WinBack 2: Project Poseidon

Sure, it's not the best or most original thing, but Winback 2 offers solid shooting action in spades, with some really interesting ideas of how to handle the already crowded third person shooting genre.

The presentation of Project Poseidon also leaves much to be desired, with awkward and simplistic texturing, not to mention some downright asinine vocals.

Koei tries to revive the Winback franchise, but with limited success, thanks to a bare-boned story, simplistic gameplay and the lack of a challenging AI.

From its bland, generic premise to its one-note gameplay, WinBack 2 does nothing that another third-person shooter hasn't already done better.

Two years later, this doesn't look any better than Cavia's earlier efforts -- its visuals are marred by aliasing that's unforgivable at this stage, and the animation blending is so primitive that you can't even reload while moving -- while its design doesn't try very hard at much of anything.

Winback 2 is essentially the closest we've come to a three-dimensional maze hunt, complete with action elements that attempt to distract you from an overly simplified gameplay structure. This may have worked at the tail end of the Nintendo 64's lifespan, but at the tail end of this console cycle it just doesn't cut it.

A poor cut-and-shut of other (far better) titles, guaranteed to fall to bits on your first drive. Avoid Winback 2: Project Poseidon as you would a bullet. [July 2006, p.91]