WinBack: Covert Operations

WinBack: Covert Operations, also known as Operation WinBack in Australia and Europe as well as simply WinBack, is a third-person shooter video game released for the Nintendo 64, and later the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Network. Developed by the Koei subsidiary Omega Force, it was first released and published by Nintendo on September 23, 1999 in Japan, September 30, 1999 in North America, and July 7, 2000 in Europe. A non-related sequel called WinBack 2: Project Poseidon produced by Cavia was released on April 25, 2006 for PlayStation 2 and Xbox consoles

Plot summary
WinBack 's story follows one Jean-Luc Cougar, a secret agent infiltrating a laser satellite's command center. Gameplay revolves around its innovative cover system, in which the player takes cover behind corners and then ducks out to shoot. The player cannot move while shooting; instead, the control stick is used to aim, a task made easier by the fact that every weapon is equipped with a laser sight.

Story
A terrorist group called "Crying Lions" takes control of a space-based laser weapon. This is used to attack a military installation housing the controls to the weapon, called the GULF system. The leader of the terrorists calls himself Colonel Kenneth Coleman. The Secretary of Defense contacts the Special Covert Action Team (SCAT) with their orders: Enter the GULF complex and reclaim it. Jean-Luc Cougar is part of the team, and the last to escape the helicopter being shot down. The player takes control of Jean-Luc as he leaps a wall and enters a parking lot. The team is scattered throughout the complex and you must find them and destroy the satellite control center before the GULF satellite laser can recharge and fire again. Along the way you will face a number of laser traps, puzzles, machine gun nests, ambushes and mazes. You will face a series of bosses culminating in the final boss fight (against Kenneth Coleman's deputy Cecile).

There were two endings, depending on actions the player did. The good ending has Cecile betray Coleman for his own agenda of extorting $100,000,000 from the Pentagon with GULF. Dan is later exposed as a traitor and after a battle admits on his deathbed his motives for betraying them, with Jean-Luc then proceeding to kill Cecile when the latter ambushes him. He then has Lisa set the GULF system to self-destruct due to thinking the world wasn't ready for such a weapon.

In the bad ending, Jin successfully kills Jake and Lisa offscreen in the generator room, and Cecile reveals that Coleman has succeeded in blowing up the White House and Pentagon with GULF, with Coleman committing suicide afterwards upon the success.

Relation to the Metal Gear series
The gameplay and to a certain extent several of the characters were largely based on various characters from Metal Gear Solid, which at the time the game entered development had just been released. A notable example regarding the latter was Cecile Carlyle, the secret main antagonist, who was based from physical appearance to personality on Liquid Snake.

In turn, the shooter gameplay utilized in this game, most notably the laser sight mechanic, would later be incorporated into Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty.