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NOLF, if you haven’t heard by now, is a spoof of the classic spy movies from the 60’s and 70’s, or you could consider it a spoof of a spoof (spoofing Austin Powers.) Whichever way you see it, I’m sure you will enjoy NOLF.
Gameplay is standard for a FPS; you are assigned missions and most meet all the objectives in order to continue with the story-line, As you progress, Cate gets new gadgets and access to more weapons. The gadgets are in the vein of 007, but with a woman's touch; you get exploding lipstick, blow torch lighter, various perfumes which can kill enemies, just imagine the sort of things M would give a female James Bond and you’ll understand. Like the spy movies it spoofs, Cate will travel across the globe to exotic locals, like Morocco and East Berlin. She will do crazy things like fall from a plane without a parachute and attempt to steal one from another falling terrorist, or drive a snowmobile at ridiculously high speeds on treacherous mountain passes, or blaze through crowded city streets on a motorcycle, all while being shot at! The game is a blast to play, and with all the options available you can play however you want! Go in guns blazing or sneak around quietly, it is totally up to you. For a more detailed look at NOLF gameplay see ..........someone elses review.
Beauty that is more than skin deep
NOLF is a beautiful game. That’s all I can say, really. From characters to maps to textures, it all looks good. The animations for characters are excellent; stand in front of a mirror and cycle through your inventory and you’ll know what I mean! NOLF is more than just pretty pictures though. The music and sound for this game are superb as well. With NOLF GotY, you get the soundtrack for the game, which has been spinning in my car for about a week. (Actually, you get the soundtrack in the original version, too.) I don’t know how you’d classify the music “spy-ish” or maybe “Austin Powers-esque”, it works and is catchy.
Voice acting is above par and I tip my hat of to the person who voiced Cate Archer. Ambient sounds are also very good and detailed, from the pattering of rain to the loading and then discharge of an AK-47. They all sound realistic, and while I can personally vouch for the rain sounds, I’ve never fired an AK-47, but when I use my imagination, it sounds much like the one in NOLF.
Despite the praise I have heaped upon NOLF, it has its problems. For one, the game still seems to freeze up after extended playtime. This problem should have been dealt with long before the game was repackaged and reissued. I also noticed that the audio would often skip and stutter. I had to enable sub titles eventually so that I did not miss anything. The Game of the Year edition comes with a few extras like editing tools for mods, and new multiplayer options, such as good vs. evil and multiplayer limit expanded to 16.
Hot Stuff
The biggest extra, though, is the new mission that takes up right where the last mission left off. Cate has been “assigned” to a small Pacific island for a little rest and relaxation. The “mission” starts out innocently enough with a monkey stealing your pistol, forcing you having to chase it down. This innocent beginning quickly becomes sinister - while chasing the monkey through the hotel your staying at, you stumble upon a cache of H.A.R.M. cargo containers! Cate decides to investigate further. Taking a harrowing motorcycle ride across the island, Cate discovers a secret H.A.R.M. base located inside a volcano... I’ll end there to not give away any spoilers, but I will say the bonus mission is good and on par with the original levels. It contains a good balance of action and sneaking which kept me interested. Seeing that Monolith has recently released a movie of NOLF 2, the bonus mission can be seen as an “intro” to that sequel, letting the player know that H.A.R.M. is not defeated, and they remain a threat to the safety of the world.
However, these are all nice but if you already own the original, they are hardly worth the 30 quid this package will cost you, in part because the multiplayer options can be patched in, and the editing tools downloaded off the Internet.
Debriefing
No One Lives Forever deserves it’s Game of the Year title, and it is a fantastic game that is a blast to play alone or with friends. I recommend that if you do not have NOLF already, you should go out and pick up the Game of the Year edition. You will not be disappointed, and I can almost guarantee it. If you already own NOLF, it's less attractive as a purchase, and should look elsewhere.
9/10 - if you are new to the game.
7/10 - if you own the first.
Minimum System Requirements: Windows® 95/98/2000, Direct X™ 7.0 or higher, a Pentium® II 300 Mhz with 64 MB RAM, 8 MB 3D hardware accelerator card with Direct 3D™ support, High color graphics (16-bit), a 4x CD-ROM, Direct X compatible 16-bit sound card.
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I thought I would do the System Spec so people don't get annoyed if the find they can't play it.
NOLF, if you haven’t heard by now, is a spoof of the classic spy movies from the 60’s and 70’s, or you could consider it a spoof of a spoof (spoofing Austin Powers.) Whichever way you see it, I’m sure you will enjoy NOLF.
Gameplay is standard for a FPS; you are assigned missions and most meet all the objectives in order to continue with the story-line, As you progress, Cate gets new gadgets and access to more weapons. The gadgets are in the vein of 007, but with a woman's touch; you get exploding lipstick, blow torch lighter, various perfumes which can kill enemies, just imagine the sort of things M would give a female James Bond and you’ll understand. Like the spy movies it spoofs, Cate will travel across the globe to exotic locals, like Morocco and East Berlin. She will do crazy things like fall from a plane without a parachute and attempt to steal one from another falling terrorist, or drive a snowmobile at ridiculously high speeds on treacherous mountain passes, or blaze through crowded city streets on a motorcycle, all while being shot at! The game is a blast to play, and with all the options available you can play however you want! Go in guns blazing or sneak around quietly, it is totally up to you. For a more detailed look at NOLF gameplay see ..........someone elses review.
Beauty that is more than skin deep
NOLF is a beautiful game. That’s all I can say, really. From characters to maps to textures, it all looks good. The animations for characters are excellent; stand in front of a mirror and cycle through your inventory and you’ll know what I mean! NOLF is more than just pretty pictures though. The music and sound for this game are superb as well. With NOLF GotY, you get the soundtrack for the game, which has been spinning in my car for about a week. (Actually, you get the soundtrack in the original version, too.) I don’t know how you’d classify the music “spy-ish” or maybe “Austin Powers-esque”, it works and is catchy.
Voice acting is above par and I tip my hat of to the person who voiced Cate Archer. Ambient sounds are also very good and detailed, from the pattering of rain to the loading and then discharge of an AK-47. They all sound realistic, and while I can personally vouch for the rain sounds, I’ve never fired an AK-47, but when I use my imagination, it sounds much like the one in NOLF.
Despite the praise I have heaped upon NOLF, it has its problems. For one, the game still seems to freeze up after extended playtime. This problem should have been dealt with long before the game was repackaged and reissued. I also noticed that the audio would often skip and stutter. I had to enable sub titles eventually so that I did not miss anything. The Game of the Year edition comes with a few extras like editing tools for mods, and new multiplayer options, such as good vs. evil and multiplayer limit expanded to 16.
Hot Stuff
The biggest extra, though, is the new mission that takes up right where the last mission left off. Cate has been “assigned” to a small Pacific island for a little rest and relaxation. The “mission” starts out innocently enough with a monkey stealing your pistol, forcing you having to chase it down. This innocent beginning quickly becomes sinister - while chasing the monkey through the hotel your staying at, you stumble upon a cache of H.A.R.M. cargo containers! Cate decides to investigate further. Taking a harrowing motorcycle ride across the island, Cate discovers a secret H.A.R.M. base located inside a volcano... I’ll end there to not give away any spoilers, but I will say the bonus mission is good and on par with the original levels. It contains a good balance of action and sneaking which kept me interested. Seeing that Monolith has recently released a movie of NOLF 2, the bonus mission can be seen as an “intro” to that sequel, letting the player know that H.A.R.M. is not defeated, and they remain a threat to the safety of the world.
However, these are all nice but if you already own the original, they are hardly worth the 30 quid this package will cost you, in part because the multiplayer options can be patched in, and the editing tools downloaded off the Internet.
Debriefing
No One Lives Forever deserves it’s Game of the Year title, and it is a fantastic game that is a blast to play alone or with friends. I recommend that if you do not have NOLF already, you should go out and pick up the Game of the Year edition. You will not be disappointed, and I can almost guarantee it. If you already own NOLF, it's less attractive as a purchase, and should look elsewhere.
9/10 - if you are new to the game.
7/10 - if you own the first.
Minimum System Requirements: Windows® 95/98/2000, Direct X™ 7.0 or higher, a Pentium® II 300 Mhz with 64 MB RAM, 8 MB 3D hardware accelerator card with Direct 3D™ support, High color graphics (16-bit), a 4x CD-ROM, Direct X compatible 16-bit sound card.
******************************
I thought I would do the System Spec so people don't get annoyed if the find they can't play it.