Soldier of Fortune: Payback review

In fact, the only thing that distinguishes this from every other shooter out there is, of course, the bloodshed. Every bullet seems to hit an artery or an unsturdy limb, with all the spurting plasma and flying appendages making this look Jackson Pollack'sMind the Game. But even this has been done before, and better, most recently in FEAR.

But the biggest problem is not that Payback is uninspired or unoriginal: it's just unchallenging. In the noticeably short single-player mode, the enemies aren't dumb like Jessica Simpson; but they don't always duck for cover, and it only takes a couple shots for themto go down. Heck, this might be the only game you play all year wherea pistol is an effective weapon. Except against the bosses, who are a little tougher if only because they can stand there taking your bullets for a while before dying. Sadly, these bad guys also live in predictably laid-out levels where there's nothing interesting to do and there's only the illusion of freedom that comes when choosing between two paths that lead to the same place.