Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix

La qualité des textures est incontestable, les personnages magnifiques, les objets fidelement modélisés, la végétation luxuriante. Ce jeu est un régal pour les yeux... si on possède la bête de course adéquate! Un iMac 700 G4 peine à le faire tourner en 640*480 tout médium 16 bit. Voilà où ça fait mal. Ce jeu sera une valeure sûre sur Mac... dans deux ans, quand le parc informatique sera apte à le faire tourner. Seuls les bi processeurs sont aujourd'hui capables de lancer SOF 2 "correctement". Autre point qui nous chagrine: l'abandon de Mac OS 9. Le jeu utilise le moteur de Q3 Team Arena qui a servi à batîr RTCW ou MoH:AA. On connaît la différence de framerate entre 9 et X. Peut-être un portage sous 9 aurait abaisser d'un poil la config requise. Dommage.

Raven Software has had a long line of successful FPS titles dating back to the early days of Heretic and Hexen. They have steadily improved with each new release making use of the best of current technology as their recent releases such as Voyager: Elite Force, and Star Wars: Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast clearly prove.

SoF 2 jest z pewnością grą ciekawą i bardzo wciągającą. Duży plus należy się autorom za spory wybór broni i naprawdę długie misje z zaskakującymi zwrotami akcji, a także za możliwość cichego likwidowania przeciwników. Niestety gra nie ustrzegła się wielu błędów, które potrafią być irytujące, ale w żadnym razie jej nie dyskwalifikują.

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...

The bottom line is Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix is an all out blasting good time. If you like first-person shooters with lots blood, fire fights, screaming and explosions - then you'll rip through this - loving every minute of it.

This will once again be a highly discussed game due to the large gore factor, but it offers everything you could possibly want in a First Person Shooter: extensive single player mode with a very large amount of maps and missions (in different locations so it doesn't get boring), high degree of realism, high blood factor, excellent graphics, and great sound effects. Apart from the lack of bosses at the end of each mission and the (in my personal opinion) somewhat shady accuracy, this game has all it needs to be a VERY good gaming experience with great replay value. Now, let's hope the gaming community gets the chance to go wild with the multiplayer aspect in creating new skins and extra maps, and we'll be set for years to come! If you have not yet purchased this title, then what are you waiting for?! This game is easily the best First Person Shooter to come out this year!!! I'm out for blood ... see you in the ring!

Rezultatul se vede, avem de a face cu un titlu care incearca sa imbine doua tipuri de jocuri apartinand genului FPS: cel orientat spre actiune furibunda (Doom, Serious Sam) cu cel axat pe o actiune care necesita si alte calitati din partea jucatorului decat cele de indemanare privind folosirea tastelor si a mouse-ului.

All in all, the game is a fantastic thrill ride filled with all of the action and carnage you would expect from Raven, Mullins, and the franchise. The game supports 32 player online play, and has a "Random Mission Generator" that creates single-player scenarios in totally new environments each time. This is a nice feature, but every environment is outdoors and relatively baron. If you're a fan of the trademark carnage of the original SOF, do not hesitate to buy this game. For as frustrating as some of the bugs made it, this reviewer is going to play through it again just to experience the visceral thrill that comes from dishing out pain Mullins style.

Utilising a modified Quake 3 engine, the environments are visually stunning and highly interactive, spanning the globe from Colombia to Prague. And with its mix of closequarters engagement and outdoors assault, Soldier Of Fortune 2 never becomes stale or repetitive. The missions are varied, requiring stealth, subterfuge and often a simple gunsblazing approach to succeed. Don't expect it to be a walk in the park either. You may be good, but so are your enemies - the artificial intelligence is downright spooky. They'll employ tact, surprise and teamwork, stopping at nothing to stop you. There is no doubt Soldier of Fortune 2 will be a huge hit with the firstperson shooter fans - not for its impressive storyline or graphic engine, but because people just love killing terrorists in the most violent ways possible.

All in all I highly recommend this sequel. If you have never played SOF or even if you’re a SOF nut, this is a must have for any FPS fan!

I could spend days exploring the fine points of Soldier of Fortune 2. At first glance, it may seem like most other shooters, but it does so many things well, and offers so much replay value within the random mission generator and multiplayer modes that it's easily one of the best action games you'll play this year … and possibly well into 2003.

I think this is the highest score I’ve ever given a game on the Empire. Looking at some of the great titles I’ve had the privilege of reviewing, it seems slightly out of place that a sequel that seems nothing more than a solid game should claim the mighty rare "9". Some would say that 9 is in fact the highest expression of numerical value. Philosophical and numerological propositions aside, Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix (SOF2) is definitely deserving of all its praise and all of its high scores and ratings.

Who would I recommend this game to? Fans of the first Soldier of Fortune will definitely enjoy the improvements. There’s nothing worse in SOF2, so I can’t see why someone would like the first but not the second. There are plenty of people that will get a kick out of the gore factor in SOF2, although the gameplay is worth more than a no-brain gore fest. However, some people may be disturbed at the well-acted death screams and enemies begging for their lives. SOF2 is probably not a good FPS to get started into the genre on if you’re not a veteran, your aim needs to be very good and the enemies can be pretty sneaky. Innovative? Not really. Fun? Yes. Besides the obvious improvements like graphics and sound effects, everything on Soldier of Fortune 2 is better than the original. The story, single player campaign, AI, weapons, multiplayer, and map design are light years ahead of the first.

In the end I imagine you will all come to the same conclusion as I. Who in the hell really cares if it's not as good as this and that when looking at this and that? Solider of Fortune II is a brilliantly fun first-person shooter with an outstanding multiplayer component, and despite its shortcomings and similarity to the original, excels well enough in critical areas to be at the very least worthwhile and at the very best really good.

Raven Software offre une digne suite à Soldier of Fortune avec un jeu toujours aussi plaisant, bourré d'action et de violence du début jusqu'à la fin. Rien de très original, rien de très subtil, juste un très bon shoot servi par une réalisation impeccable.

Hoewel het game enkele nieuwe elementen toevoegt die niet altijd even goed lijken te werken, behoudt en verbetert het zowat elk element van het origineel, zowel in het singleplayer- als het multiplayergedeelte. Vergeet het rondsluipen en speel dit spel zoals het gespeeld moet worden!

Soldier of Fortune 2 is een indrukwekkende FPS die realistisch wapentuig en degelijke A.I. hoog in het vaandel voert.

That’s it, Soldier of Fortune 2: Double Helix is a big big hit (as was to be expected) and will make many people happy, but will also leave several avid gamers with a tiny unexplainable feeling of disappointment. Right, let’s keep going until SoF 3 now, shall we ?

Jag tycker att SoF II är en utmärkt shooter som levererar vad utvecklarna har lovat. Raven Software vet exakt hur de ska göra för att få den rätta känslan i en shooter. Uppdragen är häftigare än i föregångaren, fienden är smartare, vapnen är mer realistiska och grafiken är mycket snyggare. De som letar efter några mer revolutionerande nyheter kommer att bli besvikna, men om du är ute efter en traditionell actionfest lär du njuta av Ravens hantverk.

Nach dem anfänglichen Erstaunen, dass ich mich in unserer deutschen Testversion mit Androiden rumschlage, hat es mir Soldier of Fortune 2 richtig angetan. Von der Grafik bis zum Leveldesign, von der sauberen KI bis zur spannenden Handlung – es stimmt praktisch alles. Es macht Spaß, im Flughafen Geiseln zu retten oder mir im Dschungel heiße Schießereien mit Terroristen zu liefern, die sich auch noch einigermaßen schlau verhalten. Groß zu motzen habe ich kaum was. Die Ladezeiten nerven, und gelegentlich verschmelzen die Gegner zu sehr mit der Umgebung und sind schlecht zu erkennen. Davon abgesehen liefert Raven nach Jedi Knight 2 erneut Qualität ab. Das wirkt hier wegen des Echtwelt-Szenarios weniger spektakulär als im Star-Wars-Spiel. Wenn Sie aber lieber bodenständig kämpfen, dürfen Sie zum Spielegeschäft stapfen.

Soldier of Fortune 2: Double Helix ist ein routiniert gemachtes Actionspiel und setzt auf bewährte Zutaten: viele Waffen, Unmengen an Gegnern, abwechslungsreiche Levels. Sie übernehmen die Rolle des Söldners John Mullins, der in Diensten der Geheimorganisation "The Shop" heikle Missionen auf der ganzen Welt erfüllt, um Bösewichter dingfest zu machen - und zwar die Sorte von Fieslingen, die sich von ihren kranken Machenschaften nur mit Waffengewalt abhalten lassen. Als Terroristen mit verheerenden biologischen Kampfstoffen alle Bewohner eines kolumbianischen Dorfes vernichten, klingeln beim "Shop" natürlich die Alarmglocken und Sie gehen der Sache auf den Grund.

The fact that there has been only one patch since the game was released on May 21st shows how much time and effort they put into making this game. Although there aren't many MP user-made maps available yet, I suspect that once people catch onto this game's real value, custom-made maps and mods will flourish. Despite those weaknesses, lack of weapons and maps, this game is worth every penny. Definitely recommended.

Though the plot, the sneaking, and the environments don't amount to much, about 90 percent of Soldier of Fortune II consists of gunfights. And, as in the first game, the developers definitely get that part right. Besides which, the infiltration mode alone is enough reason to recommend Soldier of Fortune II, a sequel that succeeds more on solid improvements than innovation.

At the end of the day, Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix more than holds its own in this crowded genre. It's not spectacular, but it knows what it does well and sticks with it. Good graphics, fun gameplay, crafty AI, a random mission generator and more bursting heads than you'd find on a teenager's face will keep this one on my hard drive until the bitter end.

Солдат удачи возвращается после небольшого отпуска. Новый движок, новая физическая модель, новые миссии, новые проблемы.

Bei Soldier of Fortune II gibt es einiges zu tun, denn ganze Horden von Terroristen warten in einer anständigen Level-Auswahl auf den tapferen Helden John Mullins. Dabei ist die KI der Gegner nicht gerade der Hammer, aber dennoch ganz witzig anzusehen: Haben die Terroristen uns erst einmal entdeckt, gehen sie teilweise in Deckung und schicken mehrere Schergen mit nervösen Abzugsfingern voraus, um nach dem Rechten zu sehen. Leider ist die Grafik nicht besonders geraten. Es gibt zahlreiche Passagen, die wie die Pest ruckeln - nicht gerade gut für einen Ego-Shooter! Außerdem zerren zusätzlich elend lange Ladezeiten an den Nerven. Auf der Habenseite kann SoF II den einfachen Missions-Editor und die Xbox-Live-Unterstützung verbuchen. Unterm Strich reicht es nicht für einen Hit, aber Action-Fans ab 18 werden dennoch ihren Spaß mit dem Game haben.

I have a few other quibbles with the game; it takes a pretty healthy machine to run, and the single player missions can vary wildly as to quality and level of difficulty. But mostly I'm disappointed that the game's designers didn't focus on what Soldier of Fortune does well-quasi-realistic first person action-packed shooting. The game's poorly executed attempts to be something more than that just draw attention to what the Solider of Fortune II really is-a lot like Soldier of Fortune. And that's pretty good.

Sans conteste le shoot du moment pour ceux qui souhaitent laisser un peu de côté Wolfenstein ou Medal Of Honnor. SoF 2 est un régal à tous points de vue, on ne le déconseillera qu'aux joueurs les plus jeunes ou aux gens atteints de schisophrénie avec tendance psychophate.

Once you accept that SOF2 is a heavily structured shooter (as opposed to Rainbow Six, where the game was essentially a reaction to your planning, or Deus Ex, which was the had the widest structure of any game I've ever played), it's a lot of fun. Running straight in, guns a-blazing will often get you killed, so you have to think a bit. But just when you get used to that, you'll run into a situation where you should simply rush the enemies, catching them unprepared. Despite it's lack of any great innovation, I found myself enjoying it tremendously.

Il est grand, il est viril, il aime se battre et en bon américain patriote, il aime pas les terroristes. Ce héros des temps modernes, cette armée à lui tout seul, c’est bien sûr Mullins, John Mullins, personnage central de la saga Soldier of Fortune. Après avoir nettoyé le métro de New York dans le premier opus, le célèbre mercenaire revient plus en verve que jamais, prêt à en découdre comme pas deux pour sauver la veuve, l’orphelin, et le deuxième amendement. Cette fois-ci, Mullins, toujours employé par l’organisation nommée « le Magasin », devra tout mettre en œuvre pour arrêter un groupuscule plus que belliqueux, bien décidés à répandre un virus mortel sur le sol de l’Oncle Sam.

Soldier of Fortune II may sound like a mixed bag, but the action proves intense enough for players to forget the flaws

Even with these reservations, SoF2 is currently unique in the Mac gaming space. While some Quake 3 total conversions (such as Silicon Ice’s excellent Urban Terror @ http://www.urbanterror.net/ ) and Red Storm Entertainment's Rainbow Six & Rogue Spear games have been remarkably successful at bringing the modern counter-terrorism experience to the Mac gamer, SoF2 is an FPS game that creates an almost perfect action-style experience with enough strategic gameplay elements to make the story credible. SoF2’s near-limitless replay value thanks to random map & scenario generation is a also tough act to follow. Adding to that the ability to inflict realistic damage on targets in a wide variety of indoor & outdoor environments in varying weather conditions makes SoF2 a worthy addition to any Mac shooter fan’s software library.

Śliczna, grywalna, cudowna – to opinie jednych. Wtórna, nudna, przereklamowana – drugich. Jaka jest prawda o „Soldier of Fortune II”? Ta, jak chyba zwykle, leży gdzieś po środku. Fakt, że prócz zaawansowania graficznego (technologia GHOUL2 odpowiadająca za zachowanie i wygląd poszczególnych postaci/ obiektów, jako mała rewolucja zapowiadana była już od dłuższego czasu) gra nie wnosi zbyt wiele do gatunku FPP, nie umniejsza jednak jej zasługom, jako jednej z najbardziej przesyconych brutalnością, ale i zarazem grywalnych produkcji. Jeżeli będziemy pamiętać, aby przed zagraniem ukończyć 18 rok życia, czas przy niej spędzony z pewnością nie okaże się dla nas ani destrukcyjny, ani też zmarnowany.

In short, Soldier of Fortune II puts more effort into making the game which comes out of the box as playable as possible without the need to install mods, add-ons or patches. Trust me on this one: Soldier of Fortune II will not run out on gameplay before you run out of interest. This is a brilliant accomplishment and let's hope other games follow suit.

This game lacks the intuitive storyline, but is targeted for those of you who do not care and are only interested in killing everything that is in sight. If you are looking for an engrossing storyline to accompany the game play, I would suggest you look elsewhere.

Solid controls and plenty of missions aren’t enough to ignore the glaring flaws this game possesses and, sadly enough, it holds this game back from being the best console version of the Soldier of Fortune series. The game is still fun enough to play and the online multiplayer feature alone is worth the price of a rental.

Au final, on a vraiment le sentiment que pour réaliser ce portage, tout ce qu'on a souhaité conserver de SOF 2, c'est sa violence, du sang partout et des gros flingues. Techniquement appauvri et en deçà des capacités de la Xbox, amputé d'une partie de son gameplay, Soldier Of Fortune 2 s'est transformé en un FPS bourrin, rigolo mais sans envergure et aura du mal à tenir tête à RTCW.

Even though the single player campaign sucks, there is about 20-30 hours of gameplay here, that is, if you actually feel like completing the story. As you already know, multi-player is great and Xbox Live only ups the value of Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix. The headset is great for these multi-player modes and all of the weapons and maps keep you playing different levels and learning to use different guns in different situations. Soldier of Fortune II was better on the PC, but this also is a solid game overall, but only as a rental.

When I play Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix, all I can think of is that it simply doesn't do it for me like Return to Wolfenstein. I realize it's more realistic than RTCW, but there are some glaring problems with the port from the PC. It doesn't look that great, and the surround sound is off enough that it actually impairs your ability to play the game. It did for me. In the end, I will always pick Castle Wolfenstein over this game every time. I would probably pick Ghost Recon over this game too. I just can't get into it no matter how hard I tried. Those are the games I would recommend over this one.

Будь Soldier of Fortune 2 фильмом, она бы вошла в когорту летних экшен-картин, которыми североамериканские кинотеатры наводняются в преддверии крупных осенних премьер. Экранное действие вряд ли заставит вас пронести попкорн мимо рта или расплескать кока-колу, сюжет вял настолько, что за ним можно следить, не отрываясь от беседы по сотовому, а после сеанса человек выходит с абсолютно незамутненной головой. Посмотрел — и забыл. Таковы каноны жанра.

Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix was a good game on PC. This sloppy port is not so great on the Xbox. When you have Halo and Ghost Recon in your library, there’s little reason to spend $50 bucks on a very average shooter with sub-standard Xbox graphics. The only reason anyone should consider getting this game for the single player mode is if they crave gratuitous violence. If flying body parts is your thing then this is the game for you. If you don’t live or die by gore, pass this one by.

Raven hätte gut daran getan das Gameplay so wie beim Vorgänger zu belassen, denn das hat funktioniert und es muss ja nicht immer ein Taktikshooter sein und wenn doch, dann sollte man das auch durchziehen. So aber ist Double Helix, wie man so schön sagt, weder Fisch noch Fleisch, sondern ein Hybrid, der auf Dauer einfach keinen großen Spaß macht.

Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix doesn't do anything that hasn't already been done better in Activision's own Return to Castle Wolfenstein. Players starving for something--anything--new might be able to briefly enjoy the game as a rental, but the Xbox version of Soldier of Fortune II has too many problems to be recommended beyond that.

This game just isn’t fun. Playing through the single player campaign was nothing more than a chore. The multiplayer aspect was entertaining, but not worth buying the game. Gratuitous Games has done a poor job of porting this from the PC to the Xbox. With the exception of excessive gore (which by itself is not enough to make this enjoyable), everything in this game is done better in Return to Castle Wolfenstein.

Your decision to buy or ignore SoF II lies squarely with how much of an FPS junkie you are. Relentless FPS overlords might find their pulses raised briefly by the thought of endless, generic shooting and violence, but the rest of you would be well advised to direct your time and money elsewhere.

Got Halo? Ghost Recon? Splinter Cell? Return to Castle Wolfenstein? No? Then buy one of them instead. After that, try renting this sloppy PC port for the multiplayer fun only. Even the overdone gore isn't realistic enough for the morally unhinged. It's a lackluster experience and part-time embarrassment to the hardware potential of this game system.