Bring it back, Sing it back to me
Publisher: KOEI
Sat, 10 February 2007
by: Australian Ninja
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If you want to win at this game, you'll need to recall Patches O' Houlihan's sage like advice:
"Just remember the five D's of dodgeball: Dodge, Duck, Dip, Dive, and...Dodge."
Winback 2 - it's the sequel that wants to be better than the original, but it's not. Truthfully I got more enjoyment from the first Winback on N64.
The first Winback was a decent game for it's time. A third person action shooter game that required you to run around killing terrorists with occasional puzzles and boss fights.
The storyline was fluff, but the gameplay was strangely addictive and it was one of the earlier games that let you aim at individual limbs and body parts. I really liked it and played it quite a lot. Fast forward a few years to Winback 2 and we have more of the same.
Nothing wrong with that, except that Winback 2 changes the formula somewhat from long gigantic stages to small sections that often must be passed within a set time limit.
 | | Suddenly, without warning, the terrorist let off a lethal gas attack.. |
In each stage, two characters are used. Finish with one, and then pass it with the other character on an alternate route. The idea is that the counter terrorists you control are working together in groups of two. For example you can trigger certain doors thus leaving them open for when you complete the area with the second character.
I know it sounds confusing but basically you play scenario A immediately followed by scenario B with two different characters. All up each section of a stage takes 5-15 minutes to complete and each stage/ mission has several sections to complete.
So what's the good, the bad and the ugly? In short Winback 2 is fun. No problem there. But it's so darn repetitive that even half way through the game you just get sick of shooting a switch to remove a laser beam, unlocking doors or what have you. The basic shooting is good and the guns aim and control well. The aiming is pretty much like the first Winback and 24 - without the glitches.
In this game you'll be doing plenty of hiding behind boxes in the good old box factory, forward rolling just to look special and then some more 'taking cover' just for kicks.
You know the the sort of deal I'm talking about.
Moving along, being able to throw grenades around a corner while taking cover is cool. Aiming for easy head shots never gets old.
The gameplay is alright; mostly it's just the stages themselves that get so boring and repetitive.
It doesn't help that cardboard cut-outs have more personality than the main characters in the game, and the voice acting was nothing special.
Actually that was a good thing. The voice acting was so clichéd that I found it really funny. The guy who briefs you for your missions looks just like that bald dude from The Shield. I laughed at him too as he looks tough but sounded about as threatening as an office clerk.
 | | Exit stage left, out the back of train, to a better game even. |
In some ways, Winback 2 is full of old videogame conventions. Clichéd characters and setting. Crazy buildings that are a nightmare to navigate, full of laser beams that don't exist in the real world [thank you Mythbusters] and more locked doors than Fort Knox.
The core gameplay is enjoyable but gets old fast due to the repetitive nature of the missions.
Somehow, the original beats out Winback 2 not in sound or graphics - but where it counts - in the gameplay department.
I played a bit of the first one on N64 to see how it compared, I've never played the ported PS2 version of the first Winback - but I assume it's pretty much identical from what I've read about it. Anyhow, I really enjoyed the original [because I love action games] but Winback 2 just got boring about half way through.
Maybe I'm unfairly comparing it to another game, and should be judging this game more on its own merits. However, by mentioning my fondness for Winback 1, I'm saying that I was interested in Winback 2 and gave it a fair go - enjoying it despite its many flaws but ultimately it just got boring.
The game is just average all around, and that's fine - not every game is going to be the next messiah of gaming. For what it does - 'being average' Winback 2 does it rather well.
So what more can I say? If you're an action junkie and have nothing else to play at the moment, you may find some enjoyment in Winback 2: Project Poseidon. I'd recommend renting before buying however.
by: Australian Ninja
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