This article concerns the first-person shooter. For the SNES and Genesis game Soldiers of Fortune, see The Chaos Engine.

Soldier of Fortune is a first-person shooter game created by Raven Software and published by Activision on March 27, 2000 for Microsoft Windows. It uses a modified Quake II engine. It was later released on the Sony PlayStation 2 as well as the Sega Dreamcast. Loki Software also made a port for Linux. Based on its success, Raven Software and Activision later published Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix in 2002 based on the Quake III engine. Initially released for Windows, the sequel was later ported to the Xbox. Soldier of Fortune box cover This is the cover art for a video or computer game. ... A video game developer is a software developer (a business or an individual) that creates video games. ... Raven Software is a computer game software developer based in Madison, Wisconsin. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Activision, Inc. ... A game engine is the core software component of a computer or video game or other interactive application with real-time graphics. ... The Quake II engine powers Quake II and several other games. ... March 27 is the 86th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (87th in leap years). ... 2000 2000 in games 1999 in video gaming 2001 in video gaming Notable events of 2000 in video gaming. ... Video games are generally categorized into genres. ... First-person shooter (FPS) is a genre of video games which is characterized by an on-screen view that simulates the in-game characters point of view and a focus on the use of handheld ranged weapons. ... In computer games and video games, single-player refers to the variant of a particular game where input from only one player is expected throughout the course of the gaming session. ... This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) is the organisation responsible for film classification (see Motion picture rating systems and History of British Film Certificates) within the United Kingdom. ... The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) is a self-regulatory organization that applies and enforces ratings, advertising guidelines, and online privacy principles for computer and video games in the United States. ... Microsoft Windows is the name of several families of proprietary software operating systems by Microsoft. ... Linux (IPA pronunciation: ) is a Unix-like computer operating system family. ... The PlayStation 2 , abbreviated PS2) is Sonys second video game console, the successor to the PlayStation and the predecessor to the PlayStation 3. ... The Dreamcast , code-named Black Belt, Dural, Dricas, Vortex, and Katana during development) is Segas fifth and final video game console and the successor to the Sega Saturn. ... The Chaos Engine is a top-down run and gun computer game developed by the Bitmap Brothers and published by Renegade Software in 1993. ... First-person shooter (FPS) is a genre of video games which is characterized by an on-screen view that simulates the in-game characters point of view and a focus on the use of handheld ranged weapons. ... Raven Software is a computer game software developer based in Madison, Wisconsin. ... Activision, Inc. ... March 27 is the 86th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (87th in leap years). ... 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Microsoft Windows is the name of several families of proprietary software operating systems by Microsoft. ... The Quake II engine powers Quake II and several other games. ... Sony Corporation ) is a Japanese multinational corporation and one of the worlds largest media conglomerates with revenue of $68. ... The PlayStation 2 , abbreviated PS2) is Sonys second video game console, the successor to the PlayStation and the predecessor to the PlayStation 3. ... The Dreamcast , code-named Dural, Dricas and Katana during development) is Segas fifth and final video game console and the successor to the Sega Saturn. ... Loki Games was a software firm that ported several computer games from Microsoft Windows to Linux. ... Linux (IPA pronunciation: ) is a Unix-like computer operating system family. ... ... 2002 2002 in games 2001 in video gaming 2003 in video gaming Notable events of 2002 in video gaming. ... The Quake III engine (1999) was developed by id Software and is used in many games. ... In computer science, porting is the process of adapting software so that an executable program can be created for a computing environment that is different from the one for which it was originally designed (e. ... The Xbox is a sixth generation era video game console produced by Microsoft Corporation. ...

Background

Soldier of Fortune was developed to be based on the Soldier of Fortune magazine. About midway through the game's development, Raven Software hired a professional mercenary, John Mullins, to act as a consultant on the game for purposes of realism and accuracy. A fictional version of Mullins was eventually made into the game's main character. Soldier of Fortune magazine is a publication ostensibly devoted to coverage of global low-intensity warfare and terrorism on behalf of the professional mercenary. ... A mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict and is motivated to take part in the hostilities essentially by the desire for private gain and, in fact, is promised, by or on behalf of a Party to the conflict, material compensation substantially in excess of that...

Soldier of Fortune was one of the first "real-world" first-person shooters, with modern weapons and human opponents, as opposed to more fantasy/sci-fi oriented games like Doom or Duke Nukem 3D. First-person shooter (FPS) is a genre of video games which is characterized by an on-screen view that simulates the in-game characters point of view and a focus on the use of handheld ranged weapons. ... Doom (or DOOM)[1] is a 1993 computer game by id Software that is among the landmark titles in the first-person shooter genre. ... Duke Nukem 3D is a first-person shooter developed by 3D Realms and released on January 29, 1996 by Apogee Software, featuring the adventures of Duke Nukem, based on a character that had appeared in earlier platform games by the company: Duke Nukem and Duke Nukem II. // Calander from Duke...

Story

The story involves the theft of nuclear weapons, and the main enemy turns out to be an Afrikaner Neo-Nazi group based in Germany. At the beginning of the game, terrorists steal four nuclear weapons from a storage facility in Russia, and proceed to sell them to various Third World nations. This is a prelude to the acquisition of advanced Weapons of mass destruction by this terrorist group. Afrikaners are a European ethnic group primarily associated with Southern Africa and the Afrikaans language. ... The terms Neo-Nazism and Neo-Fascism refer to any social or political movement to revive Nazism or Fascism, respectively, and postdates the Second World War. ... The mushroom cloud of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan, 1945, rose some 18 kilometers (11 mi) above the hypocenter. ... For the Jamaican reggae band, see Third World (band). ... For the album, see Weapons of Mass Destruction (album). ...

John Mullins, working as a Soldier of Fortune for a mercenary organization known only as "The Shop", and his partner, Hawk, are assigned to prevent the nukes from falling into the wrong hands, and stop the terrorists in their plans.

Gameplay

A controversial video game, Soldier of Fortune was best known for its graphic depictions of firearms dismembering the human body. This graphic violence is the game's main gimmick, much like geo-mod of Red Faction or bullet-time of Max Payne. The game details extreme graphic violence, in which character models are based on body parts that can each independently sustain damage (gore zones). There are 26 zones in total. The makers call this the GHOUL system. A shot to the head with a powerful gun will often make the target's head explode, leaving nothing but the bloody stump of the neck remaining; a close-range shot to the stomach with a shotgun will leave an enemy's bowels in a bloody mess, and a shot to the nether regions will cause the victim to clutch his groin in agony for a few seconds before keeling over dead. It is possible to shoot off an enemy's limbs (head, arms, legs) leaving nothing left but a bloody torso. Non-violence is also a possibility, if the player was a good shot it was possible to shoot an enemy's weapon out of their hand, causing them to cower on the floor in surrender. There is also an option to disable gore. Red Faction is a first-person shooter video game that was released in 2001 for the PlayStation 2, Microsoft Windows, and Macintosh by THQ and Volition. ... Bullet time (or bullet-time) is a computer-enhanced variation of slow-motion special effects used in some recent films and computer games. ... Max Payne is a third-person shooter computer game developed by the Finnish company Remedy Entertainment, produced by 3D Realms and published by Gathering of Developers in July, 2001 for Windows. ...

Criticism

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Most fans of the game consider Soldier of Fortune to be a solid and entertaining shooter, one of the game's greatest praises being its graphic depiction of gore and violence, of which the fandom consider to be more realistic than most first-person shooter games. Critical reaction was mixed at best, Soldier of Fortune received a Good or 7.7 out of 10 in its review at Gamespot.com, and scored 7 and above in areas such as graphics and sound. Image File history File links Unbalanced_scales. ...

Critics however consider the gameplay to be fairly "arcade-ish"^{[citation needed]} and not in any way different from other more science fiction-oriented first-person shooters. Some critics compared Soldier of Fortune to games such as Counter-Strike^{[citation needed]}, others designated the game as nothing more than Quake with terrorists instead of aliens^{[citation needed]}. Tactical shooter fans in particular criticize the game's total lack of realistic combat, and lack of innovative depth to the gameplay, calling it a "blast-fest". Soldier of Fortune indeed resembles twitch shooters such as Quake or Unreal, rather than tactical shooters such as Rainbow Six and the SWAT series. Such a criticism is obviously preferential, as the same complaint could be made for any first-person shooter game that is not considered a tactical shooter, and is therefore open to debate on whether or not it brings into question the actual quality of the game itself. Counter-Strike (CS) is a popular team-based mod of Valves first-person shooter (FPS) Half-Life. ... Zombies attacking the player at the starting of Episode 1, Mission 3: The Necropolis. ... Tactical shooters include games of the first-person shooter (FPS) and third-person shooter genre of video games that generally simulate non-fictional, squad-based or man-to-man combat. ... Zombies attacking the player at the starting of Episode 1, Mission 3: The Necropolis. ... Unreal is a first-person shooter computer game developed by Epic Games and published by GT Interactive (now owned by Atari) on May 22, 1998. ... Rainbow Six is fictional character John Clarks position as director of the counter-terrorist unit Rainbow that debuted in the 1998 novel Rainbow Six by Tom Clancy. ... The SWAT series are the follow up of Sierras classic adventure game series Police Quest. ...

Controversy

In 2000, after receiving a complaint from a member of the public about the explicit content of the game, the British Columbia Film Classification Office investigated and decided the violence, gore and acts of torture were not suitable for persons under 18 years of age. In a controversial decision, the game was labelled an "adult motion picture" and was rated Restricted. Restricted "adult motion pictures" are mainstream films (not hardcore pornography) that are judged to be suitable only for adults and must be displayed or stored in a segregated room or area inaccessible to minors. In Germany, the game was placed on the index. The British Columbia Film Classification Office, part of the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General in the Canadian province of British Columbia under the Motion Picture Act of BC uses the following motion picture rating system (based on the Canadian Home Video Rating System) for theatrical releases : General. ... Jenna Jameson with Savanna Samson in a classic hardcore porn movie, The New Devil In Miss Jones (2005) Hardcore pornography is a form of pornography that features explicit sexual acts. ... This article has been translated, and needs attention from someone approaching dual fluency. ...

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External links

• Raven's Soldier of Fortune page
• Soldier of Fortune series at MobyGames