The gameplay and controls are straightforward enough for a FPS, and can be tailored to suit the individual. However, there was a bit of confusion regarding weapon switching with the mouse wheel… if it suddenly stops working for you, press the key you’ve bound to the “Normal Weapon Switching” feature and try again. Many people have spent an inordinate amount of time playing with mouse driver settings in order to correct a problem that wasn’t really there, so, hopefully, this will save you that headache. Players assume the role of Mullins (who is rendered to look younger than he did in the first game for some odd reason… flashback sequence not withstanding), who is called upon by his employers at “The Shop” (the covert agency that handles all political hot potato black operations for the American government) to find the terrorists responsible for creating/unleashing a deadly biological virus in which they suspect, after the loss of several villages, will be unleashed on the world if left unchecked. Naturally, the investigation will take Johnny boy all over God’s green as he unravels the veritable web of political intrigue through fifty-five levels of combat… killing a few people while he’s at it. The enemy soldier’s AI is particularly impressive (on every level above amateur), and they act as you would expect angry or frightened humans to act. They hide, run, get angry, attack in groups, and completely hope to outfox you in whatever you happen to be planning. They are also grenade happy, and this leads to quite a few “cheap wins” for the enemy AI, which can become very frustrating. Player saves are limited to three per level at this difficulty, so when you approach the end of a sequence only to be sniped in the head with a single shot by an enemy that you can’t even see, you could get about as angry as the terrorists themselves. The sound quality is truly awesome. Bullets whiz, thunk, and thwack into their intended targets, soldiers speak their appropriate languages, birds chirp, wind whooshes, and explosions rattle… everything is done extremely well and with high production values. In the sequences where Mullins teams up with a squad of Marines and everything starts getting crazy is particularly impressive, as the sounds of each and every event going on plays out at one time. The sound is even accurately portrayed in terms of distance. All is not completely rosy, however, as the game does have a few bugs which will hopefully be addressed in a future patch. Sometimes Mullins can get stuck on a staircase or between some boxes with no hope of getting out, and one particular bug became very annoying. There are several objectives that require Mullins to plant devices or pick locks that display a progress bar as the player holds down the key (just like in Deus Ex). However, in more than one location, if one were to release said button before the progress bar completes, the objective goes uncompleted and the player is unable to start it again. There is nothing left to do but “quickload” the last save. This is considered a significant bug, and I hope will address it soon. All in all, the game is a fantastic thrill ride filled with all of the action and carnage you would expect from Raven, Mullins, and the franchise. The game supports 32 player play, and has a “Random Mission Generator” that creates single-player scenarios in totally new environments each time. This is a nice feature, but every environment is outdoors and relatively baron. If you’re a fan of the trademark carnage of the original SOF, do not hesitate to buy this game. For as frustrating as some of the bugs made it, this reviewer is going to play through it again just to experience the visceral thrill that comes from dishing out pain Mullins style.

90%

By Russell Garbutt