No one knows the mercenary life better than John Mullins does and it’s through his eyes that we get to see the world as he sees it--both beautiful and filled with people dedicated to destroy the beauty around them through chaos and violence.  Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix not only puts you back in the boots of the best mercenary money can buy in this port of a great PC first-person shooter.  Let the flying of limbs begin, this Xbox exclusive means to offer one great action-packed ride.  Yet does it come close to the brilliance of the PC version?  Soldier, there’s only one way to find out.  Allow me to be your guide and do read on.

As far as sequels go, Soldier of Fortune II didn’t change the way we play first-person shooters or revolutionize the genre, but as a PC release it was a step up in the series in every respect.  So you can see how its release for the Xbox would spark interest from action fans and those of us who simply love the genre.  The game also brings plenty to the table in terms of game modes and aside from the great opening tutorial; we’re treated to a lengthy single player campaign as well as some extra goodies.

Gamers assume the role of John Mullins, a seasoned mercenary who is great at what he does.  He is so good that an organization calling itself The Shop has hired him to work for them and eliminate those terrorist threats that the world keeps seeing more of these days.  One such threat has finally become too dangerous to ignore and John Mullins is sent to stop a network of international terrorists cells that are making good use of bio-weapons created by Doctor Ivanovich who Mullins rescues in the first mission.  It seems that the Doctor’s protégé has taken up his mentor’s work and is working alongside these networks of terrorists that range from the Colombian militant terrorists groups to the new Chinese threat.

Mullins, this time around, has a better selection of firepower that ranges from M16s with an attached grenade launcher to a far more powerful shotgun.  Better still is the fact that you can now pull the left trigger and use the butt of your rifle or handle of your pistol and bash an enemy’s head in for a silent kill. The game does add a few stealthy moments--you can now throw your knife--but seldom is it necessary since the Soldier of Fortune games were always about going in with your gun blazing.  The action is almost nonstop, except in the levels where Mullins is back at The Shop’s main Texas offices just wandering around.

While the controls are handled quite nicely and the action runs smoothly, this game has some pretty glaring flaws . . . a number of them, I’m sad to say.  For starters, the enemy AI is not as intelligent or responsive as the ones found in the PC version.  They react to attacks in the most oddest of ways, such as blindly running towards the spot where they last spotted you and not really understanding that you’re no longer there.   Some even get killed by the same grenade they just threw or get blinded by their own smoke grenades.  The list is endless in this department and it definitely could have been handled a lot better. 

On the bright side, however, the game also adds plenty of different challenges aside from the single player mode.  There is a Random Missions Generator that offers a few unique mission types in three specific terrains you can choose (as well as the time of day and what weapons you can take).  The missions are Assassination, Infiltration, Demolition and a mode where you try to escape from terrorist prison.  Multiplayer offers six missions: Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Infiltration, Demolition, Elimination and Capture the Flag.

It is finally great to see that Xbox games take advantage of the Xbox Live service and adding this component to Soldier of Fortune II has certainly done wonders for it.  As far as the online game modes (six in total), this game is up there with Return to Castle Wolfenstein in terms of the sheer number of game modes and team interaction.  This game creatively puts the Xbox Communicator to good use here and allows gamers to use it like a walkie talkie when addressing fellow team members or as an open-channel mode so you can intimidate your opponents.  You can even create your own matches--allowing you to choose the terrain, time of day, weapons and HUD elements.   If that wasn’t enough, you can also hook up multiple Xbox consoles for some System Link fun. 

It’s unfortunate that the game doesn’t even offer the same eye-candy the PC version showcased.  Sadly, while the game is hyped as an “Only On Xbox” title, there are no exclusive Xbox graphics features such as bump mapping.  Your surroundings look rather dull and there is just too much fogging--especially in dark corners.  Character models are also not as vivid or sharp looking as the PC game and limbs look very strange after the enemy is killed.  Many times you’ll watch as bodies land on crates, causing the bodies to lean rigidly like wooden boards against the bloodied crate.  And while there is plenty of blood, gore and amputated limbs--it’s nothing to really get sickened by it since it hardly even looks realistic even though the targeting and damage of specific body parts is.

The sound is a step up in quality than the visuals and you’ll hear it the minute you fire your M16 or the attached grenade launcher.  Bullets don’t whine like in other games, but they do make this sharp thunderclap sound that is both realistic and far more menacing.  And while there is no running soundtrack--the few tunes are lightly played over certain areas or cut scenes--it’s the great voice acting in the single player mode that makes up for it.  Enemies toss repetitive phrases around in their native language but when it comes out to dishing pain and death, they all sound alike.  While it’s neat to hear that gurgling sound the first time, it overstays its welcome a few missions later.  

Unfortunately, Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix misses the mark in too many areas and doesn’t come close to the far more superior PC version of the game.  Although the gratuitous violence comes off as more cartoon-like than brutal, gamers will be more turned off by the weak visuals and unintelligent enemy AI.  The game does score big points, though, for it’s assortment of game mode features, plentiful levels and entertaining online multiplayer mode.  If you’re looking for a quality first-person shooter, look elsewhere. But if you want to try something a bit new, this one is entertaining enough to warrant a rental.

 
Gameplay: 6.2
The controls are pretty basic for a first-person shooter and that’s just the way we like it, thank you very much.  Much of what is found here has been seen before, of course, and firing your AK-74 and using the bayonet fixed to it is as easy as just pressing the other trigger on your controller. This time around, Mullins comes with a wider assortment of weapons gamers can select for him at the beginning of each operation. 

Soldier of Fortune has always been about flying limbs and blood-splattering fun and you’ll find that here--although it’s hardly what you might call realistic.  Gamers might actually not be turned off by the violence depicted here but there’s always the option to turn off the gore.  What gamers will be definitely put off by is the level of intelligence of your opponents during the single player mode.

Graphics: 4.5
Sadly, the graphics don’t even come close to the sharp visuals of the PC version--something the Xbox could have easily replicated (as seen in games such as Hitman 2, for example).  Whatever the environment--be it a desert or the streets of Prague--the surroundings look dull and rather flat.  This is actually too bad since Mullins does get to see some pretty exotic locales.

To make things worse, the character models during the game are unnatural, especially when it comes to limbs.  You’ll see enemies contort rather oddly after they’re dispatched and often times their bodies seem to phase right through walls or closed doors.  Blood looks strange as well, seeming too shiny and too bright to when it puddles.  All of this could have clearly been handled a lot better.

Sound: 5.0
The sound is slightly better, although you won’t find a complete cinematic score that follows Mullins through his missions.  You’ll find something of a soundtrack when he’s exploring The Shop or during some cut scenes, but that is about it.  The sound effects and voice acting, though, do make up for this.  Guns have a sharp retort that sounds particularly great if you have a good sound system hooked up (it’s just too bad that it doesn’t support in-game Dolby Digital) and explosions sound even better when tossing grenades.  As for the voice acting, it’s done wonderfully--although certain enemies will continually spout out some repetitive phrases.

Difficulty: Medium
The game is challenging in many respects but basically this game is a frenzied charge-in-with-your-guns-blazing deal.  The challenge comes in how well you can navigate through the environment without taking too much damage, but what makes this game a bit more difficult is that it’s quite easy to get lost in the environment.  The enemy can put up a fight, as well, but you’ll be more astonished by their lack of intelligence rather than their skill.  It’s not hard to take out a terrorist that decides to ignore the sound of his screaming comrade after you just blew a hole in him.

Concept: 8.0
Who wouldn’t want to be a mercenary for hire and visit far off exotic locales such as Hong Kong, Columbia or even Switzerland?  This game features many missions through various terrains and landscapes fighting off wave after wave of armed terrorists.  The fact that you can also do just that online is a big plus, as is the Random Missions Generator that just adds more bang for your buck.  There is enough here to keep gamers very busy.

Multiplayer: 8.5
Don’t you love a game that offers a variety of ways to enhance your multiplayer experience?  Soldier of Fortune II does exactly that by allowing gamers to set up a System Link multiplayer challenge using multiple Xbox consoles.  Imagine up to twelve of your friends playing through six mission types like Demolition or Elimination as you pair up in teams to take each other out.  Now imagine you can go online with the Xbox Live service and go head-to-head with other players (with voice chat that can be used as walkie talkies or through regular voice mode) in a campaign you yourself created.  And to top it all off, the online mode runs as smoothly as Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Tides of War.  New downloadable maps are also promised!

Overall: 6.8
Solid controls and plenty of missions aren’t enough to ignore the glaring flaws this game possesses and, sadly enough, it holds this game back from being the best console version of the Soldier of Fortune series.  The game is still fun enough to play and the online multiplayer feature alone is worth the price of a rental.