Soldier of Fortune II Double Helix

by ACTIVISION

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00006599Y
• Media: CD-ROM
• Release Date: May 22, 2002
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (98 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #12,342 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #75 in Video Games > PC Games > Arcade
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Your mission: Race around the globe to neutralize the terrorists before the plague is unleashed on humanity.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, but typical, July 9, 2002

By 

"va_dave" (Falls Church, VA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Soldier of Fortune II Double Helix (CD-ROM)

I bought this game while shopping for a more modern tactical shooter. I'm and ex Counter-Strike junkie and I've played Return to Castle Wolfenstein and Medal of Honor:Allied Assault and quite frankly I'm a bit sick of the current trends in online gaming as well as the community in general. I was looking for something with a lot more single-player replay value.

I'm sure by now everyone knows a little bit about SoF2 so I'll omit the overview and get straight to the point. This is basically just another Q3A mod with more blood and gore. Like RTCW and MOHAA, the graphics are good and technology seems sound, but for such a latecommer I believe it's reasonable to have expected a bit more.

The single-player campaign is your typical linear shooter. Run around, do these things in order, pick up more weapons, etc.... The story itself is terrible - think Max Payne meets the A-Team. There were some great ideas mixed in, and I really appreciated the more modern military feel, but by now we're all getting a bit tired of the same format. The random mission generator looks appealing, and was a major factor in the decision to buy this game, but it becomes redundant far too easily. If you intend on purchasing this game only for the single-player features, I would strongly recommend some serious comparison shopping before putting the money down.

As previously stated, I'm not much of an online gaming fan, but I felt it was necessary to give the MP games a chance before writing this review. To my surprise, MP is pretty darn fun! It supports the usual team-oriented games (CTF, TDM, etc...), and doesn't add anything revolutionary to the mix, but the combination of the modern weapons and outdoor themes really made this a blast. Compared to what's currently out there, SoF2 does the best job in mixing action with simulated warfare. Unfortunately, the Q3A "feel" or the game is still there. The damage system is a bit too forgiving, and I don't know how anyone could jump around with 80lbs of gear on their backs, but I guess this is the way people like it. If you're a big fan of Half-Life and Quake mods, you'll feel right at home with this. Counter-Strike fans will probably consider it on the goofy side of the spectrum, but I think they should still give it a chance.

Of course, my biggest gripe with most of the online shooters is this: Even the best laid plans and teamwork can be spoiled in a heartbeat by some rambo running around with a grenade launcher.

Anyways, SoF2 is a shining example of modern game technology that's just starting to become dated. It can easily be worth the price tag, but I fear that in less than 2 months it will take it's place on the shelf next to the other Q3A-driven games and collect dust. Not the tactical shooter I was looking for, but I'm glad I had a chance to play it.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rat-tat-tat-tat-*POP*!! The exploding heads are back!!, May 26, 2002

By 

H. A Huffman "haumf" (Mt. Prospect, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Soldier of Fortune II Double Helix (CD-ROM)

Great single player game, so far. I bought it yesterday and have been playing it ever since. The graphics are nice - Raven's GHOUL game engine works well. The game can be configured like the old SOF game except that grenade lobbing is more realistic - no more cartoon-style "throw 6 grenades in a second" action - but the new weapons, like the OICW rifle, more than compensate for this.

And...the exploding body parts are back and better than ever!! Nothing beats those bloody head shots, especially since this game has such great death animations (The squemish can adjust the gore levels). Plus, the enemy AI is better than the first SOF game, the game is quite challenging (I already miss the "bigelbow" cheat codes). Also Included is the "Random Mission Generator" which allows you easily create custom single player missions.

Enjoy!!

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Oops, forgot to be fun..., June 9, 2002

By 

K. Butler (escondido, ca United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Soldier of Fortune II Double Helix (CD-ROM)

In their quest to crank up the realism, activism forgot to make this game even half as fun as the first SOF. You die constantly by unseen forces (a grenade from above *POOF* you're gone) which I'm sure is pretty realistic for one man taking on armies, but the net result is you spend A LOT of time looking at the loading screen (and if anyone tells you they don't spend a LOT of time with that screen, they're lying). I don't mind dying if I blow it or the AI beats me, that's the mark of a well-designed game with appropriate difficulty. But constant, random death isn't "difficult", it's boring. Also the aiming is terrible--totally lacking the violent satisfaction of the first SOF. You can shoot at the same guy forever and not know whether you got him untill he blows your head off (even on the novice setting). Pumping whole clips into a baddy only to have him pop up and ice you with the same model of weapon you just emptied at him is nothing but frustrating. Most of SOF2 feels like the tedious part of Allied Assault where you're being sniped by unseen enemies. Some people got off on the "realism" of that level, but most people who have a life and play video games for FUN (what a concept) hated slogging through that die-a-thon. For those of us whose grin muscles still ache from playing Jedi Knight 2, it's one helluva comedown.