With so many cons one must think there has to be at least a few pros. Well there are although they are few and far between. The foul language and disturbing violence are still present and accounted for. Dismembering enemies is enjoyable but it does become redundant after the first few missions. Blood is in no short supply nor has it ever been in any Soldier of Fortune installment. If an enemy so happens to get capped in the hand, blood spills like a carotid artery has just been severed. Knee cap shots or pops to the feet have the same effect which takes away from the realism if there was any to begin with. Clean rounds in the chest have a good look to them but it felt like Activision was trying too hard to make it the gory game everyone has come to know. It’s a hit and miss really with Activision missing much more than they hit.
Gameplay is your status quo run & gun FPS. You are given objectives and dismember anyone who dares impede your progress. The story is fairly short and extremely linear but at particular junctions and only on certain missions I did find myself having a good time. It didn’t last very long but it was a good time nonetheless. Online multiplayer is garbage. If there was any genuine effort made to ensure quality online gameplay I failed to see it. After the first few rounds you get the feeling the entire Live online aspect was only an afterthought, thrown in there at the last minute hoping it would get that coveted replay value. Call of Duty, Halo, and Ghost Recon are far superior and my recommendation would be to cop those titles for their online play rather than Soldier of Fortune. What about the Single Player? Meh. As stated before it has its moments but overall it brings nothing new to the table and provides nothing we haven’t already seen before. It is what it is and that’s not saying much.
As a Soldier of Fortune fan I was very disappointed. I had high hopes for this game especially after the announcement it would be banned in Australia and elsewhere (which most countries reneged on their attempt at censorship). If you are a complete demented whack job, hey, this might be the game for you but for those looking for solid gameplay via both SP and MP, Soldier of Fortune: Payback is not worthy of a rent let alone a $60 purchase. I end with the thought that Activision had placed the majority of their focus on CoD4 and rightfully so. Given more time and additional developmental support, a legitimate top tier Soldier of Fortune game is highly plausible. In the end, such support was not given which is unfortunate but a lesson will have been learned when the game fails to push 750 thousand units. Unless you live and die for Solider of Fortune, my advice to you would be stay clear from this game and scoop up Activision’s real winner, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.
