• ID = PS0951
• STYLE = Third-Person 3D Shooter
• DEV. = KOEI Co., Ltd.
• PUB. = KOEI Corporation
• R-DATE = Oct-15-2001
• ESRB = T / For Teen
• PLAYERS = 1-2 players
• LIST PRICE = $19.99
  

WinBack: Covert Operations stars French agent Jean-Luc Cougar, member of the S.C.A.T. team, which must use stealth and firepower to wrest control of a military base that's been overrun by terrorists. Based on the Nintendo 64 game of the same name, WinBack: Covert Operations will feature much more detailed graphics and animation, as well as full voice dubbing, more maps, and more selectable characters in multiplayer mode.

Description 2:
Meet Jean-Luc Cougar, a covert operative working for the Strategic Covert Actions Team and the last line of defense against a fierce group of terrorists. Calling themselves the Crying Lions, these brutes have their sights set on world domination. If you can take control of one of their bases and gain access to their satellite, you might just be able to do something about it. Standard issue weaponry that you’ll need to accrue in order to defeat the terrorists includes: handguns, shotguns, and machine guns, though you’ll also need to access such materials as explosives, detectors, flashlights, and medical kits in order to succeed.

If you’re looking for traditional action fare, set your sights elsewhere WINBACK: Covert Operations is a refreshing blend of stealth, strategy, and battle results in a completely original gaming experience. The game features six different modes, including: Death Match, Lethal Tag, Quick Draw, Cube Hunt, Team Battle, and Point Match. You select your difficulty level, and you can even begin in a Tutorial mode to get the controls down. With brilliant, state-of-the-art graphics, and complex gameplay, WINBACK is not to be missed.

• Features lots of weapons and gadgetry.
• Six modes.
• A solid story.
• Brilliant graphics.
• One-player action.

Amazon.co.uk Review
If you can play WinBack: Covert Operations for more than five minutes without thinking of Metal Gear Solid, you're either suffering from amnesia or probably refer to all video games as Space Invaders and have only turned the PS2 on by accident thinking it was the VCR. It's kind of a cross between the stealthy shoot-'em-up bits in Metal Gear Solid--except without the variety and complex story line--and a more arcade-style game such as Time Crisis, except without the nonstop action. Oh, and the main bad guy is called Kenneth, and the elite commando team to which you belong is known as S.C.A.T.

Although WinBack: Covert Operations is less than the sum of its parts, it's still fun. Hiding behind crates and jumping out to shoot unsuspecting bad guys is undoubtedly entertaining, even if the slightly fiddly controls sometimes get in the way. Unfortunately, there's not much more to the game than that, so it does get rather repetitive--although the various multiplayer modes do make up for this to some degree. If you can't wait for Metal Gear Solid 2, this is a reasonable, but not outstanding, stopgap. --David Jenkins

Hints:

One at a time
Take your enemies one at a time. One on one is both easier and safer than ten on one. Jumping out in a crowd and starting to shoot guarantees that you will get hit a number of times. Don't lose life points needlessly. Make effective use of the terrain to sneak up on your enemies. Be careful about making unnecessary noise. The enemy has very good ears and will converge on the area from which the noise originates.

Explosives
It is also good to use the exploding crates and drums. Use the Control Stick to sight on these explosive items. Enemies hiding behind or near these objects take a lot of damage.

Use Surprise
After sneaking up close to an enemy, jump out and shoot them. For example, at a corner move to the very edge. Then jump out and shoot them before they get set. Whenever possible, get around your enemy and shoot him in the back. This is extremely effective. Frequently, you can kill him with one shot.

Timely reloading
You are defenseless while reloading. So don't do it while in the middle of a gun fight. Nine times out of ten, you will get shot. Getting shot stops the reloading process. Find someplace out of sight of your enemy to do your reloading. Whenever possible start a gun fight with a full magazine.

Camera
There are two modes for the camera: Normal Mode and Capture Camera Mode (CCM). CCM locks the camera's orientation on an indicated enemy. Each is different in ease of control and in speed (time it takes to lock on to an enemy). Each has its strong points and its weak points. Choosing which to use at any given time is important.

Power Ups:
Beat the game on the hard difficulty setting, you will also get infinite ammunition.

Maximum Power:
At Press Start screen press L1, R2, L2, R2, L2, Triangle, Circle, Triangle, Circle, the hold L1 and press START, you must do this before it enters into the demonstartion mode.