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For the similarly titled James Bond novel, see Nobody Lives For Ever No One Lives Forever, commonly abbreviated NOLF, is the name of a computer game and video game series by Monolith Productions. As of 2006, there are two games in the series, and one expansion pack interquel.
No One Lives Forever The Operative: No One Lives Forever was published in 2000, and starred a female protagonist - a rarity in games until that time—superspy Cate Archer. The game is a mixture of a first-person shooter and a first-person sneaker: most (but not all) missions can be solved in multiple ways: using sneaking to avoid danger, using gadgets, or by going in Rambo-style with guns blazing. The basic plot of the game is that a secret organization, UNITY, watches over world peace. Several UNITY agents are murdered within a week of each other, leaving UNITY with a critical manpower shortage. In response, Cate Archer (an ex-cat burglar) is given a role as field agent to try to discover the cause of the Agent deaths. All roads lead to a new terrorist organization named H.A.R.M. , run by a colorful assortment of characters intent on destroying the free world. The game is set in the 1960s, and includes a lot of humor: it has been described as a mixture of Austin Powers and James Bond with the lead character strongly resembling Emma Peel from The Avengers. The player was able to scuba dive near a shipwreck, freefall from an airplane, and explore a space station in zero gravity, all the while fighting armed villains. A major feature of the game is its array of gadgets, including a body removing spray, lock picks, and an electronic poodle to distract guard dogs. Additionally, the missions are littered with "intelligence items": textual notes which often provide humorous side-notes to the game. Points awarded from intelligence items could gain certain awards at the end of the mission that would add up for bonuses. For example the 'Thanks For Not Getting Hurt' Award allowed a 10% increase in maximum health - up to a limit of 120%. Such bonuses were available for Health, Armour, Ammo Capacity, Damage, Accuracy and Reputation. The reputation awards are earned by choosing the 'nice' responses in dialogue trees. Nobody seems to be sure as to what specifically the reputation bonuses do. It is also notable for its use of sound: not only are enemies aware of noise made by the player, but the game features music in the style of the 1960s, which is very flexible in adapting to the current situation, like a movie soundtrack. The game won several Game of the Year awards, including ones from Computer Games Magazine, Computer Gaming World, PC Gamer, and Gamespy. No One Lives Forever later appeared in a Game of the Year (GOTY) version, with one additional singleplayer mission which was not made available to those who bought the original. In 2002, NOLF was ported to the PlayStation 2 video game console, complete with extra missions not available for the PC version. This port also included the extra GOTY mission. One of the other extra missions was a prequel to NOLF, with Cate Archer as a thief in the days before her recruitment by Unity. The port suffered from dated graphics and a confusing control system, and was not as successful as the PC version. A Spy In H.A.R.M.s Way No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy In H.A.R.M.'s Way, a sequel in which Cate Archer once again takes up arms against H.A.R.M., was released in 2002. This second game featured even more exotic locales, such as a ninja-infested Japanese village, a secret submarine base, and a trailer park in Ohio. A whole new range of outlandish gadgets and weapons was also introduced, including a blowtorch disguised as a can of hairspray and a robotic bomb disguised as an adorable kitten. A year after the first H.A.R.M. plot, tensions are rising between the US and USSR over the tiny but strategic isle of Khios. Cate infiltrates the Soviet Union only to discover another H.A.R.M. plot to use their new secret weapon. No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy In H.A.R.M.'s Way ran on a then-new game engine, Lithtech version 2.0, "Jupiter." The new engine introduced a number of enhancements over NOLFs Lithtech 1.0 engine, including higher quality graphics, facial animation, pixel-shaded water, and a rudimentary implementation of ragdoll physics. As in the first game, missions can be completed by pure action, by using pure stealth, by using gadgets, or a combination of all methods. NOLF2 also won several Game of the Year awards, for example from Gamespy *. It also won a prestigious Excellence in Writing Game Developers Choice Award *. No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy In H.A.R.M.'s Way was also released on the Macintosh. Contract J.A.C.K. In 2003, another game in the series was released, set in the time frame between the events of the original NOLF and NOLF2. This game was called Contract J.A.C.K. (Just Another Contract Killer), and instead of featuring Cate Archer, the gamer took the role of Jack, a contract killer in service of H.A.R.M. The game was much shorter than the first two, and lacked the gadgets and intelligence items that were present in the NOLF games. Additionally, it lacked the 1960s look-and-feel in places (such as featuring a Desert Eagle handgun, which did not exist in the 60s), and completely lacked the stealth of its predecessors. While the game did not revolve around Cate Archer, there was a single moment in which Cate Archer appears. This moment was considered a disappointment because of the hype surrounding a memorable appearance yet the game did not deliver. Contract J.A.C.K. has been described as a standalone expansion pack, rather than a full game. Trivia Fansites | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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