Ultra realistic, ultra gory, ultra good game (Soldier of Fortune 2 (PC))

Member Name: chrishill105

Product:	Soldier of Fortune 2 (PC)
Date:	16/08/02 (629 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Immersive, Graphics, Sound

Disadvantages: Violence?, Gore?, 18 Certificate?

The first Soldier of Fortune game was met with mixed opinions by critics and game players alike. The ultra-violent style of the game earned it an 18 certificate and some calls for it to be withdrawn altogether. However, this didn't happen and a huge number of people bought the game, and enjoyed it. The first Soldier of Fortune game was very gory but had a high entertainment factor, the main quibble by critics (other than what they called gratuitous violence), was the apparent linearity of the levels. By this they pointed to the fact that the levels only really required you to run down corridors, directed by locked and unlocked doors, killing everything you saw, to reach an objective. This was a real point, but most players didn't really notice or mind about this point.

The sequel, Soldier of Fortune 2 Double Helix, was released last month and was again met with mixed opinions. Far from toning down the violence that may have turned away some potential buyers, the developers instead decided to increase it, calling it the most accurate combat simulation game around. The game also boasted a much better graphics engine to make everything look nicer, based on the Quake III graphics engine, excellent sound provided by EAX, and many improvements to gameplay brought about mainly through making the levels more complex and less linear.

So, some facts about the game:

~~~~MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS~~~~

[] 3D Graphics card with 16MB VRAM
[] Windows 98/Me/2000/XP
[] Pentium III 450 MHz or greater
[] 128MB RAM
[] 1.3 GB of hard disk space
[] Sound card
[] 8X Speed CD-ROM or higher

The above may seem pretty extreme for a minimum system and they are. The game takes alot of power to run, and his is a real point you must take into consideration if you are thinking of purchasing this game. Even with the minimum system you may have problems even with all the detail turned down. My system is about twice as fast as the
minimum and I find the game can still slow down at some points.

~~~~GRAPHICAL QUALITY~~~~

The game is close to the current standard of graphical perfection. The graphics use a special version of the Quake 3 engine. This allows for curvy things like arches to be drawn very accurately. The engine has been played around with to allow for the GHOUL II system to be integrated. This is the system behind all the blood and gore the games are famous for. Lighting, shadows, all are perfect. Even glass can be shot though realistically. Weaken glass windows can be jumped through, or certain walls destroyed by explosives.

~~~~GHOUL II~~~~

Ghoul 2 is the new version of the original system from the first Soldier of Fortune. It is what cause all the gore in the game. It divides every human and animal in the game into numerous sectors. This way if you decide to shoot someone in the leg with a shotgun their leg will be separated from their body in a cloud of blood very realistically (apparently :/). This is so accurate you can even remove enemies guns from their hands or more sickeningly remove the skin and muscle from their bones to leave them staring in anguish at their arm as they collapse. Nice. BUT don?t worry; if you're not a great fan of this sort of stuff in games it can all be turned off to make everything nice and less violent.

The system does add a new level to gameplay, and not just in the visual manner. The thinking player is able to approach enemies in a new way, thinking about whether they have armour or not, and so where their weakness is.

~~~~THE STORY~~~~

The whole game follows John Mullins (you), he is on a mission following a mysterious super virus outbreak. Only you can prevent it from wiping out the human race. Mullins works for a government agency known as 'The Shop? that helps organise missions etc. for you. The story unfolds from your very first mission as you slowly learn more and more
about it. As you learn more you are targeted by ever more advanced and well armed forces rising from the small time terrorists of the first few levels to fully armed security troops.

~~~~WEAPONS~~~~

There are a huge variety of weapons available to you in the game, apparently there are 25. You get access to more and more of these as the game progresses. There is limit to how much you can carry. This level depends on the difficulty you select at the beginning. This adds realism as no real person could carry 4 rocket launchers, several machine guns, rifles, pistols, knives, and grenades at the same time as in the first game.


~~~~GAMEPLAY~~~~

I have found the gameplay is very immersive and enjoyable. Some levels can become frustrating, especially if you use up your full ration of saves. However completing levels is very satisfying and the game 'feels' realistic, as do the weapons when you play. Thinking is really required to make it all the way through a level alive, especially on the higher few difficulty levels. Sometimes stealth is the key to success when you have to infiltrate a heavily guarded building or other target unseen or heard.

~~~~STUFF~~~~

Other stuff you might want to know is that you often work with a team to complete missions adding depth to the game. There is music to accompany most levels if you want it, and this adds atmosphere without being intrusive. The sound is stunning, particularly if you have an EAX sound card made by Creative, as this creates echoes and all sorts of things tailored to the room you're in. The game has a well deserved 18 certificate, but all violence can be turned off. There is a good multiplayer system within the game with a huge variety of different game types. The first game was praised for its multiplayer online features, and the sequel is excellent online too. There is a new Random Mission Generator which can create a level at random from a few numbers
you enter into it, sounds easy, and it is. It works very well and ensures almost endless playing options once you finish the main game.

~~~~PRICE~~~~

Bit expensive at the moment, expect to pay about £34.99 in most shops, but amazon.co.uk is cheaper ar £29.99.

~~~~SUMMARY~~~~

Great game for those with a strong stomach with endless variations and a good multiplayer system. Buy it for an altogether new experience, and if the violence gets too much, you can always turn it off.

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