Soldier of Fortune: Payback PlayStation 3
Metascore
50 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 14 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 14
  3. Negative: 5 out of 14
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  1. ZTGD
    65
    If you are a fan of the series and can handle some of the hang-ups found in this latest chapter then by all means snatch it up, I know I could use more people online to play with. However, most FPS gamers looking for the next best thing will find Payback a bit too much on the derivative side to warrant its full price tag.
  2. PSM3 Magazine UK
    62
    Ignore the gore and this is an average shooter. [Feb 2008, p.78]
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  3. IGN
    61
    Soldier of Fortune: Payback has one thing going for it: excessive dismemberment. Everything else is standard stuff for a shooter. Yet, I must admit, that I get a guilty pleasure playing Payback. Though it's not a good game, it's still fun to see body parts fly.
  4. PSX Extreme
    61
    I can clearly see a solid game here; it's just that it is really marred by a poor framerate and boring campaign structure. It doesn't offer much value as a single-player game, and with a barren online community, it most certainly doesn't have any multiplayer value to speak of.
  5. GameZone
    60
    Too flawed and riddled with every first-person shooter cliché out there, Soldier of Fortune: Payback might look good but this is a crude and uninventive shooter hardly worth playing.
  6. GameTrailers
    56
    Soldier of Fortune: Payback is a one-trick pony of blood and guts. And if that’s your thing, you might be able to overlook the generic shooting mechanic, enemy AI that’s cheap and stupid, and dull level design. But we just can’t.
  7. Cheat Code Central
    52
    Stock animation generates the same A.I. moves over and over again. This redundant theme is further exacerbated by the gameplay which, despite changing environments, doesn't differ from mission to mission.
  8. Jolt Online Gaming UK
    51
    What we don’t understand is why someone allowed this to soil the reputation of one of the best FPS series of the last generation.
  9. Game Over Online
    50
    For some unknown reason Activision took a pretty respectable franchise (I still play SoF2 from time to time to this day, and it is still installed on my PC), and chucked it in the garbage.
  10. GameSpot
    45
    This shooter is a painful exercise in pattern memorization plus frustrating trial-and-error gameplay.
  11. Edge Magazine
    40
    Soldier of Fortune’s damage model is probably its major selling point and, lamentably, the only thing that makes its combat entertaining. [Feb 2008, p.96]
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  12. Playstation Official Magazine UK
    40
    Compared to Call of Duty 4's sensitive and intelligent treatment of the same material, Payback is a joyless, hoo-hahing head butt of a videogame. [Feb 2008, p.95]
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  13. Eurogamer
    30
    When Soldier of Fortune Payback isn't being generic and shallow, its being utterly crap and thus does nothing to mitigate its gleeful and deliberate xenophobia.
  14. GameSpy
    30
    A thoroughly uninspired piece of hack work that gives you plenty of reasons not to buy it. Pick any one you like and save yourself the sixty bucks.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
4.6 out of 10

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 10 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 6
  3. Negative: 1 out of 6
  1. Guivera
    3
    One of the worst plots and shortest campaigns I have EVER seen. Certainly this game deserves its bad reviews, its clunky, buggy and can't compete with the likes of COD and Battlefield. There are enjoyable elements such as being able to blow off limbs (crude i know, but we all know it's fun) but overall this game belongs in the bargain bin at best.… Full Review »
  2. IlanXD
    7
    Well, this game can be fun at times, but it is really not that fun. There are many difficult parts in the game where you can lose your mind. Most graphics feel wooden. It is a nice game, but clearly not "great".… Full Review »
  3. NotTelling
    10
    This game is extremely underrated. The problem most people have with this game is that it has a horrible plot. I agree wholeheartedly, but it doesn't ruin the game. Where most games nowadays are using good plots to compel people through the games, this game is taking it back to the roots of the genre. After all, who played Doom for the plot? The plot in that game can be explained in a single sentence, yet it's regarded as the grand daddy of first person shooters. The motivation to play the game is the gameplay; the excessive shooting, blood, and gore. Comparably, the levels in Soldier of Fortune: Payback are uninspiring, but they are merely a beautiful backdrop to the mass carnage you lay down. Who played Contra for the level design? Most people focus on the flaws of the game, but one look at the bright side of the game fades all of the flaws into silhouette. Buy and play this game expecting it to be what it is. It's a mindless shooter that does it better than any game in recent years.… Full Review »
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