For a state-of-the-art system, the PS2 gets a lot of leftovers. This time, the rehash is WinBack: Covert Operations, which previously appeared on the Nintendo 64. And not much has changed since then: PS2 WinBack has the same minimal sounds and graphics, disorienting control scheme, and addicting gameplay, which encourages stealth. Really insidious people have taken control of a weapon/satellite and, wouldn’t you know it, are threatening nice people with it. Playing as Jean-Luc, one of the good-guys, you have to stop them. WinBack is really a chess game with weapons (machine gun, pistol, rocket launcher, etc.) in which you have to figure out where to hide, when to shoot, and how to get from point A to point B. If you like this sort of thing, you’ll eventually figure out the camera and start to enjoy yourself. The sound effects are only average, while the background music really belongs in the background. The voice-overs are hilariously bad. Combine those with the game’s robotic animation, and all the characters seem like they’re suffering from a rare mind-impairing, physically debilitating disease. WinBack on the Nintendo 64 was a good, not great, game, and it hasn’t been changed enough to warrant a reappraisal of that status--not even the mega-force of the PlayStation 2 helps much. Nevertheless, if you’re in need of worthwhile stealth/action, WinBack: Covert Operations will satisfy.
