(The Operative) No One Lives Forever ---- A VERY enjoyable and entertaining game, full of great action, humor, and an addictive story-line.
You play the character known as Cate Archer, the only female secret agent working for the organization called UNITY. They are a British agency that is charged with combating terrorism around the globe. When the game begins, you find that Cate is somewhat disappointed with the work she has been given by this organization, and desires some jobs that are more exciting. Of course her wish is granted and she is called to the director's office, were she is sent to guard a very important contact. As the game progresses, Cate Archer finds that there is an evil terrorist organization at work here that is trying to execute a devious plot to turn innocent people into human time bombs. This group is known as HARM. (There is an intelligence item that says what this stands for; it’s pretty funny)
This game also has a Game of the Year Edition, which includes a music CD, and four extra levels of game play.
(The Operative) No One Lives Forever had a "James Bond" and sixties feel to it, so expect the clothes and music to be from that era. In fact, the extra music CD that comes with the GOTY Edition, is full of sixties style tunes (some of them are not that bad). As far as the clothes go, Cate Archer is a lovely computer girl, so she looked great in any style of clothes!!!
The graphics are superb. Since the game has a sixties feel to it, you can expect the graphics to be full of vibrant and bright colors, which it was. Other aspects of the graphics were good as well, outdoor environments were done very well, and the pubs and clubs were detailed nicely.
The sound was probably one of the best things about the game; full of great background music and weapons offering realistic sounds. The dialogue had to be the funniest that I have ever experienced with a game. There are many times when you can hide and listen to the guard’s conversations, providing for some great comic relief. Another funny feature about this game is the intelligence items you can pick up during the levels. These items can range anywhere from film, briefcases, or envelopes. You should read them since some of them are extremely funny.
The game play and interface were extremely easy to use. The camera views and weapon firing were done using the mouse. Character movement, gadget/weapon selection, and jumping were done by the keyboard. The game had plenty of slots for saving; always nice.
Replay value I did NOT think was all that high, mainly because the only way the game might be different if played again, would be to play it again at a different difficulty setting. Although, I did read in some walkthroughs that some item locations change when you play again.
The learning curve was pretty much incorporated into the game itself. For example, one of your goals at the beginning of the game is to visit the gadget shop (known as Santa's Workshop in the game), and there you are given extensive training on the various gadgets and weapons that you will be using during your assignments. This includes having an area to actually use them and test them out. As the game continues, you are given new gadgets, or enhancements to the ones you already have, and after completing each level, you are sent to the workshop to test them out. Instead of having an option on the main menu, you are just given instructions to visit this workshop, and there you are instructed on how to use new equipment.
The gadgets in this game are one of the BEST features of the game. There are really some neat things that are defiantly fun to use. I will list some examples of these gadgets and weapons later in this review.
There are plenty of "bad" guys and girls to fight in this game, and there are also a few "boss" fights that will test your special agent abilities. There are some vehicles that Cate Archer will be able to use during her assignments. This is one of my complaints about this game. I would have liked to have had more vehicles to use in this game. As it was, there were only two that you could use. They included a motorbike and a snowmobile.
Some of the GREAT weapons that Cate uses during this game include: AK-47 Assault Rifle --- Standard Eastern Bloc military assault rifle. M79 Grenade Launcher -- Launches 40 mm grenades. Hampton Carbine --- A .45 caliber sniper rifle with suppressor and ability to add scope.
Some of the GREAT gadgets that Cate uses during this game include: Sunglasses ---- With built-in zoomable spy camera and ability to detect hidden lasers. Code Breaker ---- A 10-button keypad that can decipher security codes. Cigarette Lighter ---- Can start fires or cut through metal locks.
Some of the GREAT gear that Cate uses during this game include: SCUBA Gear ---- Allows Cate to be able to survive underwater. Fuzzy Slippers ---- Wearing these cuts down on movement noise. Body Armor ---- Provides extra protection against weapons fire.
One other interesting feature that this game had was the intelligence item section. During the game you will come across a wide range of intelligence items (Envelopes, Briefcases, Microfilm, etc…). You should pick up as many of these items as you can find. At the end of each level, you will be given a final evaluation of your performance, including the total amount of intelligence items that you found. If you find ALL the items that are available during a given level, you will be granted certain bonuses. There are other bonuses that you can earn as well. Bonuses are awarded for stealth, kills, and other accomplishments. To be honest with you, I never noticed a change whenever I earned these bonuses, but that doesn’t mean they were not given.
There was one other thing I did not like about this game; the fact that you could not heal yourself during the assignments. There were bandages that you could find, but they seemed to be hidden most of the time (I only found one bandage during the whole game). The only other way that you could help prevent Cate from being killed, was to pick up Body Armor. This item did not heal you, but it does provide a limited amount of protection against bullets.
So besides those two things that I mentioned, the game was GREAT. I desperately want to play a sequel. The ending left it wide open for a sequel, so if you play this one and like it as much as I did, than get the sequel, it will be worth it.
I would HIGHLY recommend this game. Be prepared to laugh a great deal while you are playing it.
