While not exactly a secret -- especially after last week's leak -- today Activision made it official and confirmed Soldier of Fortune Payback (a.k.a. SoF3) as a PC, 360 and PS3 game shipping next month. Conveniently, we also uncovered the first details and high-resolution assets for the game.
At first glance, Payback looks to be an up-to-date version of the early-2000 Soldier of Fortune titles -- you play a mercenary "blasting their way through high intensity combat situations in the world's most dangerous hotspots in the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe," according to a press sheet.

In something of a nod to the original SoF games, Payback will feature character dismemberment, so if you shoot an enemy in the arm, that arm will fall off and he'll be left to defend himself without it. Between this and the amount of blood that pours out of enemies, the game looks to be one of the most violent of the realistic shooters on the market, easily earning its 'M' rating.

As you can see in today's video, over-the-top environmental effects play a big role in the game's look -- shoot an enemy and blood will gush out of him, throw a grenade and the explosion/smoke will fill the room instantly, etc. -- which seems to give the world more of a living/breathing feel than similar games. While clearly a step up from past SoF games, the visuals here don't amaze when you look at them up-close, so hopefully this style (with lots blowing up and moving through the air) will help balance things out.

Payback will also feature a large variety of weapons, with over 30 promised, all based on what you'll find in real world battles. Look for sniper rifles and machine guns -- the standard arsenal for this type of game -- along with some larger, more explosive options.

For multiplayer, there will be standard Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch and Capture the Flag modes, along with Elimination and Demolition modes, which we don't know much about at this point. There will be long-term stat tracking included for those who play online.

As a full-priced game on PS3 and 360 (the PC version will be $39.99), Payback will have strong competition -- Activision's own Call of Duty 4 is also on the way in November, and the rest of the war shooter genre hasn't exactly remained quiet in the years since Soldier of Fortune made its name.

But there's no denying that the name has a lot of clout, especially with the casual game/Wal-Mart demographic. Here's hoping it can compete with the big boys.

message was written by Matt Leone  for 1up.com check this site.

Official trailer of SOF PAY BACK.

Thanx to aftamath (oldschool sof2 player and xbox-slut) for showing sof3news.com the above news

Retail info: