Review: No One Lives Forever (FPS)     

by Monolith Studios

       First-person shooters are a dime a dozen these days, and, unfortunately, most of them are bad clones of the few excellent ones. Even games by big-name companies such as Quake 3 Arena stumbled by failing to bring originality and innovation to the table. In such times, hope may easily be lost by us FPS fans, but then along come such games as No One Lives Forever, a 60s spy shooter that brings us hope and may just rejuvenate a stagnant (in quality) genre.

        First off, let me start by talking about the presentation. The graphics are breathtaking the first time you see them, because of one thing: color! For years now, FPS fans have been begging for a game to release them from the retina-repulsing brown monochromacity of the Quake clones (sounds like some B-movie title..). Unreal Tournament had some bright levels, but not nearly enough. NOLF has colorful levels and textures, brimming with intensity, and, by god, it's refreshing. Mention also has to be made of the character models, which are by far the best of any engine to date: they move with stunning fluidity, and the facial motion and level of detail is unmatched. Enemy A.I. is also quite impressive, with the enemies ducking, hiding, taking cover and seeking help. In fact, the A,I, is even better than in Unreal Tournament, and that`s saying a lot.

        The sounds, voice acting and music are also superlative. Sounds are extremely high-quality, from the roar of the AK-47 to the muted thud of a silenced pistol to the metallic click when reloading the sniper rifle. The voice acting is awesome too: the characters are voiced with mucho gusto, and the quality of the voices itself is fantastic. Finally, the music fits perfectly with the 60s era, and it's lively and catchy.

    Now, we are arriving to the meat of the game: the gameplay, and I am pleased to say that in terms of quality, it is as good as the king, Half-Life, and in diversity, it is better. The level design is awesome and extremely varied, and the missions are strikingly inventive. Imagine this: in the same game, you will infiltrate an office complex, dive in a sunken freighter and get into harpoon-fights, free-fall from an airplane while shooting and parachuting enemies, sabotage a space station, snowmobile through icy canions while popping off enemies, and interrogate a moronic count. The variety doesn`t stop here though. You have an amazing variety of weapons: revolvers, attack and sniper rifles, crossbows, grenade launchers...the list goes on and on. Items abound too: camera, mine and infrared-detecting sunglasses, acid perfumes, robotic poodles (!), lighters that double as welders... This is probably the coolest thing about this game; it never feels like a rehash of old ideas. 

    The story, surprisingly for a first-person shooter, doesn`t dissapoint either. It`s quite complex, with twists, turns, and many interesting characters. It`s also quite funny, with many gags, funny scripted conversations between enemies and quite a few satirical references.

    I really have no gripes at all about this game: there is not one thing I did not like. So, in conclusion, NOLF is a breath of fresh air in a usually stagnant genre. All of it`s components are excellent, and together, they make up the best FPS since Half-Life.

Review Summary (Scores are on 10)

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Awards

Action Game of the Year - Gamespot Awards 2000

by Timotei Centea
January 3rd, 2001