Soldier of Fortune: Payback for PlayStation 3 Reviews by Gamers

Well everyone's a critic, especially when it comes to FPSs. If you're one of those people who has extremely specific tastes when it comes to FPSs...

...this game ain't for you.

What drew me to this game was the over-the-top limb loss and decapitations. While many FPSs have the "M" rating- few actually deserve it. And the aforementioned characteristic is what kept me playing. Enemies limbs will come flying off and the physics sometimes allow for quite a blast radius of body parts.

The game has great weapon sounds. All the guns, with the possible exception of the hand guns- have a very satisfying sound and resonance. It's a small touch- but it helps.

Unfortunately for most people- they won't get past the games many detractions.

The story: well it's standard fare- go from point A to point B and kill some baddies along the way. I like to think of the story as not burdening the gameplay. lol

Secondly, the AI is bad. Real bad. And while many reviewer wannabes act like it offends them when the AI aren't Einsteins with rifles- I actually enjoyed the dumb AI. I mean it: when some enemy charges at you while you're blazing away and attempts to melee you... well that's just plain funny. The AI will do all sorts of bizarre things and I found myself laughing out loud at their behavior.

On the other hand when you have to escort/protect the prisoner and he starts sprinting towards hoards of enemies INSTANTLY after he states "I'll wait here 'til you clear the way"- well that elicited quite a few expletives from me and was the most challenging part of the game by far.

Thirdly- the level designs will incur the wrath of the ultra-high-standards- for- FPSs crowd. The level designs are, as you would expect, linear but are very plain. I chose to think of them as old school FPS levels.

Ultimately there's something redeeming about this game amidst all of its flaws. If you're someone who remembers Wolfenstein 3d- then you might appreciate the overall fun factor here.

A lazy effort by Activision, how embarassing.

Gameplay: This game felt like playing Hogan's Alley from the 80s!: Your enemies seem to "appear" out of nowhere, and that's not until they're usually shooting at you (which is okay, because for some reason, your character is seemingly invincible). Enemy AI is essentially nonexistent, and their foreign banter throughout the game is annoyingly stereotypical. Also, the female giving orders over your "headset" and your character have the most childlike banter that will wear you out very quickly. The Voice acting is an absolute joke.

Graphics: Faces are waxen, expressionless orbs with wiskers that again, mutter meaningless dialogue. Textures on walls are blah/blurry. Scenes are almost totally stagnant. Even door handles are "flat" against doors. How unispired.

Controls: Most glaring thing was that aiming seemed to be imprecise (even with auto-aim on). You would still hit your enemies when your aim was FEET off. This was very noticeable; it seemed like just aiming in the general direction of your enemies would result in a successful hit.

Activision should purchase every one, then start a massive bonfire fueled by SOF. This is the era where we expect our games to draw on our consoles' capabilities.