Feel, Conclusions

Faster, faster

Multiplayer Soldier of Fortune features some very fast paced gameplay. It was rather important to give a relatively high movement speed to players because almost all of the weapons are hit scan (meaning that there are no in flight projectiles that you can see and dodge - weapon fire is instant). The fast movement speed allows players a decent chance at dodging shots from opponents. Overall, the "feel" is best described as smooth, fluid, and responsive. By comparison, the last Quake 2 engine game we looked at, Kingpin, feels slower, and more clumsy. Strafe jumps in SoF are rather easy to execute but low hanging ceilings in many areas prevent you from using them excessively.

His face is caved in

This other guy's just about had it too

Summing it up

So is Soldier of Fortune a Quake 3 or Unreal Tournament killer? Probably not, but it might not even be fair to draw comparisons that way. Soldier of Fortune differentiates itself from the two FPS leaders in several aspects. First of all, SoF has weapons that can be found in real life or are at least based on proven scientific theory and prototypes. The locational based damage and realistic death/damage animations are another draw that Q3 and UT can't boast (yes you can get headshots in UT but it's still not nearly as specific as SoF's locational damage). Finally, the "real life" damage mode might turn out to be a huge draw as an alternative to games like Rogue Spear, Half Life Counterstrike, and Action Quake. Instead of playing team based games where you can end up waiting for minutes on end to restart (that's what annoys me the most about Counterstrike), SoF would presumably allow you to respawn instantly after dying. If you're looking for a traditional shooter that's more realistic than Quake 3 or UT, then SoF might be what you're looking for.

Nice two handed stance	Hey I already have one
Admiring the graffiti	Sit down!