The OFLC have had their way once more with Activision and Cauldron HQ altering the game to meet the 'Australian standard'. Changes made include reduced ragdoll physics, no dismemberment of enemies (alive or dead) and toned down blood effects.

Soldier of Fortune Payback thrusts players into adrenaline-pumping mercenary combat action after a routine escort mission goes horribly wrong. The game evolves the signature gameplay of its predecessors with refined controls, tension-packed warzones, and an enemy damage system that may be shocking even to experienced FPS players. Players are armed with an impressive arsenal of more than 30 weapons, including sub-machine guns, assault rifles, and projectile explosives, as they hunt down an insidious enemy that respects neither laws, nations, nor armies. The game also offers individual and team based online modes including: Death Match, Team Death Match, Elimination, Team Elimination, Capture the Flag and Demolition.

This isn't the first time the OFLC has stamped their collective hoofs, nor is it the first time a game has had to altered as a result. Just more evidence we need an R18+ rating for videogames.

Thank god we can get the US version quite easily!

Doing this kind of thing just encourages gamers to pirate the game.

Aus does indeed need an 18+ classification for games.

anyone who pirates this game will be glad they didnt pay for it cause its a big pile of steaming dog s*** with or with out gore.

steam version/torrent version here I come.

We do need an R18+ rating, but it would not make any difference. It would simply prompt the publisher to tone it down in order to meet a 'softer' MA15+ rating and hence receive more sales.

As seen in America, Nintendo, MS and Sony will not even license an Adults Only title. Presumably they may apply that same notion to R18+ games. This again forces publishers to tone it down.


thought: UK have an R rating for games (I think?), would the console majors allow a game for it?

lol no idea why they are eve ncarrying on the soldier of fortune name on, there hasn't ever been a good soldier of fortune game...

Are any of you guys even old enough to remember a soldier of fortune game, let alone actually played one?

back in my day!

I only played the demo version of the first one and the second one was pretty good. Whats so s*** about this one?

Are any of you guys even old enough to remember a soldier of fortune game, let alone actually played one?

it was only released like 6 years ago or something.

Considering this new one is meant to be a tremendous steaming pile of s*** released under some kind of fruity 'budget' line that activision runs... why on earth do you all give a s*** :P

it was only released like 6 years ago or something.

yeh I'm talking to the weirdos paying out a game about which practically nothing is known

We do need an R18+ rating, but it would not make any difference. It would simply prompt the publisher to tone it down in order to meet a 'softer' MA15+ rating and hence receive more sales.

As seen in America, Nintendo, MS and Sony will not even license an Adults Only title. Presumably they may apply that same notion to R18+ games. This again forces publishers to tone it down.


thought: UK have an R rating for games (I think?), would the console majors allow a game for it?

because game companies will put in the extra man hours just to tone down a game so it received the ma15+ for little old Australia?

the only reason why they do put a little extra effort into reducing the gore in Australia is so they can put it on the shelf so people buy it, if they could leave it how it was and still sell it, I'm sure they would (American market anyone?)

because game companies will put in the extra man hours just to tone down a game so it received the ma15+ for little old Australia?

the only reason why they do put a little extra effort into reducing the gore in Australia is so they can put it on the shelf so people buy it, if they could leave it how it was and still sell it, I'm sure they would (American market anyone?)

Fair point.

Though Germany has certainly received their share of modified games in the past.*

Looking at the big picture though, they would rather have more sales then less. With the increasing 'anti-violent' stance of the media all over the world, it seems to me publishers will just go to the developers "Hey, don't make it too violent or we won't publish it". In fact publishers don't even need to, developers are policing themselves these days.

*Ok, so they have 4 times as many people. Also, Gears of Wars did not receive this treatment.

I've seen some vids on Youtube regarding the 'gore' in this game. From what I saw it did look pretty sick and 'gimmicky'.

was best in Aus for SOF2 ;)

and yes quite a few people played it lol...

I played the original SoF. It was awesome.

yer, i started playing the first one, it was an ok game

didnt finish it though

it was only released like 6 years ago or something.

The original SOF came out when dual Voodoo 2's were the hot thing to own. Hardware T&L was like brand new on the scene and the original SOF was one of the first games to make use of it, so it was a bit of a showoff "Look what my pimpin' rig can do" game.

What I don't get is didn't SOF and SOF2 have liberal amounts of gore and dismemberment too? I remember hacking up/shooting up corpses and having limbs come off and stuff, or shotgunning people in the face and having the top half of their head disappear. Is it just worse now because the graphics are better or have the rules for classification changed since the last SOF game?

I remember playing SOF2, shotgun to the stomach and their pixely intestines would come out.

Are any of you guys even old enough to remember a soldier of fortune game, let alone actually played one?

If we still had QGL lans, you would know the answer to this question already.

The SoF games were awesome fun back in the day, especially in multiplayer. I'm keen to check out this new one even if it's only to see how violent it is.

What I don't get is didn't SOF and SOF2 have liberal amounts of gore and dismemberment too?

They did, and I'm sure it was the only thing that really set them apart from any other FPS at the time. SoF without the gore is just another run-of-the-mill FPS. The dismemberment was the only unique thing it had going for it.

They did, and I'm sure it was the only thing that really set them apart from any other FPS at the time. SoF without the gore is just another run-of-the-mill FPS. The dismemberment was the only unique thing it had going for it.

the dismemberment wasnt the only unique thing, some of the weapons were crazy fun, the multiplayer was pretty good for deathmatch on lans and the story itself was pretty decent.
the problem with the new game is that it feels like it has been put together in 5 mins by some amature mod team. the gore itself is pretty lame, there isnt any intenstines or s*** like that, you only take peoples arms and legs and head off. i didnt play enough of it to get into the story, i spend 10mins all up, it hurt to play, my eyes cringed every time i moved around and changed my focus. the game is poorly developed and offers nothing that original fans want.

yeah i played the original. Had a f***ing ball.


we played it on LAN quite abit, mostly that office map :)