GamersInfo.net: Can you tell us a little about yourself and the team that is developing Cold Winter?

Ian Stevens: My name is Ian Stevens and I'm the Producer for VUG working on Cold Winter. The game itself is being developed by the super-talented folks at Swordfish Studios in Birmingham, England.

GamersInfo.net: What was the inspiration for the development of this game? And what is the significance of the name Cold Winter?

Ian Stevens: The inspiration behind Cold Winter was the desire to create a truly tactile and visceral console shooter that was likewise very approachable and easy to play.

The big barrier with console shooters tends to be the play experience - is it rewarding, is it approachable, is it easy to play and truly satisfying?

Swordfish wanted to go straight after this challenge with Cold Winter.

GamersInfo.net: What resources - books, film, letters, archives, etc - were used to help create the atmosphere and story?

Ian Stevens: We've collaborated with famed comic-book scribe Warren Ellis to create the storyline for Cold Winter.

We also collaborated with Bob Spour - an ex-British Special Forces member and current Survival Instructor - to help focus our presentation of covert operations and real-world guerilla conflict.

All of these things were an influence in creating the Cold Winter universe and our story. And to me, personally, I think the crowning achievement of the story is just how subtle and thoughtful it is. Particularly with shooters, there's a draw to create really over-the-top and sensational storylines - Jerry Bruckheimer style presentations. But Cold Winter's story is more deep - it's more classy - it's paced really well and in our cut-scenes we step back and take time for those moments that aren't about storyline beats but are about developing the characters and building the player's relationship with them.

GamersInfo.net: Are the weapons used in the game representative of real world weapons? And are they distinctive in their operation, audible signature and down range effects?

Ian Stevens: Absolutely. We've created more than 30 weapons for Cold Winter and all of them have a unique balance and play style. This is particularly impressive given how much each of them impacts the already tactile feel of the gameplay - I guess I could say that shooting enemies in Cold Winter is satisfying in more than 30 different ways :o)

But yes - there's an attention to detail that we pay to all of our weapons in terms of their fire rate, reload rate, run speed while carrying them, their kick, accuracy, how much ammo they can hold, etc.

GamersInfo.net: Was this game influenced by the 007 James Bond movies? (sorry, had to ask!)

Ian Stevens: Fair question - and we get it a lot :o) But no, it wasn't. In fact, we've always wanted to go in the complete opposite direction.

We all love Bond - everyone does - but in terms of the Cold Winter universe - the characters - the themes - for us it's all about real-world settings and a more sincere context.

We do take some liberties, but many things that happen in the storyline of Cold Winter are things that could happen today in our world - with the kind of threats we face. In some cases they're unlikely, but certainly not impossible - and we felt like this kind of human touch was a really attractive break from the common spy themes.

I should also mention that when we talk about Bond and how we're different - we're not comparing ourselves to the Bond games. We're talking strictly about the storytelling and the differences in tone, universe, and themes.

We're really not interested in comparing ourselves to any other shooters out there. Particularly with PS2, there are just too many shooters that have promised the world and suffered a fate worse than death for not delivering.

We'd prefer to avoid the hype machine.

We're not going to tell you that Cold Winter is the best PS2 shooter ever - we just hope that's what you tell us :o)

In the meantime, we're simply working to create the best game we can - no hype, no bull.

GamersInfo.net: Is the environment fully interactive and/or destructible?

Ian Stevens: The environments are intensely interactive, and in many places destructible. Honestly, I don't think I've ever seen this level of physics implementation on PS2 - you get it in your hands and it's just amazing, especially the Ragdoll and dismemberment of the enemies.

I promise you - shooting off someone's leg and watching them tumble down a mountainside never… gets… old… :o) Especially when you can shoot off their other leg once they've hit the ground ;P

GamersInfo.net: How does the system work for grabbing items to use as cover, and what items can you use? This is a very exciting development in games - can it be used in such a manner as to add stealth to the game?

Ian Stevens: Creating cover for yourself is sort of an ad-hoc ability - we wanted it to be something players could do and invent at will and however they desired, rather than make it a rigid mechanic.

So if you see a table and you grab it - there may be an option for tipping it over to create cover. But likewise you can stack crates or other various objects at any point to create the same kind of cover.

You can also take control of mobile objects (like a push-cart for example) and push that along while ducking behind it as a sort of dynamic cover.

It's whatever you manage to make it.

GamersInfo.net: Are you able to drive vehicles or aircraft?

Ian Stevens: No - we haven't included vehicles in Cold Winter. That was certainly an option at one point, but we felt like adding vehicles was going to detract from the focus of the game - which is shooting.

We'd rather have the most satisfying FPS action you've ever put your hands on (we hope), than shooting that's pretty good but not great + a bunch of vehicles.

It was a conscious decision.

GamersInfo.net: The web site mentions missions in China and North Africa. What other parts of the world will the game occur in?

Ian Stevens: That's a secret :o)

GamersInfo.net: What is it that makes each location/country distinctive and environmentally unique?

Ian Stevens: The way they look - the way they sound - the people you'll encounter - the language they speak *hint hint*.

We've done a lot to make sure each environment is particularly unique and rewarding - and no two areas of the world that you visit will be the same.

This kind of thing is really important in shooters. In all games, really - but especially with shooters. And we're confident that players will enjoy how drastically things change.

GamersInfo.net: As the cultures are so diverse and sound plays such a key role in immersion, does theme music and ambience change with each location?

Ian Stevens: It does. And not only the ambient sound and smaller audio touches, but also the spoken language of the people around you. For example, if you're in China - they're speaking Mandarin. We did a lot to try and immerse you in the feeling that you're really visiting very different parts of the world.

We've done a lot to try and add personality to each specific location - everything from the Call to Prayer sounding off in levels where you're exploring a Muslim territory - to still unannounced areas of the game where the elements are raging against you and Mother Nature is just screaming at you.

Immersion is important and there's a lot there in the game to keep you sucked in.

GamersInfo.net: Can you tell us about the body part specific hit locations and rag doll effects? How will this affect the character being shot, stabbed or generally blown up?

Ian Stevens: We have as many as 12 different points of dismemberment. You can shoot someone's foot off, their ankle, their thigh, their hand, their forearm, their shoulder, their head, their torso… you can literally pick someone apart limb by limb - and it's the most entertaining thing ever.

And, this factors into gameplay.

If you want an instant kill, you can toss a grenade and watch someone blow into a flurry of pieces. Or you can shoot their arm off and watch it hit the ground along with the weapon they were using that arm to fire at you. Or even still, you can blow their leg off and watch them slump over dead and bleeding.

With Cold Winter head shots aren't the only way to get an instant kill.

Though blowing someone's head off and watching it tumble around on the ground… and even shooting it again to bounce it further down the road… is sooooo satisfying.

And this is how the dismemberment plays into things. It becomes a tactical advantage - that third, fourth, and fifth way to skin a cat.

GamersInfo.net: Will the game attempt to create real world physics and effects or will there also be a cinematic aspect to the game?

Ian Stevens: The physics in Cold Winter are really one of the most surprising aspect of the game - probably because you just haven't seen a lot of that on PS2. It's really just amazing.

Virtually everything in the world is something you can pick up and manipulate - and even when those interactions aren't particularly meaningful - they still make you feel like you have an incredible level of control and an incredible ability to affect the world around you.

But, yes! There are also very cinematic aspects to the game - moments and sequences we've designed into the game to create intense battles and some really exciting climaxes!

GamersInfo.net: Will the multiplayer aspect be vs.. gameplay or will you also be able to play multiplayer through the scenarios and missions?

Ian Stevens: The online portion of Cold Winter is really about making any kind of multiplayer game you want.

The level of customization allows you create classic rocket arena style deathmatch games - or more intense and tactical team based multiplayer similar to counter-strike. Whatever you want.

With different modes like Deathmatch, Headmatch, Capture the Flag, King of the Hill, and more - as well as Damage options (1 shot kill, realistic damage, etc.) - and Team Based play options - the game can become whatever the player wants it to be.

So it can be the classic PC Quake-style multiplayer game that you've known and loved - or a more strategic, slower, team-based exercise, that's lethal and unforgiving - if that's what you want.

And the weapons also contribute heavily to the dynamic of the on-line game. There are plenty of real-world, more strategic weapons that promote more thoughtful, deliberate firefights - and putting those in your match can make it a very specific type of game.

Yet you can also load it full of rocket launchers and grenade launchers and automatic shotguns and enjoy mindlessly slaughtering droves of people.

So the tone of the match you create can also be tweaked by the type of weapons you decide to include.

Again, the level of customization means it can be whatever you want it to be :o)

And, we've really tried to make the game easy to get into. Creating a multiplayer game is as simple as pie - all of the options are really straightforward - and it literally takes less than a minute to get from the main menu into a fun and entertaining on-line fragfest.

GamersInfo.net: As an agent of MI6 will we get to play with any cool, high tech gadgets besides guns, guns and more guns?

Ian Stevens: Your ability to combine items to create makeshift weapons is really a great little feature. At the beginning of every level you'll have a set of "recipe cards" that outline what you can find and what they can be combined to create.

And, so you're encouraged to explore all the little nooks and crannies in these levels for those empty bottles, cans of petrol, and rags - to make a Molotov cocktail.

It gives a lot of meaning to the environment. Suddenly it's not just artwork and cool level design. It's actually a working storage room that you may want to explore on the off chance you'll find some wire cutters and cord for a makeshift lock-pick.

There are some pretty cool toys that you can create along the way as you get further into the game.

But I'll keep those secret :o)

GamersInfo.net: What do you prefer? Snow-skiing, Snow-boarding or an inner tube?

Ian Stevens: Neither. I prefer a warm blanket, a soft bed, and the rain outside my window - and it looks like I'll see all three once the game is done :o)

But for now there's no sleep to be had - and we hope you all like it when we're done!