Winback is, uh, Back!
KOEI's sneak-and-shoot franchise returns.
Published: March 2, 2006
Back in the glory days of the PlayStation, gamers were treated to plenty of covert action epics. Idetic's Syphon Filter franchise was going strong, and of course there was Metal Gear Solid, but the N64 wasn't exactly rocking a strong tactical 3rd person shooter library. Enter Winback, a title those who took artistic liberties could probably call the N64 version of MGS (though we're certainly not making that comparison).
As Jean-Luc Couger, a special ops agent tasked with stopping a terrorist group that's using a satellite to rain death from above (and get this, they did it just for kicks), there was a lot of ducking and covering and splashes of shooting here and there. The problem was, it wasn't terribly good, even for the genre-starved N64, and quietly dropped off most radars as the PlayStation kids went on to enjoy many a sequel to their beloved franchises.
Flash forward to the early life of the PS2 and witness the launch of Winback: Covert Operations, a port of the very same N64 game that most had forgotten about. It largely got the same mixed reviews as the first game because, well, it was a slightly prettier version of the same core game, albeit spiced up with a few new multiplayer modes. Still, releasing a game on a system with a large an install base (even just a year after launch) as the PS2 means you'll probably rake in enough sales to warrant a sequel -- and now with 100 million PS2s out there somewhere, the game is bound to move a few copies.
Thus, we have Winback 2: Project Poseidon a follow-up this time developed by Cavia, the cats behind the Drakengard games. The plot is familiar stuff; terrorists threaten our freedoms, so it's time to roll in and blow them away. This time, however, three operatives will have their way with the assorted baddies across 30 levels, each of which is presented with something KOEI is calling a "route" system that lets you see the level from each of the three ops' viewpoints.
"When negotiations are no longer an option and the world's most dangerous weapons are compromised, it's time for the Winback assault team to neutralize the threat. Winback 2: Project Poseidon is a pulse-pounding thriller where every moment and every shot counts," screamed Amos Ip, Vice-President of Sales and Marketing for KOEI as he filled us all in. "The original Winback blew people away with its no-nonsense approach to action, and this March the fun, thrills, and action are back."
By March he means April, we're guessing, since April 18th is plastered all over the rest of the press release we're happily regurgitating for you. We certainly won't put words in his mouth (lest he come down to the office and snap all our necks with his psychic death powers -- the dude is that powerful), but we're going to lean towards April on this one. If it does hit this month, we'll be sure to let you know.
As Jean-Luc Couger, a special ops agent tasked with stopping a terrorist group that's using a satellite to rain death from above (and get this, they did it just for kicks), there was a lot of ducking and covering and splashes of shooting here and there. The problem was, it wasn't terribly good, even for the genre-starved N64, and quietly dropped off most radars as the PlayStation kids went on to enjoy many a sequel to their beloved franchises.
Flash forward to the early life of the PS2 and witness the launch of Winback: Covert Operations, a port of the very same N64 game that most had forgotten about. It largely got the same mixed reviews as the first game because, well, it was a slightly prettier version of the same core game, albeit spiced up with a few new multiplayer modes. Still, releasing a game on a system with a large an install base (even just a year after launch) as the PS2 means you'll probably rake in enough sales to warrant a sequel -- and now with 100 million PS2s out there somewhere, the game is bound to move a few copies.
Thus, we have Winback 2: Project Poseidon a follow-up this time developed by Cavia, the cats behind the Drakengard games. The plot is familiar stuff; terrorists threaten our freedoms, so it's time to roll in and blow them away. This time, however, three operatives will have their way with the assorted baddies across 30 levels, each of which is presented with something KOEI is calling a "route" system that lets you see the level from each of the three ops' viewpoints.
"When negotiations are no longer an option and the world's most dangerous weapons are compromised, it's time for the Winback assault team to neutralize the threat. Winback 2: Project Poseidon is a pulse-pounding thriller where every moment and every shot counts," screamed Amos Ip, Vice-President of Sales and Marketing for KOEI as he filled us all in. "The original Winback blew people away with its no-nonsense approach to action, and this March the fun, thrills, and action are back."
By March he means April, we're guessing, since April 18th is plastered all over the rest of the press release we're happily regurgitating for you. We certainly won't put words in his mouth (lest he come down to the office and snap all our necks with his psychic death powers -- the dude is that powerful), but we're going to lean towards April on this one. If it does hit this month, we'll be sure to let you know.
