Official remaster incoming : Step 1 : Release on a platform the original game. Step 2 : Force content creators to remove their free content bringing extra features like wide resolutions, fixes and quality to the remaster you are planning : like SOFplus. Step 3 : Remaster quickly the game with retextures, settings tweaks. Not too much effort, and funds come from the nostalgics who bought the edition on step 1. Step 4 : Release your remaster and remove the original game. Process was made for Duke Nukem 3D, Baldur's gate 1&2 and Icewind Dale 1&2. For SOF, Step 1 and 2 were done at this day. Furthermore, SOF1 and 2 were free for download on abandonware sites. It's not the case anymore for SOF1. Right now, still accessible for SOF2. Edit : SOF 2 also removed from myabandonware
The only bitching about this game that i have is the story so far, Serbians Attacking Russians? Well since we are allies that story makes no sense, and who voiced those characters since that ain't even Serbian its just some random gibberish the devs pulled out of their ass, and in the rocket launch they got the numbers right until they tried to say 1 which was completely screwed, either then that the game is alright, but the enemies feel to easy to kill but a pretty fun Game Movie Hybrid.
Sof 2 is a giant pile of shit... But a really fun pile of shit. If you find the right version of the KinEdition mod it greatly helps the SP experience.
Fort Gamer What about "MachineGames", the Developer who did "Wolfenstein: The New Order/The Old Blood"? I think they would do a very good Job of the Series if they went more for the "Gameplay Heavy" approach of "The Old Blood" rather than the "Story Heavy" approach of "The New Order", but still gave the game a Lot of Story (sort of Half Way between the near Storyless approach of "Old Blood" and the Story Drenched approach of "New Order", giving it a Similar amount of Story to SOF II).. as I think they really have worked out the Sweet Spot between incorporating Old School Gameplay design to match the preferences of PC Gamers, while meeting the Demands of the modern AAA Industry and the Console Gamer markets it feeds off. "Monolith" would also do a superb Job as well if they used the Old School "Quake II" Gameplay style a SOF game needs.., but would their Publisher, Warner Brothers Interactive, let them use the "old school" gameplay style?, or would they want Monolith to make a "More Modern FPS" (I.e a Cry on Doody Clone)..resulting another...(Shudders) Payback, in order to Appeal more to the Console Gamer Market? in the same light, although Monolith are known to Specialize in PC development, Would Warner's allow them to Develop the Game for PC first, like they did with the (IMO, excellent) Shadow Of Mordor, and then Down-Port it to Next-Generation Console late in Development, in the same way SOF 1 and 2 Were made?, Or would they want them develop it for PS4 first, resulting in yet another Sub-Par PC game from the Beleaguered Publisher? and with SOF being Traditionally a PC franchise...a Sub-Par PC version would not be a good thing! Sorry, after Mortal Kombat X and Arkham Knight, I have real issues trusting Warner's when it comes to PC, Despite, IMO anyway, Shadow of Mordor and Dying Light (after a few Patches to deal with the latter Games Draw Distance Frame Rate bug anyway) being absolutely Exceptional on that Platform, and SOF really needs to be a PC game by Tradition. I still feel "MachineGames" would make a Safer AAA bet! Albeit provided they used Unreal Engine 4 rather than idtech 5 (I don't know enough about DooM's new Idtech 6 engine to comment on it) so they can use the NVidia GameWorks (i feel that if a game is being developed Primarily for PC, GameWorks is basically mandatory, as it adds so many Spectacular Extra Effects) powered "MEAT" system from Tripwire Entertainment's "Killing Floor 2" especially as even Tripwire themselves Describe the MEAT system as basically "GHOUL 3 in all but the Name", and get Better Frame Rates (up to 144) as Unreal Engine 4 is optimized for PC were as idtech 5 (Capped at 60) was optimized for the 7th Generation Consoles. Failing them, I think some of the Larger Independent Developers, such as Flying Wild Hog or Interceptor Entertainment would also do a Damn awesome Job, especially if Backed by a Larger Independent Publisher such as "Devolver Digital", and the game would be a Lot closer to SOF 1 in Story and Aesthetics (Over the Top, Stylized, very 1980s Action Movie) from them..as well as probably a PC exclusive :).. Where as one from a AAA company such as "MachineGames" or "Monolith" would probably be Closer to SOFII in Aesthetics and Story (very Real World, Very Serious, very...2000's Action Movie..More "The Expendables" (please note I am one of the people who loves that Film) than "Commando" basically) but still very close to SOF 1 in gameplay if Handled Right. Sadly, it would probably need a AAA Publisher such as Bethesda (MachineGames) or Warner Brothers Interactive (Monolith) these Days in order to afford bringing back Todd Sussmann, Earl Bowen, Eric Oppenheimer, Etc to Voice their in Game Characters Again. Unfortunately, if SOF ever does come back, it will probably be as a Full Franchise Reboot due to the Length of Time since the last game, and the Foul Taste it left in everyone's Mouth, rather than a Sequel to the two Classics. .
Kids can handle seeing the exact same stuff in the media as adults can. When i was a kid both adult and childrens media where a hundred times more violent and sexual than they are now and i think everybody that saw that stuff back then as kids are pefectly fine as adult now. People thinking that kind of stuff will harm kids nowadays are just imagining things.
I remember geeking out over the violence in the game while dad looked on in amazement, bewilderment and amusement over the sheer joy appearing on his youngest daughter's face.
This game was way too fun back then, played the first level way too many times as some stress relief. Not sure if I ever beat it but man it was entertaining. You forgot to mention the noise gauge which would summon more enemies if you peaked it!
My biggest problem with this game, and this is common to most all Raven games, is the way they spliced cutscenes into the middle of the levels. One second you're walking through a doorway like you've done a dozen times before and the next, the game is playing a cutscene to show your character doing something that not only could you have done yourself, but it would have been more fun actually doing it, than just watching a video of it.
Half-Life is considered one of the greatest FPS games of all time and it doesn't have any cutscenes at all. My main issue with Raven games is the way there's usually no transition from game to cutscene, it just happens instantly. And a lot of those cutscenes are pointless. For example, in Jedi Academy, you're stuck in a room with Kyle. When you find a hole in the wall, it changes to a cutscene to show you and Kyle jumping through it. It's not covering up a load and you could just as easily have jumped through it yourself. In fact you can force jump back up into the room. So why did it need to be a cutscene? When you face one of the bosses early on, you're doing well in the fight and then it instantly rips control away from you to show a cutscene of the boss escaping. Why couldn't they have just jumped out of reach and delivered their speech while you stayed in character? Why did that need to be a cutscene? Late in the game, you encounter the same boss a second time, and for nearly a minute the game fights the boss for you in a cutscene before letting you take over. I was so pissed, I almost quit the game right there.
I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart romaniuc paul, I have been wanting to play this on my PC for years but have never been able to because my hard copy just wouldn't work. SOF is my favourite game ever and you have made it possible for me to enjoy it all over again. You legend!
Fun game. The sequel was not so fun because of broken weapon recoil, crappy level design and awful stealth sections. They effectively butchered the franchise with Payback.
such a perfect game... the only flaw I remember is that in Siberia, enemy soldiers would spot you perfectly even in the fog, while you have problems seeing them... so you either go aggressively, or you have to remember where they are
Remember getting the PC Gamer Demo Disc (CD ROM) with this demo on it, one of first few "modern" PC Games I bought, along with Deus Ex, NOLF, Giants: Citizen Kabuto and SW:JKII. The Quake II engine produced some real gems back then - love all of those games it was built on.
SOF 1 is the best SOF game, although sof 2 had some neat stuff from the improved gore system, the dual wielding system, the fire modes up to some weapons like the USAS 12 which was a badass automatic shotgun, inbefore the AA12, the game also have the MM1 badass MGL with 10 grenades a drum, other than that I preferred SOF1 weaponry I mean we have badass microwaves, 4 shot rocket launcher, a flamethrower, a machinegun with underslung WP grenade launcher, an awesome autocannon. Even SOF 2's OICW was quite neat, but a bit clunky to use, and the lack of ammo and circumstances to use it at full potential (grenade launcher lacked of a window mode for example. Also the Single player was much better built in SOF 1 SOF 2 isn't a bad game, but SOF 2's shine was more the multiplayer than the single player. SOF 1 platinum is great to me fun to play and replay, so satisfying. I think SOF 1 was great by not being very realistic while SOF 2 was a bit broken by the realism and its bad implementation
+Greater Dogg Activision. Save for a few (admittedly cool) easter eggs, they don't seem huge on preserving their past and on top of that they swept pretty much ALL of their FPS developers under the giant Call of Duty rug. Raven Software (The guys that did this game)? CoD map packs. NERVE Software, who did the multiplayer stuff for Wolfenstein and were founded by an ex ID Software employee? CoD map packs. Go to their website and you'll get buried references to their past works, but not after going through a million graphics for - you guessed it - CoD map packs. I bet if ID Software didn't sell to Bethesda and instead sold to Activision when it no longer became feasible for them to remain independent, after RAGE didn't turn out to be a million seller ID Software would be doing CoD map packs too. I try not to be the one who just points at CoD and hisses like it's EVERYTHING wrong with the game industry (Trust me, it has plenty of non-CoD related bullshit. In fact I'm more at the "Don't care about it" phase when it comes to CoD, I don't think it's actively *causing* the major problems in the industry even if it perpetuates them.) but this is a scenerio where Activision is clearly willing to just throw talented developers with plenty of great ideas under the bus and just have them crank out more CoD.
+Kaye Faye Problem are the CoD kiddies and console players. Old-school PC FPS is kinda dead today. Even the new Doom will be some consolized Halo wannabe. Atleast we still got Serious Sam and a backlog of classic PC shooters.
+xyz12345 That certainly is a part of it, yes. As I made clear in my post, Activision is too busy milking the shit out of CoD and having their talented studios crap out map packs to let them create anything worth while. As for DOOM 4? I'm still cautiously optimistic for the single player. I didn't really care about MP in the first place even if it did sadden me to find out that they quite literally outsourced it to the same studio as the recent Halo MP modes, which even Halo fans tell me haven't been good in almost a decade if not more which is around the time Certain Affinity took over the MP from Bungie. But I will be OK if Doom 4 is even just as good as, say, Wolfenstein: The New Order. I don't expect it to be a true hardcore shooter, you are pretty much only going to get that from the indie circuits. And yeah, we have Serious Sam still. And also Flying Wild Hog. I'm definitely looking forward to the next Shadow Warrior, it looks like they're addressing some of my complaints over their first entry in the reboot series, which was flawed but still very fun. I'm also curious to see how Blackroom turns out. I know some people are still leery after the Daikatana debacle, but I still think Romero has it in him if he remains laser focused, and who is to say he hasn't learned from the past? But obviously, only time will tell and it will be awhile before its out.
i just discovered your channel and it's great you have so much content and good reviews keep it up you're easily one of my new favorite reviewers if possible can you try to get ps4 game reviews?
Hao Liu Actually, if Soldier of Fortune was released nowadays it wouldn’t be much of a big deal since the people got soo used to with games that contain gore and violence that they’ll just say “It’s just another generic FPS shooter”.
Nice review, I still have the original box for this game for the EU (UK) version released here, the American box art was more similar to that of SOF II, but the one I got here was more of a red / bloody tone, which looks cool too. And well, I played a shitload of multiplayer on this game back then, it took most of the great things from the first two quake games, some doom in there too, and even unreal, all mixed there together for a bloody fun online experience, honestly.
I am playing this game on period correct hardware, a pentium 3 600Mhz pc with 386mb of Rdram and a Riva TNT2 32mb videocard and windows 2000, i am nostalgic about this game as this was the first "realistic" shooter i had ever seen, my best mate had a top notch gaming pc back in the days and he was showing of this game a lot to me, i love this game, its so nice and fast paced, i miss the online functionality, this was also something very cool!
Finding myself at home and extremely bored due to the Corona lockdown, I've been replaying my old games from what I consider PC's golden age (mid 90s to mid 2000s). I just finished Starcraft and Nocturne and now going back to FPS, Soldier of Fortune is up. I'm having more fun with it than I remember, and for the IdTech-2 AKA Quake II engine, the graphics are surprisingly impressive -- I'm assuming it must've been highly modified like they did for Kingpin: Life of Crime. Speaking of Kingpin, that and this game I think are *still* top contenders for goriest FPS of all time... Kingpin had tons of blood, gibbing, ability to blow off limbs, and tons of variant "pain skins" that would cause enemy NPCs to become covered in bullet holes, blood, and other visible wounds depending what they were shot with and where. SOF took that to the level of having 26 seperate 'gore zones', and added things like actual 3D-modelled broken bones jutting from severed limbs, loops of bloody intestines flopping out of gut wounds, jagged shattered skulls complete with brain chunks, and a variety of special NPC animations based on shot placement as well. Their custom "GHOUL" system did have a tactical effect on gameplay in that shot placement and weapon choice really mattered, but mostly it was an excuse for extreme gore. In that era FPS all seemed to push the gore/violence envelope as much as they could, but if anything we've moved backwards from that now. Can you really imagine anything with the gore of Kingpin or Soldier of Fortune coming out now? Especially with the almost photo-realistic level of texturing/modelling we can do these days? Anyway congrats if you read this far. Like I said, lots of boredom and time to kill. The point I was getting at with all this is that games like KP and SoF seem mostly remembered for their extensive controversy and media furor, and a lot of people now seem to regard them as one-trick ponies that were mediocre games at best. Not so. I had lots of fun with SoF back in the day (KP too!) and even in 2020 it's still a very fun, well made retro FPS game. Never did play the sequels, but maybe I'll give them a spin too if I run out of other stuff to play and world isn't back to some semblance of normalcy...
I was looking through my collection of ancient CD-ROMs the other day trying to locate my original copy of Blood. While looking for that, I also came across a copy of this game that I forgot I had. My computers were always too crappy back then to run games like this so I completely forgot that I had a copy. After watching this I'll have to pop it in and have a go at it.
I played the demo so many times, the gore/damage system was the best around, that's why I like games like Fallout New Vegas. I never understood how people hated this game when it was everything I could like about a game.
I remember playing this as a child (probably 8 or 9 years old) at my Uncle's house when I'd go to visit him the few times per year in the next city over. I fucking loved this game, I found it so awesome in the first mission cut scene when that terrorist blows the head off from that hostage.
God, SOF. I was fascinated with the hitboxes and how they'd react to the different weapon types. I sat for a good 15 minutes just knifing a body to see if it would gib (I don't think it would) so I moved onto small rounds and then the shotgun again, hands legs, torsos. My brother thought I was crazy, but in reality I was just examining the hitboxes of this weird program. It certainly wasn't a person, just a program that had these intricate hit boxes that would actually react to what you're doing -- at the time, Quake 2 was our most recent game. They'd just fall over after tanking enough bullets and maybe gib after enough damage. Who cares? But this? Totally different. My brother still thinks I'm a psychopath.
I had this for the PS2 and my brother had it and the sequel for PC. My only complaint was you were limited on taking my favorite gun in the game ( the 45) on like 2 missions. That pistol could seriously Gib enemies.
It was the game that put me to the path of FPS my first ever FPS i still luv SOF1 AND 2 and i still have both in superb gold box packing very very nice games when there was no FAR CRY and no Crysis
I think there is a certain beauty to the blockiness of early Unreal engine/Quake engine games till the Q3E/UE3. What these games lacked in tech they made up with great artistry in the fields of art and level design that you just don't really see often these days- for every more creatively looking shooter like Bioshock Infinity you get tens and hundreds of bog standard and dull past or modern warfare games.
Still have the physical copy for the Platinum Edition. And I'm using Windows 10 and the game runs, but sometimes you hit points where you drop to 5fps and I have the same issue on Windows 7. Though on Windows 7, you can run compatibility mode and it tends to work just fine. Luckily for me, I still have a PC from 2002 dedicated to older games that haven't been properly patched for newer operating systems. But Soldier of Fortune is worth playing for anyone who enjoys a gritty FPS. Though I think back in the day it was banned in a number of countries. Go check Wikipedia on that, it'll tell you more.
Clearly didn't play on Challenging or "Unfair". The game is brutal and downright cheap on these difficulties, and play time is going to be 10 hours or more with thousands of swear words hurled at the developers. There are times where it's clear they have an active contempt for the player. My favorite one was in the last level where a guy with the microwave gun literally spawns out of midair in front of you when you open a door and just fucking instakills you. Hope you had a save right before that! It's not nearly as good as people will have you believe. Perhaps it's more fun on lower difficulties, but I didn't enjoy it on Challenging (the second hardest setting, the one I always choose). Nostalgia can only go so far. There are better games to play.
I remember my step dad turning on the parental lock on the gore and id simply uninstall and reinstall it to get around the pass code and apply the gore again 😂 "how the fuck are you turning it back on?"
Hey GGG, were you able to setup a bots ? all servers are dead, and I want to try the multiplayer, there is an option to add bots, but the game wont let me, if I click add bot, nothing happens,
I don't care about the gore, this game was a pretty solid shooter! My favorite weapon is the M75 Guardian (which is also the best weapon in this game IIRC).
Funny story: Me and two other friends went up to Edinburgh and tried to buy a copy from a local Electronic's Beautic and they both got ID'd...except for me 👌 and did I forgot to mention I was the youngest 🤣
I used to kick ass on this game in online DM. I think I was ranked number 7 on a leaderboard, but SOF multiplayer never got as much attention when going against Counter Strike.
Wait, wait, wait, in the beginning you've said that the visuals still hold upt, but by the end you've said that the visuals are lackluster........make up your mind
+filip bodnar It's running on id Tech 2 aka Quake II engine which is from 1997 so of course it won't look that good anymore but it's still fun to play and runs on any PC that isn't exactly pre-historic. Also that dismemberment system still looks cool.
Yeah, I can see the appeal and I have played Quake 2 and thought it looked amazong for it´s time, I was just wondering why he said that the visuals still hold up and by the end said they look lackluster...but I´ve already said that before didn´t I? :D
Killing Floor 2 has a similar system, although it doesn't have as many "gore zones" probably because of the sheer amount of enemies. Blood on walls, floors and ceilings stays there for the entire game without despawning. Most games use decals for displaying blood, but KF2 actually edits the textures so it doesn't affect performance. This results in whole rooms covered in blood and body parts.
''Definitely not for kids'' I remember playing this game when I was about 10 years old haha! We never figured out how to save though, so didn't even finish it
I remember some British game magazine getting hilariously butthurt over this, what with Dunblane and especially Columbine still fresh in the mind. At the time I was an NPC who beleived everything the BBC told me, so used to take the piss out of it, always calling the main character "JAAAARN" instead of John. Still had a blast playing it at my cousin's though. I bought the second one too but it wasn't much fun, I just made "difficult" missions in the random mission maker and ran around with an M60 blowing everybody away.
I have big issues with the mouse sensitivity on this game, it seems strange, i am not confortable with that, is there any fix for this? Or any advices to adjust it? thaks
The 9mm weapons in this game cannot put dinnerplate sized holes in bodies, the only guns in this game that can dismember like that are the shotgun, desert eagle, heavy machinegun and slugthrower.
This game is now available on GOG.com
www.gog.com/game/soldier_of_fortune_platinum_edition
Official remaster incoming :
Step 1 : Release on a platform the original game.
Step 2 : Force content creators to remove their free content bringing extra features like wide resolutions, fixes and quality to the remaster you are planning : like SOFplus.
Step 3 : Remaster quickly the game with retextures, settings tweaks. Not too much effort, and funds come from the nostalgics who bought the edition on step 1.
Step 4 : Release your remaster and remove the original game.
Process was made for Duke Nukem 3D, Baldur's gate 1&2 and Icewind Dale 1&2. For SOF, Step 1 and 2 were done at this day.
Furthermore, SOF1 and 2 were free for download on abandonware sites. It's not the case anymore for SOF1. Right now, still accessible for SOF2.
Edit : SOF 2 also removed from myabandonware
The only bitching about this game that i have is the story so far, Serbians Attacking Russians?
Well since we are allies that story makes no sense, and who voiced those characters since that ain't even Serbian its just some random gibberish the devs pulled out of their ass, and in the rocket launch they got the numbers right until they tried to say 1 which was completely screwed, either then that the game is alright, but the enemies feel to easy to kill but a pretty fun Game Movie Hybrid.
I bought all of them immediately, it's about time they added the series. Still brings back memories.
You should ask for affiliate links for these games.
Soldier of Fortune lives on GOG!
Soldier Of Fortune 1 & 2 are incredibly underrated. They are masterpieces.
Sof 2 is a giant pile of shit... But a really fun pile of shit. If you find the right version of the KinEdition mod it greatly helps the SP experience.
Ah, Soldier of Fortune. Back in the days when Raven wasn't destroyed by Activision.
MrJenssen Wasn't Soldier of Fortune published by Activision?
Fort Gamer Indeed. Before they destroyed Raven.
MrJenssen Monolith is the only company left that can make a Soldier of Fortune 4.
Fort Gamer What about "MachineGames", the Developer who did "Wolfenstein: The New Order/The Old Blood"? I think they would do a very good Job of the Series if they went more for the "Gameplay Heavy" approach of "The Old Blood" rather than the "Story Heavy" approach of "The New Order", but still gave the game a Lot of Story (sort of Half Way between the near Storyless approach of "Old Blood" and the Story Drenched approach of "New Order", giving it a Similar amount of Story to SOF II).. as I think they really have worked out the Sweet Spot between incorporating Old School Gameplay design to match the preferences of PC Gamers, while meeting the Demands of the modern AAA Industry and the Console Gamer markets it feeds off.
"Monolith" would also do a superb Job as well if they used the Old School "Quake II" Gameplay style a SOF game needs.., but would their Publisher, Warner Brothers Interactive, let them use the "old school" gameplay style?, or would they want Monolith to make a "More Modern FPS" (I.e a Cry on Doody Clone)..resulting another...(Shudders) Payback, in order to Appeal more to the Console Gamer Market? in the same light, although Monolith are known to Specialize in PC development, Would Warner's allow them to Develop the Game for PC first, like they did with the (IMO, excellent) Shadow Of Mordor, and then Down-Port it to Next-Generation Console late in Development, in the same way SOF 1 and 2 Were made?, Or would they want them develop it for PS4 first, resulting in yet another Sub-Par PC game from the Beleaguered Publisher? and with SOF being Traditionally a PC franchise...a Sub-Par PC version would not be a good thing! Sorry, after Mortal Kombat X and Arkham Knight, I have real issues trusting Warner's when it comes to PC, Despite, IMO anyway, Shadow of Mordor and Dying Light (after a few Patches to deal with the latter Games Draw Distance Frame Rate bug anyway) being absolutely Exceptional on that Platform, and SOF really needs to be a PC game by Tradition.
I still feel "MachineGames" would make a Safer AAA bet! Albeit provided they used Unreal Engine 4 rather than idtech 5 (I don't know enough about DooM's new Idtech 6 engine to comment on it) so they can use the NVidia GameWorks (i feel that if a game is being developed Primarily for PC, GameWorks is basically mandatory, as it adds so many Spectacular Extra Effects) powered "MEAT" system from Tripwire Entertainment's "Killing Floor 2" especially as even Tripwire themselves Describe the MEAT system as basically "GHOUL 3 in all but the Name", and get Better Frame Rates (up to 144) as Unreal Engine 4 is optimized for PC were as idtech 5 (Capped at 60) was optimized for the 7th Generation Consoles.
Failing them, I think some of the Larger Independent Developers, such as Flying Wild Hog or Interceptor Entertainment would also do a Damn awesome Job, especially if Backed by a Larger Independent Publisher such as "Devolver Digital", and the game would be a Lot closer to SOF 1 in Story and Aesthetics (Over the Top, Stylized, very 1980s Action Movie) from them..as well as probably a PC exclusive :).. Where as one from a AAA company such as "MachineGames" or "Monolith" would probably be Closer to SOFII in Aesthetics and Story (very Real World, Very Serious, very...2000's Action Movie..More "The Expendables" (please note I am one of the people who loves that Film) than "Commando" basically) but still very close to SOF 1 in gameplay if Handled Right.
Sadly, it would probably need a AAA Publisher such as Bethesda (MachineGames) or Warner Brothers Interactive (Monolith) these Days in order to afford bringing back Todd Sussmann, Earl Bowen, Eric Oppenheimer, Etc to Voice their in Game Characters Again.
Unfortunately, if SOF ever does come back, it will probably be as a Full Franchise Reboot due to the Length of Time since the last game, and the Foul Taste it left in everyone's Mouth, rather than a Sequel to the two Classics. .
Simeon Yves I think Monolith would do more of a F.E.A.R. style gameplay,it fits completely with Soldier of Fortune.
I remember playing this game when I was about 10 and seeing those limbs fly off was amazing I thought
Heh. I played this game when i was seven, beat it like 20 times...
And I am normal... at least thats what the voices in my head keep telling me.
Sundiwarrior E D G Y
l0l
The voices in my head tell me talking to myself is normal... I believe them
Kids can handle seeing the exact same stuff in the media as adults can.
When i was a kid both adult and childrens media where a hundred times more violent and sexual than they are now and i think everybody that saw that stuff back then as kids are pefectly fine as adult now.
People thinking that kind of stuff will harm kids nowadays are just imagining things.
I remember geeking out over the violence in the game while dad looked on in amazement, bewilderment and amusement over the sheer joy appearing on his youngest daughter's face.
This game was way too fun back then, played the first level way too many times as some stress relief. Not sure if I ever beat it but man it was entertaining.
You forgot to mention the noise gauge which would summon more enemies if you peaked it!
My biggest problem with this game, and this is common to most all Raven games, is the way they spliced cutscenes into the middle of the levels. One second you're walking through a doorway like you've done a dozen times before and the next, the game is playing a cutscene to show your character doing something that not only could you have done yourself, but it would have been more fun actually doing it, than just watching a video of it.
lurkerrekrul then there would be no classical cutscenes
Half-Life is considered one of the greatest FPS games of all time and it doesn't have any cutscenes at all.
My main issue with Raven games is the way there's usually no transition from game to cutscene, it just happens instantly. And a lot of those cutscenes are pointless. For example, in Jedi Academy, you're stuck in a room with Kyle. When you find a hole in the wall, it changes to a cutscene to show you and Kyle jumping through it. It's not covering up a load and you could just as easily have jumped through it yourself. In fact you can force jump back up into the room. So why did it need to be a cutscene? When you face one of the bosses early on, you're doing well in the fight and then it instantly rips control away from you to show a cutscene of the boss escaping. Why couldn't they have just jumped out of reach and delivered their speech while you stayed in character? Why did that need to be a cutscene? Late in the game, you encounter the same boss a second time, and for nearly a minute the game fights the boss for you in a cutscene before letting you take over. I was so pissed, I almost quit the game right there.
must say man you review all my favorite games from my youth its great to see all these, appreciate the effort
Excellent reviews of the first two SoF games. My question is, do you plan on reviewing the abortion that was SoF Payback?
This brings back so many good memories, back when blood and gore were not considered offensive.
Thanks for the review!
captain price makes an appearance in the original call of duty as well.
I've been saying that for years now.
Makes him one of the oldest characters in cod if I'm not mistaken.
Theenemy38 Old? Price is beyond our petty measurement of time.
practically immortal
Theenemy38 Like Sam Fisher, the guy's almost sixty.
i'm working on a daikatana review at the moment...
To play it on win 7 search for soldier of fortune comunity edtion. sorry for my bad english.
I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart romaniuc paul, I have been wanting to play this on my PC for years but have never been able to because my hard copy just wouldn't work. SOF is my favourite game ever and you have made it possible for me to enjoy it all over again. You legend!
Thanks
No thank you brah =)
Your English is pretty decent.
Thanks lad
Well it would be a predecessor if anything, and no I wouldn't say that. Just the theme & story reminds me a bit of something from the MW series.
This game needs to make it onto steam that would really help it as this game is quite underrated.
This was a great game back in 2000 and it's still a great game today.
Fun game. The sequel was not so fun because of broken weapon recoil, crappy level design and awful stealth sections. They effectively butchered the franchise with Payback.
true about payback, but I enjoyed it all the same, the shitty graphics, bugs and glitches add to the charm of a game I call so bad its good
I remember the talk around school about being able to shoot of limbs. Finally got a copy and played it a bunch back in the day!!
This game was just pure and simple fun. It had no pretensions about it. Good stuff.
such a perfect game... the only flaw I remember is that in Siberia, enemy soldiers would spot you perfectly even in the fog, while you have problems seeing them... so you either go aggressively, or you have to remember where they are
dude more ppl need to know about this channel amazing reviews.
How did you get this game running on a modern system?
Saibot216 It just works.
Doesn't on mine :\
+Saibot216 Try "Soldier of Fortune Community Edition", it's a fan-made version of SoF which works perfectly on modern computers, multiplayer and all.
Nice, thanks!
+ThoRCX yeah man thanks I broke out my copy and couldn't get online no more hosting available
Remember getting the PC Gamer Demo Disc (CD ROM) with this demo on it, one of first few "modern" PC Games I bought, along with Deus Ex, NOLF, Giants: Citizen Kabuto and SW:JKII. The Quake II engine produced some real gems back then - love all of those games it was built on.
SOF 1 is the best SOF game, although sof 2 had some neat stuff from the improved gore system, the dual wielding system, the fire modes up to some weapons like the USAS 12 which was a badass automatic shotgun, inbefore the AA12, the game also have the MM1 badass MGL with 10 grenades a drum, other than that I preferred SOF1 weaponry I mean we have badass microwaves, 4 shot rocket launcher, a flamethrower, a machinegun with underslung WP grenade launcher, an awesome autocannon. Even SOF 2's OICW was quite neat, but a bit clunky to use, and the lack of ammo and circumstances to use it at full potential (grenade launcher lacked of a window mode for example. Also the Single player was much better built in SOF 1 SOF 2 isn't a bad game, but SOF 2's shine was more the multiplayer than the single player. SOF 1 platinum is great to me fun to play and replay, so satisfying. I think SOF 1 was great by not being very realistic while SOF 2 was a bit broken by the realism and its bad implementation
I remember playing this game at my buddies house back in the day and it blew my mind.
Why isn't this game on steam!!???
+Greater Dogg Activision. Save for a few (admittedly cool) easter eggs, they don't seem huge on preserving their past and on top of that they swept pretty much ALL of their FPS developers under the giant Call of Duty rug. Raven Software (The guys that did this game)? CoD map packs. NERVE Software, who did the multiplayer stuff for Wolfenstein and were founded by an ex ID Software employee? CoD map packs. Go to their website and you'll get buried references to their past works, but not after going through a million graphics for - you guessed it - CoD map packs. I bet if ID Software didn't sell to Bethesda and instead sold to Activision when it no longer became feasible for them to remain independent, after RAGE didn't turn out to be a million seller ID Software would be doing CoD map packs too. I try not to be the one who just points at CoD and hisses like it's EVERYTHING wrong with the game industry (Trust me, it has plenty of non-CoD related bullshit. In fact I'm more at the "Don't care about it" phase when it comes to CoD, I don't think it's actively *causing* the major problems in the industry even if it perpetuates them.) but this is a scenerio where Activision is clearly willing to just throw talented developers with plenty of great ideas under the bus and just have them crank out more CoD.
+Kaye Faye Problem are the CoD kiddies and console players. Old-school PC FPS is kinda dead today. Even the new Doom will be some consolized Halo wannabe. Atleast we still got Serious Sam and a backlog of classic PC shooters.
+xyz12345 That certainly is a part of it, yes. As I made clear in my post, Activision is too busy milking the shit out of CoD and having their talented studios crap out map packs to let them create anything worth while. As for DOOM 4? I'm still cautiously optimistic for the single player. I didn't really care about MP in the first place even if it did sadden me to find out that they quite literally outsourced it to the same studio as the recent Halo MP modes, which even Halo fans tell me haven't been good in almost a decade if not more which is around the time Certain Affinity took over the MP from Bungie. But I will be OK if Doom 4 is even just as good as, say, Wolfenstein: The New Order. I don't expect it to be a true hardcore shooter, you are pretty much only going to get that from the indie circuits. And yeah, we have Serious Sam still. And also Flying Wild Hog.
I'm definitely looking forward to the next Shadow Warrior, it looks like they're addressing some of my complaints over their first entry in the reboot series, which was flawed but still very fun. I'm also curious to see how Blackroom turns out. I know some people are still leery after the Daikatana debacle, but I still think Romero has it in him if he remains laser focused, and who is to say he hasn't learned from the past? But obviously, only time will tell and it will be awhile before its out.
You can download it for free from SOF community website
i just discovered your channel and it's great you have so much content and good reviews keep it up you're easily one of my new favorite reviewers if possible can you try to get ps4 game reviews?
If the PS4 had more worthwhile FPS games I'd probably review them.
Imagine a game like this today, critics will be all over it. Gonna sensor the shit out of it.
Hao Liu
Actually,
if Soldier of Fortune was released nowadays it wouldn’t be much of a big deal since the people got soo used to with games that contain gore and violence that they’ll just say “It’s just another generic FPS shooter”.
Nice review, I still have the original box for this game for the EU (UK) version released here, the American box art was more similar to that of SOF II, but the one I got here was more of a red / bloody tone, which looks cool too. And well, I played a shitload of multiplayer on this game back then, it took most of the great things from the first two quake games, some doom in there too, and even unreal, all mixed there together for a bloody fun online experience, honestly.
the box I'm thinking of for the pal ps2 release , shows a spas 12 shotgun on the ground covered in blood, you knew you in for a good time ha
Guess what just got released on GOG Sonnyjims.
OMG the feels, THE FEELS!
Anybody here played multiplayer arsenal mode for this back in the day?
Chaotic, absurd, awesome stuff!
Nothing since then has ever come close!
I remember going to my cousin's house to play this, and being fascinated by the cutting-edge gore.
Oh man Soldier of Fortune 2 I put so many time in that game, specially the multiplayer.
I used to multiplayer this game and LOVED IT.
I am playing this game on period correct hardware, a pentium 3 600Mhz pc with 386mb of Rdram and a Riva TNT2 32mb videocard and windows 2000, i am nostalgic about this game as this was the first "realistic" shooter i had ever seen, my best mate had a top notch gaming pc back in the days and he was showing of this game a lot to me, i love this game, its so nice and fast paced, i miss the online functionality, this was also something very cool!
I really really enjoyed this game as a kid.
Hey, thx for review, I love this game... but Cpt. Price from Modern Warfare?? That chap is with us from the the beginning of COD :)
I got this game bundled with the motherboard for my very first PC! It was the first FPS i played on my own.
ah yes, the bean can mic
played this game when it came out quite a bit- still have it kicking around somewhere I'm sure.
Finding myself at home and extremely bored due to the Corona lockdown, I've been replaying my old games from what I consider PC's golden age (mid 90s to mid 2000s). I just finished Starcraft and Nocturne and now going back to FPS, Soldier of Fortune is up. I'm having more fun with it than I remember, and for the IdTech-2 AKA Quake II engine, the graphics are surprisingly impressive -- I'm assuming it must've been highly modified like they did for Kingpin: Life of Crime.
Speaking of Kingpin, that and this game I think are *still* top contenders for goriest FPS of all time... Kingpin had tons of blood, gibbing, ability to blow off limbs, and tons of variant "pain skins" that would cause enemy NPCs to become covered in bullet holes, blood, and other visible wounds depending what they were shot with and where. SOF took that to the level of having 26 seperate 'gore zones', and added things like actual 3D-modelled broken bones jutting from severed limbs, loops of bloody intestines flopping out of gut wounds, jagged shattered skulls complete with brain chunks, and a variety of special NPC animations based on shot placement as well. Their custom "GHOUL" system did have a tactical effect on gameplay in that shot placement and weapon choice really mattered, but mostly it was an excuse for extreme gore. In that era FPS all seemed to push the gore/violence envelope as much as they could, but if anything we've moved backwards from that now. Can you really imagine anything with the gore of Kingpin or Soldier of Fortune coming out now? Especially with the almost photo-realistic level of texturing/modelling we can do these days?
Anyway congrats if you read this far. Like I said, lots of boredom and time to kill. The point I was getting at with all this is that games like KP and SoF seem mostly remembered for their extensive controversy and media furor, and a lot of people now seem to regard them as one-trick ponies that were mediocre games at best. Not so. I had lots of fun with SoF back in the day (KP too!) and even in 2020 it's still a very fun, well made retro FPS game. Never did play the sequels, but maybe I'll give them a spin too if I run out of other stuff to play and world isn't back to some semblance of normalcy...
I loved Soldier of fortune double helix as a kid
Memories... I have a copy of this on CDROM in a box somewhere, with my Quake 2 and Half Life CD's. The sequel was pretty interesting too.
soldier of fortune special edition is the same game as this?
Want a sequel to this !
can't get this game to work on windows 10.
Thats why i still have a copy of Windows XP
I was looking through my collection of ancient CD-ROMs the other day trying to locate my original copy of Blood. While looking for that, I also came across a copy of this game that I forgot I had. My computers were always too crappy back then to run games like this so I completely forgot that I had a copy. After watching this I'll have to pop it in and have a go at it.
I played the demo so many times, the gore/damage system was the best around, that's why I like games like Fallout New Vegas. I never understood how people hated this game when it was everything I could like about a game.
I remember this game having insane system requirements for it's time. My PC could barely run it.
I remember playing this as a child (probably 8 or 9 years old) at my Uncle's house when I'd go to visit him the few times per year in the next city over. I fucking loved this game, I found it so awesome in the first mission cut scene when that terrorist blows the head off from that hostage.
When I was small, I played this game without understanding that 1.) I could purchase weapon before the mission. 2.) I could run until half of the game
2:48, the mac 10 is .45 not 9mm.
Damn, SoF was a badass game at the time!
God, SOF. I was fascinated with the hitboxes and how they'd react to the different weapon types. I sat for a good 15 minutes just knifing a body to see if it would gib (I don't think it would) so I moved onto small rounds and then the shotgun again, hands legs, torsos. My brother thought I was crazy, but in reality I was just examining the hitboxes of this weird program. It certainly wasn't a person, just a program that had these intricate hit boxes that would actually react to what you're doing -- at the time, Quake 2 was our most recent game. They'd just fall over after tanking enough bullets and maybe gib after enough damage. Who cares? But this? Totally different.
My brother still thinks I'm a psychopath.
I'm gonna pick this up from Steam, looks sweet.
MrSuperVikingo Ye can't m80
This game was awesome! I have both the original version of this and the later release which was a "Tactical Low-Violence Version"
I just picked this up for the PS2 from a used store for 50 cents, plays great and is hella fun
Forgot No One Lives Forever also came out in 2000 :P
Which version of soldier of fortune is the best? Gold, Platinum or the original? I would really like to know.
I had this for the PS2 and my brother had it and the sequel for PC. My only complaint was you were limited on taking my favorite gun in the game ( the 45) on like 2 missions. That pistol could seriously Gib enemies.
This game was a MONSTER of old skill FPS 👌💜
Back then this beast had a long loading time on pIII processor
It was the game that put me to the path of FPS my first ever FPS i still luv SOF1 AND 2 and i still have both in superb gold box packing very very nice games when there was no FAR CRY and no Crysis
Is there any place you can download this?
I think there is a certain beauty to the blockiness of early Unreal engine/Quake engine games till the Q3E/UE3.
What these games lacked in tech they made up with great artistry in the fields of art and level design that you just don't really see often these days- for every more creatively looking shooter like Bioshock Infinity you get tens and hundreds of bog standard and dull past or modern warfare games.
And now (as in today) SoF is available through Good Old Games!
This game is awesome I'm rly surprised it's not on GOG
Still have the physical copy for the Platinum Edition.
And I'm using Windows 10 and the game runs, but sometimes you hit points where you drop to 5fps and I have the same issue on Windows 7. Though on Windows 7, you can run compatibility mode and it tends to work just fine. Luckily for me, I still have a PC from 2002 dedicated to older games that haven't been properly patched for newer operating systems.
But Soldier of Fortune is worth playing for anyone who enjoys a gritty FPS.
Though I think back in the day it was banned in a number of countries. Go check Wikipedia on that, it'll tell you more.
still remember the first time I played this game!
watching Batman Forever, Diablo 2...
Clearly didn't play on Challenging or "Unfair". The game is brutal and downright cheap on these difficulties, and play time is going to be 10 hours or more with thousands of swear words hurled at the developers. There are times where it's clear they have an active contempt for the player.
My favorite one was in the last level where a guy with the microwave gun literally spawns out of midair in front of you when you open a door and just fucking instakills you. Hope you had a save right before that!
It's not nearly as good as people will have you believe. Perhaps it's more fun on lower difficulties, but I didn't enjoy it on Challenging (the second hardest setting, the one I always choose). Nostalgia can only go so far. There are better games to play.
I remember my step dad turning on the parental lock on the gore and id simply uninstall and reinstall it to get around the pass code and apply the gore again 😂 "how the fuck are you turning it back on?"
Hey GGG, were you able to setup a bots ? all servers are dead, and I want to try the multiplayer, there is an option to add bots, but the game wont let me, if I click add bot, nothing happens,
I'd say the gore was more realistic than most shooters where the bad guys are saying ouch when taking a slug to the leg
are you excited for doom?
So much memories with this game :D :D
I don't really know where John Mullins ends and Gman begins.
2000 eh? dont forget it also saw the release of timesplitters and red faction
is on gog.com
I don't care about the gore, this game was a pretty solid shooter! My favorite weapon is the M75 Guardian (which is also the best weapon in this game IIRC).
Funny story: Me and two other friends went up to Edinburgh and tried to buy a copy from a local Electronic's Beautic and they both got ID'd...except for me 👌 and did I forgot to mention I was the youngest 🤣
I used to kick ass on this game in online DM. I think I was ranked number 7 on a leaderboard, but SOF multiplayer never got as much attention when going against Counter Strike.
"This definitely isn't one for the kiddies."Played this game at age like 9*whistles and slowly walks out of room*
The micro wave and its brutal secondary mode...... sof 2 missed out on this kinda fun...
The shop is also the name of the government organization from the Stephen King book firestarter
Wait, wait, wait, in the beginning you've said that the visuals still hold upt, but by the end you've said that the visuals are lackluster........make up your mind
I said the textures still hold up.
Gggmanlives My bad man, should have double checked :D
Gggmanlives Oh and you should definitely do a review for soldier of fortune: payback. I heard that it sucks ASS
+filip bodnar It's running on id Tech 2 aka Quake II engine which is from 1997 so of course it won't look that good anymore but it's still fun to play and runs on any PC that isn't exactly pre-historic. Also that dismemberment system still looks cool.
Yeah, I can see the appeal and I have played Quake 2 and thought it looked amazong for it´s time, I was just wondering why he said that the visuals still hold up and by the end said they look lackluster...but I´ve already said that before didn´t I? :D
I tried entering the domain Name and I don't know what it is. I need help, would love to have this game again.
Download it here www.theisozone.com/downloads/pc/windows-games/soldier-of-fortune---community-edition-v61/
I miss this in modern games, How badass wouldn't it be to have this violence in a modern fps :D
Killing Floor 2 has a similar system, although it doesn't have as many "gore zones" probably because of the sheer amount of enemies. Blood on walls, floors and ceilings stays there for the entire game without despawning. Most games use decals for displaying blood, but KF2 actually edits the textures so it doesn't affect performance. This results in whole rooms covered in blood and body parts.
7 years.. damn son.. been incredible to watch you grow, G 😘
is this game on gog
Considered one of most violent game of that past years.
''Definitely not for kids'' I remember playing this game when I was about 10 years old haha!
We never figured out how to save though, so didn't even finish it
Well DUH, now I suddenly find out that SoF had gore -_- Apparently, version I had was hard-wired censored, it did not even had blood.
I think there were gore adjustment options.
One of the most bloody games I've ever played
sooo Soldier of fortune could be a spiritual succsesor to Cod 4?
I remember some British game magazine getting hilariously butthurt over this, what with Dunblane and especially Columbine still fresh in the mind. At the time I was an NPC who beleived everything the BBC told me, so used to take the piss out of it, always calling the main character "JAAAARN" instead of John. Still had a blast playing it at my cousin's though. I bought the second one too but it wasn't much fun, I just made "difficult" missions in the random mission maker and ran around with an M60 blowing everybody away.
The only thing I remember of this game was the ball shooting :D
I have big issues with the mouse sensitivity on this game, it seems strange, i am not confortable with that, is there any fix for this? Or any advices to adjust it? thaks
adjust it...
Adjust your mouse settings on your system before the in game slider...
The 9mm weapons in this game cannot put dinnerplate sized holes in bodies, the only guns in this game that can dismember like that are the shotgun, desert eagle, heavy machinegun and slugthrower.