Cold Zero: The Last Stand

PC review by Philip Morton, published on Friday 19th September 2003

What do you get when you mix Deus Ex and The Sims? “Not a lot”, I would have said a week ago, but Cold Zero - The Last Stand has certainly proved me wrong. It’s a game defined by our Genre-O-Matic as a ‘third person point-and-click action adventure shooter’. When there’s genre mixing to be done, Koch Media certainly knows how to do it.

John McAffrey is an ex-cop turned private investigator, sacked after he accidentally shot a hostage during an operation. A mix of various game heroes past and present, he sadly lacks his own distinct personality. He’s now on the other side of the law after the Mafia framed him as an international terrorist. The only way he can clear his name is to hunt down the real bad guys responsible for stealing a prototype bio-weapon, Cold Zero. Those who sense likenesses to Syphon Filter and Max Payne aren’t far wrong.

Unlike the games which feature Mr Denton and Payne, Cold Zero is lost in the world of definitive style and direction. Max Payne had its film noir look with an edgy character, while Deus Ex’s futuristic look and feel stood out as unique. Cold Zero hints towards the film noir style in some places, but never carries it through. It seems that whilst they were busy genre mixing, some of the styling got forgotten on the way.

The game mechanics are one thing that does stand out though. A third person shooter controlled using just the mouse and a few keyboard buttons is ambitious to say the least. Moving John around is simply done by clicking where you want him to go to, just like in The Sims. He has four different movement speeds - from sneak to run - which all have certain advantages and disadvantages. Sneaking is slow but quiet and lowers your profile, while running is fast but attracts enemies with the noise produced. Combinations of mouse and keyboard allow John to strafe, stop immediately and shoot round corners. He can also open fire and move at the same time, as well as interacting with the environment around him.

In theory, you can use stealth or go in guns blazing, but you’ll often find yourself resorting to the latter after the former fails. The stealth element isn’t really fully incorporated into the game, just something else John can do. Most levels end up turning into a bloodbath with you on the receiving end far too often. Thankfully you can save anywhere and boy will you use it often! You get the feeling sometimes that the point-and-click dynamic wasn’t really destined to be used in a shooter; it would seem more at home in an adventure game.

Taking cues from Deus Ex, Cold Zero features RPG elements. John has a set of skills which can be gradually improved as you progress through the game. Items such as guns and ammo can also be bought from a variety of shops that you come across. Although it adds a certain layer of depth to the gameplay, it just feels like another feature the developers have tacked on. Enemy A.I. is basic to say the least and seems to vary in quality from situation to situation. One minute they’ll be swarming around you, the next they won’t even hear you shooting their colleague. Cold Zero is one of those games that has perfectly solid gameplay, but the enemies’ intelligence - or lack of it - let’s it down. The gameplay is generally fun, but tends to lack in some areas. Sometimes you find yourself wishing that you had more direct control over John, instead of having him leashed to your cursor.

Graphically, Cold Zero is fairly accomplished but nothing special. The visuals are varied thanks to the wide range of levels; one minute you’ll be in the jungle, the next you’ll find yourself in a mine shaft. The camera is the main point of interest as far as visuals go though. Instead of relying on the game to keep your view focused, the developers have allowed us to move it wherever we please. You can lock the camera behind John, but if you want to zoom in, look round a corner or scout ahead then you can. It feels like he has a detachable floating eyeball or a robotic pet parrot. The environment is neatly rendered and some objects such as crates and barrels (original, eh?) can be destroyed.

The audio is definitely one of Cold Zero’s better points. The dramatic music builds up as the action intensifies and slows down when the going is easy. Sound effects such as rain and gunshots are precise and detailed, but the voiceovers sound a bit too overdone.

You probably won’t be playing Cold Zero in six month’s time, but it’s enjoyable for the first few weeks until as you go through the 16 missions. 16 player LAN support has been included, so if you manage to sneak it onto a school or work network, you’re bound to get some extra replay value out of it.

Cold Zero: The Last Stand is a strange old thing. It’s rough around the edges and could do with a lot more polish in some departments, but it’s generally playable and enjoyable for action fans. The gameplay mechanics show a lot of potential, but they don’t feel at home in this genre. It’s a welcome change from the tidal wave of first-person shooters, but you might want to think twice before purchasing it.