Battle for FPS Supremecy
Article by: DJNewStyle
Date: 03/21/00

The battle between Quake 3 and Unreal has ended with the advent of another cutting edge FPS: Soldier of Fortune.

I first was introduced to Soldier of Fortune while I was playing Quake.  During the time of the dispute between Unreal and Quake, I thought that they were both even with minor advantages for both sides.  As I fired a zoomed railshot, a friend of mine started up the Soldier of Fortune demo.

I thought it was nothing special - that is - until he took the first shot.  When he fired a shot into the guy's hands he dropped his weapon and pleaded for mercy. I was truly impressed.

I started to lose big time in my game, and became disinterested.  My friend was blowing arms and legs off of people and they were responding to where they were shot!  I exited Quake, and installed the 100mb demo immediately.

The differences between Quake and Unreal were nothing compared to the huge gap between those games and Soldier of Fortune.  It has it all:  Insane graphics, high speed action, gore, lots of weapons, and the best difference of all:  Target sensitive victims.

In Quake and Unreal, the damage was dependant on where the shot was fired, but the victims reacted the same no matter where they were shot.  In SOF, the victims clutch their wounds, hop around screaming, or lose a limb or two.  The realism of the game is what sold me.  When you shoot a pistol out of the computer's hands and he pleads for life - you almost feel bad for a second.

This game put Raven Software on the map and is definitely worth $44.  If your computer can handle it, it will be one of the best gaming experiences you've ever had.