While Soldier of Fortune isn't the best or most original military FPS in the world, its realistic depiction of violence and gore paved the way for other bloody titles while pushing the boundaries of video game censorship. Although the gore effect isn't as shocking as it used to be, it was extremely ahead of its time and pushed video game censorship to its limits during the early 2000s.
#Soldier of fortune video game software#
Raven Software also had to change all the enemies in the second game to oil-leaking cyborgs to please German censors. Soldier of Fortune also made Germany's "Media Harmful to Young Persons" index. Shortly after the British Columbia Film Office received a complaint about Soldier of Fortune's excessive violence, the game received a restrictive rating, classifying it as a pornographic film. The blood-soaked carnage enthused many gamers while rubbing others the wrong way.Īs expected, Soldier of Fortune's gore system didn't go over well with many parents. The second game took things further by implementing 36 "gore zones" on every hostile. The game's developer, Raven Software, created the GHOUL engine, which allowed players to dismember and even disembowel opponents with specific weapons. Soldier of Fortune wasn't the first game to utilize excessive blood and violence, but it was the first FPS to depict gore in such a grizzly manner. Related: Call of Cthulu Is THE Definitive Lovecraft Video Game
#Soldier of fortune video game series#
Since then, the series has fallen into obscurity and is relatively unknown among younger gamers. Soldier of Fortune: Payback received poor reviews and was shunned by most of the Soldiers of Fortune community. Soldier of Fortune took a short hiatus in 2002, with a new developer, Cauldron HQ, rebooting the series in 2007.
Both became instant cult classics and even received console ports shortly after their release.
The first game launched in 2000, with a sequel, Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix, releasing two years later. Underneath Soldier of Fortune's bloody outer shell lies an enjoyable game that gives players a memorable FPS experience. Soldier of Fortune's grizzly nature took video game carnage to a whole new level while helping mold the genre into what it is today. While it's not the most original game in the world, its depiction of violence and gore made it stand out from other military first-person shooters of the era, earning it a small, loyal following despite backlash over its mature content. These days, Soldier of Fortune is remembered more for its graphic content than its gameplay.