Games

Best of 2009 | 08 |07 | 06 | 05
Advanced Search

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed games.

Soldier of Fortune: Payback

EMAIL PRINT xbox360

6.1 User Score:

Mixed or average reviews

Based on 35 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 13 votes
Read user comments
Rate this game >

Game Info

Publisher: Activision

Developer: Cauldron

Genre(s): First-Person Shooter

Players: Multi

ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Release Date: November 13, 2007

Summary

Soldier of Fortune Payback evolves the signature gameplay of its predecessors with refined controls, tension-packed warzones, and an enemy damage system that may be shocking to even experienced FPS players. Boasting more weapons options than any previous Soldier of Fortune installment, Soldier of Fortune Payback's impressive arsenal includes an array of more than 30 weapons including sub-machine guns, assault rifles, sniper rifles, projectile explosives, weapon attachments and cutting-edge tactical weapons. The game features many of players' favorite online multiplayer modes including Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Elimination, Team Elimination, Capture the Flag, and Demolition. Additional online options include maps tuned specifically for multiplayer action, persistent stat-tracking throughout the gamer’s online career, and many server settings for custom online play. The storyline reflects the practice of "outsourcing" wars. When a routine escort mission goes horribly wrong, freelance mercenary Thomas Mason finds himself battling an insidious enemy that knows no boundaries. Traditional armies can not handle these extremists – only underground guns for hire can fight a war this dirty and get results. [Activision]

Cheat Codes & Hints: Cheat Code Central

Also On The Web: Official Website

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

PGNx Media

Is Soldier of Fortune: Payback a bad game? No, not really. It's a rather enjoyable (if simple) and good looking shooter. It's just that there have been so many amazing playing and looking games in the past few months, that Payback can't compare in comparison.

Read Full Review >

MS Xbox World

However, the game really does feel like a one trick horse and perhaps relies too heavily on the dismemberment and beheadings rather than more inventive gameplay.

Read Full Review >

ZTGameDomain

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.

Read Full Review >

GamePro

A decent enough game that won't leave much of a lasting impression. It's good if you just want some mindless fun but don't go in expecting anything more because the only payback you'll get is a shot in the foot.

Read Full Review >

IGN

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.

Read Full Review >

Games Radar (in-house)

As cliché shooters go, Payback is no "Black," but it's not bad either. If all you're looking for is a predictable, middle-of-the-road shooter - you know, like if you just beat "Mass Effect" and want to rent a couple hours of mindless mayhem - you could do better, but you could also do a lot worse.

Read Full Review >

GameDaily

The bland story mode, despite whisking you away to numerous locations, features lame brain artificial intelligence, a boring narrative, corny characters and the same point A to point B objectives, making it worth just a few hours of play.

Read Full Review >

NTSC-uk

Soldier of Fortune: Payback is not a bad game, it's just not one with universal appeal.

Read Full Review >

Gamer 2.0

In a lot of ways, Payback takes the genre back to basics. It’s just you, a few weapons, and a mission; no squad to command, minimal platforming, and no puzzle-solving.

Read Full Review >

Planet Xbox 360

If you are a complete demented whack job, hey, this might be the game for you but for those looking for solid gameplay via both SP and MP, Soldier of Fortune: Payback is not worthy of a rent let alone a $60 purchase.

Read Full Review >

Game Almighty

When it all boils down to it, this is nothing more than another straight laced shooter with little to offer people in the value department.

Read Full Review >

Xbox360Achievements

Soldier of Fortune III: Payback has a wonderful plot. The downside is the bugged single player, the terrible framerate, and the sometimes glitchy audio. The only great part about the game, is the timeless multiplayer which has so much to offer.

Read Full Review >

GameTrailers

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.

Read Full Review >

1UP

Soldier of Fortune doesn't cross the line of being a bad game, but it hardly ever breaks the surface of mediocrity either. The visuals and sound show lots of polish, but the generic story, horrible voice acting, and cut-scenes, along with the kamikaze A.I. and boring level design, simply don't.

Read Full Review >

Games Master UK

The world's most average shooter, doused in a hundred gallons of blood and gore. [Feb 2008, p.64]

Xbox World 360 Magazine UK

As bog-standard a shooter as we've ever played, marinated in a gallon of blood.

Read Full Review >

Worth Playing

It's impossible to recommend Soldier of Fortune: Payback to new players or fans of the series, like me, who have been waiting for a sequel since Double Helix on the PC, especially when titles such as Call of Duty 4 are available for the same or similar price and deliver a far better experience in every way.

Read Full Review >

Extreme Gamer

The best thing Activision could have done is discounted the price making Payback closer to a budget title. At the current price point, I can’t recommend Solider of Fortune: Payback for anything more than a rental.

Read Full Review >

Cheat Code Central

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.

Read Full Review >

My Gamer

With all the great First Person Shooters released in the last year, it only takes a minute of gameplay to see why Payback is lacking.

Read Full Review >

Jolt Online Gaming UK

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.

Read Full Review >

GamerNode

It's very obvious Raven had nothing to do with this game, and longtime fans of the series will notice in the first 20 minutes this isn't close to what the first Soldier of Fortune was. Who knew that gratuitous violence could be made boring?

Read Full Review >

Game Over Online

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.

Read Full Review >

Official Xbox Magazine UK

A nasty game through and through. Not in terms of its gore, which just comes off as childish, but in most other respects. [Feb 2008, p.100]

Read Full Review >

Gameplayer

Without the gore it’s got nothing more.

Read Full Review >

GameSpot

This shooter is a painful exercise in pattern memorization plus frustrating trial-and-error gameplay.

Read Full Review >

Official Xbox Magazine

At a full $60, there's absolutely no reason to touch this with a ten-foot-pole, especially with so many other, better shooters on the market in this record-settingly awesome holiday season. [Jan 2008, p.62]

Game Informer

Activision is far too good of a publisher to unleash a game this poor onto the unsuspecting public. Fans of the series should skip this horrid excuse for a shooter and keep their glowing memories of previous Soldier of Fortune battles intact.

Read Full Review >

Edge Magazine

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]

X360 Magazine UK

A contender for one of the dirtiest games of the year, Payback is two parts uninspired garbage and three parts loading screen. [Issue 28, p.98]

GamingTrend

If a quick and dirty deathmatch is something that appeals to you, go for it, but be warned. Soldier of Fortune: Payback is very shallow and at best is a budget game, and there are far more compelling shooters out there.

Read Full Review >

Armchair Empire

Instead of concentrating on a single-player and at least making it competent, the team had to split resources and make a haphazard multiplayer feature as well.

Read Full Review >

GameSpy

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.

Read Full Review >

GameShark

A hackneyed premise that flirts with the same issues of terrorism examined in scores of other shooters hardly makes an impact here.

Read Full Review >

Game Revolution

The essential problem with Soldier of Fortune: Payback is that it tries very hard to appear realistic while trotting out silly gameplay mechanisms. It’s hard to tell if it’s a serious shooter covering the military side of contemporary politics, or a parody.

Read Full Review >

What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 6.1 (out of 10) based on 13 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Big Daddy Davee gave it a6:
This game isn't as bad as people have made it out to be. I agree that it is definately unfinished, has poor framerates at times and does nothing new at all. It is however, fun. The shooting mechanic is very tight and the graphics are good.

Tim W gave it an8:
I bought this game reading all of the bad reviews and it's not as bad as they say. The single player is pretty bad in the beginning but as you progress it gets better. The one thing I like is the multiplayer. Its very fun and if you want to take a break from cod4 then this is a good alternative. The gore is really funny and entertaining and if you don't want it then you can turn it off in the menu. All in all the single player is mediocre but the multiplayer is good

Fuz Y gave it a6:
I've always been a fan of the SoF series for it's 'mindless' gameplay. By that I mean it's like those movies that you just switch off and enjoy. If you've been playing some story heavy games recently like I have then Soldier of Fortune is a good way of clearing your head (no pun intended!). Graphically it seems unfinished as some areas just seem to lack any texture - like faces and weapons - where as other areas look quite nice. The controls seem a bit sluggish at first but can be helped by turning the sensitivity up. With all the great shooters on the 360 at the moment SoF will be easily lost in the crowd but if you see it preowned or discounted (like I did) it's worth a look and should entertain for a short while, as long as you don't take it to seriously.

Jay gave it an8:
I think this game is great. A refreshing change to everything else thats out right now. You dont get tired of shooting enemies like you do in most other fps's. OK the framerate is a bit dodgy sometimes and you get a tad of slowdown but you forgive it. You get to choose yr weapons before each level and the enemys sneak up on you and hit hard from time to time. Gives you a feel of being a bad ass commando. Like it

Chad C. gave it a4:
Pretty mediocre shooter other than the dismemberment it really doesnt have much going for it. Dont get me wrong seeing someone get there head shot off by a sniper in Team Deathmatch was pretty satisfying after that youll get the feeling of claustaphobia because the levels are so tiny and theres only a select amount of weapons to choose from. I hate to say it but sierra should let this series die, theres to many great shooters out there dont buy this not so good very repetitive game im mad i did.

Rich T. gave it an8:
Hey all, I am Cool "DJ ICE" and here is another one of my game reviews. I hope this helps you decide to buy or rent the following game. Remember, this is strictly MY OPINION and everyone has thier own taste in video games. Everyone is welcome to their own interpretation. Enjoy: "SOLDIER OF FORTUNE: PAYBACK" on XBOX 360. Played on a 1080i HDTV with DOLBY 5.1 SURROUND SOUND I will get straight to the point. This game is non-stop action, killing, and over-the-top violence and gore. It's by no means a perfect game, (but how many games are?) It's not the best First Person Shooter ever, or the best war-game ever, but it's an easy to get into time-waster and best of all...FUN! First the POSITIVES: It's a fun, easy to play, action-packed arcade shooter with a cheesy 1-liners and tongue-in-cheek voice acting. The violence, gore and dismemberment are some of the best ever seen in a video game, along side FAR CRY, CONAN and of course the MORTAL KOMBAT series. You can actually cut off someone's head AFTER you have killed them, and blood will squirt out and you will see their bone marrow! CLASSIC! The graphics are actually amazing, especially the jungle levels and the amazing HDR lighting effects. It reminds me of a cross between FAR CRY and RAINBOX SIC: VEGAS. It's not as pretty as Call of Duty 4 or Ghost Recon 2, but it's way better than most First Person Shooters out there. The sound effects are really good, and the way people scream in pain is funny. The game has some some awesome gunfights and a great weapon selection. In fact, it may be the most weapons to choose and customize that I've seen in this type of game. I am not a big fan of online multiplayer, however I have enjoyed playing this online so far. There are not that many people playing it (yet) so it's quick to "jump in" to a match, and ZERO LAG that I have seen. Also, there is NO MAP, so it's realistic and easier for a casual gamer or "noobie". You can sit and "camp", or run around and hide various places. You do not have a map in real life war! It would be cool if there was online co-op or A.I. bots so you could just create quick missions, similar to GHOST RECON 2 or RAINBOW SIX: VEGAS. Now the NEGATIVES: This game is nowhere near as polished or have nearly as many options and features as some other games. It doesn't touch HALO 3 or BIOSHOCK for gameplay control and story. The framerate drops occasionally, especially during explosions and when shooting multiple enemies. Strangley, it's happens most in the opening level, and then seems to go away after that? Also, you should tweak the default control settings for the X & Y sensitiviy, and SHUT OFF AUTO AIM! The default settings felt weird, and the AUTO AIM makes the cursor seem to skip around. SUMMARY: I think that this game is going to get "lost in the shuffle" because of the time frame that it was released, along with tons of other great games! Do yourself a favor and at least rent it. It's over-the-top fun, and it's personally one of my favorite games.

Games

Sony

Microsoft

Nintendo

Other Platforms

Upcoming &Recent Releases

Soldier of Fortune: Payback

Game Info

Summary

What The Critics Said

What Our Users Said

Upcoming &
Recent Releases