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Good, but typical

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 27 / 29
Date: July 09, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I bought this game while shopping for a more modern tactical shooter. I'm and ex Counter-Strike junkie and I've played Return to Castle Wolfenstein and Medal of Honor:Allied Assault and quite frankly I'm a bit sick of the current trends in online gaming as well as the community in general. I was looking for something with a lot more single-player replay value.

I'm sure by now everyone knows a little bit about SoF2 so I'll omit the overview and get straight to the point. This is basically just another Q3A mod with more blood and gore. Like RTCW and MOHAA, the graphics are good and technology seems sound, but for such a latecommer I believe it's reasonable to have expected a bit more.

The single-player campaign is your typical linear shooter. Run around, do these things in order, pick up more weapons, etc.... The story itself is terrible - think Max Payne meets the A-Team. There were some great ideas mixed in, and I really appreciated the more modern military feel, but by now we're all getting a bit tired of the same format. The random mission generator looks appealing, and was a major factor in the decision to buy this game, but it becomes redundant far too easily. If you intend on purchasing this game only for the single-player features, I would strongly recommend some serious comparison shopping before putting the money down.

As previously stated, I'm not much of an online gaming fan, but I felt it was necessary to give the MP games a chance before writing this review. To my surprise, MP is pretty darn fun! It supports the usual team-oriented games (CTF, TDM, etc...), and doesn't add anything revolutionary to the mix, but the combination of the modern weapons and outdoor themes really made this a blast. Compared to what's currently out there, SoF2 does the best job in mixing action with simulated warfare. Unfortunately, the Q3A "feel" or the game is still there. The damage system is a bit too forgiving, and I don't know how anyone could jump around with 80lbs of gear on their backs, but I guess this is the way people like it. If you're a big fan of Half-Life and Quake mods, you'll feel right at home with this. Counter-Strike fans will probably consider it on the goofy side of the spectrum, but I think they should still give it a chance.

Of course, my biggest gripe with most of the online shooters is this: Even the best laid plans and teamwork can be spoiled in a heartbeat by some rambo running around with a grenade launcher.

Anyways, SoF2 is a shining example of modern game technology that's just starting to become dated. It can easily be worth the price tag, but I fear that in less than 2 months it will take it's place on the shelf next to the other Q3A-driven games and collect dust. Not the tactical shooter I was looking for, but I'm glad I had a chance to play it.

Rat-tat-tat-tat-*POP*!! The exploding heads are back!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 11 / 15
Date: May 27, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Great single player game, so far. I bought it yesterday and have been playing it ever since. The graphics are nice - Raven's GHOUL game engine works well. The game can be configured like the old SOF game except that grenade lobbing is more realistic - no more cartoon-style "throw 6 grenades in a second" action - but the new weapons, like the OICW rifle, more than compensate for this.

And...the exploding body parts are back and better than ever!! Nothing beats those bloody head shots, especially since this game has such great death animations (The squemish can adjust the gore levels). Plus, the enemy AI is better than the first SOF game, the game is quite challenging (I already miss the "bigelbow" cheat codes). Also Included is the "Random Mission Generator" which allows you easily create custom single player missions.

Enjoy!!

Oops, forgot to be fun...

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 10 / 14
Date: June 09, 2002
Author: Amazon User

In their quest to crank up the realism, activism forgot to make this game even half as fun as the first SOF. You die constantly by unseen forces (a grenade from above *POOF* you're gone) which I'm sure is pretty realistic for one man taking on armies, but the net result is you spend A LOT of time looking at the loading screen (and if anyone tells you they don't spend a LOT of time with that screen, they're lying). I don't mind dying if I blow it or the AI beats me, that's the mark of a well-designed game with appropriate difficulty. But constant, random death isn't "difficult", it's boring. Also the aiming is terrible--totally lacking the violent satisfaction of the first SOF. You can shoot at the same guy forever and not know whether you got him untill he blows your head off (even on the novice setting). Pumping whole clips into a baddy only to have him pop up and ice you with the same model of weapon you just emptied at him is nothing but frustrating. Most of SOF2 feels like the tedious part of Allied Assault where you're being sniped by unseen enemies. Some people got off on the "realism" of that level, but most people who have a life and play video games for FUN (what a concept) hated slogging through that die-a-thon. For those of us whose grin muscles still ache from playing Jedi Knight 2, it's one helluva comedown.

The Best Adult Combat Simulation Yet Engineered

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: June 09, 2002
Author: Amazon User

No software currently available can offer the experience of Soldier of Fortune: Double Helix. This game is without competition.

I will not give away any spoilers, because discovering the locales for the first time is part of the incredible gaming experience. But I must praise one aspect in particular: the rainforest and jungles. Weeds, grass, and exotic plants sway in the breeze all around you; trees tower above you creating a dynamic canopy that creaks and slowly moves with the wind; atmospheric sounds surround you hinting at the beasts that are watching you from a distance. It is simply amazing. But the jungles are only one environment out of several. Urban combat enthusiast will not leave disappointed.

But contrary to other faster paced first person shooters, Double Helix is not a run and gun; especially on the upper difficulty levels. You have to take you time and think out your approach. The enemies are intelligent and use flanking manuevers, flash and frag grenades, and different weapons depending on the circumstances. For example, one enemy might throw a smoke grenade in a strategic location to prevent you from seeing their positions clearly. When the smoke finally clears, you may discover that an enemy ran to a more strategic location, all the while not a single shot was fired by the enemy, for that would have reaveled their position prematurely. This type of intelligent enemy strategy makes the game incredibly intense and makes each time you play through a mission a completely unique experience.

And this A.I. extends to friendlies also. Many times you will find yourself in a platoon of marines, taking orders from the sergeant. You must listen carefully and try to position yourself as instructed to insure an assault is successful. If you ignore your commander, you may get yourself and others killed.

And it is so refreshing to finally discover a game that treats the end player as an adult! The consequences of aiming your weapon at a human opponent and pulling the trigger are graphically depicted onscreen. This realistic gore and disfigurement is often visually disturbing, but adds an enormous degree of intesity. There are 32 "gore zones" on the enemy models resulting in unique death animations that rarely repeat. If you do not want to experience realistic modern combat then you should avoid this software. This game was engineered from the start with a mature adult user in mind.

And all I have descibed so far is the single player experience! Multigaming sessions are completely different, with different controls, different graphics, and different maps. It is like getting two games in one!

You will need a powerful machine to experience Soldier of Fortune: Double Helix in its full glory, but an incredible plethera of scaling options will allow the end user to fine tune the game for maximum enjoyment. If you enjoy the subject matter and scenerios this game offers, buy it now without delay.

A Total Fortune!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 12 / 20
Date: May 19, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I recently aquired a copy of SOF2 (Soldier of Fortune 2) and immediately installed it into my PC. It takes up a lot of space and memory but its worth it. After fooling around with the random map generator a little bit I got a feel for all the weapons and controls.
It is a great game! The story will definitely not disappoint those of you who enjoy espianage and stuff like that! I am not a big fan of espianage games myself but enjoyed this one immensly! Acompanying the tolerable story is a nice selection of weapons, ranging from throwing knives, to double pistols and uzis, to assault and sniper rifles, to grenade launchers and every type of explosive device immaginable! Also, the blood and gore cannot be beat! SOF2 keeps the violence realistic but satisfies your bloodlust at the same time by letting you blow off every body-part imaginable. Don't worry, it also has a function to disable the gore for all of you squeemish people out there.
The only problem with it was you have to play around with the graphics options alot to get to what your computer can handle. I recommend fiddling with your graphics before doing anything else. That and the loading time are the only problems I found with the game.
HAPPY TERRORIST KILLING WITH A GREAT GAME!

Pretty much is all

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 7 / 9
Date: July 12, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Feel free to berate what I have to say, even flame me, I'd like something to debate.
Yes, the graphics are pretty. I'll say they did a rather good job making things look 'pretty' but that is all. I've only made it so far in the game, but that far has already annoyed me to the point I don't think I want to continue.
I'll give it kudos for a good game of multiplayer as well.
Now, what don't I like it? Poorly inspired level design. The world is so linear, that you can't help but go in the right direction. This, in my opinion makes for a bland game. I want to feel like this is a world, not a tunnel. And the maps are rather uninspired. It is everything I've seen before, not necessarily done better
I still have yet to see the awe inspiring AI in action. Guys hide behind trees.. ok, seen that. It saves me from taking cover. All I have to do is wait for them to poke their head out. The AI also over uses grenades. Not just the bad guys. And they don't seem to know how to use them. I've seen a flash of an explosion 100 feet out only to find out that they are trying to throw grenades at me when I can just pick them out in my scope. And god forbid your friendlies get the idea to toss one. Sitting in the middle of a firefight when all of the sudden a mis thrown grenade from a computer controlled friendly lands at my feet is not a fun thing to have.
The pacing is terrible. There are levels where you have to stay with a group of 'friendlies' through the whole map. while this isn't a bad thing, it is a bad thing when the friendlies are set at their own, designer created, pace and if you go to far away from the group you will be considered to be 'endangering the mission' and subsequently killed. I found this annoying so I tried killing off the group to save me many tries of happening to get tofar ahead of them, because they move ridiculously slow even when I have killed every hostile for a square mile. The end result of killing them is dying. It can't be stopped. instant dead.
I've also noticed some graphics issues. I have a 2 Ghz machine with a 128 Gforce 4, I do not want to see graphics problems. these include choppy frame rates in open areas, shadows that will fall on top of objects and go through walls/floors and lips that don't move when the character is speaking. Lip movement is an old technique; you'd think they could do it.
Gore: just pointless. Unless you are one of those people that get off to blood and guts, this game doesn't offer what hasn't been offered before. Their claim that it is for the sake of realism is just plain stupid. It is just to make people with a ... for blood buy the game. The only time I thought their modeling was interesting was when a guy looked to be trying to pull the knife out of his back that I put there. Then he died. That part was cool. No sooner did he hit the ground, though, than a massive pool of blood formed. This pool of blood continued to expand when I moved the body. The blood also looks the same no matter the area. If it was affected by things like, say, rain, I'd give thumbs up to it, but it is just for show.
All in all I've had a terrible experience. I don't recommend it to anyone, try something like `America's Army' or any of the Rainbow Six games, if you want a `realistic' combat experience. This game is just for show.

Fun but so much potential lost

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 7 / 9
Date: June 02, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I'm now a little over half-way through the game and I have to say that while SOF II is certainly good escapist entertainment, it fails to live up to the great potential this game could have had if the designers had perhaps spent a bit more time with it.

After playing Medal of Honor: Allied Assault and Jedi Knight: Outcast recently and seen the great power of the Quake III Arena engine, I can't help but be somewhat disappointed by its use in SOF II. Yes, the GHOUL II damage modelling is great to watch but gore alone can't make up for what "could have been".

The Colombia jungle level was graphically stunning - much like the Yavin level in Outcast...but the game lacked the little nuances that made both Outcast and Allied Assault such stand-outs - like the raindrops evaporating on your lightsaber in Outcast for example or the little surprises in Allied Assault that made both games so very engrossing. I just don't get that feeling of immersion from SOF II.

If the designers had made this game a little more "cerebral" I think it would have vastly improved the product. Perhaps my opinion will change as I progress through the game but somehow I doubt that this will be the case.

Overall I'd give SOF II 2.5 out of 5 stars - I'm just glad I paid [less] (via trade-ins of used games at [a local retailer]) instead of the full... price. I'd say wait a couple of months until this is marked down - you'd appreciate it more at a lower price.

Soldier Of Fortune 2, The Next Great Game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 15
Date: April 25, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Soldier of Fortune was a great game that added many new features to the first person shooter genre. Soldier of Fortune 2: Double Helix looks like it will be even better than the first one. Using the Quake 3 engine this game has very beautiful, highly detailed graphics. It will have many new weapons and some old favorites. You will also be able to combine weapons, for example, an Uzi and a Pistol or two pistols. This game will also ship with four multiplayer modes and tons of maps to play them on. It should also have a very good single player campaighn as well. With great graphics, new weapons, awesome single and multiplayer modes, Soldier Of Fortune 2:Double Helix is definitly a game to watch for.

SOF 2: Double Helix...? correction SOF 2: Second mistake

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 6 / 9
Date: June 27, 2002
Author: Amazon User

If you are wondering whether or not to spend 50+ dollars to purchase SOF 2 then let me make your decision easier. If you are over the age of 10 and/or have more than a hand full of brain cells in your head you WILL NOT enjoy this game's lack of plot and its senseless gratuitous violence. Don't get me wrong I like to tear there heads off just like any other guy but this is just ridiculous. The game starts off in Prague where you have to get to your hotel. Now unlike the rest of the tourists, for some reason you have to fight your way there by killing dozens of native police men. (I cannot believe real vets came up with this game!) If that wasn't bad enough the games graphics looked like something out of a bad Saturday morning cartoon. Save your money on this one folks!! But if you really want to be a soldier of fortune get a copy of Hitman: Codename 47 (a game that makes killing your targets a work of art) and if you'd like a REAL military shooter then the best one out now is Ghost Recon. Good luck and happy hunting!

soldier of fortune 2 rocks

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 17
Date: April 26, 2002
Author: Amazon User

To any one who is an avid gamer, this game will shurely prove to be a memorable experience. If you thought that counter-strike was a good game, then you'll love this game. So far all i, and anyone, have played is the multiplayer demo, and already, even though it is the first release and a beta version at that, the gameplay is awesome. You can select from various types of game modes such as Infiltration-a team based co-op where each team (terrorists and anti-terrorists) have their own objectives, Deathmatch-a straight up free for all, team death match-a team based free for all, and elimination-last team left alive wins, and many more. The way some of these versions are set up is really awesome. Infiltration, for example, gives the player only one life, making gameplay nerve-racking and extremely fun, it also brings a sense of realism to the game as no one is recklessly running around corners with total disregard for themselves (the thought being that if they die they'll respawn). With the weapons themselves, from what i've seen there are only "real" weapons (i.e.-no laser guns, etc.), and the realism inside the weapons themselves is astounding. The barrel mounted RPG on the m4 requires the players "hand" to move from the main trigger down the the RPG trigger, another little "real" part in the game. Obviously one should notice that i can't say enough about this game but...bottom line...BUY THIS GAME, you won't regret it...if you do send it to me :)

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