Soldier of Fortune: Payback (Xbox 360) Preview
Posted by Ramon Aranda on 11.07.2007
Hands-On: Blood sweat and tears. Oh and more blood!
I had a chance to get a hands-on preview earlier today at Sandbox Strategies of Activision's upcoming title "Soldier of Fortune: Payback". Having not played the original I came in with an open mind to check out yet another FPS title set in the Middle East.
From the get go you see that the game looks very pretty. Similar in graphics to a lot of the most recent shooters such as Call of Duty and Ghost Recon, the backdrops look gorgeous while the terrains are very detailed and lifelike. Having said that, the beauty of this game is the physics. Getting into the action you'll notice how shooting your enemies in different parts of their bodies results in different reactions. For instance, if you shoot an enemy in the kneecap, he'll likely either fall to his knees or will drag his leg as he attempts to shoot back. In these instances, it's easy to see how the AI has been given a shot in the arm. Enemies are intelligent and will try to kill you at all costs. Say you blow a guy's arm off, he'll start bleeding to death but may have just enough left in him to try and kill you with his working arm. Unlike in many first-person shooters out there, there are no rag doll physics meaning that your enemies won't simply fall to the ground or fly in the air but rather show that they are hurt, and their bodies may slump over in realistic fashion.
In one occasion, I shot a soldier right in the chest; for sure I figured the guy was as good as dead, but to my surprise, the soldier slowly rose to his feet while bleeding and attempted to take a mounted gun and shoot back. I like the fact that the game presents real life situations such as enemies trying to get you with their last breath. The A.I. however isn't the only thing that has impressed me so far. The gore in this game is presented in an inhumane fashion that I can't help but chuckle over. Sure you can unload a clip into someone's back as you work your way through the dangerous streets, but where the real fun lays is in the different ways to kill. Enemies' limbs can be blown off one by one and the blood literally spills everywhere. Say you blow off someone's head with a picture-perfect sniper shot to the forehead; you can still walk up to the fallen soldier and shoot away parts of his body and parts of those parts.
One of my favorite kills was when I sniped a guy in the neck….the enemy fell to both knees grasping at his neck while he bled profusely. As I ran towards him, I saw he was still alive as he leaned against the crumbling wall; not to be unkind, I thought I'd save him from further suffering so I blasted him in the chest with my shotgun as his body exploded all over the floor. Good stuff!
I didn't get a chance to delve into the multiplayer mode but was explained that it would include "Capture the Flag", and "Deathmatch" modes along with a mode in which you try and plant an explosive and the other team has to try and diffuse it before it goes off; sounds interesting. Online matches will be limited to 12-players but that seems to be due to the advanced physics engine that uses up a lot of resources. The game ran pretty smoothly though it seemed to dip below 30fps in certain areas.
"Soldier of Fortune" is due out on November 13th for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. Stay tuned for our full review once we receive the retail copy sometime in the next week or so. Meanwhile, check out the official trailer below!
