Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)The world of first person shooters is getting a bit played out. There's pretty much two kinds of them: the realistic military type (Counterstrike, Ghost Recon, Operation Flashpoint) and the sci-fi type (Unreal, Alien vs. Predator, System Shock). In all this, there's not much room for improvement and things are getting a bit repetitive- all you do is go in and kill everything that moves, and solve (or cheat) your way past the occasional puzzle that primarily exists to justify putting a longer gameplay figure on the box. Looking at most new titles, the only really interesting thing is even more detailed graphics and effects, which- by the way- mean you need a new PC.
Enter No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy in HARM's Way. This excellent shooter and sequel to an excellent shooter is the type that will save the genre. Here's why:
System requirements: You don't need a new PC to run this game, but this doesn't mean it looks like the original Doom. More on that later.
Gameplay: There are some puzzles, but they aren't annoying or counterintuitive. It is possible to get past some levels without killing anyone. Curiosity and inventiveness pay off here, but if you can't do that, you can usually just go in with guns blazing.
Something new: The game has some nice additions from the original NOLF. Most significant of these are skills. Completing primary and secondary objectives and finding intelligence items gives you points, which you can invest in 8 different skills that all have a significant impact on gameplay. Additionally, there are new and cool gadgets to play with. Many of them auto-activate when necessary, which disposes of the annoyance of having to switch over to use them. HARM also has some new hires and allies, including French mimes (no, I didn't make that up). Do you need any other reason to play?
Story: This is what really makes the game fun. The voice acting and cutscenes (all done with the game engine) are superb, and really draw you into the plot. As you might guess from the title, the usual suspects are up to no good once again. It's a tossup as to whether this is more of a James Bond or Austin Powers kind of script, but whatever it is, it's a good one.
AI: The NOLF AI is smart- as good as any other game I've seen. They take cover behind objects, go prone, roll out of the way of grenades, and seek you out if you make noise. The AI characters also act like real people. If you pick one of them off with a silenced weapon, they'll be confused for a second and then load their guns and start looking around. If you can see them, they can see you, and given enough time they definitely will.
Replayability: Due to the detail of the levels, it's unlikely you'll find everything there is to find on one pass. Also, the AI behaves in a random enough fashion that every time you play an area the outcome could be very different (if you don't believe me, just try reloading a save). Also, you don't have enough skill points to advance to the max in every area. Playing again with a different set of skills is quite fun. For example, try going all-out stealth and health instead of firepower and attempt to sneak your way through places you blasted by earlier. It's arguably more exciting trying this!
Graphics and sound: This is the first game I've seen that models expressions believably. The Jupiter engine has the look and feel of something that would require a cutting-edge machine to run, but goes smoothly on an average computer. It is, quite simply, astonishing. There's a huge amount of interaction with the environment, and things have an almost movie-like appearance. The characters are especially a pleasure to see, due to the attention to detail. Ms. Archer in particular has had a gorgeous makeover- she is arguably the hottest woman in any game to date, even including live motion actresses. Oh, and by the way, the soundtrack is killer.
Multiplayer: The version of the game that shipped did not have significant multiplay support. This has been remedied. Updating to the latest version gives you deathmatch, team deathmatch, cooperative, and assault game modes. Additionally, there are plenty of maps out now. The only thing missing here is bots, which is a bit of a pity considering how good the AI is. I'm sure someone will think to add those later.
If this isn't enough to convince you, the setting is just plain cool. This is the 60's, folks, complete with President Johnson, neon colored clothing, retro-tech spygear, and even a bellicose American general. The characters that populate this world have true depth and, more often than not, are good for some great laughs. Lastly, this game is probably the best deal you'll ever see at such a low price. Don't miss out- grab NOLF 2 while you can.
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Product Description:
Do you have what it takes to stand in H.A.R.M.'sway?
Product Information
Sequel to the 2000 Action Game of theYear!
Your Mission: Assume the role of Cate Archer, a beautiful but deadly Operativeworking for UNITY - a super secret organization fighting to free the world fromthe clutches of H.A.R.M.
From tense subterfuge toin-your-face combat, No One Lives Forever ups the antefor plot-driven, 1960's-influenced spy action with killer weapons, vividinternational locales and deadly arch villains. Equipped with an arsenal ofpowerful weapons and ingenious gadgets, you mustunravel a mystery that willlead you halfway around the world in a desperate search for answers.
Try not to blow your cover . . . or your cool.Product Highlights
Who is The Operative?
CateArcher is exceedingly competent, fiercely intelligent, unabashedlyconfrontational, and stunningly attractive. Perhaps because she has had to workso much harder for recognition and advancement than her male colleagues, she isa sharper, more intuitiveagent. Even her rivals admit that she is a dedicated,loyal agent who never balks at danger. She has an uncanny gift for readingpeople and is also highly attuned to her environment, often registering detailsor patterns that others overlook.Born, reluctantly, in Scotland in late March, 1942, Cate came screaming intothe world after more than 20 hours of labor. Her mother, a notoriously fragilewoman, never recovered. Three weeks later, she died.
Cate enjoyed a privileged childhood.She was a bright, imaginative child,well educated, and popular with other children. As she got older, her fathertaught her horseback riding and hunting. However, Cate's father had reliedheavily upon his wife to keep him sober and frugal. In herabsence, he graduallywhittled away his health and his inh
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