A few years ago, death, dismemberment and a dash of gore were all you needed to spice up a mediocre game and earn international notoriety (yes, Mortal Kombat, that includes you). But as ultra-violence and gory dismemberment are the only decent things about this hackneyed blaster, Soldier Of Fortune doesnt have what it takes to satisfy even the itchiest trigger finger.
Although the games PC predecessors provided hours of giddy, gun totin thrills, Paybacks shortcomings become apparent after only a few minutes; for starters, your rivals are painfully dumb and will run straight towards you as you pump them with bullets, while continually refusing to use cover and haplessly stumbling into the path of unexploded grenades. And, as if that wasnt bad enough, the only time youll die during this facile adventure is when an enemy spawns behind you and riddles your heros back with lead, a frustrating structure that harks back to the cheap and nasty arcade shooters of yesteryear that were designed to rob players of as many 10p coins as possible.
Hopelessly linear missions, a paltry selection of weapons and shaky graphics also mean the game isnt worth its premium asking price, no matter how much decapitation and mutilation turn you on.