Soldier of Fortune (video game)

Soldier of Fortune
Cover art for Soldier of Fortune
Developer(s)	Raven Software
Publisher(s)	Activision
Director(s)	Brian Raffel
Series	Soldier of Fortune
Engine	id Tech 2
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows, Linux, PlayStation 2, Dreamcast
Release date(s)	Microsoft Windows NA: February 29, 2000 EU: March 28, 2000 Dreamcast NA: July 24, 2001 EU: 2001 PlayStation 2 NA: November 11, 2001 EU: July 5, 2002
Genre(s)	First-person shooter
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

Soldier of Fortune is a first-person shooter video game created by Raven Software and published by Activision on February 29, 2000 for Microsoft Windows. It was later released for the PlayStation 2 as well as the Dreamcast, while Loki Software also made a port for Linux. Two sequels were later made to the game as well.

Plot

The story involves the theft of nuclear weapons, and the main enemy turns out to be an Afrikaner neo-fascist group based in Germany, led by South African exile Sergei Dekker. At the beginning of the game, terrorists steal four nuclear weapons from a storage facility in Russia, and proceed to sell them to various nations. This is a prelude to the acquisition of advanced weapons of mass destruction by this terrorist group. John Mullins, working for a U.S.-based mercenary ("soldier of fortune") organization known only as "The Shop", and his partner, Aaron "Hawk" Parsons, are assigned to prevent the nukes from falling into the wrong hands, and stop the terrorists in their plans. His missions take him to New York City, Sudan, Siberia, Tokyo, Kosovo, Iraq, Uganda and finally Germany.

Gameplay

Exploding an enemy's head using the GHOUL engine

Soldier of Fortune was best known for its graphic depictions of firearms dismembering the human body. This graphic violence is the game's main stylistic attraction, much like the destructible environments of Red Faction or bullet time of Max Payne. The GHOUL engine enables depiction of extreme graphic violence, in which character models are based on body parts that can each independently sustain damage (gore zones). There are 26 zones in total: a shot to the head with a powerful gun will often make the target's head explode, leaving nothing but the bloody stump of the neck remaining; a close-range shot to the stomach with a shotgun will leave an enemy's bowels in a bloody mess, and a shot to the nether regions will cause the victims to clutch their groin in agony for a few seconds before kneeling over dead. It is possible to shoot off an enemy's limbs (head, arms, legs) leaving nothing left but a bloody torso. In the last mission there is also a fictional microwave weapon, causing the enemies to fry or explode, depending on the firing mode. However, nonviolence is a possibility, if the player is a good shot it is possible to shoot an enemy's weapon out of their hand, causing them to cower on the floor to surrender. The game also came with password-protected options to disable all gore and there is even a version of the game with the extreme violence permanently locked-out, titled Soldier of Fortune: Tactical Low-Violence Version.^[1]

Multiplayer

In multiplayer mode, there are seven gametypes: Arsenal, Assassination, Capture the Flag, Conquer the Bunker, Control, Deathmatch and Realistic Deathmatch.^[2][3]

Development

Raven Software acquired a license from the mercenary magazine Soldier of Fortune to produce a video game based on the publication.^[4] The game was built around a modified version of the Quake II game engine.^[5] It was the first game to utilize the GHOUL damage model engine developed by Raven Software. This introduced the ability to dismember enemies in combat, adding to the realism of the game. Upgraded versions of the GHOUL system was later used in other Raven titles such as Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix and Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast.

The game was originally supposed to be much more realistic, featuring mostly real weapons, and the players taking damage would impede their movement and dexterity, depending on where and how many times they were hit. In 1998 (prior to the Kosovo War) the game was also supposed to be partially based in Bosnia instead of Kosovo.^[6]

The game is AMD Eyefinity validated.^[7]

Reception

Soldier of Fortune was praised as being a solid and entertaining shooter, with one of the game's greatest praises being its graphic depiction of gore and violence, which both proponents and detractors consider to be more realistic than most first-person shooter games.

Critical reaction was positive, with the GameRankings averaged rating of 82.30% for the PC version. However, the Dreamcast version's reception was less enthusiastic, with the 71.06% average rating (reviewers criticized the loading times, which were both frequent and extremely lengthy).^[8]

Violence controversy

In 2000, after receiving a complaint from a member of the public about the explicit content of the game, the British Columbia Film Classification Office investigated and decided the violence, gore and acts of torture were not suitable for persons under 18 years of age. In a controversial decision, the game was labeled an "adult motion picture" and was rated as a pornographic film. In Germany, the game was placed on the Index List of the Federal Department for Media Harmful to Young Persons.^{[9][10][11][12]}

Legacy

Originally, Soldier of Fortune was only released as physical media. The game is not digitally distributed on the PC, nor on any other platform.

Sequels

Based on its success, Raven Software and Activision later published Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix in 2002, based on the Quake III: Team Arena engine. Initially released for Windows, the sequel was later ported to the Xbox.

A third game in the series, Soldier of Fortune: Payback was made by Cauldron HQ and released on November 14, 2007.

A MMOFPS based on the series, Soldier of Fortune Online was published in Korea by Dragonfly and went in Closed Beta on August 12, 2010 and ended on August 16, 2010.

References

External links

• Soldier of Fortune at MobyGames