Title	:	Soldier of Fortune
Platforms	:	Sega Dreamcast, Windows
Publisher	:	Crave Entertainment
ESRB Rating	:	Mature
Game Rating	:	7.3
Review by	:	Ken Gagne

Enough with the demons, the aliens, and the zombies. If you're looking for a realistic first-person shooter, scope out Soldier of Fortune, a Sega Dreamcast and PC game from Crave Entertainment. You're likely to find it's the demons, aliens, and zombies that keep this genre from being mundane. [DC version reviewed here] 

Our soldier of misfortune is John Mullins, former Army Special Forces agent, now a mercenary for a United Nations anti-terrorist group. He's been hired to delve into New York subways and Kosovo sewers to prevent an international incident from occurring. 

The first thing you'll notice about Soldier of Fortune is the loading times. It can take as many as ninety seconds to load a level or a portion of it — enough time to flip through the latest issue of Guns & Ammo. Even restarting a level can induce a similar delay. 

Now, loading times do not a bad game make — but Soldier of Fortune is not worth waiting for. Mullins has an arsenal of authentic, impressive weaponry to mow down enemies who outrank him in firepower, if not smarts. The levels are straightforward, with the occasional backtracking after flipping a switch. Mullins and his enemies have no talents, and the levels no features, you haven't seen elsewhere. 

The game operates at a fast but discontinuous 60 frames per second. Multiple enemies and sudden movements can cause the display to flicker and slow down. It is otherwise capable of producing a smooth and dark environment. 

The enemies populating that world are advertised as having 26 unique points upon which to fire. A well-aimed shot can cause an appendage to go flying, proving that not only does crime not pay — it costs an arm and a leg. Why (or how) a trooper consciously reaches for his throat when his head's been blown off remains unknown. Less fatal blows will leave soldiers writhing in agony, clutching at their destroyed kneecaps - before suddenly standing erect and resuming fire. I guess Mullins' attacks sting more than anything. 

Other voice acting is provided by Todd Susman (Blast from the Past, Newhart) and Michael Clarke Duncan (Planet of the Apes, Green Mile), though they play their parts in a plot that develops at awkward moments. Shame. 

The Dreamcast's limited number of buttons calls for a clever layout. Each button has two functions, with the 'L' trigger determining which one is active. Jump and reload, strafe and lean, cycle item or weapon are all mapped to the same primary buttons. Though learning the controls is easy, using them is not, with some combinations (such as strafing and using an item simultaneously) being impossible. Players more comfortable with the mouse and keyboard may find themselves less constrained in that setup. 

Built into the Dreamcast are a modem and four controller ports; Soldier of Fortune takes advantage of neither, as it is a one-player game only. I can't remember the last time I saw a shooter get away with that; after playing Soldier of Fortune, I still can't. 

Except for the graphic brutality, there's nothing new about Soldier of Fortune. It's an average first-person shooter with realistic weapons and a modern-day plot. Would-be soldiers should consider themselves fortunate to have better, if less realistic, alternatives available to them, such as Perfect Dark on the Nintendo 64.

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This article is copyright (c) 2001, 2007 by Ken Gagne. All rights reserved. Not to be distributed without permission.

Original publication: Sentinel & Enterprise, 06-Aug-01

Title	:	Soldier of Fortune
Platforms	:	Sega Dreamcast, Windows
Publisher	:	Crave Entertainment
ESRB Rating	:	Mature
Game Rating	:	7.3
Review by	:	Ken Gagne

Enough with the demons, the aliens, and the zombies. If you're looking for a realistic first-person shooter, scope out Soldier of Fortune, a Sega Dreamcast and PC game from Crave Entertainment. You're likely to find it's the demons, aliens, and zombies that keep this genre from being mundane. [DC version reviewed here] 

Our soldier of misfortune is John Mullins, former Army Special Forces agent, now a mercenary for a United Nations anti-terrorist group. He's been hired to delve into New York subways and Kosovo sewers to prevent an international incident from occurring. 

The first thing you'll notice about Soldier of Fortune is the loading times. It can take as many as ninety seconds to load a level or a portion of it — enough time to flip through the latest issue of Guns & Ammo. Even restarting a level can induce a similar delay. 

Now, loading times do not a bad game make — but Soldier of Fortune is not worth waiting for. Mullins has an arsenal of authentic, impressive weaponry to mow down enemies who outrank him in firepower, if not smarts. The levels are straightforward, with the occasional backtracking after flipping a switch. Mullins and his enemies have no talents, and the levels no features, you haven't seen elsewhere. 

The game operates at a fast but discontinuous 60 frames per second. Multiple enemies and sudden movements can cause the display to flicker and slow down. It is otherwise capable of producing a smooth and dark environment. 

The enemies populating that world are advertised as having 26 unique points upon which to fire. A well-aimed shot can cause an appendage to go flying, proving that not only does crime not pay — it costs an arm and a leg. Why (or how) a trooper consciously reaches for his throat when his head's been blown off remains unknown. Less fatal blows will leave soldiers writhing in agony, clutching at their destroyed kneecaps - before suddenly standing erect and resuming fire. I guess Mullins' attacks sting more than anything. 

Other voice acting is provided by Todd Susman (Blast from the Past, Newhart) and Michael Clarke Duncan (Planet of the Apes, Green Mile), though they play their parts in a plot that develops at awkward moments. Shame. 

The Dreamcast's limited number of buttons calls for a clever layout. Each button has two functions, with the 'L' trigger determining which one is active. Jump and reload, strafe and lean, cycle item or weapon are all mapped to the same primary buttons. Though learning the controls is easy, using them is not, with some combinations (such as strafing and using an item simultaneously) being impossible. Players more comfortable with the mouse and keyboard may find themselves less constrained in that setup. 

Built into the Dreamcast are a modem and four controller ports; Soldier of Fortune takes advantage of neither, as it is a one-player game only. I can't remember the last time I saw a shooter get away with that; after playing Soldier of Fortune, I still can't. 

Except for the graphic brutality, there's nothing new about Soldier of Fortune. It's an average first-person shooter with realistic weapons and a modern-day plot. Would-be soldiers should consider themselves fortunate to have better, if less realistic, alternatives available to them, such as Perfect Dark on the Nintendo 64.

---

This article is copyright (c) 2001, 2007 by Ken Gagne. All rights reserved. Not to be distributed without permission.

Original publication: Sentinel & Enterprise, 06-Aug-01

Title	:	The Next Tetris: On-line Edition
Platforms	:	Sega Dreamcast
Publisher	:	Crave Entertainment
ESRB Rating	:	Everyone
Game Rating	:	5.5
Review by	:	Ken Gagne

Tetris arrived in our country from Russia with love over a decade ago. Its compelling gameplay practically changed the way gamers see life. While programmers see pixels and economists equate to dollars, gamers began seeing Tetris blocks everywhere; the addiction didn't stop when the game was turned off. Gamers imagined dropping square pieces in alleys, 'L' blocks between cars, and long, skinny pieces between picture frames. 

Many renditions of Tetris have appeared since then. Some offered new block shapes and unbalanced gameplay. Others packaged the old game with well-known characters, such as Mickey Mouse. Few of these updates have improved upon the original. 

The Next Tetris (TNT): On-Line Edition, published by Crave Entertainment for the Sega Dreamcast, is yet another "new and improved" Tetris that's anything but. 

The goal in any Tetris is to place blocks falling from above. Seven different shapes can be fitted together to form a solid line from left to right, causing it to disappear. If the pile reaches the top of the screen, it's game over. 

As difficult as Tetris is to master, the game is a simple concept, and obviously doesn't require the 128-bit power of the Sega Dreamcast. That doesn't mean it can't showcase that capability with beautiful graphics and a rocking soundtrack. Tetrisphere on the Nintendo 64, for example, had an unexpectedly amazing music score that fit the game perfectly. 

TNT doesn't. Its music is simple and insipid, with abrupt changes between tracks. Remixes on original Tetris tunes are not as cool as they are blasphemous, while a man and woman chanting "Tetris" passes for other scores. 

Another boat was missed in the graphics department. There are no psychedelic swirls, no grand art, no wonders of the world to please the eyes. Most of what you'll see is straight lines, a few moving pieces, and a very metallic feel. 

The most disappointing aspect of TNT is in its control. Tight control is essential for a puzzler; one misplaced block can send the entire pile tumbling. Most Tetris players expect fast play, yet TNT has a disturbing pause between one block being placed, and the next piece coming into play. Even after the current block can be heard to drop, it can still be flipped around for several seconds (purposely or not), allowing for sloppy moves any Tetris aficionado would be ashamed to accept. 

Despite its lacks, TNT offers two new features: Multiminos, and online play. Neither are available in Classic Tetris mode. 

A multimino is a Tetris block of two colors. When the piece lands, the colors split and continue to fall as separate blocks, adding some gameplay elements from Dr. Mario. Multiminos can create cascades (chain reactions) and turn otherwise inconvenient blocks into one's salvation in a dire situation. 

TNT's online features include two-player mode and world rankings. 

If online play is your fancy, then TNT for Dreamcast is the only game in town. Otherwise, classic Tetris can't be done better than on Game Boy, while other versions of TNT, such as for Nintendo 64, offer all the graphics and sound one would expect from a powerful video game system, with some interesting gameplay features. 

As for the Dreamcast version, the only puzzle here is, how hard can it be to do a good Tetris? 

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This article is copyright (c) 2001, 2007 by Ken Gagne. All rights reserved. Not to be distributed without permission.

Original publication: Sentinel & Enterprise, 08-Jan-01