Soldier of Fortune: Payback

In the end, Payback is a decent enough game that won't leave much of a lasting impression. It's good if you just want some mindless fun but don't go in expecting anything more because the only payback you'll get is a shot in the foot.

SoF Payback is miles from being a bad game, in fact if the season hadn’t seen so many AAA shooters all at once it could have gotten by on its gore alone. If you are a fan of the series and can handle some of the hang-ups found in this latest chapter then by all means snatch it up, I know I could use more people online to play with. However, most FPS gamers looking for the next best thing will find Payback a bit too much on the derivative side to warrant its full price tag.

Hier wurde für ein mittelmäßiges Spiel mit teils gravierenden Schwächen ein großer Name ausgeschlachtet. Schade! Die spielerisch trübe und durch das Speichersystem künstlich in die Länge genzogene Singleplayer-Kampagne erhält lediglich durch die akzeptable Optik eine kleine Aufwertung. Dem grundsätzlich spaßigen Multiplayer-Part wird schließlich Dank massiver technischer Mängel ebenfalls die Chance auf ein langes Leben in der Community genommen. Den letzten Grund für die Suche nach dem Deinstallieren-Verweis dürfte dann die lokalisierte Fassung von Soldier of Fortune 3: Payback werden. Denn für die wurden bereits umfangreiche Kürzungen und Zensuren angekündigt, die einem Debakel ähnlich der deutschen Version von Soldier of Fortune 2: Double Helix gleichkommen dürfte. Für Gore-Fans mit hoher Frustresistenz und einem dezenten Hang zum Masochismus einen Blick wert, alle anderen lassen Payback getrost im Händlerregal liegen. "Hübsche Splatter-Orgie ohne Sinn und Verstand"

At the end of it all, Soldier of Fortune Payback isn't what I was expecting. I would hope that for the franchises' third entry we'd see a really spectacular entry. Perhaps Activision should've gotten some of the Infinity Ward guys to help out with the development of Soldier of Fortune Payback. I can clearly see a solid game here; it's just that it is really marred by a poor framerate and boring campaign structure. It doesn't offer much value as a single-player game, and with a barren online community, it most certainly doesn't have any multiplayer value to speak of. I'm certain that with another four months of development, this could've been a decent release. But as it stands now, Soldier of Fortune Payback is one to pass on.

Soldier of Fortune: Payback has one thing going for it: excessive dismemberment. Everything else is standard stuff for a shooter. Yet, I must admit, that I get a guilty pleasure playing Payback. Though it's not a good game, it's still fun to see body parts fly. If that doesn't interest you, there is an option to turn down the gore. That, however, takes away the only interesting thing Solider of Fortune: Payback has to offer.

That's really what it comes down to. Soldier of Fortune: Payback is a weak man's Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. Amusing, since Activision publishes both games, and chose to release SOF two weeks after Infinity Ward's opus. That alone makes this game difficult to buy, especially since it costs $59.99 and feels like a budget title. If you must experience the gore, give Soldier of Fortune a rent, as it offers a few hours of amusement.

Soldier of Fortune Paybackin ongelmana on, että parhaimmillaankin se on keskinkertainen, mutta huonot kohdat vetävät sen pinnan alle. Vetoapua ei tarjoa Pirkka Perusmoninpelikään.

Too flawed and riddled with every first-person shooter cliché out there, Soldier of Fortune: Payback might look good but this is a crude and uninventive shooter hardly worth playing. Its few moments of fun are rare events scattered throughout a sea of uneventful mission scenarios that we have seen and done before. This is certainly one first-person shooter you should seriously consider skipping altogether.

Soldier of Fortune: Payback has one thing going for it: excessive dismemberment. Everything else is standard stuff for a shooter. Yet, I must admit, that I get a guilty pleasure playing Payback. Though it's not a good game, it's still fun to see body parts fly. If that doesn't interest you, there is an option to turn down the gore. That, however, takes away the only interesting thing Solider of Fortune: Payback has to offer. Still, Payback isn't a good game. If you are hoping for a return to the glory days of the older PC versions, you are in for a rude awakening.

Ongecompliceerd knallen, maar de prijs niet waard. Doe jezelf een plezier en koop een van de betere alternatieven op de markt.

Though Soldier of Fortune is a very successful franchise, it seems as if the console ports just don't hold up as they should. It's really sad to see the franchise fall behind on its debut on the Xbox 360 but hopefully we'll see some patches and some downloadable content that will give this game more recognition and a much needed boost.

De pc-versie is gelukkig iets goedkoper dan de broertjes voor de Xbox 360 en PS3, maar dan nog vind je – zeker de laatste maanden – veel beter shooterspul op zowat elk platform. Payback is een afrader, zelfs en misschien wel zeker voor de fans van de eerste twee Soldier of Fortune-games.

Soldier of Fortune: Payback is a one-trick pony of blood and guts. And if that’s your thing, you might be able to overlook the generic shooting mechanic, enemy AI that’s cheap and stupid, and dull level design. But we just can’t.

Soldier of Fortune: Payback isn’t terrible; it’s just not superior to anything else on the market as of now. Its one unique attribute, extreme gore, is all this title has going for it. Decent graphics don’t overshadow glaring gameplay flaws and lazy development decisions. Fortune doesn’t shine on this soldier.

It's impossible to recommend Soldier of Fortune: Payback to new players or fans of the series, like me, who have been waiting for a sequel since Double Helix on the PC, especially when titles such as Call of Duty 4 are available for the same or similar price and deliver a far better experience in every way. Payback's gore over gameplay bulletfest is a bitter disappointment on several levels from a story that's MIA, voice acting that sounds phoned in, shotgun snipers and android-like bosses with titanium craniums. It's a terrible way for a promising series to end up in its debut for the next generation, that instead of at least in pretending to be COD4's bloodier cousin, Payback comes off more as the black sheep about whom no one wants to talk.

I’m glad to see the Soldier of Fortune franchise return to the next-gen however this game could have used a little more development time if it hopes to compete with the other big FPS releases. This has to be the worst timing to release Solider of Fortune: Payback falling into competition with titles like Call of Duty 4, Halo 3, Bioshock and Metriod Prime 3. The best thing Activision could have done is discounted the price making Payback closer to a budget title. At the current price point, I can’t recommend Solider of Fortune: Payback for anything more than a rental.

Stock animation generates the same A.I. moves over and over again. This redundant theme is further exacerbated by the gameplay which, despite changing environments, doesn't differ from mission to mission. It's a matter of taking out the bad guys and moving on. The entire game can be played in a day. I don't recommend this game for the multiplayer component, but simply for the fun of the tasteless violence. To that end, I can only recommend Payback as a rental.

Soldier of Fortune: Payback is a step back for the series. It's still a decent shooter, but fans will expect more from the SoF pedigree. Held in high esteem by shooter fans, the Solder of Fortune series was smart, fast-paced, engaging, and extremely violent. This time around things get a whole lot messier, and I'm not just talking about the excessive blood. This game is bloody to be sure, but it's also lost its charm; imagine Charles Manson with the personality of Kevin Federline.

We can understand SoF: Payback being a low key release in these days where blood and gore isn’t really popular in games. What we don’t understand is why someone allowed this to soil the reputation of one of the best FPS series of the last generation. SoF is a game about mercenaries, and someone has sure taken some mercenary decisions to release this. SoF: Payback should face a firing squad.

For some unknown reason Activision took a pretty respectable franchise (I still play SoF2 from time to time to this day, and it is still installed on my PC), and chucked it in the garbage. They’ve clearly created a budget title, and then added insult to injury by attempting to charge the very unbargain-like price of $59.99, when even at $9.99 it might not be worth it. Don’t be fooled. Spend your hard-earned dollar elsewhere.

Assim como muitos filmes B, "Soldier of Fortune: Payback" é um jogo realizado de maneira burocrática que, apesar de não contar com o requinte e criatividade de vários de seus concorrentes, ainda é capaz de divertir principalmente aqueles que não conhecem os títulos anteriores da franquia, que serão surpreendidos pelo culto às armas e à violência. Mas a linearidade, aliada aos bugs, não é capaz de prender jogadores fanáticos, principalmente em uma temporada tão movimentada e concorrida como a de 2007.

Assim como muitos filmes B, "Soldier of Fortune: Payback" é um jogo realizado de maneira burocrática que, apesar de não contar com o requinte e criatividade de vários de seus concorrentes, ainda é capaz de divertir principalmente aqueles que não conhecem os títulos anteriores da franquia, que serão surpreendidos pelo culto às armas e à violência. Mas a linearidade, aliada aos bugs, não é capaz de prender jogadores fanáticos, principalmente em uma temporada tão movimentada e concorrida como a de 2007.

Assim como muitos filmes B, "Soldier of Fortune: Payback" é um jogo realizado de maneira burocrática que, apesar de não contar com o requinte e criatividade de vários de seus concorrentes, ainda é capaz de divertir principalmente aqueles que não conhecem os títulos anteriores da franquia, que serão surpreendidos pelo culto às armas e à violência. Mas a linearidade, aliada aos bugs, não é capaz de prender jogadores fanáticos, principalmente em uma temporada tão movimentada e concorrida como a de 2007.

So, as it happens, I did have some fun with SoF: Payback; plus, it did evoke some of the SoF nostalgia. At the same time, however, I think the content and gameplay do not justify the game's price tag. If you're really that desperate and keen on experiencing a largely inane gory action game, Payback is just the ticket. Even so, you're sure to be annoyed by the cheap tricks pulled off by the enemy AI. Do yourself a favor and let this one pass.

The PC game is slightly less expensive than major titles, but the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 games are full priced. Nevertheless, they're all a terrible value proposition considering the sheer quantity and high quality of shooters this year. Unless you like pain and frustration, there's simply no reason to play Soldier of Fortune: Payback when there are so many other better games on the market.

Payback even throws a cliffhanger ending at you (as if a sequel will ever even happen!). At a full $60, there's absolutely no reason to touch this with a ten-foot-pole, especially with so many other, better shooters on the market in this record-setting awesome holiday season.

The PC game is slightly less expensive than major titles, but the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 games are full priced. Nevertheless, they're all a terrible value proposition considering the sheer quantity and high quality of shooters this year. Unless you like pain and frustration, there's simply no reason to play Soldier of Fortune: Payback when there are so many other better games on the market.

Activision is far too good a publisher to unleash a game this poor onto the unsuspecting public. Fans of the series should skip this horrid excuse for a shooter and keep their glowing memories of previous Soldier of Fortune battles intact.

The sad part is, Soldier of Fortune: Payback actually runs exactly the way it's supposed to, with few gameplay or graphical glitches to speak of. The graphics may not be on the level with other titles out there, but at least they're relatively bug-free. At a budget price, Payback would be a great pickup for its mindless run-and-gun action enhanced by ridiculously gory deaths and a considerable array of weapons to play with. But this one is just not worth $60, even when you factor in the relatively simple and straightforward multiplayer mode.

Soldier of Fortune: Payback is a sloppy and derivative shooter that looks great and seems promising for the first few minutes - but quickly goes downhill from there. Filled with badly designed levels, terrible friendly and enemy intelligence that the developers attempt to mask using ghost spawning and cheating AI, there is not much of note: you get the usual variety of terrain to explore and weapons to fire, but the gameplay is loose and feels years old - this is clearly not Raven Software at work. Perhaps if the game reflected the 'value' in publisher Activision Value by being priced at a budget rate this would be acceptable - but as a full-price effort this is just terrible and I would recommend it even if there wasn't a half-dozen better shooters released within the past month.

If you really want to have fun with this game, secretly swap it with your buddy's copy of Call of Duty 4. It won't take long for him to notice (and you might get punched), bu the expression on their face should be worth it.

I don't know whether Cauldron should be commended or condemned for resurrecting the infamous Soldier of Fortune franchise. For my money, Payback's a better game than SoF2 (which seemed to get tangled up in its own laborious level design mid way), but it would seem that its design document was penned during a heavy night of red meat feasting and testosterone injections.

I remember playing the original Soldier of Fortune several years ago. Its over-the-top violence levels caused quite a stir, but at least it had a story you could follow, a reason to want to play the next level. But Payback’s story seems to be an afterthought, included to connect 14 levels of ultraviolence for its own sake. A sense of humor at the very least would have helped, but what we’re left with is a 10-hour Rambo movie without the steroids.

Judging by the roster of Achievements, the emphasis of Soldier of Fortune: Payback is on multiplayer competition over Xbox Live, which is too damn bad. Instead of concentrating on a single-player and at least making it competent, the team had to split resources and make a haphazard multiplayer feature as well. It functions fine when you can find a game with more than three people. Though I have no empirical evidence, I’d say the lack of players can be traced to the fact Halo 3, Call of Duty 4, and Team Fortress 2 are so much better. And more fun.

Спустя 12 уровней и 5 часов бесцельно потраченной жизни мы убиваем главную сволочь, устроившую на своей базе дурацкую "полосу препятствий", раскрываем — сюрприз! — настоящего негодяя и с ужасом осознаем, что Cauldron страсть как хочет сделать сиквел. Парни, может, не надо?

Games set in and around the War on Terror are an inevitable fixture on the gaming landscape, but at least the likes of Call of Duty 4 and Full Spectrum Warrior couch their politicised narrative in a sense of reality, responsibility and - let's not forget - some pretty great gameplay. When Soldier of Fortune Payback isn't being generic and shallow, its being utterly crap and thus does nothing to mitigate its gleeful and deliberate xenophobia. This is gaming as lowest common denominator, feeding off a very unpleasant human urge. Whether you dislike the politics, or just don't like playing lousy games, there's absolutely no reason to give this gruesome farce your time or money.

Malgré son prix "préférentiel", Soldier of Fortune : PayBack sera donc à réserver aux plus sadiques des joueurs, qui ne demandent rien de plus à un FPS qu'une armée d'ennemis à déchiqueter avec un arsenal puissant et varié.

Tenter de camoufler un mauvais FPS en le cachant derrière une violence "totalement outrageante" (que l'on peut même désactiver pour réduire encore l'intérêt) et un nom à peu près vendeur, c'est le défi réussi par Cauldron avec Soldier of Fortune : PayBack. Armé de son gameplay daté, de son moteur graphique poussif et de ses ennemis apathiques, ce titre sans génie arrive même à être médiocre dans son domaine de prédilection : la violence. On se retrouve alors avec une aventure solo hyper-linéaire que l'on finira en un après-midi - à condition de ne pas devenir fou à cause des checkpoints trop espacés - en massacrant des hordes de soldats et de boss sans intérêt à la chaîne.

Cette soi-disant suite de Soldier Of Fortune a de quoi filer de l'urticaire aux créateurs de la série originale. Avec une IA à faire pleurer de honte, un level-design sans envergure et un gameplay au ras des pâquerettes, on ne saura vous conseiller qu'une seule chose : laissez tomber et tentez plutôt de vous trouver un Soldier Of Fortune 2 au fond d'un placard. Ca a vieilli, mais c'est encore meilleur.

Cette soi-disant suite de Soldier Of Fortune a de quoi filer de l'urticaire aux créateurs de la série originale. Avec une IA à faire pleurer de honte, un level-design sans envergure et un gameplay au ras des pâquerettes, on ne saura vous conseiller qu'une seule chose : laissez tomber et tentez plutôt de vous trouver un Soldier Of Fortune 2 au fond d'un placard. Ca a vieilli, mais c'est encore meilleur.

Cette soi-disant suite de Soldier Of Fortune a de quoi filer de l'urticaire aux créateurs de la série originale. Avec une IA à faire pleurer de honte, un level-design sans envergure et un gameplay au ras des pâquerettes, on ne saura vous conseiller qu'une seule chose : laissez tomber et tentez plutôt de vous trouver un Soldier Of Fortune 2 au fond d'un placard. Ca a vieilli, mais c'est encore meilleur.

Without all of the ultra-violence to distract attention from the game design, it's even more glaringly obvious that Soldier of Fortune: Payback is a thoroughly uninspired piece of hack work that gives you plenty of reasons not to buy it. Pick any one you like and save yourself the sixty bucks.

Soldier of Fortune's protagonist is a bloodthirsty killer who has no intention of ever retiring from battle. He just wants to pop heads and rend limbs with grenade launchers and assault rifles (most of which are picked up off the ground, since it's nearly impossible to find ammo for your own weapons). This game has acquired a violent reputation, and deservedly so... but much of the gore is obscured by muted backdrops.

Soldier of Fortune : Pay Back est un foetus qu'Activision s'est judicieusement empressé à faire sortir du ventre de ses développeurs, pour éviter de nous faire croire trop longtemps au miracle.

If only it were truly as bad as Soldner, then it would have the redeeming value of being fun to show your friends. But this is an embarrassment that you'll rather hide in the attic.

Soldier of Fortune: Payback is the product of an unfortunate combination of factors: a mistaken impression that ultra-violence for ultra-violence's sake can excuse a lack of actual gameplay in a first-person shooter, poor presentation and production values, and an attempt to produce a lazy cash-in on an already well-established and successful intellectual property. I implore all readers to go out to their favorite game emporiums, stand in front of the Payback jewel cases on the shelves, and implore every man, woman or child who looks at it with intent to buy to resist and instead select any of the vastly superior warfare titles currently available. Paying good money for such low-return software is the beginning of the end of our hobby as we know it.

The essential problem with Soldier of Fortune: Payback is that it tries very hard to appear realistic while trotting out silly gameplay mechanisms. It’s hard to tell if it’s a serious shooter covering the military side of contemporary politics, or a parody. If the gung-ho jingoists of the government were to make a game, Payback is what they’d come up with. But there’s little reason to tag along: Save your brain a scrubbing, and just walk away.