Difficulty:

Easy

Time Spent:

10 to 20 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Underappreciated"

I really think this game has got a raw deal with its current rating and the complaints people mention when slating this game really arnt good enough reason to give it such a low score.
First off the graphics are some of the best ive seen in any FPS game ever ! the textures and colours and rich and realistic and combined with the amazing sounds you would be forgiven for wondering if this is really just a game or is it some kind of console based training program for soldiers (tongue in cheek).
Although the visuals are absolutely stunning, the thing that really grabbed my attention was the sound. All the guns sound a lot more realistic than most FPS games and the background / environment sounds are fantastic and really make you feel like your in a real battle zone.

There are quite a few weapons to choose from in the game and most weapons have customisation options for things such as alternative sights which might sound like just a useless visual gimmick but choosing the right add ons for your guns can make a big difference.
Although there are a nice selection of guns i find myself using the same set over and over because well to be honest, why would you choose a lower powered weapon ? The only time i choose the other weapons is if im replaying the campaign because it does sort of add a new feel since the sounds and looks of the weapons really add dramaticaly to the experience in a way ive never seen before in FPS games.

My biggest gripe with this game is the story. Quite frankly its boring and instead of sympathising with the main character i found myself not giving a rat's backside about him and even sometimes wishing he would die in the end.
The main character has about as much depth and personality as a soggy cheese sandwhich. He is one of those "oh im so tough and rugged im not scared of anything even though i kinda look like school teacher" guys but he dosnt pull it off well at all.
The lame characters and obvious tired storyline actually shouldnt detract from your experience much and I actually found a lot of the time i forgot i was playing that dull character and sometimes thought i was just playing as me in the game hehe. I actually have to wonder though if the character is so dull because in reality he would probably be pretty dull, James bond and Jason borne characters dont actually occur in real life so maybe it was done on purpose but i do have to admit if there was a high quality story then it could have possibly been a perfect 10 game. This is kinda going off on a tangent here but one thing this game made me think of was Niko Bellic, it has left me wishing for a spin off game from GTA4 where you play as Niko in his old war days using the game engine and graphics of SoF.

Anyway back to the point. The combat is fun and very realistic (as far as i know, i mean ive not actually been to war), the way you can shoot off body parts of your enemies or walk over to a wounded enemy and hack him to bits with your knife is very satisfying and a lot of fun.

In conclusion, this game is a LOT of fun and its a great shooter to play if your just looking for no strings atatched fun. I think it fills a gap in the marker as a great shooter that can be played anytime. I dont know about you but as great as shooters such as Gear of War and Halo are i still have to be in the mood for them whereas SoF is great anytime. I recomend it highly