Preview: 'Soldier of Fortune' for the Dreamcast

Platform: Sega Dreamcast

From...

By Star Dingo

(IDG) -- Last year's PC version of "Soldier of Fortune" was one of the most brutal and bloody first-person shooters to ever hit the market. Frequently (and rightfully) dubbed a mix between realistic combat tactics games like "Rainbow Six" and more carnage-intense FPS games like "Unreal Tournament," "Soldier of Fortune" is now making its way to the Dreamcast -- guts, glory, and all.

Your in-game persona in "Soldier of Fortune" is a fella named John Mullins, a former Green Beret currently making the rounds on the freelance mercenary market. Your latest job is with an anti-terrorist organization known (at least in the PC version) as The Shop, and it's John's job to clean up New York subway stations and other terrorist-friendly locales and earn a few bucks in the process. Luckily, Mr. Mullins has a nice arsenal of shotguns, sub-machine guns, rocket launchers, and the usual tools of the carnage trade on hand to help him meet his daily quota.

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"Soldier of Fortune"'s biggest claim to fame was its focus on damage. There are, perhaps, more ways to wound a man in this game than in any other game that had come before or since. The PC version used a heavily modified "Quake II" engine with a high-tech GHOUL animation system that allowed you to target pinpoint areas on your enemies' bodies and watch as they react in different and extremely painful-looking ways. This, of course, earned the game a hefty M rating from the ESRB, and it looks like Crave is going to bring all the blood and guts along to the Sega machine.

While the Dreamcast edition will pretty much be a straight-up port, Crave has hinted at a chance for new levels and online options to pop up somewhere down the line. For now, just study these screens -- and we'll keep you briefed, soldier.

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Soldier-of-Fortune.com

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