ok i guess
Cons: Weird pacing; you’ll need to reload frequently until you get it right; budget-related inconsistencies
In this spy thriller episode of X-Play, we take a look at Cold War, a retro-styled espionage game available at a budget price. It’s got international intrigue, suspense, and a whole lot of sneaking, as you’d expect. The formula is kicked up a notch with an X-ray camera and improvised gadgets, but while these individual elements combine to get the job done, stealth fans will find Cold War isn’t necessarily the best tool for the job.
Back in the USSR
As depicted on the game’s cover, Cold War’s protagonist looks pretty formidable as a burly, shadow-cloaked silhouette with an American flag press badge boldly displayed on his chest. As it turns out, he’s actually a snarky, slightly nerdy photojournalist who will do just about anything for a good scoop. Your first few minutes with the game have you on the job, sneaking into Lenin’s tomb to eavesdrop on a secret meeting between the CIA and the Soviet President, but as you find yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong camera (more on that camera in a bit), the game turns into a spy-for-your-life situation deep inside a Russian prison.
During your first failed escape attempt, you’ll notice that someone has switched your regular camera with a slightly more capable model. This high-tech machine gives you a nice looking X-ray view through walls, but wait, there’s more! It’s capable of disabling electronic security systems, taking knock-out pictures (literally, as in your subject crumples to the ground after the click), and causing pressurized contents to explode.
Other than this singularly cool piece of high-technology, you’re literally left to your own devices. Similar to television’s MacGuyver, this reporter can do some pretty remarkable things with some appliance parts, batteries, household chemicals, and aluminum cans. This create-a-gadget system is useful, but how well does it work?
Who’s Spy is it Anyway?
By finding technology folders on shelves and tables, you’ll accumulate tech points that are used to create blueprints, which you assemble using materials found. By combining a plastic bottle with standard bullets, for example, you end up with a quick and easy non-lethal option that will serve you well throughout the game. As you work your way up the tech chain, you’ll gain the ability combine multiple low-level gadgets into an improved super-gadget. On paper, the concept looks great and gives you multiple methods for getting past guards.
As great as it is to knock out a room full of people with a large ether mine and be able to say “I made it myself!”, collecting raw materials to fuel your tinkering can become a bit of a chore. With dozens and dozens of guards to incapacitate, you can hardly take two steps without being tempted by yet another plastic bottle or aluminum can lying around in plain view. Personal storage limits encourage you to take frequent breaks to go into your gadget menu to combine parts, then visit another menu to save your game lest you have to do it all again. So despite being the most original element in the game, the MacGuyver factor can turn into a tension breaker that hurts the game’s overall pace.
Never mind the fact that it’s often easier to sneak up on a guard and select "knock out" to do the job with your bare hands. There’s also the fact that after the introductory portion of the game you’re free to kill anyone who isn’t a civilian with good old fashioned bullets--no assembly required. It’s very cool to have the choice, but in a lot of cases making your own spyware is more trouble than it’s worth.
For a Few Rubles More
It has to be said that, for the most part, Cold War is quite capable on both the audio and visual fronts. This doesn’t necessarily feel like a budget production, which is good. The drab, cold environments have their own personality and the actors assigned to the game’s important characters do a fairly respectable job. Some elements, like the camera’s X-ray vision, go so far as to actually be impressive.
You’ll still novice certain elements that fall noticeably short of triple-A level. Shooting has an overly-precise and artificial feel that’s less than satisfying. Your enemies also seem to have a few kinks in their logic, and turn into insane killing machines the moment they catch onto you. Lastly, much of the story is conveyed in comic-book style cutscenes that stick out like a sore thumb due to their drastically different visual style
Does this war feel cold to you?
Cold War is a competent stealth-action game that goes to a lot of trouble to set it apart from other spy games that clearly inspired it. Its attempts to stand out are partially successful at best, but solid production values and a lower than average price tag could be agreeable to people predisposed to this type of gameplay. Others aren’t quite as likely to warm to its charms.