest competition for Leader of the Advance Strike Team. Gunned down by Cecile.

JAKE HUDSON: A former Special Forces grunt, Jake joined S.C.A.T. at the same time as Jean-Luc. He is somewhat of a prankster and loves to pick on Lisa whenever he gets a chance. He is as brave as they come and his shooting ability is questioned by none. Gunned down by Cecil in a rescue attempt for Lisa and Jean-Luc.

MICHAEL HAWKINS: A demotions expert and former member of the National Drug Enforcement Agency's bomb squad. His skills in defusing bombs and destroying obstructions make him a key player in the fight against terrorism. Shot by Banderas.

THOMAS SMITH: He is in charge of all communications for the backup support team. A former member of the computer crime division in the National Bureau of Investigation, he is well versed in all facets of computers and other high tech electronics. Second to Die in Team.

STEVEN LEGAL: As Second-in-Command of S.C.A.T. he received most of his training in the British Special Air Service and MI6. His information gathering and keen analytical skills make him the top choice for any scouting mission. He was also the instructor and drill sargeant for incoming S.C.A.T. Members and trained Jean-Luc Cougar.

KEITH BIRDY: No team would be complete without a support member trained in medicine. As the rookie of the team, Keith joined S.C.A.T. with the highest recommendations from the President. The GULF mission is his first with the group. Survied mission.

MATTHEW BROWN: Very little is known about him other than the African-American who planned to get back in church after the mission. Clips shown of him in the team section as being a great expert in hand to hand combat possibly being the 2nd best on the Team. 1st S.C.A.T. member to die by a sniping bullet to the head by Cecile Newcastle of the Crying Lions going out very early in the mission.

[edit] The Crying Lions

Made up of remnants of the former Saroczian Special Forces, the unit adopted this moniker when they invaded the GULF complex in 2001. They were highly trained and well equipped, but had limited combat experience, with the exception of their leading officers. According to the official report, all the members were killed during the GULF incident, though many mercenaries throughout the world dispute by claiming to have once been a member of the Crying Lions.

Bad Luck Lila: The first boss the player fights in the lobby level. Lila is the most junior officer of the group. A Kurd by birth, she was barley a teenager when Saddam Hussein waged war with her people in 1981. She quickly became a fierce fighter and had a reputation for using only heavy machine guns. After the war, she used her skills to become a renowned mercenary. It was at this time she came into contact with a man named Kenneth Coleman, who later invited her to become an instructor for the Saroczian Special Forces. She later became part of the force that attacked the GULF complex and it was there, along with all the other members, she was killed.

Leon: The second boss the player fights. Originally from the Ural mountains in Russia, he was a famous hunter of wolves in the region. However, when another hunter was murdered by him for trying to stalk his game, he left Russia in shame and went into the business of contract killing and assassinations for expert ability to hunt his prey. Later in his career he was contacted by Kenneth Coleman to train snipers for his Special Forces unit. Like all of Coleman's men, he was killed when the SCAT unit retook the gulf complex.

Ryan: The third boss the player fights. He is a senior member of The Crying Lions and an expert in demolitions. Born into a wealthy Dutch family sometime in late 1940s, Ryan quickly earned a reputation as a troublemaker and a natural in bomb making. He left school at the age of 15 and began working for a Dutch smuggling gang. He became the gangs explosive expert, using his improvised hand grenades and car bombs to wage war against other rivals. He then began working for various terrorist groups throughout Europe. After the fall of the Soviet Union, his mercenary calling ended, but was picked up by Kenneth Coleman and became an explosives expert in Coleman's group. He too was killed in the GULF incident, destroying the main freight elevator into the complex.

Sergeant Thunder: The fourth boss the player fights. His real name is unknown, but his record shows he was born in Lyons, France in the 1930s. When he was 18, he killed a man in a bar fight and to escape the police, he joined the French Foreign Legion, serving in Indochina, earning a commendation at Dien Bien Phu. He later revolted against Charles de Gaulle, along with the some of the French soldiers in Algeria. Along with others from his unit, he joined the OAS. After they were hunted down and destroyed, he became a mercenary for hire, fighting in countless wars throughout the 1960s,70s and 80s. Like all the officers, he was recruited into the Crying Lions and was killed as well.

Duke: The fifth boss the player fights. Formerly a professional body builder and member of the SEAL teams in Vietnam, becoming famous for wielding a Minigun with ease. Coming home to a country that did not appreciate his sacrifices, he traveled to Africa and fought in the countless regional conflicts there. Disappointed by the fall of communism as there would be no more wars to fight, he was recruited in the Saroczian military. He later was killed in a gun battle with the SCAT unit when they retook the GULF complex.

Gunt: The sixth boss the player fights. Gunt was a former heavy weapons specialist with the Polish GROM unit but was dishonorably discharged for being drunk on duty. He then became a hired gun for various gangs throughout Europe. After reading about the U.S. invasion of Saroczia, he offered his services to Coleman and became one of the members that assaulted and later killed, in the GULF complex.

Banderas: The seventh boss the player fights. Formerly a top sergeant of the Spanish Foreign Legion, he served time in a French Prison for smuggling several crates of Uzis to a known terrorist group in France. After engineering a violent escape, he went to work for various terrorist groups in the Middle East. He was later gunned down by the SCAT unit while holding them back at the entrance to the GULF complex.

Jin: The 8th boss the player fights. Jin was originally a team leader for the South African Recce Commandos, and earning his team name Predator for his unit ability to blend in with the surrounding. After Apartheid ended, he worked primarily as a professional assassin, becoming world renowned. He was later asked to train the Saroczian Special Forces in counter insurgency and silent takedown. Like all of the terrorist leaders, he was killed by the SCAT unit in a fierce fire fight.

Deathmask: The ninth boss the player fights. Born Heinrich Wagner, he was a famous pistol duelist from Heidelberg, Austria. After countless duels and collecting numerous scars from it, he was forced to wear a hideous deaths head mask. He found work with various criminal syndicates, calling him in when they needed his professional expertise. He worked alongside the assassin Jin in training The Crying Lions. Afer killing a member of the SCAT, he was finally taken down in an honorable duel to the death.

Cecile Newcastle: The tenth boss the player fights. Brought up in Dublin, Ireland, Cecile joined the British Army when he was 18. He fought in the Falklands War and later joined the Special Air Service. He led several teams to hunt and destroy the SCUD missile launchers of Saddam Hussein during the Gulf War in 1991. He later left the 'Regiment' and became a feared gunman for the IRA. He was later invited to become the second in command of The Crying Lions. At the end of the game he is killed by the surviving members of the SCAT unit.

The Traitor: The final boss of the game. The Traitor is actually the SCAT leader, Daniel Stewart and the one responsible for The Crying Lions infiltration of the GULF base. He is also responsible for killing Steve and Tom (SCAT Members) as well as the engine troubles of the helicopter. However he is finally killed by the remaining member of the SCAT unit.

"Kenneth Coleman": The leader of the Crying Lions. Born in Rhodesia, he became a mercenary after serving in the Selous Scouts and the C Squadron 22 (Rhodesian) SAS. Fighting in many conflicts across the globe, Coleman was contracted to form the Saroczian Special Forces just before the US invasion. He was killed by Cecile Newcastle, second-in-command of the Crying Lions.

      • (Some of this information is in direct contradiction to the Nintendo 64 version of "Operation: Winback")***

[edit] Trivia

 Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines.
The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.
  • Though the hide and shoot gameplay is derivative of Time Crisis, WinBack was the first game to combine this with full control over your character. This proved to be influential enough to be integrated into Kill.Switch, and more notably, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. The latter also used the game's laser sight mechanic, something used to greater effect still in Resident Evil 4. Currently, the recently released titles Gears of War and Mass Effect both use a similar reliance on cover as Kill. Switch and WinBack.
  • As an homage to the game, one of the dog tags that can be obtained in Metal Gear Solid 2 is of Jean Luc Cougar's. Cougar’s dog tags can only be found in the original version of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, not Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance. His dog tags can be collected while playing the Plant Level on very easy. His tag ID number is 26.
  • A character in the game, Steven Legal, is a reference to action star Steven Seagal

[edit] External links