Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix

aka: SOF2
Moby ID: 6428
Windows Specs
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Description official descriptions

The stakes are higher in this sequel to Soldier of Fortune. The player is John Mullins, a patriot, weapons specialist and anti-terrorist mercenary, who takes on a new threat bio-terrorist organization and their Gemini virus. His mission is to neutralize the terrorists before they unleash the virus.

Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix features over 55 levels and an all new Random Mission Generator mode. The game uses the Quake III: Team Arena engine with GHOUL II technology and its models are designed with 36 damage zones along with 16 dismemberment zones.

Spellings

  • Солдат Удачи 2 - Russian spelling
  • 命运战士II:双重螺旋 - Simplified Chinese spelling

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Credits (Windows version)

214 People (186 developers, 28 thanks) · View all

Project Lead
Creative Director
Multiplayer lead
Lead Programmer
Lead Designer
Lead Sound Designer
Lead Artist
Lead Animator
Creative Consultant
Game Consultant
Technology Programming
Multiplayer Programming
Programming
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Designer
Scripting
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[ full credits ]

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 80% (based on 53 ratings)

Players

Average score: 3.6 out of 5 (based on 70 ratings with 8 reviews)

Best when shared with others.

The Good
We've still got a few more months to go before the next generation of FPS games kick off in earnest. Unreal II, Doom III, and other games using next-generation technology on spanking-new video cards are poised to blow us all away (and our wallets along with us).

Soldier of Fortune II is from Raven, who use the Quake III engine and use it well. This game isn't going to stun anyone with it's graphical prowess, as the engine is over two years old, but it's still serviceable, even if it's nearing its limit.

Stealing the show is the old stalwart of SoF, GHOUL. GHOUL is basically an animation system that allows what they call "realistic" amputation and gore. That's right, little Johnny can shoot those naughty terrorists in the knee and watch them go down screaming and clutching a bloody stump. Columbine reactionaries, start your class-action lawsuits.

However, realistic is a relative term. As good as GHOUL is (the box advertises "36 dismemberment zones!" the way blenders advertise mix settings), the Quake III engine can only take it so far. Plus, while somewhat toned down from the first game, limbs still have a curious tendency to go flying after only two or three bullets. The violence is rather cartoonish in the amount of blood and decapitiation it relies on, and while it might be enough to carry the game for psychopaths who never get tired of spattering blood on the wall over and over again trying to form a pentagram, the rest of us will soon ignore it.

Fortunately, the game features some very, very nice weapons. They're almost all based off actual weapons, and they feel real. The sound effects are top-notch, and the orchestral, patriotic music is above and beyond the crap industrial-techno we've come to expect from our FPSs. Epic MegaGames, take notes!

Damage is quick and GHOUL allows for realistic modeling. Since you're wearing body armor, chest shots are extremely ineffective in this game. However, a shot to the head with ANY weapon is instantly fatal, and shooting off limbs is almost as quick.

The multiplayer is also extremely fun. Weapons are for the most part extremely balanced, and in addition to the standard DM, CTF, and elimination, SoF2 features "infiltration" a mode that plays like a combination of CTF and Unreal's Assault. One team holds a briefcase somewhere in the level, and must defend it from a set amount of time from the other team, who must grab it and return to their helicopter before time runs out. This mode emphasizes teamwork, and all of the maps are masterfully designed, emphasizing everything from point-blank running and gunning to tense sniper battles. Infiltration easily steals the show.

The Bad
The single-player campaign is, I'm sorry, a great disappointment. Incredibly linear, and suffering from a hackneyed terrorists-capture-bioweapons plot. And when I say linear, I mean linear. Several levels (such as Colombia) go so far as to keep you on a path in a small valley between two sets of mountains, where you have no choice but to creep along and try to dispatch the terrorists before they do you.

Raven also falls into the do-what's-popular trap of throwing in several "stealth" missions, where you are forced to sneak around with a knife and dispatch enemies silently. It feels like an afterthought, and, like most stealth afterthoughts, ends up becoming a tedium of restarts and frustration. If I wanted stealth and realism, I'd play Thief. Here it just doesn't come off right.

Scripting is lame as well. Several sections have you working with allies, and the game doesn't let you go too far ahead. So you're stuck going at a slow pace, waiting for scripted events to occur, and taking damage from far-ahead snipers because the door can't open until your "backup" arrives. Ugh.

There's no real motivation to ever fire up the single-player game at all.

The Bottom Line
SoF2 is the most fun I've ever had playing multiplayer since Unreal Tournament. Infiltration alone almost warrants the price. But since there's a free MP test available for download, the primitive single-player and gets-old-quick blood'n'guts make this a questionable buy. But if you've got several friends to play with, or you're really tired of UT, go ahead and buy this for the multiplayer.

Windows · by Anatole (58) · 2002

OUCH. There goes his head...

The Good
VERY VERY gory - Some people may rate this as a bad thing, but I sure rate it as a good thing.

To me, gore is a factor of realism, and to everyone, realism is a factor of the game. Without any realism, I don't enjoy shoot-em-ups as much, as they should be fairly realistic.

There is a good storyline in this game, in which you have to prevent a large terrorist organisation from wreaking havoc. You fight in a variety of venues, which contain much enjoyable scenery. Yes! You can fight women too, so if you've just had trouble with the wife, this game is for you!

There are a great variety of weapons available to you in this game, from simple Colt pistols to large M60 machine guns that can take down helicopters - and also rip people apart. The usual methods can be used to dodge bullets, including leaning, crouching, jumping, etc. Alternative fire modes are also available, so if you're no stranger to UT, RTCW, etc, you won't be a stranger to this either! UNFORTUNATELY ...

The Bad
... This game is NOT free of bugs, by any means. Quite the opposite, in fact: The shadows are a real disaster, and this is obvious when fighting near water, or crouching near a sitting character. The shadows are floating above the persons knees!

In Columbia, you can walk off the mountain and not get killed, yet you can walk around on an invisible floor, in some locations.

The women in Hong Kong sometimes fall down as if to die when shot, yet they suddenly 'teleport' back up again and take an extra 3 shots or so to finish off. These are just some of the bugs, there are many more.

Graphics can have grading errors, aswell. This is not just a problem with my installation as it has happened on many of my friends' versions too. I do not like how dead bodies disappear over time, and how they suddenly change positions after the initial fatal gunshot. This game has many flaws... BUT...

The Bottom Line
... It's great. Full of violence, yes, but full of a story also. The graphics are great for 2002, and look even better on a large LCD monitor. I strongly recommend nudging the graphics up as far as you can, it's worth it. If you are a parent, YOU CAN USE THE PARENTAL FUNCTIONS TO LOCK OUT THE VIOLENCE! This is very important! Even I agree with the inclusion of this function and its use!

Back to the point, definitely consider buying this game. It is still for sale in shops in the UK, I know that part, and its available online everywhere else. Go for it, and shoot some baddies!

Windows · by Quackbal (45) · 2005

My personal guilty pleasure.

The Good
Soldier of Fortune 2 is like a cheesy action movie starring Chuck Norris. There isn't a complicated plot, there isn't a lot of good supporting characters, but there is plenty of running, gunning, and more than enough bloodshed.

In SoF 2 you play John Mullins, a soldier of fortune who works primarily for a secret agency called the Shop. He's a counter-terrorist, and he has his work cut out for him when a group of mysterious baddies steal a deadly biological weapon and plant a mole inside the Shop.

This of course leads to a chase across several countries, including Russia, China, and several other international hotspots. And it leads to a lot of shooting with an arsenal of weapons that would make most militias drool with envy.

The plot is silly, trite, and only serves to move you along from location to location, but I think that's actually a plus in this case. The cheesiness of it takes some of the sting off the gruesome violence.

And it is gruesome. You can blow limbs off, sending the severed pieces flying in fountains of gore. You can slice up enemies with your knife, sending chunks of brain and face everywhere. And yes, you can shoot people in the groin and watch them double-over in true pain.

I don't honestly think this is a plus, but it is a gimmick that works to shock you for a little while before becoming ignorable.

Overall, the Quake III graphics engine doesn't do a bad job here, although watching characters talk is sometimes painful. At least the sound and music hit home very well.

There's also a solid multiplayer mode, but unless you're playing LAN, you won't find any good servers anymore. Newer games just edge this one out in the multiplayer arena.

The Bad
Now, there are plenty of faults to SoF 2, and they aren't easily ignored.

The AI for instance is about the cheapest I've seen in years; sometimes the enemy feels very realistic, taking cover, trying to pin you down, and then you see them do some of the bone-headed things that instantly take you out of the immersion of the game. Running back and forth like ducks while you shoot them, getting stuck on corners, and charging at you blindly are all some of the things they do. They also have an uncanny ability to spot you no matter where you are, making the stealth missions hard and annoying. Especially since, once they see you, the alarm is raised automatically.

I guess the Force is with these guys, huh?

Also, though you have tons of real-world weapons to play with, none of them behave properly. Your best tactic is just to hold down the trigger and spray a wave of bullets at the bad guys. This also takes you out of the immersion the developers might have been trying for, but it only adds to the action-movie cheesiness of the whole thing.

The graphics are another weak point. Though they look good, the environments are bland, and the animation horrible. The characters jerk around like they're puppets being controlled by an insane puppet master.

The gameplay also gets repetitive. You shoot down a small army of enemies, pull a switch, open a door, and go on to the next level to do more of the same.

The Bottom Line
So, with a big list of complaints, and a lack of originality, why do I like this game?

It's like I said, this game is a cheesy action-fest filled with brain-dead enemies, generically evil villains, and a tough hero with enough firepower to make Rambo jealous. And that is why I like the game.

Of course, this isn't a recommendation to you; it is merely a note that, if you're looking for an old-school, shoot the baddies and move on, game, then this might be for you.

So long as you aren't squeamish.

Windows · by Steely Gaze (208) · 2008

[ View all 8 player reviews ]

Trivia

German version

To avoid having the game banned in Germany because of its violent nature, major modifications had to be made to the game's story line and graphics. The game now takes place in a parallel universe called Hysperia (!), where mankind was completely wiped out by machines. The machines then began to develop human-like emotions, which also led to common human problems such as war and crime. All humans, including enemies and the main character John Mullins, were therefore replaced by Cyborgs. As a consequence, all blood and gore effects are missing. The censored German Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix is regarded by most players as "the most censored game ever in Germany". A doubtful title indeed...

The UK version has a region lock, meaning the game is censored when installed on a system with a German version of Windows. Humans are still humans and the story does not change, but everything else applies.

The Xbox version is not effected.

Installation

The game's installer features an audio narrative and slideshow telling the background story of the game. Because computers continually get faster, it's possible to finish the installation before the story has successfully completed. It helps that the game comprises two CD-ROMs and the user can continue listening to the audio while the installer is waiting for the next disc to be inserted.

John Mullins

The protagonist, John Mullins, is named after the real-life mercenary, who has been Raven's exclusive consultant during the making of this game. The character's background is also similar to that of the real John Mullins.

Awards

  • GameSpy
    • 2002 – Special Technical Achievement Award (for its random mission generator)

Information also contributed by DarkChojin and WildKard.

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Related Sites +

  • Save the World, But Only in Mac OS X
    An Apple Games article about the Macintosh version of Double Helix, with commentary being provided by MacPlay President Mark Cottam (July, 2002).

Identifiers +

  • MobyGames ID: 6428
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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Corn Popper.

Additional contributors: Unicorn Lynx, Wormspinal, Zeppin, Klaster_1, Cantillon, Patrick Bregger.

Game added May 25, 2002. Last modified January 16, 2024.