Cold Winter provides gamers with a low pricetag, and excellent gameplay. (contains spoilers)
I will tell you right now: this game is brutal, gorey, bloody, gruesome, and most importantly fun. You play in a first person mode shooting and blowing up basically everything and everyone to achieve an objective. When you shoot a guy pretty much anywhere they react to it as if they were shot in real life. For instance, they get shot in the leg they will crumple up and grab their leg. Also, you can blow away basically any part of their anatomy like the head, arms, etc. You can create your own items like a Molotov, Lockpick, Flame Bombs, and more provided you find/have the needed equipment for it. Everything can be searched, from filing cabinets, couches, dead guards, etc. This is important because you will always need body armor, and sometimes a crucial part of a mission can be hidden in a cabinet or inside a box. The enviroment is very interactive as well, with pretty much everything being used for cover - either it's already there like a car, or you create cover by tipping over a table. Very unique.
There is online multiplayer, but for some reason my connection messed up with this game so I can't really review the online. Sorry people.
Graphically speaking, the game looks nice overall. The cutscenes are needed of recognition, because everything looks really lifelike and at sometimes can be very brutal - like when one guy bumps into this high ranking dude named Fariq, Fariq demands the guy's gun and empties up on him. Or when Fariq executes a certain main character.. superb.The in-game graphics look awesome - all the guns and buildings look so awesome and real. The explosions aren't as superb as Black's is, but they do the trick... the best is when a Molotov goes off and an enemy gets caught in the flames.
I want to comment on something that this game manages to get down fast, and that is how Swordfish Studios gave personalities to each character and how their entertwining relationships change throughout Sterling's hellish mission. Like I said each character has his or her own personality that helps the player connect with each person - and when they die or survive, the player will feel as if they knew the character. Its cool because its not like any other FPS wherethe characters just reveal the storyline and basically feel nothing as you progress in the game - in Cold Winter Sterling curses as things go from bad to worse, and has a sense of fear within his voice everytime something bad happens. He worries when things are looking grim, when time is running out, same with Kim, Danny, the enemies.. its just... really really cool.
The music is pretty cool too, although the action music could have been more.... actiony? Each song belongs in that certain stage, adding to the general atmosphere of the level. For instance, slow guitars and Arabian chants in the Arabian stages.. you get it. It sounds good. However, the action sequence music seemed not too..intense I guess. You are probably better off listening to Pantera, Metallica, or even Godsmack for your action music.
What makes this game less than Superb is the replay value. The ranking system in the game does basically nothing, leaving no special ending open or anything. Also, there is only one unlockable thing in this game - and its a more intense difficulty. Meh..oh one more thing, the ending is very dissapointing for the amount of work & effort you put into this game
To finish off, I highly suggest this game for anyone who likes shooting, violence, cursing, and an engaging storyline that may actually touch you in some way.