Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Sleeper Hit, November 4, 2005
Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars
I got a really good deal on this game so I wasn't going to be upset if it was a piece of junk. It turned out to be one of the better buys on games I've had. You are a British spy who was captured on a mission, but you are set free by a colleague to help save the world. Basic spy/James Bond feel to the story where you need to go in alone with limited or no backup support. There is an objective pointer to lead you to your next goal. Kill some bad guys; collect intel; gather materials to help make time bombs, poison bombs, and lock picks. Cold Winter is a pretty straight forward shoot 'em up on the surface, but they were trying different things to keep it fresh like the collection of items to make other weapons and tools. You can also shoot off arms, legs, and heads. There is a feature were you can overturn tables for cover if you wish. Pretty linear game which you shouldn't get confused on where to go hardly ever. The length is pretty short, but seems to be par for the course these days. It's around 10-12 hours to complete. There is on and offline mulitplayer which is a blast. It's a lot like Quake deathmatches fast-paced and small. Bad thing though is there aren't a whole lot of people online at anyone time. I've never gone online to see no games available, but it is usually limited to 2 or 3 eight player games. Small community of online players. Beware as well your save file will be a little over 2 megs to save your progress in the game. Good thing is you don't need it once your done unless you wish to unlock and save "elite" difficulty. You can go online without the save file, but you'll have to input your nickname and select your avatar each time. Other than those few issues its pretty fun and the multiplayer will keep your entertained for a while with all the different modes: deathmatch, team deathmatch, CTF, and a see who can hold the severed head the longest mode. That one is pretty fun. Cold Winter was a lot better than I had expect, but there is always a bigger fish. Check it out if you want a cheap thrill.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Pleasant Surprise, February 20, 2006
Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars
I rented this game without knowing much about it, and it turned out to be a gem. Cinematics and production value was beyond expectation. The sound design was superb. Gameplay/control was exceptional. Enemy AI is extremely realistic; they do a great job of evading you and using cover where possible. The available weapons/gadgets are satisfying to use. Overall a truly excellent game.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Straightforward, Fun, Shooter With Solid Production Values, October 8, 2007
Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars
Cold Winter is indeed a sleeper, as other reviewers have stated here.
It will remind players of both GoldenEye (N64) and Half Life. It deserves to be kept in a first-person-shooter collection.
I'm glad I found it! Like a lot of casual console gamers, I am sticking to my PS2 until there is a must-own game for the PS3 (which will probably be GTA4). So I searched the back catalog for quality shooters to add to my game collection. I found Project Snowblind, the Socom series, Killzone, Freedom Fighters, and this gem. It could have been published in 2000, given that its traits and engine are strongly influenced by Half Life (my favorite FPS ever).
Cold Winter has 8 medium-sized environments, split into 15 levels total. An experienced gamer could breeze through the game in under 14 hours. There is nothing groundbreaking in its puzzles, interactive environment, or graphics. But Cold Winter does everything very well. Smooth frame rates, great voice acting and sound effects, fair cut scenes, descent story, good AI, excellent real-world weapon inventory, and most important, excellent gameplay and intuitive controls. You will be engaging in firefights within minutes of saving your profile.
As is the case with older, less sophisticated first person shooters, being stealthy only delays the inevitable - you are going to have to engage the enemy and get into serious firefights. But at least with being stealthy you can take-out the bad guys more swiftly (usually with a grenade or a shotgun). The bonus objectives are hit-and-miss. One early bonus objective is to pick your way into an armory to obtain an AK-47. But you'll end-up with an AK-47 in the next level (possibly minutes later) when you encounter enemies using them. The tools and weapons you can build from found objects adds a simple puzzle feature to the game (not annoying but not essential to building a winning strategy). During the game you will gather intelligence, which adds nice details to the story. Sound design and mixing are top-notch, if a little dated. So is art and character design. And the ability to search bodies for tools and armor is a welcome addition to the genre.
Like Half Life, you will feel like the action is unfolding on a giant Hollywood set. For example, there's a battle in a town square that is a highlight of the game. How you get through that battle depends on how well you use the environment and seek higher ground. It's simple by today's standards, but the execution is awesome. The comparisons to GoldenEye were right on the money. It is a very fun game you will want to replay (assuming it hooks you early).
This is the kind of game where finding enough ammo will get you through most levels. Or you can build tools and time bombs and find alternate ways to win. But either method will take you through the same storyline.
Voice talent as mentioned before is very good. Actors include Nathaniel Parker, Colin McFarlane, Enn Reitel, Kristy Wu (from Buffy), and Tom Baker (from Doctor Who), who adds his famous velvet baritone as the villain. Great work.
If you liked the gun battles against the Marines in Half Life, you will certainly enjoy this game. And I found the action to be far better and more replayable than Red Faction (Red Faction II is a big improvement over the original). I sold Red Faction. I am keeping this one. It is a great find.
Cold Winter does something that has been done before and does it extremely well. It is fun, engaging, and cinematic at times. Go get it!
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