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Req.: P3 500, 128MB RAM, video card, 1.4gb hd Reviewed On: P3 600/744, 384MB, GeForce 3ti 200, Win XP Pro | |||
Intro The original No One Lives Forever took the gaming world by surprise. Monolith, its developers, had a hit-or-miss reputation at the time. Add to that a shaky first demo (weakly labeled a "technology test") and it's not difficult to see why everyone was surprised when the final product ended up as one of the best first-person shooters ever made. A couple years later, Monolith attempts to shake off that bad rep and solidify themselves as grade-A developers with No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy in H.A.R.M.'s Way. Did they succeed, or did NOLF 2 go the way far too many sequels go? Gameplay: 8.5/10 With No One Lives Forever 2, the core gameplay of the original is mostly intact, with a few significant improvements. Most noticeable is a new skill system that allows the player to customize the abilities of the lovable superspy. Accuracy, weapon damage, health, armor, stealth, and a few other things can all be improved by spending points earned by accomplishing objectives. This adds an interesting new layer to the game, as gung-ho action-oriented players such as myself can play through the game with guns blazing, and sneaky types can improve those skills and become masterful infiltrators. Most of the points earned for this purpose are gained through finding various intelligence pieces, such as memos, notes and folders. I liked this aspect as it gave a tangible reward for taking time to find them, unlike the previous title where they were nothing more than an amusing diversion from the rest of the game. Some may feel the constant searching of file cabinets and corpses to be a tedious affair, but it only bothered me on a few occasions when that's all the player could do at the time. This problem is also avoided by putting points into the Search skill, which dramatically cuts down on the required time. Another improvement is the option to pick up, carry, and hide bodies instead of relying solely on the Body Remover. I usually had a body count too high for this to be helpful, though the sneaky types will really enjoy the option. The third significant change is a new system for stealth: certain pre-designated spots on the map are now considered "hiding places". These spots will conceal Cate from enemies even if they are looking directly at her, as long as she doesn't move. It's possible to create hiding places within a map by doing things such as turning out the lights in a room, but guards may notice a light that should be on and come in to investigate. Little things like that made the game a joy to play, as the AI was competent and intelligent for the most part. Also, those of you that remember the hilarious conversations that could be overheard will not be disappointed this time through. While not quite as frequent, most of the guard conversations are still worth finding. There's no doubt that A Spy In H.A.R.M's Way possesses much of its predecessor's charm, though certain things seem to be lacking. Most importantly, the plot isn't nearly as intriguing. The story is much more straightforward and moves at a faster pace. There are far less characters this time around, and only a few that aren't from the original. The levels themselves, while well constructed and entertaining, don't have the fantastic over-the-top originality the first one did. A level or two from NOLF 2 stand out in my mind (Akron, Ohio and Antarctica), but not nearly as many as the fantastic original game. This time around, there's nothing that's comparable to falling out of a destroyed airliner, exploring a sunken cargo ship, or escaping a space station during a meteor storm. While
the single player is not quite as unique as the original, the multiplayer breaks
into fantastic new territory which I hope many other games follow. Out of the
box, NOLF 2 is cooperative only. The co-op missions consist of small side-stories
that show behind-the-scenes aspects of the main plot. For example, in the first
mission Cate is badly injured and left for dead, which the player sees in the
game's intro. The associated multiplayer mission features a team of UNITY agents
rushing to her last known location to rescue her before she dies. For those who
have played through the single player game, this provides a wonderful second look
into the plot. I played all the way through the co-op campaign with a friend in
one sitting, and it was loads of fun. I hope Monolith releases more missions! Graphics: 8/10 Sound: 8/10
The
music is nothing short of groovy. I really enjoyed the original's music, and this
time is no different. During play, the music is a bit more dynamic than it should
be, as sometimes a brief firefight will trigger 30 seconds of "tense"
music. The new skill
system allows for other aspects of the controls to be customized depending on
the player's style. Think the reload times are too slow? Put a few points in the
weapons skill. Don't think the guns are accurate enough? Marksmanship will fix
that. The end result is a game that plays exactly as the player wants it. Overall: 8/10
Few games are as close to my heart as the original NOLF; not only was it a tremendously well-designed game, but it also embraced and exploited the sheer goofy humor of the spy genre that was so very ripe for the picking - and more importantly, did so with wit and tremendous style. As a result, it was about the plot, characters, atmosphere and setting every bit as it was about the terrific gameplay. After all, where else could you tear through a German nightclub, or as Kevin points out, fall out of an airliner, or even escape from a collapsing space station? It's these very items that make it so bittersweet to dive into NOLF 2. On the plus side, the gameplay is considerably more sophisticated than the original, as it works in elements of the Thief series to more fully flesh out its stealth aspects, not to mention the rather excellent RPG-lite system of stat points. The enhanced AI adds a great deal to the experience, and that you're now able to fire tracking darts to try and plan around guard movement only makes things even better. Toss in a series of definitive spy gadgets such as decoders and eavesdropping bugs and you've got yourself a toolset that would make Bond blush. From here, however, problems begin to arise. For starters, there's the fact that not only is the game require considerably less time to complete, the re-use of certain existing levels borders on ridiculousness. And then there's the issue with the plot, which has been accelerated to the point of practical non-existence. In fact, they've trimmed the cutscenes so drastically that you can barely tell there's any plot at all. Some would hail these shorter cinematics as an improvement over the longer ones from the original; I don't, as part of the original's charm was its atmospheric and tone-setting story. With the almost complete lack of cinematics, there's virtually no tale to tell, and the characters are rendered practically worthless. For example, Bruno is temporarily promoted to Unity director at the beginning of the game, though you wouldn't know it from any point thereafter. To make things worse, there's fairly liberal use of guard respawning, which frequently negates any fun - or even success - to be had from actually using stealth. Sequels are supposed to be about 'more' and 'bigger'. While the 'bigger' aspect is certainly spoken for in terms of larger levels, NOLF 2 seems to be all about 'less' of the things that made the original a classic: less variety, less weapons, less humor, and less plot. Which isn't to say that NOLF 2 is in any way a bad game; on the contrary, it's a truly excellent shooter, and can definitely be a tremendous amount of fun. However, as a sequel to a classic title such as NOLF, it's woefully inadequate. I also would give it an 8/10. [ top ] |
