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 If
you played some of the older FPS (first person shooters) for
awhile you know the basic concept it just to shoot any object
that moved on the screen and find that endless switch or key.
They used to get so repetitive, with their endless corridors
and one shot monsters. Then in 1994, a innovative company
named Looking Glass Studios released their masterpiece 'System
Shock".
System Shock was revelatory in every way possible. There where
no "Levels" in the game, the world was connected
by various floors and areas, allowing you to explore (and
re-explore) to your heart's content. It had an inventory system,
a log storage system. The game even supported 640x480 hi-resolution,
in an era when most games where in 320x240 resolution. Many
games followed this innovation, including one of the greatest
games of all time... Half-Life. Unfortunately after Half-Life
very few FPS have gotten to the cinematic and addictive perfection
that Half-Life had. Until now.
No One
Lives Forever at first glance might look like a rip off of
Austin Powers, But NOLF goes much deeper that. The Story...
I'm being careful not to give anything away... Centers around
a female operative named Cate Archer who works for a secret
government agency called U.N.I.T.Y, Since this is the 60's,
her male co-workers don't take her seriously, even though
she more skilled than most. It is a never-ending struggle
for Cate.
Her missions
have that classic James Bond style we all know and love, you
actually get to play out some classic Bond maneuvers! Example:
jumping out of airliner and stealing the bad guy's parachute,
escaping a sinking ship, and there's even a tribute to moon-ranker
(AKA the worst Bond movie ever made). But the innovation doesn't
stop there, what is a game without a top-notch story. And
NOLF delivers again, with in-game cut scenes that rival most
CGI! The game has a bunch of stereotypical characters in the
game, Like a Fat Lady that sings (terribly), and a Scottish
man that wears plaid, but it doesn't distract you (much).
The Gameplay
in NOLF rewards players for being stealthy. But you can be
Rambo if you want, but you'll have a tougher time completing
the game. Most of the weapons in NOLF are stealth weapons,
no BFG's here. The bad guy are not just cannon flodder, they
are people, if you are stealthily enough you can listen to
the bad guys chat about things like "why beer doesn't
effect criminals", to why "I've quit smoking",
and even about "joining a rock band", it is a nice
touch that gets you more involved in the game world. They
though objects at you, push tables over and hide under them,
yes it is all scripted but it is random and believable. During
battles they would say hilarious things like. "Bullets
are not my favorite"! There is even a small homage to
Solder of Fortune when shooting . If you hit them in the arm,
they will react to the impact, if you hit them in the head,
they usually die instantly, this also helps absorb you into
the game world of NOLF. Don't get me started on the level
design... Gordon Freeman would be proud.
This is
the Best FPS since Half-life and is a recommended purchase...
Monolith's flagship title has it all... Now if only we could
sneak a few head crabs in there...
-Chip
Scheppel
Ratings:
Graphics
9.2
Sound
8.9
Game-Play
10
Music
8.0
Overall
(not an average) 9.0
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The level design is awe-inspiring.
That's going to leave a mark
In-game Cut-scences abound
I wouldn't want to bump into this guy in a dark alley.
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