REVIEW: Soldier of Fortune: Payback

Developer: Cauldron | Publisher: Activision | Format: PS3

Reviewer: Craig J Gallagher After 2002s Soldier of Fortune 2: Double Helix the franchise seemed to go MIA, which was surprising given that both games were highly enjoyable and sold decently. Payback appeared out of nowhere and unfortunately for the franchise it should have stayed MIA, as the games seems to have forgotten what made the franchise so much fun and embraced all that is wrong with FPS.

first impressions are good, the game looks nice and features some inventive and fun visual quirks. Reloading is given a heightened sense of urgency due to depth of vision going all blurred when you reload. The dynamic lighting on display through out the game, while not ground breaking still impresses.

Old hero John Mullins doesn't return, instead you play as a new mercenary caught up in what can only b described as a bad 90s action plot. You take on an evil worldwide terrorist group so devious and cunning that they brand all their operatives with an identical tattoo on the back of their necks. Helps them blend in at company functions.

What follows is a first person shooting by the numbers. Linear action, overtly scripted situations and some terrible AI. Bad guys have two actions. The first involves them running at you shooting, the other simply involves them standing in the open as they attempt to shoot you.

There's no sense that these characters can think for themselves  of even react in the most rudimentary manner, bar kamikaze mode. Which is fun in small doses, but sustained enjoyment is marred by the lack of a quick save meaning you are constantly searching for a check point. Replaying the same are a dozen times isn't uncommon.

The game is quite violent and the ability to shoot off various limbs is fun, even if the developers seem to have copy and pasted the old code. Legs, arms, and various other limbs can all be blown off at regular intervals while copious amounts of blood flies everywhere.

Payback harks back to yesterday, when all a FPS need to do was offer a torrent of blood. In this day and age, where titles such as Call of Duty 4 offer so much more it's difficult to recommend this game to anyone bar gore junkies. The game is worth a lazy weekend rental but gamers looking for some substance are best advised to look elsewhere.

Comments

[Barry]

I think to call it a "lazy weekend rental" is being far too charitable. I reviewed this for another website about a month ago and to be honest it's probably the worst shooter I've ever played. For a next-gen game it's suprisingly ugly and bland looking, the level design is complete pants and the thing is loaded with bugs, cheap spawns and really bad dialogue. Should be avoided at all costs.

[Craig J Gallagher]

While it's certainly a less than steller title, there are certainly far worse FPS out there. It's a bit of fun that entertains for short burst of time.

[Barry]

I would disagree completely. There's no fun to be had in a game that seems to delight in a crass, silly dismemberment gimmick and then doesn't even bother to do that feature properly, let alone spend any time trying to get the rest of it up to scratch. There's no reason to waste money on this (even on the few quid of a rental), even if the PS3's games library is still relatively small.

[Craig J Gallagher]

I agree that the game is'nt very good but in small doses the game entertains. It's mindless fun which can be out on for a quick twenty minutes before heading out on a Saturday night. There's no substance to the game, and it's far from a must own or even must rent but as I said gamers looking for substance should look elsewhere.