With Heretic II, Raven Software got just about everything right. It was fun, the levels were varied and gorgeous, spells fantastic and the story, though forgettable, but entertaining. The reason we say they just about got everything right is that the one thing that didn't appeal to many gamers was the genre. Not a lot of people were grabbed by the idea of playing a spell-casting elf from a third person perspective, especially when at the same time there were countless aliens to blast in Half Life and a large arsenal to wreak havoc with in Sin.
So, it must have taken Raven all of five seconds to decide what was needed for their next title - guns. Lots of guns. One licensing deal with a mercenary activity coverage magazine (Soldier of Fortune magazine of course) and a few years of development later and our copy of the final product sits in a CD drive still hot from hours of frenzied testing on our part. By now you're probably wondering if it lives up to the high standards of previous Raven titles and we can say from the outset yes, yes and yes again. Here's why…
To add a realistic edge to the title, Raven enlisted the help of real life ex-mercenary John Mullins to advise them on various aspect of the game. Mullins is a Vietnam veteran of three tours of duty who subsequently moved on to become a mercenary after leaving the armed forces. In Soldier of Fortune you play Mullins himself, starting out at a subway station overrun by an armed gang.