Soldier of Fortune (video game)
Soldier of Fortune is a first-person shooter video game developed 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. It was digitally re-released on GOG.com on October 2, 2018, along with its two successors.[1] The player takes on the role of a U.S. mercenary as he trots around the globe hoping to halt a terrorist nuclear weapons plot.
| Soldier of Fortune | |
|---|---|
 Cover art | |
| Developer(s) | Raven Software |
| Publisher(s) | Activision |
| Director(s) | Brian Raffel |
| Producer(s) | Marty Stratton |
| Designer(s) | Jim Hughes |
| Programmer(s) | Rick Johnson |
| Artist(s) | Joe Koberstein Scott Rice |
| Composer(s) | Chia Chin Lee |
| Engine | Quake II engine |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, Linux, Dreamcast, PlayStation 2 |
| Release | Microsoft WindowsDreamcastPlayStation 2 |
| Genre(s) | First-person shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
The game, which was built with the Quake 2 engine, is notable for its realistic depictions of violence, made possible by the GHOUL engine, including the dismemberment of human bodies. This was the game's stylistic attraction and it caused considerable controversy, especially in Canada and Germany, where it was classified as a restricted-rated film and listed on the Federal Department for Media Harmful to Young Persons, respectively. The technology creates 26 different zones on the bodies of enemies, allowing for vastly different reactions depending upon which one is targeted.
The game sold well initially and critical reception was positive. Two sequels were made for the game: Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix (2002) and Soldier of Fortune: Payback (2007). Soldier of Fortune Online, a massively multiplayer online first-person shooter game, was published in Korea in 2010, but it servers were shut down shortly after its release.
Gameplay
Soldier of Fortune is 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.[2]
Multiplayer
In multiplayer mode, there are seven gametypes: Arsenal, Assassination, Capture the Flag, Conquer the Bunker, Control, Deathmatch and Realistic Deathmatch.[3][4]
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.
Development
Raven Software acquired a license from the mercenary magazine Soldier of Fortune to produce a video game based on the publication.[5] The game was built around a modified version of the Quake II game engine.[6] 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 were 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.[7]
The game is AMD Eyefinity validated.[8]
Reception
According to PC Data, a firm that tracked sales in the United States, Soldier of Fortune sold 100,919 units by November 2000.[10] NPD Techworld, which also covered the United States,[11] reported 298,563 units sold for the game's computer version by December 2002.[12]
Chris Kramer reviewed the PC version of the game for Next Generation, rating it four stars out of five, and stated that "Sure, it's not for kids, but it's as good an FPS as you could ever ask for. Go ahead, be antisocial for a while."[13]
Jim Preston reviewed the Dreamcast version of the game for Next Generation, rating it three stars out of five, and stated that "It's hardly revolutionary, and certainly not for younger gamers, but Dreamcast owners looking for that last shot of action will be satisfied."[14]
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).[15]
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.[16][17][18][19]
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.
An 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
- Soldier of Fortune: Platinum Edition - GOG.com
- Soldier of Fortune: Tactical Low-Violence Version Archived March 16, 2009, at the Wayback Machine (MobyGames)
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on December 7, 2013. Retrieved February 2, 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on February 4, 2014. Retrieved February 2, 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- Salmon, Mike (June 1999). "Soldier of Fortune". PC Accelerator (10): 57–60.
- Blevins, Tal (April 3, 2000). "Soldier of Fortune". IGN PC. IGN. Archived from the original on March 17, 2007.
- PCGames Vol.5 issue 8 (October 1998) p.36
- "AMD Eyefinity Validated and Ready Software". Archived from the original on July 4, 2014.
- "Soldier of Fortune: Platinum Edition on GOG.com". www.gog.com. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
- Staff (November 2000). "Where Have All the Legends Gone?; By the Numbers". PC Gamer US. 7 (11): 42, 43.
- Spooner, John G. (June 13, 2003). "Gateway notebook goes for ratings". ZDNet. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
- Staff (May 2003). "The 10 Most Controversial PC Games of All Time". PC Gamer US. 10 (5): 50, 51.
- Kramer, Chris (June 2000). "Finals". Next Generation. Vol. 3 no. 6. Imagine Media. p. 103.
- Preston, Jim (September 2001). "Finals". Next Generation. Vol. 4 no. 9. Imagine Media. p. 87.
- Soldier of Fortune PC Archived June 21, 2009, at the Wayback Machine (GameRankings)
- McCausland, Mary-Louise (July 11, 2000). "B.C. Film Classification Soldier of Fortune Decision". The Free Radical. Archived from the original on January 11, 2009.
- Lunman, Kim (July 12, 2000). "B.C. Labels 'Brutal' Video Game as Adult Film". The Globe and Mail. p. A1. Archived from the original on January 11, 2009.
- Lunman, Kim (August 12, 2000). "Company to Appeal Game's X-Rating". The Globe and Mail. p. A3. Archived from the original on January 12, 2009.
- "Soldier of Gore: Excessively Violent Video Game restricted by B.C. Film Commissioner". The Globe and Mail. June 12, 2000. Archived from the original on August 8, 2007.