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
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Lead Sound Designer
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Lead Animator
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Technology Programming
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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)

One of the best and bloodiest warfare related fps to date.

The Good
We've been spoiled by the number of top notch war shooters in recent months. With titles like Return to Castle Wolfenstein and Medal of Honour it's a pretty hard time to complain. The only things that really were left out for me was that I like my war shooters a little more modern and I want to see some damage being done! MOH was fantastic but when someone gets a point blank shot to the head they aren't going to just fall over without a scratch. The whole effect just makes me feel once again like I'm sitting in front of a computer. SOF2 addresses both of these points and keeps everything else at a high enough standard to stand tall alongside all the MOH's and RTCW's in the world. Basically an evolution of the overrated original SOF, SOF2 provides better everything. The graphics smack you in the face they look so good so high end Geforce owners are in for a real treat with this one. Jungles actually have foliage at last, character models are detailed with more explicit deaths and the damage models are more finely tuned than any I've ever witnessed in a video game. Gunfire will actually blast people backward with appropriate force and jets of blood pump out with dismembered limbs. Needless to say that this game is not for kids but parents or the squemish should note that a violence lock can be applied that allows for the fine tuning of any aspects of the gore or disturbing images in the game so you can make it very tame if you'd like. Weaponry is realistically depicted with even the aim going out if you hold the trigger for too long in the automatic firearms. Loads of great scripted sequences in the gameplay have been introduced such as clearing out a jungle village alongside a team of marines who work with you and a very cool escape along a winding road manning the mounted gun on the back of a truck. Thanks to a good balance of realism and good old fashioned action hero style gameplay the missions in the game are (mostly, more on that in a minute,) loads of fun to play. The difficulty level can be scaled to your liking in a custom difficulty mode too. Sound is also great with gunfire, screams and explosions being the main flavour peppered with the clank of footsteps and conversation, all of a high calibre and music is very nicely orchestrated, giving a perfect action movie feel.

The Bad
At times SOF2 can really push the frustration level a bit too far. Some stages are plain stupid such as the sneaking stages. An alarm can be set off the very second an enemy even hears you and I mean the very SECOND. Even if the enemy hears you stick a knife in the back of his head the alarm goes off before the slicing action is even complete which is just plain stupid. It feels a lot like the sneaking element of the game wasn't even finished. Sometimes the enemy see you a little too quickly. An example of this would be in a stage in the snow where seeing anything more than about 10 feet away is impossible. Suddenly someone with a mounted M-60 starts blasting away at you even though there's no way they'd be able to see you yet since they are over 20 feet away. There is also the annoying tendency of enemies to know exactly where you are just because they are on alert even though they haven't actually seen you yet.

The Bottom Line
A top-notch war fps that comes highly recommended but with some minor reservations. Not for the squemish.

Windows · by Sycada (177) · 2002

Very good, extremely brutal game.

The Good
The game has got very good graphics: The Animations of your enemies and the other characters in the game are very good, because of the Ghoul 2 System. The game is particularly too brutal for children. You can shoot off the head of your enemies, and the brain comes out of the stump. The level-design is raven-like, very good designed with perfect textures.

The Bad
A little bit too boring levels, but all in all its very cool.

The Bottom Line
Buy the game, and have fun! You´ll like it!

Windows · by Marcel Grave (1) · 2002

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

[ 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.