Soldier of Fortune 2: Double Helix Review

Watching Raven's game-making progress over the years is like watching a good boxer at work. (Bear with me here.) The secret to a fine boxer lies in his quick hands and dexterity. If a boxer's hands are fast enough, he (or she!) can execute devastating combinations of punches that leave their opponents reeling, and ultimately, laying flat on his (or her) back. This takes perfect timing and great hand to eye coordination! It's much the same with Raven, in a sense. They are on their way to executing the most successful game release combinations out there, the ole' one-two: jab, jab, and then land a big right! Or to put this in a more gaming-friendly terms: Jedi Knight II, SoF2, and then WHAM! Quake 4 right in your face!

When you're on the receiving end of such a combination, it's typically not a good thing, but in this case we'll make an exception! It's not bizarre; its just FPS gaming with a kick. Now, I'm fully aware this may sound like a blatant Raven Software commercial, but it is my job to give props where props are due, and Raven's work definitely deserves plenty of recognition.

Now let's see, we're typing in www.actiontrip.com.

I'm gonna pee behind that tree, you wait here.

However, even though Raven's work is most deserving of praise, you might say that Soldier of Fortune 2 comes in a very inopportune time for the gaming industry. Violence in gaming is becoming a bigger concern than before, with tragic acts of violence being blamed on the content of video games; and, subsequently, games are even being denied of their right to free speech. So, it's a bit ironic to see a game like Soldier of Fortune 2 appear on the market. Make no mistake about it: this is a game for adults. It will surely stir up some controversy - even more so than the original. Soldier of Fortune 2 is high on polycounts and higher on gore - a deadly combination for ratings boards I'd say. The new and improved GHOUL 2.0 system is at times eerie, as you can honestly vent out all kinds of frustrations by mutilating dead bodies with your high-caliber rifles. The models have more hit zones than I'd care to reveal, and the way the lifeless flesh bounces of the ground as it's being hit by bullets can be a bit disturbing - even for a gamer who can tell a difference between a sprite and a model. God forbid that this game should fall into the hands of some deranged lunatic with access to guns, and that all the wrong pieces should fall together. It could spell out a very dangerous situation. So be warned: do not show this game to your five-year-old and boast how cool the gore effects work, or to a bona fide head case. Yes, flying polygonal limbs are cool, but Soldier of Fortune 2 is a game meant for a specific crowd of gamers; ones that can tell what the crucial word in this sentence is.

With this rather controversial subject out of the way, I can get back to the meat of the review, which is the appeal of this game. As I'm sure you've heard time and again (or just read our hands-on preview of the game), in Soldier of Fortune 2: Double Helix players are once again cast in the role of mercenary John Mullins. He is given an assignment by a top-secret US government agency to track down the origins of a deadly virus, produced for the sole purpose of causing massive destruction on enemy troops and civilians. With germ warfare being such a popular subject these days, the plot of this game just adds to this game's level of controversy. It's full of violence and it's about tracking down international terrorists. Sales of such a game could go either way really, or rather, sales should go well, but it remains to be seen how various committees and activist groups react to it.

The story might be hitting a nerve, but in gaming terms, it's far from original. It seldom kept my attention. The single-player portion of this game revolves around great action and certainly not the quality of the narrative. John Mullins is your typical tough guy and the plot is straightforward, to say the least. So we have your archetypical Rambo with a Dirty Harry voice on one side, and an equally uninspiring plot on the other - an ideal setup for a great action game!

And that's what SOF2 is - a great action game! The missions in the single-player all carry a unique visual identity: from Prague, to Colombia and back the action will remain high-profiled and you'll be glued to your screen until the very last AK-74 wielding terrorist is out of the way. Sure, you'll get some feeble dialogue along the way, but pay no attention to that and just concentrate strictly on the gameplay. You'll have a lot more fun that way. The "deadly" combination of awesome and versatile weapons (again, read the hands-on), fantastic model animation and gore effects, coupled with incredible outdoor environments and highly realistic weapon and environmental sound effects is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat right till the end. The AI is really good, and probably has the most sophisticated environmental awareness I've seen in a game to date, (though there does seem to be some of that "aim cheating" where a tango can pin you from a mile away, even though you're camouflaged in thick grass. Alas, I'm yet to see a perfect game AI, so I guess I shouldn't complain much. The maps are huge, and the goals are certainly challenging enough. This can make the gameplay a bit frustrating at times (especially if you play with just two or three saves per mission), but ultimately, it makes the game more intense and dynamic. You have to be very careful and very matriculate in executing your missions. Rushing in an area full of tangos will only get you killed - and fast! Take your time, pick your shots and mind your health bar! Some people may find SOF2 a bit too difficult and consider this a game's drawback, but I beg to differ. This is one of the most realistic military shooters ever made, and if you can't handle that, then maybe you should pick up a different game. My only gripe with the otherwise solid single-player gameplay is the lack of more weapons and more bad ass bosses / versatile opponents. Even if you disregard the rather feeble plot and the clichéd dialogue, you cannot overlook this rather intangible drawback which will manifest itself only after you've played through a good portion of the game. For all intents and purposes though, you could say that the single-player does deliver on what it was originally designed for: furious action, nasty blood and gore and plenty of adrenaline rushes. Together with the amazing visuals and advanced Quake III engine modifications this should prove sufficient for all action-shooter aficionados, and especially for those of you who don't mind a good doze of realism (relatively speaking of course) in your military shooters.

Err...pal you cannot park here.

Mullins is confused.

But the real fun in Soldier of Fortune 2 comes with its multiplayer facet. Man-oh-man is this game ever fun in multiplayer! I've been a Counter-Strike nut for many a year now, and now I've finally found an action game that has the potential to dethrone the legend. Hell, let's go all-out and say that SOF2 provides a better multiplayer experience than Counter-Strike!

I don't know how to explain this; there are several reasons why I think this is indeed the case. First off, the maps are phenomenal: in terms of how Raven programmers arranged the hot zones (places where players are likely to meet and shoot it out) and safe areas (places where you're likely to regroup and charge again) can only be compared to id's work on The Edge (Q2DM1). Ever since The Edge, I haven't played a map so well-conceived as the Hong Kong Hotel. Raven programmers have masterfully set the pace on this map, so that a multiplayer battle will never lose on its intensity. Add to that the awesome weapon recoil and the smooth Quake 3 net code, and it becomes a little more apparent why SOF2 just might be the next big thing in FPS multiplayer gaming.

Weapon properties in the multiplayer are very much different from those in the single-player game, which clearly shows that the designers spent some time balancing out AK-74, and M4 specifically for the multiplayer: AK-74 is an extremely accurate mid-range weapon, while the Colt is less accurate but packs a deadly under barrel grenade launcher, which serves as a kind of rocket launcher sub in multiplayer. For some reason, SOF2 felt more like a Quake 2 / military shooter hybrid than anything else, and that might be one of the reasons why I've found it so super-addictive. We've literally spent days at the office playing the Colombian Jungle and Honk Kong Hotel maps.

However, nothing is perfect and the same goes for SOF2 multiplayer. MP could definitely use more imaginative game modes, and more maps. The random map generator doesn't work all that well, and outside of a simple deathmatch games we hadn't really been taken by any other multiplayer game type. Oh and another thing; contrary to what I've said about weapon recoil in my hands-on preview, bullet penetration doesn't work nearly as well as I had hoped. Even wood can stop a high caliber rifle for some reason, which makes shooting at doors an exercise in futility. Hopefully, Raven will fix this issue in the future.

In closing, I should say that SOF2 is probably the best action game I've played this year, next to Jedi Knight 2. (and who made that game? Raven Software!) Its great all-around performance both in single-player and multiplayer and its groundbreaking technology overshadow some of its drawbacks, making it a must-buy for every action gamer out there; just as long as you can tell a difference between a polygonal model and a live person...