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 Cold Winter is a 2005 PS2-exclusive FPS - an obscure spy action piece with a decently written plot, nice voices and a bloody awful engine. The physics engine is fine though. Cold Winter is as British as eating haggis in a Spitfire's cockpit. The story was written by Julian Widdows (previously worked on Hostile Waters: Antaeus Rising) and Warren Ellis, a British comic book writer who also wrote for Hostile Waters: Antaeus Rising and later co-wrote and provided "groundwork, backstory and structure" for the original Dead Space. A number of cutscenes (none in the first two updates) feature Tom Baker narrating things. You might know Tom Baker's voice from Little Britain. Or from Hostile Waters: Antaeus Rising. It's one big Hostile Waters reunion. I have a PAL copy, but I'm recording an emulated US release for the sake of convenience. Still, the emulation is not quite perfect. I also provide cutscene videos ripped straight from the disc and upscaled. Unfortunately, the conversion from .bik somehow ended up eating 1.833 seconds at the end of every single clip, and I blame RAD Video Tools. NO SPOILERS, PLEASE CONTENTS: 01. Chang Prison, Part 1. (screenshot) 02. Chang Prison, Part 2. (screenshot) 03. Qatarra, Part 1. (screenshot) 04. Qatarra, Part 2. (screenshot) 05. Qatarra, Part 3. (screenshot) 06. Qatarra, Part 4. (screenshot) 07. Qatarra, Done. (video) 08. Setech Industries, Part 1. (video) 09. Setech Industries, Part 2. (video) 10. Setech Industries, Done. (video) 11. Black Market, Part 1. (video) 12. Black Market, Done. (video) 13. Winterlong, All of It. (video) SelenicMartian fucked around with this message at 09:15 on Jan 25, 2016 |
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Nov 21, 2015 15:24
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Chang Prison, Part 1.  : This mountain looks familiar. : Ah, it's Sierra after they gave up on cat hair moustache and started publishing lots of shooters of varying quality. : Also known for 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand, the game with upgradeable swearing. The rest of their titles are rugby and cricket sims. : gently caress! No! RenderWare may have received praise for simplifying PS2 game development, but the only engine to rival PS2 RenderWare in ugliness is early LithTech. Just look at the logo itself. : PEGI THREE. Probably. : Here's our title card with a loading progress bar. It fills. Then it fills about a dozen more times. : Then we proceed to load Cold Winter. : Finally... : The only thing of interest in the profile screen is the fact the you can change your model. : Uh... This has no effect on the actual game. The model list offers every character in Cold Winter including spoilers and people appearing only in pre-rendered cutscenes. Meaning even cutscenes use low quality RenderWare 3D. : I'll settle for this. Then we get the option to start a new game, go to the last checkpoint or go straight to a beaten level. : We also get a choice of three difficulty levels. The fourth one, Elite, is the only unlockable in the game. Let's go. : Now listen to the following.  : Here're your orders. Target: Andrew Sterling. Ground: Chang political prison, Changsha province, China. Tuesday night is our boy's last on the block before execution New Year's day. So make this quick and painless. Get in there, get him, do what you have to do. Leave no evidence, leave no trace, leave no record. This job needs to be clean. Prisoner cells won't be too heavily guarded over the New Year so infil shouldn't be a problem. Don't underestimate the place, though. Chang doesn't have the reputation as the worst prison in mainland China for no reason. It's corrupt and merciless. Keep unnecessary casualties to a minimum. Out.: There are no subtitles in Cold Winter, so I'm playing it all by the ear. Listening to a BBC radio adaptation of Macbeth with horrendous Scottish accents helped a lot. Intro. Watch this for RenderWare magic.  : One word: information. You have control of it-you drive the deal. The other side has control of it-you take it from them. : This looks like the Soviet Almaz manned recon station. A military variant of the Salyut station where an operator was supposed to sit in low orbit with a camera and take pictures of the Earth. : It's like a game of global marbles.  : Information passes from hand to hand- : -stolen, given, traded,: misplaced, found. : The kid who has the most marbles in the end of the game wins. : Simple. : My name is Andrew Sterling.  : My game is over.: No one but Andrew notices the operator who literally fell from the sky.  : This man is a saint.  : Come on, man.  : Does every apartment in the area really have a clear view of the prison yards?    : Information! Information! In-for-ma-tion!       : *crunch* : *screaming*  : Andrew performs the classic display of toughness.   : The interrogator brings out the classic electrodes. : *flickering lights, more screaming*  : OK. Nothing, no. No deals then. Uh-huh. : Oh, yes. Consider it clean. At six. OK. Be seeing you.    : *prisoner sobbing*   : This is the person who was briefed for Andrew's extraction. : She jumps down and checks her left, a solid wall. The passage to her right is ignored.     : In line with spy movie traditions she starts undressing the moment she sees the hero.  : Andrew? Andrew! : Wrong man. You were supposed to save a Sterling!: Kim?: Christ, Andrew, you look terrible!: I can imagine.: Shhh! We have to be really quick. Look up into the light. : Shiny... What's up with Kim's elbow joints? : Good. Now follow it here. And down. : Here. Good. Now up. : *sigh* No signs of concussional brain damage. None that weren't already there, that is.: Ever the silver tongue. You haven't changed.: Shhh! We really have to hurry. Here, clothes, a medipack, in-ear comms, a silenced 9mm and a data bomb. : You're an angel.: You know it. Patch yourself up and we can get going.: Good. I've had enough of Chang's hospitality for one year.   : The medipack is indeed bottomless. It provides brief health regeneration but takes a while to apply.: Looking better already.: Exfil?: Meet me out in the corridor. I'll explain. : A bucket. We can grab it and toss it. : We can also flip furniture. : It's kinda useful when tables and enemies are in the same room. : After verifying that I can crouch and jump I get out of the cell. : There's Kim with her new friend. But there's also a paper on the wall.  : This is where we split. I have other business that needs taking care of.: So I see. Your handiwork, I take it.: Unfortunate but unavoidable. You may want to have a look though his pockets to see if he is carrying anything useful. I really do have another job in China though, as do you.: This other job... : Standard procedure. Locate the server room on the first floor, delete your records and then upload the data bomb you'll find in your pocket. It'll propagate quickly and pretty much destroy everything on their network. You don't want anyone coming after you once we're out. When you're done I'll guide you out. Stay in contact using the in-ear comms unit I gave you.: Understood. : We'll RV at the main gates exiting the compound. Good luck. : And Kim flies away. Let's search the body. : Wasn't NOLF also published by Sierra at one point? : We can't go through the door behind the guard for clearly indicated reasons. : So, we hit the hallway Kim didn't check when she jumped down. : Nothing unusual here. Ammo boxes, an open cell in the distance and a way left. : Well, he seems relaxed.  : Two more guards are up the stairs. I tried to snipe one but hosed up and had a bit of a fight. : This guy has a 3D key on him. I take that and his body armour. Armour pick ups are the best when you shoot people in the head, and if you blow them up you don't get any. : There's even a back-up key in the cabinet over the desk. : This is the guards' gun, which I examine as I backtrack to the locked door from earlier. : And the open cell turned out to be a bathroom. : Smash! Ammo get. : Anyway, the only thing behind this door is another box of bullets. : We go back and up.  : A new box type and more intel.   : Isn't it amazing that there are boxes we open with the X-button instead of the triangle?  : Checkpoint here. Something is about to happen.: Kim.: Andrew, where are you? : On the first floor. : You're getting close. Look for a connecting cell block leading to the security wing. : Understood. Out. : Found it! This is the area where we need to go, and it's not even locked. But I'll explore a bit. : How nice of Chang to label everything in English. : Looks pickable.  : Introducing crafting. Instead of finding a lockpick we need to use cutters on a sprue. : A sprue just happens to be nearby. The cutters are not destroyed in the making of a lockpick, and you get to keep them until the end of the chapter. : Andrew picks an odd spot to pick.  : An AK. Nice. : I go on a box-smashing ramapage and the renderer bugs out. I save ("saving checkpoint" does not immediately save to the card), restart and go back to the checkpoint. : Have I mentioned that Cold Winter save file requires 2MB of a 8MB memory card? And that it's a linear shooter with checkpoint saves? It's insane. : There's another bathroom.    : How do you know, Andrew? Did you check? : Further down the hallway these two guys are chilling in the dead end. : And if you kill them two more run up from behind. : The renderer shits itself again. I restart. : Anyway, the cell block you need to go through has a couple of guards trying to to gun you down from behind the bars... : ...empty cells... : ...and more Chinamen. : Beyond the cell block is a drunk guy who slept though the entire firefight. He's got intel on the desk.  : The bottles shatter into white shards. Sure. : You know what? I'll just keep going hoping that it fixes itself. The door ahead is locked, the lever is broken. : There's a room under the weak floor however. : Andrew crashes into the torture room and catches a glimpse of the interrogator guy from the intro. Killing him is a new optional objective. But first...   : While I searched the room some guards came and flipped the tables.   : Oh, it's that board. : Anyway, the guy in the chair is poorly modelled, dead and has nothing on him. Moving on.  : Hey, we're at the previously locked door. The interrogator ran into the cell block area.   : Now I can go back. : This must be it. : The guard hears the door open and, eventually, dies.: Kim, I'm in.: Good, the computer system should be somewhere in the room. It won't be anything fancy - a desktop unit or something similar. Log on and delete all personal files. Kim out. : What a strangely wrong keyboard. Must've been made in China.  : Done.: Nice work. And I was worried you'd be rusty.: I'm not out yet.: But you're getting there. : I was gathering future lockpicks from the table and the alarm rang. : More guards come and open the door to the rest of the level. : This hallway features a pickable closet with ammo on the left, a warm corpse on the right and the way to progress ahead.   : I could use a snack. : The kitchen offers live ammo next to the ovens... : ...chilled health pickups in the fridge... : ...and a cowering chef. Behind the chef is a shuttered window. : There's the final section of the level. A courtyard with guards and a mounted Browning M2. : I'll take the window next to the fridges. : Kim, I'm in the courtyard. I'm looking at three guards on duty and a fixed gun emplacement. I'm not getting through here without a fight.: And there are more patrolling in the adjacent courtyard. Take it very very steadily. Your best chance is to flank the gunner and turn the emplacement on the guards. Even with all the noise from the near fireworks you're likely to draw attention to yourself. Be prepared for a fight. Out. : There's this fence that serves as perfect cover to circle the machine gun, but the way further is locked and picking takes time. : I snipe a guard, but his buddy runs for the alarm button. : Well, poo poo. : There's the gun. The guy behind it was smart enough to let go and switch to his AK the moment I left the Browning's firing arc.  : My armour dropped, because one of those bastards followed me around the yard and shot from behind while I was busy with the rest of them. They do that sometimes.: I'm OK, Kim.: You had me worried there! Make your way through the doors, I'll be back in touch. Out. : We're done. I collect loot, or what's left of it. Browning gibs people and leaves next to no armour. : I would have cared about the rating had it mattered in any way.
SelenicMartian fucked around with this message at 20:05 on Nov 23, 2015 |
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Nov 21, 2015 15:25
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Warren Ellis also wrote a pretty neat little crime novel called Gun Machine. The more you know. e: At least I think it's the same guy. anilEhilated fucked around with this message at 15:38 on Nov 21, 2015 |
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Nov 21, 2015 15:32
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anilEhilated posted:Warren Ellis also wrote a pretty neat little crime novel called Gun Machine. The more you know. It is. He also wrote Crooked Little Vein, which is a novel that introduces the phrase "Godzilla bukkake" to the modern lexicon. Not to be confused with the composer Warren Ellis, who did soundtracks for movies like The Proposition, although I did for a long time.
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Nov 21, 2015 16:27
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Ah, this game. I've played... probably too much of it, but I did enjoy it quite a bit. This should be a nice LP to follow. Shame about the rendering messing up so much, though.
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Nov 21, 2015 23:41
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Huh, now that's either a really subtle reference (Definitely not beyond belief if Warren Ellis wrote it), or confirmation bias, but two lines in particular really stuck out to me. Specifically "INFORMATION... INFORMATION... INFORMATION!" and "Be seeing you!" Both are lines very commonly uttered in that most psychedelic of spy dramas from the 60s, The Prisoner. Might want to keep an eye out for more of those, just in case it isn't.  Either way, seems like an interesting game!
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Nov 22, 2015 00:45
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JamieTheD posted:Huh, now that's either a really subtle reference (Definitely not beyond belief if Warren Ellis wrote it), or confirmation bias, but two lines in particular really stuck out to me. Specifically And I doubt the MI6 chief picked that particular time off the top of his head. Not to mention that our profile name for this playthrough is John Drake. I see what you did there, SelenicMartian
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Nov 22, 2015 03:43
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Chang Prison, Part 2. A Scottish phone call. You could help me transcribe it. : Andrew's daring escape is interrupted by a ringing phone. : Gah! Alien sausages! : A fashion programme?  : Parish. : We've got him. Uh-huh.  : Cleaned six months ago by MI6, thorough job as well. The English spooks couldn't get to the authority records - one reason we got him. : Kim's on it. I'm expecting delivery within the next few days. : You know she will, they've got a history. He'll be as good as gold. Aye. : No, no identity, no family, no records - our man doesn't exist. Invisible, and perfectly disposable. : Kim will scrub any remaining records on the way out. : Sure he'll do it. We'll just come even again, and he's clean out of options. Aside from retirement we're as good as it gets. : Fariq? No, no sign of him. I've been scouring all reports but nothing. Typically greasy. I'll send him after Salah. Should draw *I can't make it out* something out. Aye. OK. Until then.Oblivion4568238 posted:I listened to that several times, and I think it's "Should rattle the cage enough to turn something out."  : No briefing this time. : Kim, I'm through.: OK, Andrew. To exfil we need to RV at the gates in the outer courtyard of the prison. Between you and those gates are two small courtyards, the catering wing of the prison, and about a dozen guards. You may need to deal with them head-on. I've chosen the catering wing as it's likely to be quiet at this time of night, but take care: the guards in the outer courtyards are better trained than the goons you've been dealing with so far. Take every precaution necessary. Once you at the entrance to the catering wing radio in and I'll talk you through. Kim out. : Go to the mission marker, kill people on the way. Got it. : This yard is split into two by this wall ahead. : In addition to people running into my face, a bunch of guards enter on the other side of the wall and shoot through the windows and the locked gate. : They are a bit annoying to pick out. : Then they run to me through a passage behind that tree in the corner. Luckily, Andrew's face is heavily armoured. : After the level transition Andrew starts ripping guards' clothes during search. : All for out new crafting scheme. We're still missing some elements. : Here's the way to the other side.   : He counted to seven. Anyway, we have some frag grenades now. : This really kills any element of surprise, doesn't it? : That's not the dangerous side of the next room. : That is. Only because the guards tossed a smoke grenade my way. : One of them dashed from the boxes to the more solid wall. Smart. : Then he fired repeatedly, succeeding only is tilting the cart. Not smart.  : Behind them is our goal. : poo poo, they're locked. Kim, I'm at the gates to the catering wing, but they're locked. I need options.: Hold tight for a second, I'll get back to you. Out. : More guards rush in to keep Andrew occupied. : And to remind the player that boxes are mortal. By a strange coincidence Kim gets back the very moment the last guard dies.: Andrew, The only other route available to you is through the barracks. That's your target. : Guard density?: No clear intel, sorry. You'll be able to tell me soon enough though. Out. : The time for subtlety has passed.   : Kim, It looks like there are only three, maybe four men on duty in the barracks. : OK. Still tread carefully. Though, there's plenty of *emulation audio glitch happens as I open the bathroom door* now.: Understood. Out.: At least Andrew understood. : So many options. However... : ...the door on the left leads to empty showers... : the double door further on the left is locked... : ...and the pile of crates at the end of the hallway hides the entrance to... : Another crapper. : And the farthest door on the right is locked. So, there's only one way to go.  : We can thoroughly loot this place.  : Why do I find this in a room with a plate of food near the beds and lots of empty bottles, huh? Guowei, you're full of poo poo. : The second ingredient for chef Andrew's latest recipe. : Right, here's the second door to the locked room. : Upon interrupting quality R&R I toss them a smoke grenade.  : A smoke grenade, Andrew, - not an inflatable dinghy. : There were three guards on the list. The third one jumps from the bunk and dashes through the previously locked door. : Leaving his buddies to die. : He's not here, though. : No, he ran in a circle and tried to shoot me in the back. I foiled his plan, so he shot me in the face instead. : Turns out, the AK can rip arms off. : I don't remember any shotguns around, and Andrew refuses to pick up ammo just in case. : We loot some stuff and get a key.  : I think, I missed reading that official report. It's not a love letter so no big loss. China intel has little bearing on the overall plot. : Open, sesame.: Andrew! You have company! : And they are dressed to party. : My grenade bounces off the closing door and lands in that pile of crates. : I toss another one. : The first frag is a clean miss. The second one... : One of the injury samples for the enemies in China is "AIEEE!". It played here. : I might have thrown a third grenade, but I couldn't see what it did. : The severed torso of a guard still has a smoke grenade on the belt. Andrew takes it. : I was turning around and didn't see this guy. : Then I heard a shotgun blast. Shotgun! : This is when I realized someone is out there. : A lucky hit.: The truck's blocked the way through.: Search it for arms and get out of there. I'm going to move in position near the exit gates. Kim out. : That's the head of the shotgunner. And we're going to get his toy. : Beauty. Only 3 rounds but the rooms nearby have enough 12 gauge pick-ups to max the ammo out.  : There's also a fuel can around. One can will last you an infinite number of Molotovs. : Shaped charges. Kim, I just found a way through those locked doors. I'm heading back there now.: You've got the key?: You could say that. I'll be through soon.: As soon as you are I'll start securing the exit. I have visual on at least two small patrols. Out.: The trek back to the yard with carts is mostly uneventful, except for three guys.  : Don't know why, but shotgun to the groin just comes naturally.  : Ever played a shooter called Gore? Don't. : Back at the catering gate Andrew pulls away the cart. : Then he slaps on a charge.  : Going by the top of the screenshot, I think we have a problem.: Kim, I think we have a problem. : I see it. Just get into the outer courtyard and we'll deal with it. I should be able to make my way through to give you backup.: Understood. Out. : There's a body armour at the bottom of this pool for some reason.  : This is not the bathroom you see in the previous screenshot. This is the bathroom that was right behind me when I took the previous screenshot. We're at 4 this update, and at 7 this chapter, which is more than the number of crappers in the entire world of TES4: Oblivion.  : How many shadows does a man need? The emulator really fucks them up. I also use a hardware hack that removes rave party lighting in every room.   : Well, that was a waste of time. I'm fully stocked already.   : My throwing accuracy is a bit rusty. : Kim, I'm in the outer courtyard. Do you have a visual on the heli?: I don't. You?: Nothing.: OK. Making my way across to you now. : The blue arrow points at our destination and there isn't much else to do here. The yard is littered with Brownings and boxes with armour. : Andrew! I have contact! I can't get across! You'll have to...: Have to what? : poo poo!: Kim, it won't go away if I throw poo at it. : Incoming! Incoming!   : Why did they blow up the exit to the kitchen? : I waste all of my explosives, because I know this is the last big fight of the level. : There's really no way they can kill you with all the stuff you pick up. Especially if you open all the boxes beforehand. : Kim, do you have a visual on the heli? Repeat: I need a location on that heli.: Nothing! Wait, wait. Incoming from the southwest. Your weapons are useless against it, use the machine guns. Incoming! : Just grab a Browning and shoot the Mi-8 a lot. Can't kill a Hip firing from the hip. : It's headed your way, Kim.: I see it. They're banking. It's coming in for another run from the southeast. Get ready! Incoming! : Every MG hit explodes on the heli, until is explodes for real.    : Got you, you fucker!: I'm pleased for you but I need help - now! Get through here! : Through the conveniently blown gates we find some guards harassing Kim. : There she is.  : Please, point it somewhere else. : Good job, thanks. Now let's get out of here.   Escape! : Run! : Where's the transport? : A barge waiting on the stretch of canal about a hundred yards from here. The captain's waiting to take you on. We'll split there for safety.  : What about you?: A change of plans. I'll RV with you in Hong Kong.    : What's my cover? : Oh, you'll love this, you really will. : You're a dead man.: Wah! Ugh! : Get some rest. See you in Hong Kong.  : It's not a plasmid or a vigor, is it?   
SelenicMartian fucked around with this message at 20:04 on Nov 23, 2015 |
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Nov 22, 2015 17:09
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Crazy Accents posted:Should draw *I can't make it out* something out. I listened to that several times, and I think it's "Should rattle the cage enough to turn something out."
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Nov 22, 2015 18:52
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This game really is something alright. That mirrored keyboard texture was great. I'll be reading along to see where this goes.
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Nov 23, 2015 00:33
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Oblivion4568238 posted:I listened to that several times, and I think it's "Should rattle the cage enough to turn something out." I also realized that level select actually offers full level names and descriptions. The game is ridiculous is how easy it gives you D, as you'll see in the next update. Kaboom Dragoon posted:And I doubt the MI6 chief picked that particular time off the top of his head.
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Nov 23, 2015 20:14
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Qatarra, Part 1.: Tom Baker time. He'll tell us about Britain. Britain, Britain.  : In 1935 H.G. Wells wrote The Shape of Things to Come, where a world is saved from the horrors of post-war destruction by a group of aviators calling themselves Wings Over the World. : A boy who read that book in London in 1935 saw the film version in 1937 and was enthralled. : He was barely an adult when the war came but that didn't matter to him, nor to increasingly desperate Britain. The war came hard - just as it did in the book. : But H.G. Wells did not imagine nuclear bombs or death camps, and so the boy became a pilot, found that there were to be no Wings Over the World and that the shocked post-war world was a very cold place indeed. : I didn't want to interrupt Tom Baker but The Shape of Things to Come was released in 1933 by the same publisher that three years later did Murder off Miami. Scottish bargaining.     : Your move, sleeping beauty. : Ugh... Jesus, Danny, you don't give up, do you? Two weeks now, you've lost how many games? You always were a terrible chess player but, gently caress, these days... : Heh-heh. Come over here and sit down, bastard. I'm letting you win to aid recuperation like. I do it all - the thanks I get... : My company for three weeks. Thanks enough, I'd say.  : So, what are you gonna do now then, Kasparov? Now you're all mended and fit. Back to rainy days in London, bodyguard work, or lecture in security here and there? : Uh, don't now. Though I might grow a bone beard like yours, get myself sorted with a pipe and slippers, grow old, fat, and lazy by the beach. : Ha-ha-ha-hah! : Ha-ha-hah! : Christ, Andy, you might as well throw yourself off that balcony right now. Wee hard men like us aren't engineered to sit still waiting for death. Manky fingers or no manky fingers. : And those are some seriously loving manky fingers. : The boy had issues. : Clearly. : Andy, I'm doing well here, man. Things are good. Seriously good. : Didn't get this by chance, you know. Didn't get this smoking back in a working man's club in Hastings, while my arse got haemorrhoids as life passed me by.: What are you offering, Danny?: I have more work going than I can handle at the moment. Much more work. I want you in, man. : This game's getting long in the tooth, Danny. I passed my shelf life ten years ago. I mean you can't wanna go on much longer. Gotta give up at some point. : I can't, Andy. I've no option. This is important. Really important. : Say, I cut you a standard ten percent? : Ten percent? gently caress! Come on, Danny, don't insult me. Not after all this time. Not now. : Manky fingers or no manky fingers, look at this loving place.: The game may be gently caress ugly but those facial expressions are growing on me. : Fifteen percent.: I want fifty percent. Plus that five mil you still owe me from Cartagena. : Cartagena? Huh... Twenty percent, and the five mil. : Twenty five percent and the five mil gets you a deal.: Yer a bastard, you know that, don't you. : On completion I'll need papers, a Swiss deposit account and an expense account. Sort me out an off-shore as well, will you - something nice and quiet on an island somewhere, steady Margaritas and the sun. : OK. You got it. You got it. Deal, man. Deal. : Don't suppose the SAS left much of me lying around.: What do you think? You're as dead as they come - funeral, honours and all. : Is an easy job, nice easy job. Look after Kim on her hit in Africa, plus intelligence collection - nothing too traumatic. More detail will be given to you en route. It's good to see you, Andy. Good luck. : You'll need it.: If you're think we're done with the Scottish accent, I've got some bagpipes for you. Who the hell is this actor? I don't believe "Bill Dick" appearing in this game only is not an alias.  : Andy, you're to escort Kim to a small garrison town near the Qatarra Depression. Initial infil will be by crop plane, landing in a small farmstead in the desert forty kilometres beyond the city limits. The family there are friendly, but don't get excited if they're carrying. They're risking their lives helping you out. Be nice. They'll ferry you overland in the back of one of their fruit trucks, leaving you at the safehouse our local contact has set up in the outskirts of the main city. Once you're at the RV Kim will give you detailed orders. The main target is a businessman - and I use the term lightly - called Amenkaht Ali-Salah. Fundamentally, our client doesn't like his business, wants him eliminated. Kim will carry out the hit, you're in for support and disruption as and when she needs it. Further information on the location of Amenkaht Ali-Salah's current special project is also needed. Kim should be able to get this during her hit, but be ready to get your manky fingers dirty if necessary. I'll be in communication.: The Qatarra Depression is a peculiar place in how hopelessly boring it is, wiki says: "The German officer stationed in the depression was ... helpful in the breaking of the Enigma machine code, due to his regular transmissions stating there was "nothing to report""  : Andrew, I need you to protect the safehouse before moving into the main area of the town. Take the three remote cameras I've given you and place them in the locations our contact has marked, avoiding the town square at all costs. : We don't want any contact until the cameras are operational. Ideally, we don't want any contact at all, even with civilians. Once they're in place meet me back here at the safehouse. I'm keeping the door to the upstairs room locked until you're back. : Great, we got a bathroom before the level even started. However, Andrew lost all of his Chinese loot, including armour and the wire cutters. : The door upstairs is somehow locked electronically. : This particular street runs in a circle around the safehouse and uses a muezzin praising Allah as its background music. It's not a natural muezzin as the sound obviously comes from cheap loudspeakers. There are also these posters of a fat guy.  : One in place. Over.: Testing. Connection good. Out.   : "Red barrels = boom" tutorials aside, to the right of the safehouse door is a pile of crates where I'll plug the third camera. : In the other direction we find poverty.  : I get it game, it's Middle East. Somewhere in a nearby street a man is viciously insulting another man's monkey. : Time to get our manky fingers dirty. And gently caress google for insisting on "monkey fingers."  : Number two. Over.: Testing. Connection. Out. : This area has one exit. : It's locked for now.   : The site for our third camera is near this storage. : There's some ammo behind the shutter. : Wait, that's not Greek. That's just "fruit" spelled in half-Cyrillic. At least it's not the Alpha Protocol trailer where a Russian plaque said "In case of fire steal, kill, gently caress geese and wait for the return tone." : Kim, that's the last.: All cameras operational, Andrew. Return to the upstairs room of the safehouse.: Andy's pistol whip is partially telekinetic. : Honey, I'm hom- Why does Kim get body armour while I'm walking down there? : Good work. Those three cameras cover all routes to the safehouse.  : If I get any activity while you're out I'll let you know via comms, otherwise we maintain radio silence. : You can use the screens at any time to monitor street-level activity. : What's next? : Our intelligence indicates that Salah's base of operations is a garrison in the new part of town. We need to infiltrate this garrison to get to Salah. To get into the garrison we need the blueprints. Out contact should have acquired these blueprints for us. Gain entry to the old hostel across the town square, meet out contact, and collect the blueprints. They'll be waiting for you. Only get back in touch once you have the plans. : Guard density? : This is a garrison town, so it's likely to be high. Pick and choose your fights carefully and avoid contact for as long as possible. : I'm almost sure that's the only way to get cutters in the entire level if not half of this chapter.: Hang on, Andrew, looks like we have company. One of Salah's patrols. Be careful as you leave the safehouse. : This man is dead. I don't care who he works for - he has a new gun. : And I miss... And this is the worst way to begin the next part of the level. : I couldn't catch up with him even sprinting. : So, he ran to alert the town square enemies. : Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!  : That gunner is a moron and does not react to my presence in any way until he dies. : Here's the next third of the level. There's two Brownings, an archway on the left leading further, and a fat Lenin statue. And enemies - lots and lots of enemies. : In particular, there's one annoying guy on the balcony, so I keep shooting him. : He dies and then explodes. Probably because the safehouse bathroom is the only one in the area. : They just keep coming.  : Another new gun, but we haven't seen the old new gun yet.   : Left from the entrance there's this dead end which also explodes. : gently caress! This not-MAC-10 uses the same ammo as the pistol! : This should be a neat distraction while I find something to shoot with. Yes, I forgot about the machine guns. : Here's a new one.  : He totally didn't notice and shoot me just a second earlier, I swear. : The not-MP-5 uses 7.62mm ammo. It kills people very fast. : Nearly loving died here. : Delicious. : Another perspective: the entrance is ahead, the deadly dead end's on the right, and the stairs are basically invisible from the other half of the square. I go through the archway from earlier.   : See if you can find an alternative way in through the town square. The buildings there adjoin the hostel. Kim out.: Andrew doesn't say anything. Kim just knows you're stuck when you jerk the locked door. : Up the stairs we go.  : poo poo. I could have run up here and created some good cover. : That's where the explosive balcony guy knocked a wall through. : Kim, I'm in the apartment block.: Our contact said he would wait for you on the first floor. Look for him there. Out.: "First floor" British or "first floor" sane people? : Can't do down directly. : No, we fall though the floor way upstairs and use a different staircase. : Hello there.  : Psst! Here. So, you are Parish's man. You come for the blueprints, yes? : You have them?: I wish I did but I don't. Salah's all jumpy and paranoid at the moment. Got his men real scared. And his partner, Mahmud Al-Fariq's running some big out-of-town event, so they're saying. Nobody's touching the black market for fear of crossing them. Salah's terrified of Fariq, everyone else is terrified of Salah - a vicious circle. I can tell you this, though: Hanif Hassan, Salah's head of security, lives in a Pyramisia apartments in the New Town. He keeps a copy of the blueprints in a safe in his room. You could do worse than trying there. The address is on the wall there. I've also managed to get hold of some hardware you may find useful. Here, the keys.  : Kim, your contact's drawn a blank, but he's given me the address of some player in the New Town who has a copy of the prints.: *sigh* Well, OK. Get over there as quickly as you can, we can't do anything without proper intel on the compound. I'll patch into HQ's network and let Danny know the change of plan. Out.: Just unlocking that door ahead triggers helicopter noise for some reason. : The yellow door leads back to the town square. I unlock it but go in the opposite direction. : Carpets this thick! : Further down Andrew gets X-Ray vision and sees the end of a street behind a corner.: gently caress. Not getting though there in a hurry. We have a problem, Kim. I've just lost my only way through to the New Town. Alternative? : According to my plans, a network of sewers runs underneath the city. : I think, I passed a manhole down to them earlier. : There's the alternative. Get back in touch once you're in.  : Two down, the rest ran into the café. The pistol is so getting dumped.  : How did the guy in the back survive? : Here's a new goodie box type you'll curse if you miss the cutters.  : The crowbar is ours!: This could be useful. : Why is there so much booze in this café?  : O-oh! Oh crap, wait... : Almost everything you do here spawns another two enemies. Usually one runs out and dies and the second one hides and shoots you later. : A spare crowbar, in case you missed the one in the street. : A worthy replacement for the pistol in the field of one-hit kills. : The scaffolding is climbable and leads to an optional area. : It even collapses to make it easier to go up.  : Just a balcony with goodies. Getting here triggers another enemy spawn.   : See the foot of the bastard rolling into my way as I get back to the town square? : I wish they'd stopped doing that. : He had some friends - they died, too. : Remember that intel near the first manhole?  : Another grenade launcher and enough ammo to max it out. Now we go back to the other manhole. : Got it.: I'm in the sewers, Kim.: OK. You're looking for the main circular chamber. From there an underwater pipe should lead you to a location near the New Town gate. : Looks circular enough to me. The sewer is so short you'll be here before Kim is done talking.   : Hi! : I'm through.: Understood. Good luck. Out.   : D? D?! What the gently caress, game?  Webcam villains.  : Amenkaht, you pig. : You look like poo poo. If I was there I bet you'd smell like poo poo as well. Filthy scab.: This beauty is voiced by Colin McFarlane, an actor with numerous movie, TV and game appearances, e.g. the big villain in Primal, although his work there is nothing compared to the main duo. He's also the fat ninja with big tits in Shinobido. : I hope you aren't making a mess of things while I'm away.  : All is quiet, Mahmud, so you can get off my back. Sounds like some of the men are getting overexcited in the Old Town, but nothing out of the ordinary you know. : That is stinking rats. I shoot them myself if they damage my statue. How's the work coming on our open café?: Well, the last time I checked - good. The carpenter's complaining that his scaffolding's rotten bad.: When doesn't that man complain? I'll cut his tongue out myself if he complains again. He's filth. Filth, Amenkaht! You loving tell him that. After the catastrophe last week I'm surprised he has the balls to show his face. : I'll pass on your most sincere appreciation of his hard work and tireless endeavours to please you. So, tell me, how are things there, my friend?: This fella's dubbed by Enn Reitel, a TV/VA actor whose voice work is heard in many releases from Original War to Baten Kaitos Origins to MGS4 to Epic Mickey. He's also old Lorenzo in Haunting Ground. : As you can see things are coming together beautifully. : This will be a fine event, a fine event.  : *THUD*  : What the gently caress are you doing you cretin? I told you to be careful with that. : Uh, so sorry, sir! : Sorry? Sorry?! You worthless piece of poo poo! Give me your gun. : Sir, I- : Give me your loving gun!   : No! : loving maggot!  : Amenkaht, I apologise for the interruption. As you can see, apart from the odd wrinkle in need of a hot iron, things are coming together nicely.: Heh. That is Octopus, I take it? : Four units of sublime engineering. Our clients will be most happy. Most happy. : The Russian twins?: On their way, safe and sound. They should pass through the mine within the next day. Two now, more to come. : Here's better news still: payment has made our account. Your backer certainly keeps his word.: Half?: Half! The full fifty percent. : Wonderful. I'll pass on my thanks when we speak later. How's the mining operation? Is the delivery ready?: On its way to you, my friend, on its way. : I knew I could rely on you, Amenkaht. Well done. : You know the drill, though. Any hiccups, any problems and I want to know about it. Hear me? : I-I hear you, Mahmud. I hear you.: Don't gently caress up now, my friend. Any problems, any at all. : Any at all? Any at all - OK. We speak again in six hours. You don't hear from me - you know something's come up. *I can't make out the end*Oblivion4568238 posted:Might be "Keep wise"? Might also just be foreign. : Six hours, my friend. Out.
SelenicMartian fucked around with this message at 14:14 on Nov 28, 2015 |
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Nov 24, 2015 17:03
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SelenicMartian posted:
Might be "Keep wise"? Might also just be foreign. Also, the machinegun in the square is nice for killing those enemies (a lot nicer than running around and killing them all personally, I bet), but it is also able to destroy Fariq's statue piece by piece, which makes that inclusion in his speech pretty funny.
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Nov 25, 2015 01:58
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I'm getting a kind of Perfect Dark vibe off of things so far, for whatever reason. Do we lose our crafting inventory between chapters, or only when it would make sense for the plot? Like, we'd still have wire cutters next level maybe?
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Nov 28, 2015 03:54
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Glazius posted:I'm getting a kind of Perfect Dark vibe off of things so far, for whatever reason.
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Nov 28, 2015 14:21
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Qatarra, Part 2.  : Andy, according to the map you'll find the Pyramisia through a maze of narrows streets in the New Town. It's a three-story apartment block with the better apartments having balconies overlooking a small square to the front of the building. Some of Salah's best men live in these flats making it an ideal location for an ambush, so move very carefully through the area. You've shaken the nest enough for there to be plenty of activity now, so take care of yourself. The streets around the safehouse are crawling with Salah's men, so I want to move on as soon as possible - it's only a matter of time before they start a house to house search and I don't want to be here when they do. And, I've been in contact with Danny. He knows we've had more contact than originally planned, but he wants us to press on with the mission. We're to provide a status update no later than T+3 hours. Kim out.: Have you noticed that in Qatarra the briefing screens include mostly full level maps? We enter this one at the barely visible arrow in the south, our target is number 1, and there's some open area to the east of that. Now the game shows a cutscene of how we got here.   : Andrew goes though the door... Who would have thought? Very informative! Thank you, game.  : Right, let's go on a shopping/killing spree. : Oh... That's convenient. : I keep forgetting the barrels need two hits.  : Half of the level is this: blow up the red things, burn the survivors, gun down the reinforcements. It's beautiful. Many enemies is this chapter die saying a very tired 'Allahu Akbar', including those who're incinerated, exploded or beheaded. Allah is that great. : Wow, look at that idiot. He should've been an enemy in Black. : The shutter on the left leads to a mostly empty kiosk. There's an alley going around it, too, and some guys tried to use it to surprise me from behind.  : We get two new recipes this level. You'd think this is something you plant for advancing enemies, but you'd be wrong. Andrew uses blocks of plastic explosives as hand grenades. : There's a helpful sign on the right.: Hmm... : The path to the right is a dead end with goodies. There are lots of them on this map. : On the way further a few crafty enemies toss some smoke and start shooting. Andrew responds with whatever is at hand, i.e. a couple of Molotovs.  : Apparently, wooden boxes burn and pop when they run out of health, and Andrew's thumb has a better texture than the rest of him.  : The apartments can't be far from here. : This Fonaz guy looks important. : The apartments are just ahead, but I'm going into that alley leading east instead.   : Yay! Two Plastique blocks for the two new craftables. : Eventually we arrive at the other square. : These guys die, then poo poo blows up behind me. : I kill this backup and go search them. : poo poo! : Andrew's quietly burning now. Don't know if it works, but I run for the sprinkling hydrant. : Right, so that's the gimmick with burning - it directly hurts your health over time and it doesn't damage armour. It works both ways, and the enemies you burn alive tend to leave better armour than the guys you blow apart. It's very useful. : What a nice name. The Golden Hookah would've sounded wrong.   : Password.: Uhm...: Incor-r-rect pas-s-sword. Guards! Gua-ards! : He does call a couple of guards, the bastard. Anyway, back to the apartments.  : There are shiny, laminated, intel pages lying around.  : More!  : Let's try the door.: drat! Locked. : [speaks Arabic]: Open up!: No way! We're shut. Go away.: Kim, I'm at the Pyramisia apartments, but the manager's barricaded the door. Is there another way in?: The sewer network is just as extensive in the new part of town and most of the buildings drain directly into it - if you can get down there you should be able to come up to the basement of the apartments. If you run into difficulties, let me know. Out. : There's the manhole, next to the club. : This sewer is bigger, but still linear. : I could go there... : ...but there's a tempting path in the opposite direction. : After playing RE: Revelations 2, I'm a sluice master.  : Great. It filled the area we're in. And checkpointed us. Turns out it's what you have to do to get into an elevated pipe.  : This must be the basement of the Pyramisia. OK, now to find Hassan's apartment. : There's some stuff around, but mainly it's now necessary cutters for those who missed them, and the basement key. : He's making a phone call, the poo poo. Then he ducks under the counter.: Leave me alone, please! : Nope. Hey, is that an alarm clock? : Looks yummy. : The room behind the counter has stuff. : Hmm... No. I like my current guns. I'd rather read intel.  : We did find one of those flyers outside. I wonder if there's more to the story. : Fine... Anyway, the apartment has two floors above us. : Each with three apartments and one common bathroom with a tub and a crapper. : Three apartments in this luxurious block look like this. : We can break into the other three. : They all have a kitchen/drawing/dining room. : And a bedroom. Alarm clocks are everywhere. : Oh, yeah. If you don't have the components for making fire bombs from scratch you can craft them by slapping normal bombs onto fuel cans. I'm not doing that because I'd lose my Molotov source if I did. : In apartment 6 there's this.  : I guess that's the end of this side story.   : Anyway, there's a note addressed to Hassan near apartment 5. : Way ahead of you. : This must be Hassan's apartment. The safe should be around here somewhere.: He's a man of funny taste. : Well, we know where at least of those places is. : Awwww   : No, it's the same polaroid we found in China. : The Eastern Technical Institute may not be big, but it gives big diplomas, and it gives multiple copies of them. This room had three. : Uh... ri-i-ght. Anyway, the safe is under the bed.  : When did we get the combination?: Bingo. The blueprints aren't here, Kim. I have Hassan's work schedule and a passcode to some underground club called a Golden Narghile. Seems our player is a bad boy.: He must have the plans with him. Get to the club and track him down. Out.: What makes you think he even has the plans? I mean, here's the list of things that went right during this mission: you're in Egypt. : "Note: Delivery should arrive today." is what it says at the bottom. : "...the recruiting is going." I wish they'd picked a slightly smaller font. We're done in the apartment but when we try to leave room 5...   : And action music starts playing. I can't find the proper OST for Cold Winter but this one is kinda like the battle theme from Serious Sam 1. Not a metal one, but the one with drums over a vaguely Middle Eastern tune. Same thing only slower.Which is a horrible waste of effort since there are no enemies on the third and the second floors of the block.  : And the guys in the lobby make their presence known by throwing a Molotov at the stairs. So I just stand here, waiting for it to go away while the music is pumping. : You might be wondering if the shotgun is good.    : It's OK, but you need to be close. Otherwise the spread is awful and it will just stun the enemy for a period shorter than it takes Andrew to reload. You always have to reload, there's no single-barrel fire. I miss Blood. : I'll go back to the MP5 assault rifle thing. : The Golden Narghile.: Password.: Swordfish.: You may pass. : Hanif Hassan?: He's not here! Go look, please!: This bastard also cowers behind the counter. : I don't like the service here. : The potted plant burned up along with ammo boxes. The long case near the body has another 40mm grenade launcher in it. Might a well check this thing out. After these messages:  : "...floor. Abdul Muhaimin, Safety Inspector."  : Here's the club proper. A lot of people try to stop Andrew here. : Bugger. This isn't a Quake launcher - it's more of a slow bazooka. It's also educational. : That fella never would have thought he could do a headstand in his life, and he was right because he and two of his buddies on the floor are very much dead now. : When we get deeper in, the way back explodes, collapses and catches fire. : And enemies start pouring in from the right.: I've gotta get out of here! Kim, there's been a slight mishap over here - is there a back entrance to the Golden Narghile?: The plans I have aren't that detailed. You'll have to find one yourself. Are you OK?: Ask me that in another hour. Out. : Never expected I'd be happy to find another bathroom in Cold Winter.   : This game seems to argue that Molotov's cocktail is mankind's greatest invention.    : Oh, bullshit. I was on fire this time! Swiss meeting.  : In 1952 in Switzerland there was a meeting of a very select group of men drawn from the various military disciplines active during the war. : And this is what was said: : "We are now in the midst of what they're calling a Cold War.  : This is an immense game of chess, where the two superpowers tamper with the countries in between them to alter the overall balance of power.   : The two superpowers have nuclear weapons - so do some of their chess pieces. More will have them soon. : In sixty years' time there will be six billion people on Earth - : more than half of them will live in abject poverty, and poverty breeds war."  : Those me who had fought and survived World War 2 looked at each other and said:  : "Here is the evidence - we will not survive World War 3, : we will not have the luxury of bringing out wisdom to its aftermath, for everyone on Earth will already be dead." : This is John Grey who had thrilled to H.G. Wells's pointed fable of the future and these were his Wings Over the World.
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Nov 28, 2015 14:32
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Qatarra, Part 3. : We don't get an audio intro this time, but the map should do. We enter near point 2, there's interesting poo poo at point 1. The entire level is this one big street, the end of which was visible on the briefing map of the previous mission.     : Kim, I'm in the alleyway at the back of the Golden Narghile. There's a butcher's shop directly in front of me. Once I have the blueprints we can RV back here.: Is it secure?: Checking now. Out.: Not sure if it's secure, but it's halal. Kim, can you work with that? : Golden Narghile status: still on fire.  : "All inquiries to the office of Amenkaht Ali-Salah."  : Kim, only one ground floor entrance to butcher's shop down a long alley. Should be easy to secure. : Understood. Be very careful now, Andy, you're right by the main compound. I'm closing and cleaning the safehouse, I'll maintain radio silence until I'm in position. Out.  : Whee!  : The enemies start pouring in from the other end of the street. : What's this smoke trail? : poo poo! Grenade launchers! : gently caress! They lead their shots and fire on the move! : Aaah! Cut it out! : Hate these guys. : You get a checkpoint after the grenade bastard dies, but enemies keep coming. I dash right for the stairs leading to the Browning emplacement on the second floor ahead. : We can take a peek at a nearby street, but we can't go there.  : Classic. : Oh, there's an MG facing the other end of the street. Someone's going to regret it soon. : Andrew can pick up these red barrels, by the way.    : I spend the next minute playing whack-a-mole with a bunch of guys who keep popping out of these windows. I can't even get to that area. : Sniper rounds? Very promising. : There's this big sign and some ammo right under that MG I just used. : A brick booth on the left and the way further on the right. : He's running for the third Browning in this street! : Oh, no you don't!  : The white booth is of an electrical nature. We don't need it. : Beind the MG there's the ladder we need to reach to progress, however... : "...business matters confidential." : ...however, we're near the shop of Mr. Fonaz, and we can go in.   : drat, used my last pick on the door. Let's check for sprue deposits. : Nice and clean.   : Apparently, Andrew can only carry two fuel cans as combine components. : While also having the capacity to carry five fire bombs. : Neat. They topple if you bump into them. : Huh... : Meh, just a pistol. : Although it does break boxes in one shot. The not-MP5 takes several to do the same. Let's give the Hardballer a test run.  Head of Security.   : *whistles* : Huh? : Who the hell are you?    : Please, don't kill me! : I need the blueprints to the compound. : I can't give you those - Salah will cut my tongue out.   : The plans or I'll get there well before him. Where are they? : All right, all right.  : Now, please, leave me.    : I have the blueprints, Kim.: Nice work, Andrew. Now get back here, I'm at the RV. Out. : Here's some sidequest gear: surveillance devices. There are also wire cutters in the toolbox. : The other phone tap area doesn't become available until way later in the level. I know, I looked for it for five minutes. : In case you thought Andrew only gave him an concussion. : Oh, great. Now enemies are coming from the other end of the street. : A few are stupid enough to run into the Browning's firing arc. : Ah, gently caress, the second floor MG is now manned. I duck into the electric house. : Boring. Let's see what the new gun does.   : It does one-hit kills and dismemberment. The accuracy is a bit poo poo, though, and the clip is small, not to mention Andrew can't carry more than 35 spare rounds. : This guy gets a special mention, due to being one of the three people in the entire level, who survived being shot by the Hardballer, once. : Andrew! Over here!: Kim, good to see you.    : You don't look too bad for a one-man war zone.: Salah's men didn't seem that pleased to see me.: The blueprints? : Here.: Great work. Let's take a look at them. : OK, looks like you have two possible points of entry: over the compound perimeter wall, which is electrified, or through this warehouse near the checkpoint covering the main road. It's linked to the tunnels underneath Salah's compound. : Hmm... My first choice would be through the warehouse. There's more cover and less chance of being fried.: But we'd have to get you down the road first, during which time you'd be very exposed. The best point of entry over the fence is right next to this building. If I were to create a distraction you'd be able to slip in quickly and quietly. At the moment I'm their only target - I want to keep it that way.: What about the electricity?: Look: the generator for the compound is in a secure unit here on the main road. If I can get in there and take out the generator, you should be able to get over without frying. Salah's men will be so busy wondering what's happened on the road they won't notice you slipping over the wall. Should work well for us.: We have a plan then. Once I'm in we follow strict radio silence. Until I'm out of the building I'm going to be very exposed.: Understood. You've brought some shaped charges? : Yes, radio-triggered, over there. : Picked up some hardware as well if you want it. Your choice, big man.: OK. You ready?: As a pig in a barbecue. I'll cover you as you head down the road. I'll only trigger the shaped charges when you're clear of the generator.: Let's get on with it.  : So, most guns get renamed or nicknamed, but not the Russian ones. : The butcher's has a passage leading to a small balcony.   : Kim is staying hidden by actively providing fire support. : Andrew could do this alone and barehanded. : He's hiding. How cute.  : Yes, it's definitely a sniper rifle. : At this range and zoom the emulator starts acting up a bit.  : I miss, laughing. : Kim doesn't.  : Uh... : Hi, Kim! : What was that about cars? : Ah, right. They explode. Somehow I avoided that for the entire level up to this point. To the electric booth! : Placed charge one. : Placed charge two. Kim, all charges set.: Get clear, Andrew. Priming. : You don't simply run away. The game tells you to hide behind that Egyptian Blend sign.   Waiting. : Waiting. Being in the SAS trains you for it: times when you're still for hours, sometimes days on end. : Waiting - for a contact that might never come, for a clean shot that doesn't present itself. Waiting - for a signal to move. : Back in the regiment I was one of the most highly paid waiters in the world: : over 500k a year of the taxpayers' hard-earned to train people to sit still and do gently caress-all.  : I've sat in the same cafe at the same time for a week on the trot, : only to find out my boy's been slaughtered three blocks away in a fight over a tart. : In the Gulf I slept in a wady next to bags of my own poo poo and piss for a week, : watching endless front line deliveries only to get a recall.  : Normally it's OK, I don't mind.  : It's what I get paid to do - be patient. : But if there's one thing I can't loving stand it's waiting for someone else to do a job I know I could do better, quicker with less collateral. : Salah has a backup generator. If only we had the bluepri... Oh.  : Oh, poo poo! Kim? : Remember the best scene from Jurassic Park?       : Hello, little mouse. And what are you doing in my house?  : Kim? Kim? Kim! poo poo! Hold on! : Looks like the warehouse is my only option.: But we can't get there. There's a gate. : Idiot squad to the rescue! : First, the truck loses control and crashes into the gate. : Then some elite guards jump out and refuse to man the Browning.  : Before we use the door, there's a path behind the building we need to check out. : That ladder looks familiar. : Sidequest done. It has no impact on anything but the mission rating, which is... You know how that goes. : Another reason to visit this place is a small stockpile of goodies, including another pistol if you didn't pick the locked box earlier.   Cartagena. : The SAS. The Special Air Service. Britain's elite. Second thing they teach you is what the letters really mean. : Speed.   : Aggression. : Surprise.   : First thing they teach you: you don't quit on your mates, ever.    : Danny spots trouble.   : The Scottish sense tells Danny it's a bomb even though the screen is turned away from him. : Enter Andrew, perplexed after passing an entire hallway of bathroom doors. : Delta One, this is Delta Two. I have two X-rays wiring high ex, alpha one, building Ivan. : Repeat, building Ivan. Wait and observe. On my signal. Over. : Roger that, Delta Two, moving to your position.   : Fonaz? : *bang*   : Oh, gently caress! gently caress! Danny! : poo poo, man, you look like a bag of bollocks!: Not nearly hairy enough. : Let's get you out of here. : This whole scene has 25 seconds of real-time timer ticking in synch with music.    : *car alarms everywhere*: You twat. You could have... : You owe me five mil. You don't think I was gonna let that go up in flames?: You dirty loving twat. Ye sure you're not Scottish? : Ha-ha-ha-ha!  : A Mi-8? Here? : And we fade to red. Well, that's one bit of back story clear.
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Dec 2, 2015 19:12
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Qatarra, Part 4.: Since no one is posting here, even the two people who watch the cutscene videos, I might as well go for it and finish the entire game in one page.  : Encoded message, secure channel, Hotel Kilo 36509. Lost contact with Kim. Capture - strong possibility. Following secondary infiltration plan to last known location. Requesting emergency exfil to be put in motion. Will contact with further orders, patch into comm channel if you can. Transmission end.  : Observe the way Andrew enters a corner door of a concrete building from the end of the last level. : Now the walls look like sheet metal.  : Remember that crowbar we have?   : That should buy me some time. Now to find that connecting wall.: Welcome to the warehouse and the one room where I get stuck for five minutes. Note that the windows are on door level, while at the end of the last stage they were upstairs. : And this wall is too long for the corner we saw from the outside. Anyway, let's look around.   : Observe a bright orange and fully functional ladder.: Andy, this is Parish. I'm patched in through a relay our contact set up in town. I don't know how that channel with remain open for us, I need to be quick. If you lose comms you get to assist him somewhere and get back in touch. Right? : Understood. Did you get my transmission? : I did. There will be no emergency exfil, you understand. This mission is too important. Find Kim and complete you assignment: kill Salah and find the operation he's running out of town. There's something that interests us greatly.: I'm not sure what Danny is actually saying so give it a listen below.: Kim could be dead, Danny. : Aye, she could. In which case you'll be completing this mission on your own. I...hi...bur...*static* : Bastard. Bastard!  : It's bricked up. : The charges are on the top of one one of those shelf racks. Platforming time. : My chosen method to this is to jump Andy onto this railing and then jump onto the nearest rack. : This works one time out of four. : Again, notice the convenient and clearly visible ladder next to that piece of intel. : "Disappointed comment here." : Oh, collecting five of those dull ledgers is an objective now. : To the left is our goal, but there's something book-shaped to the right. There's also the ladder. : Intel! : This should do.: Then I fall off and spend the next two minutes loving up the rail jump and every other jump as well. : At last, the treasure is mine! : A forklift manual? Really? All this for a Suckawookie long time? I'm not going to like this level's intel.   : This room has a locked door, some goodies and poo poo. : "poo poo" being two of these guns. It's very amusing because if you start this map from the level select screen you begin with one of those as your only weapon. : There's the real exit from the room.  : Where would gaming be without man-sized vents.  : This looks familiar.  : Right, it's the backup generator room from when Kim got her flying license. : I need to find Kim.: For now we find the first enemies of the level. : There are guards downstairs. Oh, oh, I know what to do here! : Grab the barrel... : Never mind that it got caught on the black barrel to the left and you know they explode on contact. Just throw. : gently caress! : So, ummm... From this one boom Andrew has no armour, next to no health and he's on fire. And the enemies use automatic weapons. : gently caress, that was close. I think fire is coded to not kill you on its own. Anyway I run back to see if I can find a spare vest or something. I don't, but when I come back...  : The AI has issues now. These guard models look new and feminine. : Ha! Who's laughing now? : Further in there's this optional suck lift.  : That's not how you hold this gun, lift troll. He guards goodies, such as three sticks of explosives. Moving on. : Cell block to the right, security office ahead. : Kim could be around here somewhere. : The short hallway to the security office unexpectedly widens into a hall with barrels, crates and dead people. : Look at that ugly mug. : And now for the reason the warehouse entrance was changed inside.   : This would have been much harder to do with a concrete corner.   : Maxsung was Samsung. What brand is Sushico?   : I like "Cell 5" inside the cell. Handy in case somebody misplaces the room and you have to put it back.    : When you think you've seen all the Renderware ugly, you still get suprises.   : Well, you've done it. Andy is miffed now. : It's time for action.  : The camera flies away in terror.     : Pictured: an area we won't see in this level. Back in the security office there's intel. : Crap intel. : But wait, there's more! : "...so slow to inform us." : I love it when keys are in logical places instead of hidden in the scrotum of a dead goblin hanging over a lava pit. : On the 10-metre trek back to the locked door we encounter a smoke grenade. We know what that means. : Action! : Aw, poo poo, I set myself on fire again. : And here I discover that Molotov's fire doesn't splash through walls or columns. : Anyway, the door. : It leads to a small hall with four cells one of which is Cell 5. And another one is 6. Maybe 1 and 2 did get relocated. : Shotgunners appear here too and are welcome, because the level has stopped handing out Hardballer ammo. : A marker leads further but first we have a cell to examine. : Hmm, interesting. Kim's tracker's a hacking device.: The last line of dialogue for the level.  : Armory! : Archives! Obviously, I loot the gun closet. : Side objective done. There isn't much new inside: ammo, vests, more ammo... : ...and this. : Hello, Jackhammer. We're in sci-fi weapon realm now. : It even clips into Andrews forearm. : Anyway, the archives are electronically locked with a code. That triforce gizmo we found in Kim's cell is called E.D.O. : Effortless Dong Operation, probably. You put in on coded doors... : ...then lights come up and it starts trying codes. While Andrew does what he does best and waits. : After an arbitrary length of time passes the door unlocks and the gadget returns to our pocket. : The enemies are flipping tables are Andrew's crafty lockpicking technique. : The Hammer is good. The reload is a bit long, but the clip helps to minimize that inconvenience. : There are definitely female guards in this area, but you barely notice them behind all the smoke and blood sprays. : Molotov headshots are my new favourite things. They have bigger hit boxes than bullets and explode on contact, unlike all other grenades. : "..." No idea what it says next, because for some reason I forgot to scroll down. Just checking if anyone's reading. We know all there is to know about the mine recruitment operation by now. I just hope this isn't a letter from Mr. Fonaz's father, because we found that idiot's scribble in the scooter shop still unsent. : Right, this office has more files. We have to go here, because the hallway is blocked by an IKEA shelf rack.   : More guards come... from behind. This is bad, but there aren't too many of them. : More rubbish.  : What ARE they making? : Another hallway, another rack blocking it, another door left just before it. : Now they throw Molotovs, not sure why. I can't get there. I have to walk around through another loving office. : It has desks I can open... : ...and cabinets I can open. All to find a boring red binder. : Funny you should mention an emplaced machine gun. : Give it some years and shipping people to the West will become a business. : Finally we arrive at the archives. I suppose. : It's a round room with three guards, poo poo on fire (natural fire - not Andrew's fault) and more shelves to search. : A shipping bill with a dictionary entry. That Setech place is not good with science. : Let's play a hidden object game: spot a piece of intel on the rack ahead.  : Let me out of this hole! That is another E.D.O. door. : Now we wait... : Hey here's another hidden object game: spot the incoming grenade. Half a dozen bastards rush into the room from behind while the Elephant Dream Organizer does its thing. : I don't know how I keep doing it. : drat! Missed. : Beyond the door there's another hallway.  : You'd better not... : Yup. Door's barricaded, Andrew has to take the door on the left. : Ah! Bottles! Vest! OK, just bottles - I have all the vests I need. : Wha...? : OK, I'll just jum... : But... The bottles... You fuckers!
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Dec 7, 2015 20:48
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SelenicMartian posted:
An interesting goal. But, perhaps the reason is the format? You're doing a screenshot LP of a FPS game, and commenting on silly things from the game yourself at every opportunity. Viewers are left without silly things from the game to mention, or good ways to see your FPS skills (or occasional lack thereof) in action. I mean, it's one thing to say "The Hammer is a good weapon" and then show pictures of blood exploding from enemies, but actually seeing it in action is something else entirely. It's probably one of my favorite weapons in this game. Of course, Cold Winter does also have plenty of boring parts that would be annoying to cut out of a video LP too. Perhaps it's just not that great a game for an LP? A shame if so, because I do like it.
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Dec 7, 2015 21:54
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Yeah, this is interesting enough, but the screenshot format just feels odd for an FPS.
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Dec 8, 2015 09:24
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Qatarra, Done. Yer wish is my co...nsideration. Video it is.  Fire! Explosions! More Explosions!Cutscenes.  The non-stuttering cutscene from the first video. The cutscene cut from the second video. The cutscene at the end of the chapter.What is that thing that Kim doesn't forget will be clear in the next update. P.S. 
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Dec 11, 2015 09:52
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In the conversation before he breaks up, I think Danny is saying "get to a system" (to re-establish comms). The voice acting is pretty good, but the writing of the dialogue is pretty lackluster. Also, Setech Industries = Tu Shinied Secrets? or maybe Hirsuteness Edict Iridescent Tushes Intersected Sushi or if it's just Setech Indust. = I, Sneetch stud.
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Dec 11, 2015 16:09
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Actually seeing this thing in motion certainly adds another level of  to the experience.Keep doing it.
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Dec 12, 2015 09:15
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Setech Industries, Part 1. We start with another Scottish briefing.    Tom Baker Bombs People.Make sure you have captions on for the next video. It's entirely in Chinese and the subtitles are not hardcoded. Cold Winter supports subs, but the bastards use them only in this one cutscene, and I can't even upload the emulator footage because it all desynchs instantly.  Andrew Drives.Now I want a game about Kim. Instead, we go back to the game about Andrew, The Lord of Flames and the High Grandmaster of the Obvious.  Fresh bodies! New guns!
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Dec 20, 2015 07:56
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Setech Industries, Part 2. Warning: this update may contain traces of monkeys and irony.  New friends! Old enemies!
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Dec 25, 2015 09:28
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And a dash of "oh god my ears". What a uniquely horrible flamethrower sound. I don't remember HWAR loving that up.
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Dec 25, 2015 13:45
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Setech Industries, Done. In today's short update we find out that someone in Swordfish Studios did look at the keyboard from earlier in the game and realised it was dumb.  Andrew does tech support. Tech support does Andrew.After the labs we're back to cutscenes.  So sick of this. Wargame never changes.
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Dec 30, 2015 08:02
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Black Market, Part 1. What better way to start a new section than a two-minute Scottish radio briefing.   You might want to listen because it explains the mission mentioned back in the cutscene in the middle of the first chapter. Now, for the pre-level clip:  Bad drivers.And the actual update:  Ultimate stopping power. The game's optional boss.Here's a slightly less jerky version of the tank intro:  Test drive.
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Jan 8, 2016 13:17
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Black Market, Done. It's level 13 out of 16 and we finally get the title drop. This is the update in which the story gets its poo poo together into a big plot dump.  The Old Man.Some time passes, story-wise, but the game fires off the next cutscene immediately after the previous one. It's like they were in a hurry.  Explaining Genocide to a Baby.Now, to action:  Nuns Galore! Wise Men!Here's a more stable version of Fariq's sales pitch:  The Octopuss.Let's finish the level:  Backstage Rumble! Mission Accomplished. Binary Domain. Prague.jpg.This last one is the most important video, really. You now know all of Cold Winter's story, apart from the very end. Any comments on it or its delivery?
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Jan 14, 2016 15:25
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| # ? May 9, 2024 04:19 |
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Winterlong, All of It. Let's finish Cold Winter and watch its level design go   Did Kim stop for a photo shoot after chasing the trucks? In any case, here's the last briefing.   Is there an echo in here? 45x2. Optional objective: tedium. Motherfucker! Shop! Disco lockdown. Lasers vs. Crowbar. Action hero getaway. People responsible for this.The Cold Winter disc also has a few clips not appearing in the game. One of them is a few seconds of  Another is a WIP version of the ending, I suppose. Or maybe a WIP version of a cut alternative ending.  A better love story than Twilight.The third one is a voiced cutscene   Mirror, mirror, on the wall...Strangely, it could be interpreted in two different ways, depending on whether you play it before or after the Black Market section. That's all for bonus content. Here's the post-credits scene and John Grey's ending:  Prague.
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Jan 25, 2016 09:15
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