User Score
4.6 out of 10

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 10 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 10
  3. Negative: 5 out of 10

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  1. NotTelling
    Feb 21, 2008
    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. Expand
Metascore

Mixed or average reviews - based on 14 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 14
  2. Negative: 5 out of 14
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.