It's fair to say that Vivendi Universal Games is most comfortable nurturing video games that are based around popular movie and TV licenses. This can be a blessing and also a curse at times. Games like The Simpsons: Hit & Run make us happy we're alive, while the more average stuff -- see The Mummy Returns -- falls drastically short. It's interesting then, to see VU Games step up and take a chance on a brand new developer and a brand new PS2-exclusive title; the upcoming Cold War-era FPS Cold Winter.

Developed by Swordfish Studios (the remnants of the now-defunct U.K.-based Rage), Cold Winter hopes to achieve similar brand recognition levels as those found in Konami's Metal Gear Solid franchise and Valve's Half-Life. Will it succeed? Maybe. I recently took a trip out to see Cold Winter at Vivendi's L.A. headquarters, and while the game still has a little under one year left on its development cycle, my initial impressions suggested that Cold Winter has the potential to avoid maturing into "just another console FPS."

You assume the role of a disavowed U.S. secret agent called Andrew Sterling. A story of global terrorism, political unrest and covert operations will take you from imprisonment in a Chinese jail cell to excursions through Cairo and even the chilly recesses of Siberia. Working with an allied female companion called Kim, Sterling will face insurmountable odds in his quest to rid the world of the overbearing evil-doers that aim to oppress the free peoples of the world.

"That will make you think twice about trying to shoot me."
At its core, Cold Winter is a first-person shooter with spy / espionage overtones. Swordfish is using the very latest iteration of Criterion's Renderware middleware tools to craft the world and physics engine, and the initial results are very promising indeed. In fact, Swordfish is managing to recreate specific technical features that aren't routinely feasible using standard PS2 development techniques. Ranging from subtle lighting effects to realistic physical manipulation of in-game world objects, Swordfish certainly knows how to crunch more horsepower from Sony's somewhat flagging architecture.

All this technical wizardry is fine, but how will Cold Winter elevate its game to the likes of MGS and Half-Life? VU Games was quick to point out the hard work that's being put into the non-player character AI. Sterling will find himself facing enemy characters that aren't low in the IQ department. Acting as intelligent individuals, or as part of a team, the enemy AI allows rational and realistic decisions to be made in the heat of battle. It goes beyond triggered abilities to avoid grenades and duck behind cover, and VU Games seems to be very excited about the level of realism that this will add to the game experience.

When he's not involved in firefights, Sterling will have to creep around in a covert manner in order to progress through the ever-unfolding plotline. Swordfish has reigned in the story-telling talents of the graphic novelist Warren Ellis (Transmetropolitan, Planetary and Global Frequency) who is firmly at home with the whole counter-terrorism vibe. Spanning around 18 missions crossing a number of real-life territories, Cold Winter surely boasts a gripping story that'll keep gamers glued to their PS2s.