As a young gorehound gamer, Raven Software’s Soldier of Fortune series made me feel like a kid in a candy store. Inspired by the magazine of the same name, the game had you working as a mercenary hunting down a terrorist group that had stolen nuclear warheads. The game was noteworthy for it GHOUL engine, which made for copious amounts of dismemberment and gore.
It also helped that the game didn’t rely entirely on the gore system, either, as it was a pretty a solid and entertaining first-person shooter for its time back in 2000. The sequels also utilized the gore to good effect, but unfortunately, the gameplay took a step back with each entry.
Flash forward 20 years later, and GVMERS are back at it again with another Rise & Fall documentary, this time focusing on the aforementioned Soldier of Fortune series. The doc also devotes time exploring Raven Software’s history of successful shooters, along with the controversy surrounding Soldier of Fortune for its gore. The gore, much like other shooters at that time, obviously landed the game on lists of banned titles in certain countries, as well as censorship. It’s a cool slice of history for those who were too young to experience it, as well those who lived through the sometimes eye-rolling events.
Plus, it helped that beneath all of the hoopla, the first two games were fun.