| Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix | |
| Developer: | Raven Software |
| Publisher: | Activision MacPlay (OS X)[1] |
| Director: | Jon Zuk |
| Designer: | Matt Pinkston |
| Programmer: | Dan Kramer |
| Artist: | Joe Koberstein |
| Composer: | Zachary Quarles |
| Engine: | id Tech 3 |
| Platforms: | Microsoft Windows, OS X, Xbox |
| Released: | Microsoft WindowsOS XXbox |
| Genre: | First-person shooter |
| Modes: | Single-player, multiplayer |
Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix is a first-person shooter video game developed by Raven Software, the sequel to Soldier of Fortune. It was developed using the id Tech 3 engine as opposed to the original's id Tech 2, and published in 2002. Once again, Raven hired John Mullins to act as a consultant on the game. Based on criticisms of the original game, Raven Software developed Soldier of Fortune II to be a more "realistic" game, with more modern tactical shooters like (2001) and Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six (1998) serving as inspirations, rather than Quake (1996).
Like the first game in the series, Double Helix pushed the boundaries of depictions of gore and violence, and is considered more graphic and realistic than most in the first-person genre. This time around, the theme was germ warfare rather than nuclear terrorism. The multiplayer mode had five different gametypes, and playing through the single-player story, a player could choose from four different levels of difficulty.
An unrelated sequel titled , made by Cauldron HQ, was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2007.
The theme of the Double Helix is germ warfare, as the mercenary Mullins and his new partner Madeline Taylor travel to Colombia to investigate a viral outbreak in a small town, only to link it to a shadowy organization called Prometheus. The virus, called Romulus, is followed by a computer virus called Remus which is programmed to delete files on any computer in the world, in this case, files relating to Prometheus and Romulus, so an anti-virus cannot be formulated. Prometheus then plans to blackmail the G8 countries at a summit in Switzerland for billions of dollars. It is revealed throughout the course of the game that a mole inside The Shop may be feeding information to the terrorists.
Soldier of Fortune II is a shooter game played from the first-person perspective.[2] In the campaign, the player must complete a series of levels that encompass Soldier of Fortune IIs storyline, reprising their role as special operative John Mullins from the first installment. Its campaign can be experienced through four levels of difficulty: Amateur, Gun for Hire, Consultant, and Soldier of Fortune.[3] Alternatively, players can select the Random Missions Generator to create levels with unique parameters.[4] Following the gameplay formula of its predecessor, Soldier of Fortune II primarily revolves around run and gun tactics, but also includes segments focused on stealth and vehicular combat.[4] [5] The status of Mullins' health is indicated by the heads-up display (HUD). Health packs and armor can be found at different parts of the game or on downed enemies, allowing the player to sustain more damage.[3]
Gunfights are a major mechanic of Soldier of Fortune II.[2] As players progress through the story, they earn access to various new weapons and equipment, some dropped by downed enemies; these include several different rifles, machine guns, shotguns, sniper rifles, handguns, and explosives. Players may also customize most of their weapons with special firearm modifications.[6] Such modifications alter the rate of fire or add attachments like silencers, bayonets, and grenade launchers.[7] Mullins carries a toolkit and can use it to interact with the environment—disabling trip wires, picking locks, and cutting power lines among other actions.[3]
In multiplayer mode, there are five gametypes: Capture the Flag, Infiltration, Team Deathmatch, Deathmatch and Elimination. The Gold Edition of the game adds an extra gametype: Demolition, bringing the number of gametypes in the game to six.
The PC version of Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix received mostly positive reviews, however, Ivan Zulic of IGN remarked that the game felt rushed, possibly in order to avoid cannibalizing sales of , an upcoming title from the same company. He also noted that as a result of its apparent premature release, parts of the game seem unbalanced or unpolished, presumably due to a lack of extensive playtesting.[8] The game was a nominee for GameSpots annual "Best Multiplayer Action Game on PC" award.[9]
The Xbox version was heavily criticized since it did not improve on any of the PC version's flaws despite an additional year of development time, so it did not keep pace with the advancements in competing first-person shooter games. It also had graphics far below what was expected for the Xbox, with bland textures and a low polygon count that led Hector Guzman of GameSpy to describe it as a "PC to Dreamcast to Xbox port".[10]
The game sold 152,000 units in the United States.[11]
Based on its success, initially released for Windows, Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix was later ported to the Xbox. A third game in the series, , was made by Cauldron HQ and released in 2007. A MMOFPS based on the series, Soldier of Fortune Online, was published in Korea by Dragonfly and went in closed beta on August 12, 2010, and ended on August 16, 2010.