Soldier of Fortune: Payback

Soldier of Fortune: Payback
Developer(s)	Cauldron HQ[1]
Publisher(s)	Activision Value
Series	Soldier of Fortune
Engine	CloakNT3[2]
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
Release date(s)	NA November 14, 2007[3] EU December 7, 2007 AUS February 27, 2008[4]
Genre(s)	First-person shooter
Mode(s)	Single player, multiplayer[5]
Distribution	DVD (PC), DVD-DL (Xbox 360), Blu-ray Disc (PS3)

Soldier of Fortune: Payback is a first-person shooter video game and the third installment of the Soldier of Fortune game series. Unlike the previous two Soldier of Fortune games, which were developed by Raven Software utilizing the Quake 2 and Quake 3 engines, Payback was developed by Cauldron HQ,^[1][6] developed with Cauldron's in-house CloakNT engine, used in their previous first person shooter game, Chaser. It is the first game of the series released for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The game was released on 14 November 2007.^[3]

Synopsis

The player no longer takes the role of John Mullins, the hero of the first two titles in the Soldier of Fortune. In fact Payback has little in common with its predecessors except for excessive gore and violence.^[7]

After freelance mercenary Thomas Mason (Kyle Herbert) is betrayed by his comrade during a mission, he swears revenge against a worldwide terrorist organization that brands all of its operatives with the same tattoo on their necks.^{[7][8][9][10]}

Bans

Australia

On October 16, 2007, the game was refused classification by Australia's federal classification board, the Office of Film & Literature Classification (OFLC).^[11] This effectively banned the game throughout Australia as video games which have been refused OFLC classification cannot be sold, advertised or imported. Activision modified the game to meet OFLC standards and it was re-classified with an MA15+ rating. This version does not include radical violence; dismemberment has been completely removed.^[12][13] Activision released the modified game in Australia on February 28, 2008.^[4]

Germany

Soldier of Fortune: Payback was banned in Germany, due to its high amount of violence.

Multiplayer

Up to 12 players can play online for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. Multiplayer has only five maps and game modes available, such as Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, Demolition and Elimination.

Reception

The game was met with mixed to negative reviews. Most critics cited the great character modelling and gore effects.

Jason Ocampo of gamespot.com^[14] scored it a 4.5/10. He claimed that "This shooter is a great exercise in pattern memorization and trial-and-error gameplay." He also said it "looks pretty."

Jay Frechette of 1up.com^[15] scored the game a 5.5/10. Frechette said "Soldier of Fortune doesn't cross the line of being a bad game, but it hardly ever breaks the surface of mediocrity either."

References

External links

• Soldier of Fortune: Payback at MobyGames