However, WinBack: Covert Operations is a considered inclusion on the part of Nintendo. While not everyone will be as familiar with this game, it was an important entry into gaming history that influenced future, more well-known games. Many staples of the third-person shooters, like using cover and having a laser sight, were utilized by WinBack; considering this game was released in 1999, it was an ambitious game that discovered much of the formula of creating a great third-person shooter, even if it was too early to execute these elements effectively.
Development and Plot
WinBack: Covert Operations was developed by Koei’s Omega Force in an attempt to move away from the company’s more typical strategy-based games. Although the reception for the game was pretty lukewarm, particularly for the PS2 version, it is now recognized as being an important and significant step in the evolution of third-person shooters. Technically, elements like sticky cover did exist in earlier games like Time Crisis, but it did introduce the mechanics to third-person shooters. WinBack was inspired by the first Metal Gear Solid, and sticky cover later went on to become an essential part of Metal Gear Solid 2. Retroactively, it’s clear many of the elements of WinBack were the logical next step for shooters, but WinBack was the game to make this apparent.
The game follows Jean-Luc Cougar, a secret agent infiltrating a military base overrun by terrorists. The game then has two endings, depending on how long it takes the player to complete it. The stealth mechanics should feel somewhat familiar to any stealth fan, with Jean-Luc hiding in vents and behind cover. The multiple endings are also an ambitious decision to include and give the game a better sense of depth. However, it’s important to see this game for what it is, and not expect to play a prototype of Gears of War.
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Limitations
While WinBack: Covert Operations is an important evolutionary step in third-person shooters, it may not feel like that to play it today. It’s essential with this game to keep its temporal context in mind, as many of the mechanics WinBack utilized were later refined and polished by other games. As such, the controls will feel a little clunky to modern gamers, although the game’s laser sight does help a good deal. The PS2 version did make some improvements to the controls, but the voice acting in that version turned many players off it.
The joy of a game like WinBack: Covert Operations is that it captures a very particular time in gaming. While this game won’t hold up as the best shooter of all time, it is a great reflection of how far gaming has come and how technological changes can be tracked through video games. Of course, while not everyone is familiar with the game, there are undoubtedly some who remember it fondly and now get the chance to replay it. Nintendo chose this game intentionally, and like in all fields, it is important to remember the history of what has come before.
WinBack: Covert Operations is out for Nintendo 64 and PS2.
