As a seasoned gamer with decades of gaming under my belt, I must say that Soldier of Fortune was a game ahead of its time. The level of violence it offered was unparalleled, even by today’s standards. The GOTY award it received back in 2000 is testament to its popularity and impact on the gaming industry.
Fans of action games, especially those who followed titles from the millennium turn, are well-acquainted with the game titles Heretic and Hexen. In the year 2000, the company responsible for these games, Raven Software, decided to deviate from their usual path and create a modern-day game instead. This decision resulted in a highly violent shooter that quickly gained a dedicated following, although its fame was short-lived. Now, let’s find out if Soldier of Fortune, released 24 years ago, still holds up visually as it did when it first came out.
Nukes in unauthorized hands
In the narrative of “Soldier of Fortune“, the story revolves around a group of dangerous neo-fascists stealing nuclear warheads, and our character, John Mullins – a hired mercenary from The Shop – was assigned to thwart their malicious schemes aimed at compromising global security. If things kept going unchecked, chaos would have ensued.
In the film “Soldier of Fortune,” while the storyline may not have been the focus, the main character’s portrayal is worthy of notice. Interestingly, the character of John Mullins was based on a real-life mercenary named John Mullins, who had an extensive career in Europe, Africa, Middle East, and Far East, serving as a consultant for the movie to enhance its authenticity.
Military trip around the world
The main motivation behind Soldier of Fortune was a series of missions that transported us across various global locations. Our journey started in the New York subway, followed by destinations like Sudan, Siberia, Iraq, Kosovo, Tokyo, and Germany. As we progressed through the game, we accomplished tasks given to us, continually advancing the action, gradually approaching the climactic finale.
1. The places we explored left us in awe due to their unique designs and variety. Within them, you could discover a variety of settings such as a high-speed train, an icy tundra, a German castle, and even a large slaughterhouse. The creators worked hard to accurately represent each region and kept gameplay engaging by preventing boredom. As we advanced through different areas, it was often necessary to employ our weapons since the adversaries were constantly trying to obstruct our mission objectives.
As a gamer, I took down my foes using an impressive collection of weapons, ranging from a shotgun to a sniper rifle, not forgetting the submachine gun, revolver, and assault rifle. Adding to the mix were exotic options like a flamethrower, rocket launcher, and even a futuristic microwave cannon! Many of these guns had multiple firing modes – for example, a rifle could fire long or short bursts, while a flamethrower could transform into a grenade launcher. The developers didn’t get real weapon licenses for the designs and names, but any seasoned player would recognize the individual models (except for the microwave cannon, which was clearly out of this world).
Bloody bath
This game, titled “Soldier of Fortune,” wasn’t necessarily renowned for its clever plot, diverse locations, or extensive array of firearms. Instead, it stood out distinctly from other titles upon release due to its high level of violence and gore. The unique GHOUL system incorporated in the game enabled the developers to dissect enemy bodies into 26 separate, interactive parts, each capable of sustaining damage independently.
Due to our quick actions, we managed to disarm the enemy by knocking his gun away while he was aiming it, and shooting him in the leg caused him to limp badly. However, a headshot led to an unremarkable demise for him. Conversely, when we took hold of the shotgun, we were capable of tearing off enemies’ limbs or even decapitating them. This enabled us to leave a gruesome trail of enemy bodies in our wake, with torsos strewn about and bloody stumps protruding from them as we moved forward.
To clarify, it’s important to mention that Soldier of Fortune didn’t compel us into employing these tactics. Instead, in the absence of his weapon, the enemy chose to surrender, allowing us the option to spare him. Furthermore, we had the ability to disable violence through a unique code. At the conclusion of each mission, data displayed our progress in eradicating criminal hideouts. This information not only demonstrated our earnings but also the number of enemies we neutralized. We gained insights from this, including details about our profits and defeated adversaries.
In the game Soldier of Fortune, there’s a problem with the enemies’ artificial intelligence. Specifically, it seems they aren’t too bright, often moving forward and shooting, but sometimes getting stuck on objects or terrain. However, to compensate for their lack of virtual wisdom, they would either swarm us (we seldom encountered a solitary adversary) or resort to underhand tactics like sneaking up from behind and ambushing characters, such as Mullins. Consequently, it was wise to save the game frequently because even though these enemies weren’t acting intelligently, their numbers and dirty moves made for challenging encounters.
In addition to its engaging single-player storyline, this game offers a full-fledged multiplayer experience as well, which encompasses team-oriented game types such as Capture the Flag and Deathmatch.
Regarding the graphics in the game “Soldier of Fortune”, they were considered solid upon its release but not revolutionary. The developers opted to utilize the id Tech 2 engine, which they significantly upgraded, but by the time their project was launched, it had become outdated. Nowadays, the game may appear somewhat jarring due to its blocky character models, rudimentary animations, and rough-hewn designs; yet, the diversity of these levels remains engaging.
What happened next?
The game “Soldier of Fortune” was enthusiastically welcomed by both players and critics, although its performance on consoles such as the PlayStation 2 and Dreamcast was less successful. Nowadays, it’s unlikely that many people recall it was ever launched for these platforms.
2002 saw the developers reintroducing their fresh brand with Soldier of Fortune 2: Double Helix for players. This game was available on personal computers and the original Xbox, maintaining the success of its precursor. However, following its release, the franchise went silent until 2007 when Soldier of Fortune: Payback emerged for PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. Unfortunately, the game developed by Cauldron studio received poor reviews (ratings ranging from 4.5 to 5 out of 10 tell the story). Since then, there has been no news about a possible fourth installment, suggesting that Payback may have effectively ended the series.
How to play Soldier of Fortune today?
Currently, you can purchase Soldier of Fortune from GOG.com at a price of $9.99. A pre-owned physical edition of this PC game typically retails for between $10 and $15. If you’re interested in the PlayStation 2 version, it can be found for approximately $10. The priciest version available is the Dreamcast edition, which goes for more than $40.
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2024-09-03 12:32