Cold Winter warms up the PS2!
Cold Winter, is first and foremost, not a standard FPS, in the respect that it focused quite a bit on story, and mechanics, than on say, graphics, or truly innovative gameplay. Ok, so for the most part, yeah, it is a standard FPS, but if you're a story driven gamer, like myself, be prepared for one of the best stories I've come across in recent times, (FPS-wise, that is...it's no Dragon Quest, let's face it, but for an FPS it's far better than the usual fare.)
The story starts with you as Andrew Sterling, and you're in the midst of being tortured in prison after being captured. Immediately, the game eases you into an immersive world of espionage, and underground arms dealing. You are rescued by one of your comrades in arms, someone whom you have a history with. It's obvious from the start, that there's something more to the story than you're initially told, and with the help of flashbacks, you will become more aware of that which isn't obvious from the start.
I won't say anymore on the story mode, though, because there's a lot of spoilers that I really don't want to give away, should you decide to pick it up.
So let's talk about the gameplay itself. It's standard fare, for the most part, though the ragdoll mechanics used when enemies are shot, (and sometimes blown to bits), is incredibly realistic. The AI has the ability to head for cover or even create cover by using nearby tables. It's spotty on this, but when it works, the effect is cool.
Your objective is never overly hard, and most of the time, there's an arrow pointing you to the next objective, even giving you the distance to the goal when you are near enough. However, this can get confusing at times, and it's not always going to point you in the best direction. You can often be left wondering how to get into some areas, when the arrow is telling you you're only feet away from your goal, but there's nothing but solid wall for miles.
All in all, though, the single player mode, is an awesome experience, and should be tried by all FPS fans.
As for the multiplayer, it's a good experience, with some clever AI, (if you've got bots on,) but the environments in the game truly lack any originality...or color.
(Example of the AI...during one of the matches...the AI was carrying an item, when I appeared around the corner to shoot the bot, it threw the item at me, I caught it, then it shot my head off, and retrieved the item again. It's done this more than once, which makes me think this is either a really awesome glitch, or some great programming.).
Multiplayer is again, standard fare, but there are some interesting games to be played, nonetheless.
As for everything else...graphically, the game is....lacking. Big time. It is completely unremarkable and bland. The controls may take fans of Timesplitters a minute to get used to, but you'll get the hang of it.
If you're looking for substance, there's plenty here...if you don't mind the bland environments and character models, this game will captivate you until the very end...(don't skip the credits, the scene afterwards had my jaw on the floor.) Pick it up, if you're looking for a shooter with a little something more than just run and gun action.