Soldier of Fortune (computer game)
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| Soldier of Fortune | |
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| Developer(s) | Raven Software |
| Publisher(s) | Activision |
| Engine | Quake II engine |
| Release date(s) | March 27, 2000 |
| Genre(s) | First-person shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer |
| Rating(s) | BBFC: 18 ESRB: Mature (M) |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, Linux, PlayStation 2, Dreamcast |
Soldier of Fortune is a first-person shooter game created by Raven Software and published by Activision on March 27, 2000 for personal computers. It uses a modified Quake II engine. It was later released on the Sony PlayStation 2 as well as the Sega Dreamcast. Loki Software also made a port for Linux. Based on its success, Raven Software and Activision later published Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix in 2002 based on the Quake III engine. Initially released for personal computers, the sequel was later ported to the Xbox.
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[edit] Background
Soldier of Fortune was developed to be based on the Soldier of Fortune magazine. About midway through the game's development, Raven Software hired a professional mercenary, John Mullins, to act as a consultant on the game for purposes of realism and accuracy. A fictional version of Mullins was eventually made into the game's main character.
Soldier of Fortune was one of the first "real-world" first-person shooters, with modern weapons and human opponents, as opposed to more fantasy/sci-fi oriented games like Doom or Duke Nukem 3D.
[edit] Story
The story involves the theft of nuclear weapons, and the main enemy turns out to be an Afrikaner Neo-Nazi group based in Germany. At the beginning of the game, terrorists steal four nuclear weapons from a storage facility in Russia, and proceed to sell them to various Third World nations. This is a prelude to the acquisition of advanced Weapons of mass destruction by this terrorist group.
John Mullins, working as a Soldier of Fortune for a mercenary organization known only has "The Shop", and his partner, Hawk, are assigned to prevent the nukes from falling into the wrong hands, and stop the terrorists in their plans.
[edit] Gameplay
A very controversial video game, Soldier of Fortune was best known for its graphic depictions of firearms dismembering the human body. This graphic violence is the game's main gimmick, much like geo-mod of Red Faction or bullet-time of Max Payne. The game details 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. The makers call this the GHOUL system. 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 victim to clutch his groin in agony for a few seconds before keeling over dead. It is possible to shoot off an enemy's limbs (head, arms, legs) leaving nothing left but a bloody torso. Non-violence is also a possibility, if the player was a good shot it was possible to shoot an enemy's weapon out of their hand, causing them to cower on the floor in surrender. There is also an option to disable gore.
[edit] Criticism
Although a realistic and accurate shooter for its time, Soldier of Fortune's gameplay is fairly arcade-ish and not particularly different from other more science fiction-oriented first-person shooters. Compared to games such as Counter-Strike which were released later in 2000 (and which are now considered tactical shooters), Soldier of Fortune was criticized for its resemblance to Quake with terrorists instead of demons. Weapons have excellent accuracy unaffected by player movement, and basic gameplay often involves running into a room, then strafing around shooting everything that moves. Much like a standard shooter character, the player moves extremely fast and can survive a few dozen bullets before dying. Additionally, in the last few levels the game introduces futuristic science fiction weapons, the most notable of which is a Microwave Pulse Gun that basically acts like a continuous laser beam. In the final battle, the game's main villain wields a railgun-like laser while wearing body armor that allows him to survive incredible amounts of firepower.
[edit] 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 labelled an "adult motion picture". "Adult motion pictures" were mainstream films (not hardcore pornography) that are judged to be suitable only for adults and must be displayed or stored in a segregated room or area inaccessible to minors. In Germany, the game was placed on the index.
