How do you follow up one of the most
whimsically engaging, yet cinematically thrilling games ever created?
That was the dilemma facing Monolith, the developers of the fantastic
first person shooter (FPS) called No One Lives Forever. The trick with
sequels is to find the balance between maintaining the spirit of the
original and adding enough new features to make the game feel like a new
experience. Did Monolith manage to achieve the right mix? Normally this
is where I’d say “read on to find out”, but since you’ll soon know in no
uncertain terms, I’ll just answer now… You betcha!
Cate Archer returns as the 60’s-era,
secret agent extraordinaire in No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy in H.A.R.M.’s
Way. She’s got a chic new ‘do and flattering new duds, but the same
saucy demeanor, and once again proves to be an ideal heroine. Though the
first game didn’t seem to leave much room for improvement, NOLF2 has
refined most of the rough edges to produce a worthy successor.
The most obvious (and immediate) area of
improvement is the game’s graphics. While the artistry of the original
game was equally impressive, it simply needed technology to catch up.
Utilizing the new LithTech Jupiter engine, NOLF2 now allows for bump
mapping, anistropic filtering, and blah blah blah… Oh, you’re not
impressed with being swamped by technical terms? Lucky for me, because I
don’t even understand most of them. What I DO know is the bottom line,
and in this case, it’s that NOLF2 has some terrific looking visuals.
Characters in particular have undergone a
(pardon the expression) dramatic facelift, and there is much more detail
and animation. Not only does this make everyone look more realistic, but
it allowed the designers to really imbue the characters with individual
quirks. The scenery is equally well done. Once again, Cate globe trots
to a wide variety of exotic environments – this time ranging from Japan,
Siberia, Akron (yes, in Ohio, so maybe “exotic” is a stretch), India,
Antarctica, UNITY headquarters, an underwater submarine bay, a secret
underground H.A.R.M. lair, and a remote island off Turkey. As before, the
outdoor areas expose Cate to the full range of weather conditions (you
haven’t truly gamed until you’ve had a showdown in the eye of a tornado),
and the indoor and urban areas all display wonderfully appropriate
architecture.
One thing NOLF2 excels at, even more so
than the original, is creating anticipation. In several locations, you’re
initially permitted to wander through an area with little or no
resistance. At first, this is a welcome respite from the adrenaline
pumping sequences, but as it continues, dread begins creeping insidiously
into your mind, because you KNOW that the axe will fall at any moment. I
could almost hear the level designers taunting me with “enjoy it now,
because in a minute you’ll be running for your life!” Bless those
designers for their ingenuity, and curse them while I’m at it!
The cast of characters will be largely
familiar to those who played the first game. Without tipping my hand for
those who haven’t, all the expected UNITY agents have returned, if
possessing somewhat different roles. Dr. Schenker, the scientist rescued
from H.A.R.M.’s clutches, is now contentedly working for the agency. In a
nice twist, Magnus Armstrong, the brutish but honourable Scot from the
first game, provides some much-needed support for Cate this time around.
On the opposite side, Dmitri Volkov makes
another appearance, looking definitely worse for wear from his previous
encounter with Cate. H.A.R.M. is now run by the character we saw
oh-so-briefly and mysteriously at the very end of NOLF’s credits. As the
Director of an evil global empire, he is (naturally!) an effeminate,
enigmatic figure with a bad combover who is harassed by his overbearing
mother. Fortunately for the Director, he has Isako, a lovely martial arts
master who owes her allegiance to him, and is therefore called upon to
kill Cate with the help of her many ninja assassins. The other main
baddie is a famous French killer who refers to himself as the Mime King.
Along with his burly mime cronies, the Mime King is easily one of the most
memorable villains I’ve ever encountered. In most other games, that would
mean nothing more than a fierce opponent – in NOLF2, it means he was the
source of not only inspired competition, but some of the most amusing
scenes to ever grace the PC. The “chase” scene, where Cate and Magnus are
hot on the tracks of the Mime King, was so hysterically funny that I
killed myself laughing. Well, actually, I was killed by mimes WHILE
laughing, but at least I died happy.
Fortunately, H.A.R.M.’s henchmen are
back, and they’re every bit as yappy as in the first game. That means
more eavesdropping on their comical conversations. Once again, a little
patience is advised, lest you miss such dialogue as the marketing value
of proper evil lair design, or practicing an “evil” laugh because the
current one isn’t nearly menacing enough. Super stuff!
Once again, gameplay is a combination of
stealthy spy tactics and take-no-prisoner gunfights. As before, Santa
arms Cate with a sack of toys that every good spy needs. This time
around, Cate has at her disposal such things as an eyeshadow taser,
compact code breaker, nail clipper lockpick, hairspray welder, and a
lipstick camera. Along with these gadgets, Cate will rely frequently on a
good old fashion coin, which is her main means of distracting guards
momentarily. Another handy dandy item will be the utility gun, which is
capable of firing such “ammo” as tranquilizers, tracking devices, and
electrical charges.
The usual assortment of guns is once
again present. Although having fewer than the original, this time there
are various ammunition types to help make things interesting. Although
really never necessary, it was fun to fire bullets that caused flame,
poison, or explosive effects. Silenced weapons are once again important,
and Cate will use a crossbow and shurikens at times. For setting traps,
you can use a bear trap or “angry kitty” proximity mine (yes, it looks
like a cat that lures guards to it). Cate can also make use of bananas
when cornered and unarmed – thank goodness her pursuers are klutzy on
their feet. Unfortunately, much like the first game, the best use of
these traps was rarely intuitive, and the game still didn’t provide
hotkeys for them, so they went largely unused, which is a shame, because
they were darn fun when they worked.
The interface is virtually identical to
the original game, with one noteworthy exception. There is now a small
onscreen compass, which not only shows the usual directional headings, it
also highlights the general location of critical information, exits, and
anybody you’ve tagged with the tracking device. It’s still a little
surprising that there’s no mapping feature at all, but the compass
certainly is a welcome addition.
Several changes have been made in an
attempt to enhance the stealth aspect, to varying degrees of success.
One important feature is the ability to move bodies. Since leaving a
trail of carnage is a sure way to draw attention to yourself, Cate can now
physically dispose of the evidence. Of course, that’s easier said than
done. Cate can’t fire a weapon while hauling heavy bodies, and her
movements are suitably slowed, so she’s vulnerable until she drops the
body again. Another great touch is the inclusion of a “lean” option for
peering around corners. So long as you don’t linger, you can poke your
head around a corner without being seen, which makes a quick recon a much
easier task.
One of the more highly touted aspects,
however, was one I found least useful. Clearly inspired by the Thief
games, now when Cate hides in shadowy areas, a visibility indicator
appears with a meter that, once filled, makes her virtually impossible for
enemies to see. This works well in theory. Unfortunately, I found many
of these shadows to be in irrelevant spots. Yes, I could hide in an alley
where no one could see me, but I couldn’t see anything either, and
standing there certainly didn’t help to advance me in the game. Moreover,
the second you move, you become completely visible again until you stop
and allow your meter to refill. Maybe I’m too impatient, but I simply
quit paying any attention to the feature and just looked for the nearest
corner to duck behind. It’s certainly not a criticism; it simply didn’t
work for me. Perhaps for those with a greater emphasis on sneak tactics,
it’d be more beneficial.
Easily the best innovation in NOLF2 is
the incorporation of some basic role playing elements. Each mission
accomplishment earns Cate experience “points”, and when the points
accumulate sufficiently, they can be used to upgrade Cate’s skills in such
areas as stealth, stamina, marksmanship, gadget use, etc. The higher the
level you wish to upgrade, the more points you require. Cate also earns
experience points (in much smaller amounts) for each intelligence item she
discovers. As in the previous game, these amusing memos are present for
comedic entertainment value rather than offering vital clues, but the
point rewards are a further incentive to find as many as possible.
This RPG aspect felt so natural in the
game, it was hard to imagine doing without it in the original. It gives
the player a further sense of tailoring gameplay to their preferred
style. Ultimately it doesn’t effect the game much, as by the end you’ll
have earned enough points to boost most skills to reasonably high levels.
However, the feeling of additional control and the added value given to
exploring was a great move in making every aspect of the game feel
relevant.
For an added degree of realism (and no
small amount of yuks), fallen enemies now need to be “searched” in order
to retrieve what they have. Rather than simply running over the body and
auto-collecting weapons or ammo, now you must take precious time in the
open to rummage for valuables. Again, this operates according to a little
meter, and your search is complete when the meter fills up. I found this
to be another nice touch, as it was always a little nerve wracking knowing
you could be discovered with your hands in a dead guy’s pockets. The
rewards were greater than in the original NOLF, as well, as you can now
confiscate protective equipment if they have any. As an added bonus,
every body contains a completely useless item guaranteed to garner a
chuckle, including such things as a dirty toothbrush, raffle tickets, or
ugly baby pictures.
Sound effects are as exceptional in the
second game as the first, and the swinging sixties music was geared not
only to the pacing of the action, but the locale. The music in Calcutta,
for example, was appropriately eastern flavoured. In a rather surprising
move, the voice of Cate is provided by a different actress. However, this
resulted in no loss of quality, as both she and the rest of the cast once
again provided top notch voice acting. While good voicework rarely seems
to stand out, I’ve played enough games with jarringly BAD acting that I
don’t take it for granted, and I’m so glad that Monolith treated it with
the importance it deserves.
Once again, if I have to criticize the
game for anything, it’s in a few of the stealth missions. NOLF2
definitely makes some positive strides in this department, such as having
localized alarms, but a couple scenes still bog down when you must avoid
detection in a confined area with guards that don’t adequately disperse.
The frustration was few and far between, but it was still present. If
there’s ever a NOLF 3, and I sincerely hope there is, I hope they dispense
entirely with the sneak-ONLY missions. I’m not insisting on brute force
tactics, but having the use of concealed stun weapons until they’re needed
the most is a needlessly intrusive restriction.
Some differences will be welcomed by some
and disappointing to others. The cutscenes are shorter – a little too much
for my liking, but the script is generally tighter, which allows for less
waste. The training course is gone, but replaced by Santa’s appearance
during missions in the form of a robotic bird, present to give
instructions at crucial junctures. There is no tutorial, which may
reflect the developer’s opinion that gamers playing the sequel will have
previously played the original. They may be right in most cases, but I do
think it alienates newcomers. The option to personalize mission equipment
is gone, but that is tied into the fewer weapon options, and was a feature
that didn’t work as well as it should in NOLF, anyway.
I should also mention that some players
whose systems were well within the recommended hardware requirements
experienced some technical issues, which will hopefully still be addressed
in a patch. On the other hand, I played the game unpatched, and the game
ran flawlessly for me from beginning to end.
Despite its few blemishes, the best news
is that the game has lost none of its predecessor’s devotion to the finer
art of storytelling. The plot itself is just as kitschy as in the
original (this time bringing the world to the verge of nuclear war), but
of course that’s part of the ride. The NOLF games simply refuse to take
themselves TOO seriously; only seriously enough to reel you in.
Characters continue to be developed skillfully – I mean, you’ll be
feeling sympathy for a mutated super soldier before game’s end. Thanks to
NOLF2’s continued clever writing, mission variety and inspired level
design, you’ll run the gamut of emotions and love (almost) every minute of
it.
If you’ve played the original NOLF, you
likely won’t need any encouragement to play No One Lives Forever 2, but if
you’re feeling any hesitation, let that end here and now. This game is a
winner. If you haven’t played either game, I would strongly suggest you
play BOTH. You don’t need to have played the first to enjoy the second,
but you’ll be missing on some of the inside jokes, and more importantly,
an excellent gaming experience in its own right. When you’re done that
one, you’ll have this little gem to look forward to.
Final score: 90%
Played on:
Win XP
Pentium 4, 2 Ghz
512 Mb RAM
GeForce 4
This
document may not be distributed without express written permission of
the author and the content may not be altered in any way.
For
questions or comments on this review,
Please write to: Singer
design copyright © 2003
GameBoomers
Group
