And you thought the Cold War was over...
posted by JCDenton (FREEDOM, NH) Nov 13, 2009
Member since Mar 2006
Cold War is a stealth-action game in the same vein as SplinterCell. However, while Sam Fisher of SplinterCell fame might be a highly trained stealth recon agent, your hero in Cold War is opportunistic photojournalist Matthew Carter.
Carter is doing some undercover work in Russian and ends up in the middle of a plot to launch nukes and take over the government. From there, he has to unravel the conspiracy, knock out guards and evade detection for the rest of the game.
Carter isn't much of a soldier. And as for stealth, he carries a flash camera and can't jump. However, Carter can build things from bottles and rags. He's more MacGyver than Fisher and that's okay. You can use various items throughout the game to make rubber bullets, explosives, silencers and even upgrades for your pistol. You also have a very special x-ray camera that has charges powerful enough to knock out opponents in the next room or blow up cameras and fire extinguishers. It's the most efficient stealth weapon I've seen, except that it only holds five rounds at a time and it's not available for purchase in the real world.
Stealth is pretty basic compared to other games in the genre. Your enemies can't see or hear very well, but can shoot very well when you're detected. Although you have a detection meter, it doesn't distinguish between light and sound, so it's hard to tell how stealthy you're being. You also have limited mobility which affects his ability to run at a decent speed, sidle up against walls, jump or climb onto higher ground. Yes, Carter could use some pointers from Mr. Fisher.
Cutscenes are done in static screens, the story makes just enough sense to work and the amount of backtracking is notable.
Still, the game runs well enough and the item creation system makes for a unique experience. It's pleasurable for it's duration and has some merit, but not enough to compete against the big boys.
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