PS2 Review: kill.switch (2003)

I have the Wikipedia page open for kill.switch (or just Kill Switch, apparently, but I prefer the more idiotic title). I'm in need of a plot summary because the narrative of this game is opaque, and that's putting it nicely; stupid as hell is another. You play as a generic super-soldier, kind of, but not really. Actually, you play as an elusive evildoer "controlling" this super-soldier through remote neural connection telepathy or a contrivance of this kind.  You are flung about the globe on a series of random solo combat missions by your "controller" in order to create chaos and destabilize the existing global order. Between missions you are treated to a series of fantastically cheesy FMV sequences in which some lady keeps asking you to "Say my name" and eventually to save her from, I dunno, life in the simulation or the matrix or something. It's all meaningless and derivative drivel, like an undergraduate's version of Memento. And even worse, it's entirely separate and tacked on to the gameplay, and nothing you do while playing feels even remotely relevant to the narrative. You shoot things and pick up keycards and get to the exit, and that's all.

In terms of gameplay, though, kill.switch is alright. It's a straightforward cover shooter, long before that became a genre or sub-genre of its own. You hold L1 to hide behind pillars or crates (always plenty of crates lying around) and press up or over on the analog stick to poke your head out and fire off a few rounds. And unlike its goofy-ass predecessor, Winback, you can shoot while moving in kill.switch. You can also blind fire from behind cover, but it's too inaccurate to be useful. Though, while the levels are built generally built around the cover mechanic, there are a few frustratingly sticky situations and overall poor level designs. kill.switch is also alarmingly short, clocking in at four hours or so to complete for even the most meandering players. You earn nothing for completing it on any difficulty level, either. Hooray!

Technically, kill.switch is pretty neat for a PS2 game. It looks and animates very well, even though the art direction of the whole thing is pretty bland modern warfare stuff. And it sounds fine, too. kill.switch is mostly just a tech demo. It's fun to play and appeals to the senses, but it lacks depth or longevity. It's no Winback killer, in any event.

PS2 Review: Headhunter (2002)

I miss Winback. I miss the covert operations of a relentlessly optimistic Jean-Luc and his trusty laser-sight. Sure, there was a sequel, Project Poseidascrewoff, but it was worthless (to say the very least). Fortunately, Headhunter is kinda like Winback. It's good. It does the job. There's significantly fewer laser traps, but there's still plenty of crates to blow up. Always a good time with crates around.

Best part: you can toggle those sunglasses on or off at any time,
depending on your mood or the time of day, I guess.

Basically, what you have with Headhunter is a near future Los Angeles in which, among other things, law enforcement has been privatized, and criminals have their organs harvested for use by rich folks. You play as Jack Wade, an amnesiac bounty hunter who wakes up in and escapes from a funky laboratory. Jack wakes up in a hospital and an old agency pal explains that he was once the finest headhunter in all the land. In order to uncover the truth, Jack must re-acquire his headhuntin' license through a series of virtual reality tests, while simultaneously investigating the murder of a bureaucrat.

Headhunter has three main parts: the virtual reality tests, the missions, and a few motorcycle segments. First, let's pursue this Winback comparison a bit further. Like Winback, this is a third-person actioner; you hug a lot of walls while shooting it out with your adversaries. Unlike Winback, though, you can actually shoot your gun while moving around; and as a result, you rely much less on cover than you may have in Winback. Unfortunately, you have little control over your aim; you can lock on to baddies, but you can't aim for the head, and you often inadvertently target nonthreatening objects (specifically rats) instead of those individuals shooting at you. The controls are a bit sticky in general, and the camera is both obtrusive and obstinate in terms of mobility. This becomes a real problem during the occasional "stealth" segment, even though "stealth" in this game is essentially limited to a single neck-snapping move Jack performs from behind. It doesn't matter how fast or slow you approach an enemy for the stealth kill, even if you run up to him full-tilt down an empty hallway, so long as he doesn't lay eyes on you. Finally, there's the motorcycle portions of the game, which I found particularly painful. Jack's seemingly nimble Yamaha or whatever handles like a rig, and no matter how hard you slam into oncoming traffic, you come to a complete stop. When you hit the gas again, Jack invariably performs a wheelie, and why not. There's really no reason for these motorcycle escapades to exist because, with the exception of a bomb chase later in the game, you only use the cycle to get from one mission to the next; no freeway chases, no shootouts, nothing. You could've just taken the bus and it would've been just as thrilling.

I hate that bike so much. Save the environment and walk, Jack.

I like Headhunter, though. Take away that stupid motorcycle and this is a solid third-person shooter. It has some control issues, but it makes up for it in other areas. In particular, the music is fantastic (though a bit repetitive), as is the voice-over work (though the gravel-voice cynicism of Jack Wade makes me miss the earnest, pre-pubescent whine of Jean-Luc). Headhunter's writing is not much better than Winback, but it's certainly performed in a much more convincing fashion. I can't really complain about the length of this game, though I would've liked an incentive to play through it again, or even a multiplayer option. Headhunter's a worthwhile purchase.

The Winback Diaries: CANCELLED

I was really looking forward to writing up this diary: unfortunately, my PS2 is getting real old, and as a result it has started to refuse those blue PS2 discs. Winback is one of them. I can get to the menu, the options, and the mutliplayer modes just fine, but my PS2 will not load up a new single-player campaign. Therefore, it is with a heavy heart that I must cancel The Winback Diaries. This is a sad day, as my PS2 of 10+ years has failed me for the first time. I was looking forward to the opportunity to give you a detailed account of the lasers, the gratuitous boxes, the dialogue and the fashion dos and don't of our favorite counter-terrorist unit, S.C.A.T. and their adversaries, the Crying Lions. The only solace I take is that in my research prior to starting the diary, I was able to find this image of our favorite boss character in Winback, the always colorful Leon. It's not much, but it's still a fantastic image.

And hey, you can always take another look at our retro review of Winback if you want to know what our adolescent minds loved about it back in the day.

#Sarocozia

The Winback Diaries, Day 1: "Sarcozia..."

You know how much we love Winback: Covert Operations. If you don’t know how much we love Winback, please, dig in the archives and find out. There’s nothing out there that can match its wall-hugging tactical combat, its love for exploding boxes, and its beautifully awkward voice-overs. But it’s been a while since I played through it, and I can’t really remember if I ever finished the game on its hardest difficulty setting. This is my attempt to document the journey, a true labor of love, a real mission into the heart of man. Join me for a trip back to 2001, when commandos had yet to figure out the advantages of shooting and moving at the same time. I’ll try to introduce you to the story and its characters as best I can, but this mainly going to be a series of reflections on the game as I progress through its box-laden levels and its joyously absurd conversations.

Note: For those of you more familiar with the N64 version, you really missed out on something special. The Ps2 version of Winback has two things going for it: first and foremost, it has some of the best voice-overs in history; and second, PS2 has a vastly improved multiplayer component, specifically BOT mode. If you still have a PS2 hanging around, do yourself a favor and snag a copy of it immediately. I’m sure Amazon can hook you up with a cheap copy.

#Sarcozia

Day 1: "Sarcozia..."

Before you get to the start menu, Winback opens up with a lengthy video to set up the highly emotional plot. It’s a doozy, too: renegades storm a nondescript office complex – which, you’ll notice, is completely box-free (Figure 1) – and exploit the poor or nonexistent perimeter defenses. This is later referred to as the Center for Space Development, a government agency responsible for protecting a satellite weapon. They do an especially poor job at protecting it.

Figure 1: The Center for Space Development, or CSD. As yet no boxes.

As you can see (Figure 2), even in the cinematics security personnel for the CSD, as well as their as-yet-unnamed adversaries, have a hard recognizing the dangers inherent in not moving while being shot at. This will become a common theme throughout the game. Because the nameless ne’er-do-wells have superior numbers, however, they win out. Betrayals also happen, and two nattily-attired fellows, including one clad in a goddamn orange trench coat, step out from inside an army truck.

Figure 2: Perimeter defenses.

Finally, someone speaks, and it’s none other than our boy, Kenny Coleman, leader of the “Crying Lions,” a terrorist organization from the mysterious land of “Sarcozia.” Like any foreign national villain worth his salt, Kenny demands justice for his homeland for some vague atrocities. You won’t believe this, but the Secretary of Defense is upset. Thankfully, however, a bright young man named Advisor arrives to deliver some useful exposition in a voice about as confident as mine was in tenth grade Speech. With the help of his loyal Advisor, the SoD decides that he will not negotiate with terrorists and sends for the S.C.A.T. squad. The real game begins.

Stage 0: Tutorial

Now, for me playing Winback is like riding a bike, but just for fun I decided to give the Tutorial a run through. I’m glad I did. Jean-Luc’s training is conducted by fellow S.C.A.T. squad mate Steve, the first subject in a recurring feature of the Winback Diaries, and it’s called…

Winback's Fashion Faux Pas!: Steve

"That's good, Jean-Luc. You're doing well."

S.C.A.T. headquarters must have everything but a mirror. He’s already going grey up there, so why make it worse by dressing in a disastrous grey/navy blue commando gear combo too? Steve, what were you thinking?

The tutorial at S.C.A.T. headquarters is short but effective. You will find out later that the interior decorator for S.C.A.T headquarters also designed the CSD. Steve has an annoying habit of always patting you on the back, whether you managed to silently subdue an enemy from behind or you simply managed to touch you back against the wall. “That’s good Jean-Luc. You’re doing well,” he’ll say. “That’s good Jean-Luc. You’re doing well.” When you get through all the controls and weapons you’ll be using on your mission, Steve challenges you to a boss fight. He’s pretty easy to beat.

[Incidentally, as kids Chicken Man and I wanted to pen a sequel to Winback. It was an alternate universe kind of thing, where Kenny and our hero, Jean-Luc, opened a girlie club called “Honeyz” when Jean-Luc’s career as a stand-up comic had stalled. Kenny loved the ladies and tried to help a down-on-his-luck Jean-Luc figure out what he wanted in life, besides hyphens. I’m not sure it would’ve made for a particularly thrilling game, but neither did anything Winback 2, so who knows, we may have had something brilliant.]

That’s all for this edition of The Winback Diaries. Join us next time to meet the rest of the S.C.A.T. team. Little did they know that someone in their midst had plans to sabotage the mission all along. All he needed was a stick of chewing gum...

PS2 Review: Winback 2: Project Poseidon (2006)

What a misleading title; this mess has nothing in common with the fantastic, retro-cheese classic, Winback: Covert Operations. Whereas the original Winback had solid gameplay and an abundance of charm, Winback 2: Project Poseidon is dismally average, and oh-so-cheap. It should have no claim to the Winback brand, and yet, here we are. This time there's no Jean-Luc, no S.C.A.T. headquarters, and no Crying Lions to thwart. Instead, it's generic soldiers Craig Contrell, Mia Cabrera, and Nick Bruno to the rescue. They're tasked with finding a mysterious, and mysteriously powerful, weapon of some sort. You alternate between the three of them in any given mission, playing from each perspective and solving puzzles, covering each other, opening doors, and so on. It may sound interesting in theory, but in praxis, it becomes immensely tedious. Evidently these three operatives are incapable of working simultaneously towards an objective. For example, you may start out as Craig first, slog through some dismal areas, shoot some idiots one bullet at a time (even with automatic weaponry, you can only jump out of cover, squeeze off a single shot, and then duck back to compose yourself, I suppose, and this is far more agonizing than it sounds), and then stumble upon a jammed door. That means it's time for Nick, who's been patiently waiting for you to buzz him with your radio, to earn his keep and blast that stubborn door open. Elsewhere, I'm sure Mia is doing a Sudoku puzzle to keep herself occupied, or sending out tweets (#Sarocozia). You still can't run and shoot at the same time, which is the only thing Project Poseidon gets right about the Winback experience, and oh, what a thing to get right. Animation is amazingly unnatural, especially when you have to crouch into cover, and this only exacerbates the problems generated by the loose controls; you feel more like you're ice skating than moving into cover. There's a multiplayer mode if you feel like subjecting your friends to this experience, complete with AI bots. It's certainly not some new kind of group therapy. In fact, it's still the same bland game, single- or multiplayer. I wouldn't recommend this one, even for curious Winback veterans. It'll scare the hell out of you, Jean-Luc.

Code Redd Net Home Video Presents... CRN Podcast DX!

Remember our fancy schmancy YouTube channel? Ok, sometimes we forget about it too, but that's going to change. We just uploaded our first video in many months, this one a video supplement to the first episode of the CRN Podcast. Enjoy, and don't forget to subscribe and leave us lots of feedback so we can get better at this kind of thing.

From the Archives, Again: Winback: Covert Operations (2001)

And here I thought The Medallion was the end of these things; looks like I forgot to post our old Winback review when we ran this series as part of the summer/fall revival of Code Redd Net. Not much to add, really, except that I completely agree with my original assertions. Sure, the style is a touch annoying, but I'm glad both Chicken Man and myself mentioned the excellent BOT Mode. That was fantastic way to add replay value to an offline multiplayer game, unlike most modern shooters that focus solely on the online multiplayer crowd.

First up, Chicken Man's thoughts:

"This stuff is some pretty tuff crap! It also hasn't much to do with being covert either. The story sucks, the gameplay's fun. It has a huge variety of weapons: .45 ACP Pistol, Silenced Pistol, 12 gauge, SubMachine Gun, and Rocket Launcher. Each conveniently coming with laser sight. Weapon Total: 5. Mostly what the gameplay is is ducking, rolling, putting your back to the wall, and not getting shot. Exclusive to the Playstation 2 version is Bot Mode, which is pretty fun if you gotta buddy. If you first play the game and unlock some characters for Bot Mode: cool. But the bosses in Bot Mode aren't. They're slow and can't take cover, but they at least they have unlimited ammo of their specialty weapon. What's very unique about this game is the ending variations in Story Mode, depending on the time it took you to beat it. At some points the game gets a little frustrating, a little weird, a little stupid. But that's to be expected right? A little strategy: the terrorists are freakin' good shots so take some cover. At the start of the game your squads misplaced because the chopper crashes and your alone. Instead of calling for backup you're going to infiltrate a complex with 4,000 terrorists guarding it. Good luck."

Now for my cogent analysis:

"Jeez Jean-Luc, you scared the hell outta me." One of the many laughable bits of dialogue. Jean-Luc, main character, even tries to lighten the mood with some comic relief: "I thought this was some new kind of group therapy." These script samples are part of Winback's distinguishing trademarks. As you may have guessed, the "dialogue" is laughable, at best. Normally, I would penalize a game for that, but in Winback's case, it's part of the fun. The cast of characters is cliche, with the high strung, sarcastic Jake, ranging to the computer literate Tom. Winback's terrorist villains (known as the "Crying Lions") happen to be cliche as well. Kenneth Coleman (Known to Code Redd Net staff as a twister-loving ladies man, when he's not trying hostile takeover of world politics.), and Cecile, (his right hand man) run the "Crying Lions," avenging a mysterious place known only as "Zarcozia." Gameplay, on the other hand, is incredibly tight. It's duck, jump out, shoot, back to ducking main play mechanic may sound repetitive on paper, but quite the contrary; it never gets old. What does, however, is the music. Ugh. While the story mode is good if not decent, the real winner is multi-play. Whether it's the four-player VS. mode, or the compelling 2-player BOT mode, (in which a total of 8 players can compete; 2 humans and 6 CPU controlled bots) which includes the 1-player, 20-stage Challenge mode, that adds replay. Really though, I doubt I'll ever tire of hearing Jean-Luc and his intelligent questions. "Zarcozian, as in from Zarcozia?"

Code Redd Net Awards: Best Action Game

Up next we have the award for Best Action Game. And the nominees are...

Spy Hunter (2001)
Winback: Covert Operations (2001)
Second Sight (2004)
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (2005)
Crazy Taxi (2001)

And the winner is...

Spy Hunter

Code Redd Net Awards: Best N64 Game

Naturally, our next award is for Best N64 Game. And the nominees are...

GoldenEye 007 (1997)
WCW/NWO Revenge (1998)
Super Mario 64 (1996)
The World is Not Enough (2000)
Winback: Covert Operations (1999)

And the winner is...

The World is Not Enough

Home Video Exclusive: Winback's "Bad" Ending