No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy in H.A.R.M.'s Way (PC) Review

I finished this game on Tuesday, November 27, 2007, 2:35:00 PM. This review was first published on February 17, 2008.

In the year 2000, gamers were treated to an amazing 60's style movie like game called The Operative: No One Lives Forever. I had the good fortune of playing the demo when it first came out, and very soon, I went on to play the full version and enjoyed it immensely.

Now, after 5 years of its release I finally started playing No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy In H.A.R.M's way.

I am delighted that the game picks up right where NOLF 1 left us. The game retains the 60's style setting of the first game. If you enjoyed NOLF 1, you are going to enjoy NOLF 2.

The graphics in this game are top notch. For its time, the game required a high end computer to make it run at high settings, but most of the current computes can handle the game without any problems. I played the game at high settings and never had any frame rate issues. But of course, my computer is way over the requirements, but I suspect even medium range modern computers will run the game without any problems.

The Jupiter engine does a great job with the outdoor environments and character models. The textures are sharp and there are some great particle effects on display.

The music in the entire game is has a 60's groovy psychedelic pop theme, with a few remixes thrown in depending up on the location. All in all, the music complements the location of the, unlike some games, where the music and setting do not match; none of that here.

Voice acting deserves a special mention. Although the accents may not be authentic, they manage to be very entertaining.

The game has some very basic RPG elements. There are different attributes that can be upgraded over time within the game. Skill points can be collected by finding hidden packages, intelligence items, messages etc. Once enough skill points are collected, they can be spent for upgrading various skills, such as targeting ability, searching ability, gadgets, etc.

Upgrading one or the other will not make a huge impact, because the game is linear, but it can make certain parts a little easier.

One of the aspects that made the first game so popular was the humor; I am delighted to say that this game has managed to retain all the humor, and if you actually spend time reading through the letters, messages, memos, or hearing conversations, you will find yourself having a good laugh.

There is one thing about the game I didn't enjoy as much, minor as it maybe, it is worth mentioning. In certain parts of the game, enemies tend to spawn infinitely; there is just no end to it. I thought for a game that sets very high standards, this is a bit of a blemish on a clean slate. This shouldn't stop anyone from playing the game though.

In conclusion, No One Lives Forever 2 is a fun experience, and I enjoyed it all the way through.Give it a chance. I think you will enjoy the exploits of Cate Archer just as much as I did :)

+ Graphics
+ Humor
+ Basic RPG elements
+ Voice acting

- Infinite enemy spawning at times

Verdict - Excellent!