
Activision Soldier of Fortune: Payback
Ho-hum
Pros
- Decent enough graphics, some missions are mildly engrossing.
Cons
- Slow down and pop-ups galore, a generally unpolished gaming experience
Bottom Line
In the end, Payback is a decent enough game that won't leave much of a lasting impression. It's good if you just want some mindless fun but don't go in expecting anything more because the only payback you'll get is a shot in the foot.
-
Price
$ 79.95 (AUD)
2007 has been a banner year for console gamers. As I type this, there are a lot of triple-A titles sitting on store shelves. The bar has been set incredibly high and mediocre titles look that much worse in comparison.
This is definitely the case with Soldier of Fortune: Payback. Had the title been released during a slow year, it may have caught a brief moment in the spotlight, but as it stands, the game doesn't do anything interesting or memorable aside from treating your eyes to some mindless violence.
Pop-up blocker
One probable reason Payback is so poor might lay in the fact that Raven Software, which handled the previous versions, wasn't involved. The game definitely lacks the usual polish that gamers have come to expect from the veteran development house; Payback is riddled with awful textures that seem to appear out of nowhere. While the graphics are decent, the framerate chokes along at points, which kills most of the fun.
The game will please gore-addicts, as you can perform some brutal amputations and cause great bodily harm to your foes but it gets boring after a while and bodies always evaporate into thin air upon death, which cuts down on the realism.
FPSuck
There really is nothing compelling about Payback. The single-player campaign, which can be completed in a handful of hours, is nothing memorable and the story abounds with cliches; if you've played Call of Duty 4 or Bioshock, you'll find yourself unimpressed by what Payback has to offer. There is hope for the game's multiplayer, where the hyper-gruesome battles might translate into an interesting experience but overall, the game is rather mediocre.
Brand Post

Most Popular Reviews
- 1 Dell U3223QE review: A winning debut for an IPS Black monitor
- 2 HP Spectre x360 16 review: The right 2-in-1 at the wrong time
- 3 Asus ProArt PA279CV monitor review: The go-to for content creators on a budget
- 4 Lenovo Yoga 9i 14 (2022) review: The pinnacle of design
- 5 Netgear Nighthawk M5 mobile router review: Probably too expensive, but nice
Latest News Articles
- Fortnite returns to the iPhone (sort of) courtesy Xbox Cloud Gaming
- This real-life “aimbot” uses a physical mouse to cheat at shooting games
- Bethesda’s classic Elder Scrolls games arrive on Steam—for free
- We tested 22 different RPGs on the Steam Deck
- Steam Deck’s first major update adds a lock screen, Windows 11 support
Resources
Macworld
What's new, plus best mac-related tips
and tricks

Business Centre
The latest business news, reviews, features and whitepapers

Videos
Watch our video news and reviews from around the world

Guides
Comprehensive buying guides, features, and step-by-step articles

PCW Evaluation Team
Pedro Peixoto
Aruba Instant On AP11D

Set up is effortless.
Cate Bacon
Aruba Instant On AP11D

The strength of the Aruba Instant On AP11D is that the design and feature set support the modern, flexible, and mobile way of working.
Dr Prabigya Shiwakoti
Aruba Instant On AP11D

Aruba backs the AP11D up with a two-year warranty and 24/7 phone support.
Tom Pope
Dynabook Portégé X30L-G

Ultimately this laptop has achieved everything I would hope for in a laptop for work, while fitting that into a form factor and weight that is remarkable.
Tom Sellers
MSI P65

This smart laptop was enjoyable to use and great to work on – creating content was super simple.
Lolita Wang
MSI GT76

It really doesn’t get more “gaming laptop” than this.
Featured Content
- 100 Great PC Games You Should Play Before You Die
- Best Click Frenzy mobile and Internet plan deals
- Microsoft’s iconic browser Internet Explorer is being killed off in June
- Everything you need to know about Smart TVs
- What's the difference between an Intel Core i3, i5 and i7?
- Laser vs. inkjet printers: which is better?