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Xbox Live-enabled: Live
Sequel time again, and at the time in 2000, the original was a great first-person-shooter, so does
have Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix
improve upon this?
In typical covert agency style, you play John Mullins, a military consultant
working for the "Shop", starting in the streets of Prague, before going on to
Columbia, Kamchatka and Hong Kong and you get to blow holes in people with
grenade launchers, sniper rifles and the OICW weapon system.
Talking figures, there are 25 weapons, 55 single-player missions, 20 multi-player
maps for those with Xbox Live and also a random-mission generator for both
single- and multi-player modes.
So, where does it all go wrong? Shortly after starting a game up, unfortunately.
I looked forward to creeping round the streets of Prague to rescue a dignitary,
coming up against the baddies and shooting them in the head.
However, the graphics really don't feel like they've come on at all in the
three years since I played the first game on the PC. The detail is really
lacking. Just go up to a stationary car or the window in a wall and see how
blurry it gets, just like the original 3dfx cards. This really escaped quality
control and gives a bland appearance to the proceedings. It's also ridiculously
dark and if you're in such an area and don't have your night vision goggles to
hand then you're going to start feeling bored as you try to fumble around.
Sonically, while there's some nice creepy footsteps all around you at times,
you know what to expect from the gunfire and jumping about on a metal floor
produces the bog-standard clanking sound I've no wish to hear again. Can we
have some variety please?
Gameplay-wise, it's uninspired. You have to unlock gates just like the
James Bond
titles by simply holding a button down while it does the honours.
The game also makes the Xbox's DVD-ROM drive power down/up several times in a row
while the training officer is talking, causing his voice to break up. This also
happens during the game too, which dips the sound more often than a "Big
Brother Live" programme and is really annoying. Why does it need to access
it so much?
There's also lots of pointless doors you can't open - just like
Medal of Honour: Frontline.
On the plus side, though, you can happily dismember bodies by shooting them
endlessly, which is great fun when you crack a skull apart.
Overall, this is far from a
Hitman 2-beater.
It's fun for a while, and I could make myself go through all the missions but there's
so many more games out there which are much better. For those with Xbox Live,
go can take a trip down memory lane with the usual Deathmatch, Capture The Flag
and other online modes, but, again, go for other games which are a lot more
entertaining.
If you're going to release a sequel to a game that's three years old, then
update it accordingly, don't leave it looking like it was also made three
years ago.
GRAPHICS SOUND EFFECTS AND MUSIC PLAYABILITY ENJOYMENT
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Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
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So, where does it all go wrong? Shortly after starting a game up, unfortunately.
I looked forward to creeping round the streets of Prague to rescue a dignitary,
coming up against the baddies and shooting them in the head.
Gameplay-wise, it's uninspired. You have to unlock gates just like the
