| WinBack | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Omega Force |
| Publisher(s) | Koei |
| Platform(s) | Nintendo 64, PlayStation 2 |
| Release date(s) | 1999, 2001 |
| Genre(s) | Third-person shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Teen (T) |
Winback (known as Operation: Winback in Australia and Europe) is a third-person shooter video game developed by Koei's Omega Force studio for the Nintendo 64 in 1999 and PlayStation 2 in 2001. A sequel, WinBack 2: Project Poseidon, produced by Cavia 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 its innovative cover system, where the player takes cover behind corners and then ducks out to shoot.[1] 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.[2]
The game was influenced by Metal Gear Solid and, in turn, WinBack's cover system eventually went on to influence several later shooters, including Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (2001) and Kill Switch (2003), which in turn influenced games like Gears of War (2006). The cover system has since become a staple of third-person shooters.[1][2] WinBack also featured a laser sight mechanic that was later incorporated in action games such as Metal Gear Solid 2 and Resident Evil 4 (2005), and in turn would also become a staple of third-person shooters.[2]
Contents |
In the beginning, an terrorist group called "Crying Lions" 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 helicopter. 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 satellite'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.
There are two possible Endings, depending of how much time that Jean-Luc went to the control room:
Good Ending: Upon reaching the satellite control room, Jean-Luc encounters Dan. Jean discovers Dan's reasons for his betrayal of the team and the deaths of your comrades. It turns out that he was half Saroczian and at the age of 13, war broke out in the country. Splitting his family in two, his mother and sister defected to Russia while his brother and father joined the Saroczian Revolution. Several years later after the separation, he joins the Army and was eventually sent on a mission by the US Forces to keep the government in power by quashing the revolution supported by a majority of the people. The mission was carried out but Dan was filled with regrets which he says fate was responsible for. He also met his brother, Kenneth Coleman, the same man who is the leader of the Crying Lions and fought to end the suffering of the Saroczian people and avenge his father's death. After some talking Dan dies with the gunshot wounds fired by Jean-Luc. Cecile fights one last battle against Jean-Luc and is killed while Lisa comes to discover that Cecile is dead. In one last decision. The GULF satellite was destroyed as Keith, Lisa and Jean-Luc extracts with Operation Winback being a success.
Bad Ending: Jean-Luc finds both Lisa and Jack dead in the generator room, they were killed by Cecile Carlyle, the main antagonist of the game. Upon reaching the satellite control room, Jean-Luc finds Cecile waiting for him, Cecile told to jean-Luc that he was too late, the satellite already fired twice destroying the Pentagon and White house. He begins one final duel with him with Jean-Luc being victorious and killing Cecile. Later Jean-Luc went to the communications room and he found the leader of the Crying Lions, Kenneth Coleman alive and pleased that his "objective" and "cause" was a success, Jean-Luc confronted him and then after some talking Kenneth killed himself with a hand gun shoot on his head. Jean-Luc and Keith were the only survivors of the mission, Operation Winback was a failure.
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.
Jean-Luc Cougar: The main protagonist of the game, Jean-Luc is a former member of a city SWAT team, 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-officers), 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 deuteragonist of the game and only female member of S.C.A.T. team. 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. Dan offered her a position in S.C.A.T. after seeing her in action during a training session at the NBI academy. Survived mission and ends up with Jean-Luc.
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, eventually He dies by the gunshots caused by Jean-Luc after a fierce gunfight.
Law Bruford: 6'6" 250 lbs 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 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 Cecile while attempting to rescue Lisa and Jean-Luc. who looks suprisingly like a younger version of Solid Snake,as jean-luc looks like snake altogether.
Michael Hawkins: A demolitions 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. Gunned down 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. He is Gunned down in the back by Dan.
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 sergeant for incoming S.C.A.T. Members, and trained Jean-Luc Cougar. He is Gunned down in the back by Dan.
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. He survived the mission, but was injured in the leg by Duke.
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 second best on the team. He is shot in the head by Cecile Carlyle of the Crying Lions very early in the mission, making him the first member to be killed.
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.
Kenneth Coleman: The leader of the Crying Lions. Born in fictional country Saroczia, 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 Carlyle, second-in-command of the Crying Lions.
Cecile Carlyle: The main antagonist of the game and second in command of the Crying Lions. Cecile is a international terrorist, and he is wanted for international war crimes. Cecile seems to come from England because of his last name originates from England noble families, he guns down three of the S.C.A.T. Team members, Including Matt, Law, and Jake. Eleventh and last Boss in the game, Uses Grenades and a Handgun. (He is the eighth boss in the game if beat in a certain time frame.
Lila: A cold-blooded killer and the only apparent Female member of the Crying Lyons, Lila is a trigger happy, sadistic, short tempered, woman. She seems to have a short attention span. She appears to be infatuated with Cecile Carlyle (She screams his name when she dies.) Lila is the first boss in the game and wields an M-60 machine gun.
Leon: Obsessed with hunting and kill his prey, Leon is a hunter that wields a 12-gauge shotgun, He was tasked to protect the last bomb that Jean-Luc must defuse, Leon stands in the way of defusing the final bomb. He is the second boss in the game.
Ryan: A High ranking Lieutenant of the Crying Lyons, Ryan was tasked with guarding the express elevator. It is possible that he is third in command of the entire Organization. He is the third boss in the game wielding a Sub-machine gun and grenades. He destroys the express elevator and himself with a hand grenade.
Sergeant Thunder: A anti-patriotic hot-headed flame-thrower wielding maniac. He joined the Crying Lions due to his hatred and disgust to his Country, which is implied to be America. He is the fourth boss in the game.
Duke: A french mercenary and another trigger happy member of the Crying Lions, Duke Wields a Mini-gun. He wounds Keith in the leg while Jake, Lisa, Mike, and himself were passing through the warehouse.
Gunt: A obese, inpulsive and dangerous big man, he is a vicious criminal and will stop at nothing to kill his victims. He is in charge of transferring supplies through the Freight Elevator. He wields a home-made Rocket Launcher and is the sixth boss in the game.
Banderas: A demolitions expert of the Crying Lions. He wields dual Uzi Machine-Pistols. He guns down Mike, and kill numerous engineers from the base in the intro of the game, he is the Seventh boss in the game.
Jin: The Crying Lions Assassin, He was sent to take down the remaining members of the S.C.A.T. team. He is completely insane, and wields a Hand gun and Explosive throwing stars. He is the eighth boss in the game (Only available if game is beat in a certain time frame)
Ash/Deathmask: Coleman's personal bodyguard and a misteryous man, he never speaks. Wears full body armor and wields Two hand-guns. Ninth Boss in the game. (Only available if game is beat in a certain time frame)
Both versions received generally favorable. PS2 version did slightly better than the N64, the improved controls and graphics but the voice-acting was universally criticized.
| Reception | |
|---|---|
| Aggregate scores | |
| Aggregator | Score |
| GameRankings | 75.3%[3] |
| GameStats | 8.0 / 10[4] |
| Review scores | |
| Publication | Score |
| GamePro | (N64)[5] (PS2)[4] |
| GameSpot | 6.1 / 10 (N64)[6] 7.2 / 10 (PS2)[7] |
| IGN | 8 / 10 (N64)[8] 7.3 / 10 (PS2)[9] |
| GameCritics | 9.5 / 10[10] |
| GameFan | 92 / 100[11] |
| Gaming Target | 8.1 / 10 (N64)[12] 8.5 / 10 (PS2)[13] |