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SOLDIER OF FORTUNE: GOLD EDITION (PS2)
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Publisher: Codemasters.
Developer: Pipedream Interactive. Released: July 2002 (Europe). Genre: FPS. Posted 31st July 2018. By Shane Battams © 2018 |
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Less Rainbow Six and more Splatterhouse, Soldier of Fortune – very loosely based on the mercenary magazine of the same name – debuted in 2000 on the PC courtesy of Raven Software, mixing military gunplay with insanely graphic violence thanks to their new GHOUL system. After a brief detour on the Dreamcast, receiving mostly mixed reactions, Pipedream Interactive would finally bring the gory shooter to PS2 in 2002. However, while some of its quality moments remain intact, the porting is less than perfect.
Mercenary John Mullins works for The Shop, along with his partner Hawk, doing the dirty jobs the US Government won’t do. But he quickly becomes embroiled in a globe-trotting plot involving lost nuclear weapons and a vengeful antagonist who makes it personal with Mullins. It’s pretty straightforward, with meagre cut-scenes and corny dialogue, but it keeps the action moving nicely.
At its core, Soldier of Fortune is a no frills shooter with one gimmick. Spanning just fewer than 30 levels, it is a straightforward series of firefights with some very light elements thrown in, such as puzzles and secret rooms. The A.I. isn’t particularly fantastic, comprising of mostly dim-witted cannon fodder ready to be obliterated. But while the enemies don’t put up much of a fight, they often make up for a lack of intelligence through raw numbers, and some of the shootouts are rather challenging. This is negated by a save system, allowing you to save at any time, but with a cap of five saves per mission, it isn’t exploitable, keeping the action fast. It’s the definition of popcorn action.
Mercenary John Mullins works for The Shop, along with his partner Hawk, doing the dirty jobs the US Government won’t do. But he quickly becomes embroiled in a globe-trotting plot involving lost nuclear weapons and a vengeful antagonist who makes it personal with Mullins. It’s pretty straightforward, with meagre cut-scenes and corny dialogue, but it keeps the action moving nicely.
At its core, Soldier of Fortune is a no frills shooter with one gimmick. Spanning just fewer than 30 levels, it is a straightforward series of firefights with some very light elements thrown in, such as puzzles and secret rooms. The A.I. isn’t particularly fantastic, comprising of mostly dim-witted cannon fodder ready to be obliterated. But while the enemies don’t put up much of a fight, they often make up for a lack of intelligence through raw numbers, and some of the shootouts are rather challenging. This is negated by a save system, allowing you to save at any time, but with a cap of five saves per mission, it isn’t exploitable, keeping the action fast. It’s the definition of popcorn action.
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But the GHOUL system was what set Soldier of Fortune apart, creating a level of violence that was unprecedented for the time. You can target individual limbs, leading to a multitude of violent reactions. Legs can be blown clean off with a magnum, shotgun blasts to the head cause them to explode in showers of gore and RPG shots leave nothing but viscera. It can border on comical at times, but it actually adds a lot of intensity to the action. Guns feel so much more powerful when they can deal this degree of carnage, adding even more intensity to the gunfights. This combined with powerful gun sounds and ear-ringing explosions make Soldier of Fortune a blast.
Fun for the most part, Gold Edition is ultimately undone by a lack of effort. The visuals are poor, with the outdated Quake II engine looking unimpressive. Character faces are completely flat, sporting hideous animations during the cut-scenes. The levels do benefit from spacious designs and variety – travelling from dusty Baghdad to snow-caked Siberia – but clearly push the PS2 too far, as the frame-rate drops to slideshow-speed when multiple enemies are on-screen. Even by 2002 standards, the visuals are desperately underwhelming.
Controlling Soldier of Fortune can also be a pain, though admittedly there’s enough customisation to counter this. Switching weapons is probably the most cumbersome part, with the D-Pad swapping between guns and items. There’s no way to hot-key guns, meaning switching between weapons is clunky. Aiming is a bit more manageable, with options for sensitivity, autolock and other tweaks to make shooting smoother. There’s several difficulty levels too, meaning you can adjust the challenge to your desired level. While it’s not the smoothest transition to consoles, there are at least ways to customise the experience. You can even hook up a mouse/keyboard combo via USB.
Fun for the most part, Gold Edition is ultimately undone by a lack of effort. The visuals are poor, with the outdated Quake II engine looking unimpressive. Character faces are completely flat, sporting hideous animations during the cut-scenes. The levels do benefit from spacious designs and variety – travelling from dusty Baghdad to snow-caked Siberia – but clearly push the PS2 too far, as the frame-rate drops to slideshow-speed when multiple enemies are on-screen. Even by 2002 standards, the visuals are desperately underwhelming.
Controlling Soldier of Fortune can also be a pain, though admittedly there’s enough customisation to counter this. Switching weapons is probably the most cumbersome part, with the D-Pad swapping between guns and items. There’s no way to hot-key guns, meaning switching between weapons is clunky. Aiming is a bit more manageable, with options for sensitivity, autolock and other tweaks to make shooting smoother. There’s several difficulty levels too, meaning you can adjust the challenge to your desired level. While it’s not the smoothest transition to consoles, there are at least ways to customise the experience. You can even hook up a mouse/keyboard combo via USB.
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Along with the lengthy campaign, there is a multiplayer suite too. You can play with either four players via split-screen or add as many as seven A.I. bots. There are several modes of play, including Deathmatch and a Realistic variant, forcing you to carry one weapon and Rainbow Six-style limited health. There’s also Capture the Flag, Assassination where each player is made a target to another and Conquer the Bunker, a mode similar to Unreal’s Domination type. There’s a decent suite of modes and mods, though multiplayer is hampered by similar technical issues which causes the frame rate to tank pretty hard, making it kind of nauseating. It’s a shame, because it is well thoughtout in comparison to a lot of tacked-on Multiplayer modes.
Ultimately, if you overcome Soldier of Fortune: Gold Edition’s flaws, there is a good, visceral shooter to be found. It’s admittedly a mess at times, suffering from poor visuals and technical troubles. But the tight, sharp design and gruesome action remains intact nonetheless. It isn’t the smartest shooter out there nor the most polished, but it carves its own identity through the sheer force of its action. If you’re looking for a bit more bite to your gunplay, you can do a lot worse than Soldier of Fortune, though if you own a PC, this version isn’t as easy to recommend.
Ultimately, if you overcome Soldier of Fortune: Gold Edition’s flaws, there is a good, visceral shooter to be found. It’s admittedly a mess at times, suffering from poor visuals and technical troubles. But the tight, sharp design and gruesome action remains intact nonetheless. It isn’t the smartest shooter out there nor the most polished, but it carves its own identity through the sheer force of its action. If you’re looking for a bit more bite to your gunplay, you can do a lot worse than Soldier of Fortune, though if you own a PC, this version isn’t as easy to recommend.
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VERDICT
Visual: 4/10
Audio: 7/10 Gameplay: 6/10 Longevity: 7/10 OVERALL: 6/10 |