SÖLDNER: Secret Wars

[Avi]

There are 2 things I would like to say about this game.

1.) This game is horrible. It should have never been released. In fact, it sold so bad in Germany years ago that they changed the name before releasing it in the U.S. to avoid all of the bad press associated with the game. Here, it is called Semper Fidelis: Marine Corps and you can pick it up real cheap at a Target near you. The game doesn't even look like it was finished. The graphics are horrible and the gameplay has more bugs than you can count. The vehicles are impossible to control. When you fire point blank at an object, chances are you'll miss it. I can't go on enough about how much this visually dull title should have never even left the Alpha release stage.

The second thing I'd like to say about Solder: Secret Wars is this:

2.) I love playing this game. I love it so much that I brought it back to the store after realizing how much it sucked, and then went back inside and purchased it again. What this game lacks in flash and smooth gameplay, it makes up for in substance. It took me a while to figure out why all of the game critics gave it a score of 2 out of 10 while the players themselves gave it a 7 or higher. I get it now. It offers a whole lot that other games haven't even thought of yet.

Let's start off with the weapons. Every time you respawn, you have the chance to purchase your weapons and other gear (like in Counter Strike). The difference is that you have almost 100 weapons to choose from. Everything from a simple AK47's to .50 caliber monsters. You have tons of pistols and grenades to choose from, as well as different degrees of body armor and assorted gear (scuba suit, sniper kit, etc.). There is also a large varitey of launchers to purchase from. Anti-personnel, anti-tank, or a Stingers...it's all there.

Another thing that makes the game worth playing is the destructible environments. You can fire a tank round into the woods and watch the trees fall over and block the road. Fire a round into the road itself and make a giant crater (which will slow an enemy down if they're trying to escape in a fast vehicle). Just about anything can be destroyed in the game.

Although they are very hard to master, the selection of vehicles ranges from 4 wheel ATV's to tanks to bombers. It's pretty fun to haul ass across the desert in a dune buggy with enemy soldiers on your tail. Of course, you'll probably spin out and flip over anyway, but it's fun while it lasts.

Then, there is the variety of environments. Every type of climate is represented in this game. Desert, wooded areas, snow drifts...each map change calls for a different style of playing.

There are still people that play this online, but if your primary language is English you might have a bit of trouble understanding most of them. The game is popular with a devoted community of German gamers. Whether or not you can understand the people, they are all dedicated to the game and know how to have fun playing it. I encountered a group of guys that were determined to level an entire forest with bombs and tanks in order to flush out a single sniper from his hiding spot. In the middle of the downed trees, we saw a small figure attempting to jump over and crawl under the branches for cover...trapped like a fish in a barrel. Poor guy. No one even saw where his body landed after it was over.

There are lots of other things that make this game worth picking up (not to mention it's current price of only ten bucks). Over 200 in-game voice commands can make for some very hilarious dialogue while the fighting is going on. There are different game modes, but most people stick with CTF. Single player missions are pointless (AI is probably the worst I've ever seen), so if you check it out just for the hell of it stick to online play.

It would be cool to have the Tron Squad show up in SÖLDNER (*hint hint*). There are still active clans that play it. One clan became so notorious that all members were banned from playing online until they attended a 90 minute meeting with the game company (at least that's what I heard from a few different people...but it could just be rumors). Most of the players play by a strict set of guidelines called the Fairplay Codex or something like that. It keeps everyone in check now.

I think I wrote enough about this sucky game. Do yourself a favor and don't buy it...or do yourself a bigger favor and buy it today.

[Avi]

Demo:

http://www.gamershell.com/download_5646.shtml

[Avi]

Does this sound familiar to any of us?...

The main company that has the responsibility of supporting Soldner has decided to stop ALL support of the game. By doing so, the server portal has been closed. Without the portal, you cannot access servers with the in-game browser. The only way to play is to connnect directly to a host computer via Hamachi or BattleLAN. It is now up to the community to find ways to play the game.

I have to start liking more popular games, I guess.

[TronFAQ]

That's a shame to hear, Avi. At least with Tron 2.0, Gamespy provides the service of listing the servers . . . so we haven't had as serious a predicament when BVG abandoned the game.

The NOLF community has had a similar problem, too. The NOLF master servers that provide the server listings, are actually not run directly by Gamespy. While Tron 2.0's master servers are on-site and run by Gamespy, NOLF's master servers are off-site and run by VU Games. So because of that, the NOLF multiplayer community has been at the mercy of VU Games. VU Games' NOLF servers have gone up and down like yo-yos over the years.

I guess the developers of Soldner couldn't afford to pay a company like Gamespy an up-front fee to run the servers for them. But I think that's the only way to keep your game safe and functioning, in case you happen to go out of business or drop support.

[Avi]

They're discussing in the forums right now a way to have the company release the portal as a download so that we can host regular servers for the game. The company is in direct contact with the community (developers are always posting in the forums), so we might find a way to work it out. Even if server owners have to pay for the portal to remain opened, I'm sure we'll find some way to keep Soldner alive. It just sucks to be in this boat again.

[TronFAQ]

That's great . . . I wish more developers (and publishers) would work together with their fans, instead of ignoring them after they've got your cash.

[Avi]

UPDATE:

Good news for Soldner players after all.

The players and the parent company have come to an agreement, and the company will reopen the online portal and allow the games to continue. The only thing is that they will no longer offer any support or will be releasing any patches in the future. The portal will just be there for those that want to enjoy it.

Too bad BVG didn't offer any consolation prizes as they turned the lights out on the Tron 2.0 department.