Developer: Monolith Productions Publisher: Fox Interactive
Reviewed by Zodiac on 2/14/00

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First Impressions:

Graphics:

No One Lives Forever is driven by Monolith's LithTech engine. The graphics and special effects are comparable to most other current engines, although the designers of this game opted for an artier feel, with fewer special effects than seen in some games. The game is much more stable than the last Lith FPS I played, the crash-prone, but humorous and well-designed Blood II: The Chosen. I experienced a couple of crashes, but load times are not overly long and saving games is virtually instantaneous. On my Pentium II 400 with 128 MB RAM and a GeForce2 MX card, performance was good at 800 by 600 screen resolution.

Overall, the graphics are good. As I mentioned, the designers made infrequent use of special effects like specularity and reflection, although when they were used the engine rendered them nicely. Instead, the art has an almost watercolor feel yet still possesses nice detail; it's difficult to describe, but colorful and visually rich. Also, the skeletal animation system and blending really bring the AI to life.

Weather effects, such as rain and snow, also look nice. One of the most visually appealing aspects of the game is the lighting. The dramatic lighting in No One Lives Forever looks great and really sets the tone in the varied mission settings: this is especially important when stealth is a factor.

Sound/Music:

The sound in No One Lives forever is top-notch. The dialogue, and there is much of it, is of very decent quality. Sound effects are also nicely done, which is crucial in a game where stealth matters: you need to be able to hear enemies approach and be mindful of the noise of your own footsteps. DirectMusic responds to the in-game action and adds a great sense of drama. It also acts as a cue when things are about to get ugly.

Gameplay:

The game play in No One Lives Forever is solid. The varied locations and situations make the missions very entertaining. There is plenty of dialogue, some in cut-scenes, some in-game, and much of it is really funny and worth listening to if you're not in a hurry. Many of the transition scenes featuring the various villains are hilarious, as are the in-game conversations that you sometimes overhear as you creep near enemies. The weapons run the general gamut of period firearms: pistols, submachine guns, sniper rifles, etc. Their sounds and visual effects are well done and enjoyable, always important for a first person shooter.

No One Lives Forever incorporates a fair amount of stealth game play, similar to Deus Ex or the Thief series. You must avoid security cameras, stick to the shadows, be quiet, and not leave corpses lying around if you don't want to be discovered. However, stealth is not usually mandatory - if you're discovered, you usually have the firepower to finish the mission anyway, although it will be more difficult. I liked this balance of stealth and action; the game does not try too hard to force you in one direction or the other. The spy element is central to the game, however, so don't expect to always be able to blast your way through.

The AI is also pretty good: enemies will knock over a table and hide behind it to shoot at you, or duck around a corner and only peek out long enough to take pot shots in your direction. They are much more likely than in many other games to fight somewhat cleverly. They won't merely stand their ground and remain at the mercy of your AK-47 or exploding lipstick. The motion-capture character animations are also nicely executed. Enemies shot on a balcony will often fall off screaming and tumbling to the ground, while others fall down steps or duck behind obstacles. Your first mission is as a sniper protecting a VIP, and the character animations of the enemy AI as they scramble to a rooftop, aim, and try to get a good shot at him look really good as you watch through your sniper rifle scope.

As I mentioned before, a mission can fail because of too many civilian casualties or if your cover is blown, so it's wise to save often. Otherwise, the varied and interesting game play never gets boring.

Enjoyment:

You play Cate Archer, the first female operative of UNITY, a "super secret international organization dedicated to protecting humanity from megalomaniacs bent on world domination." You must journey hither and yon in chase of such megalomaniacs or some evidence needed against them. In so doing, you'll move through about fifteen missions in the single player levels, with each mission having three or four parts. Although the plot is not hugely different from some other games, many of the various mission situations that you'll confront are unique. I don't wish to spoil it by delving into it too deeply, but you'll have combat in free-fall, drive vehicles, don SCUBA gear to search sunken ships, and generally have a groovy time.

You usually start each mission with a briefing from two senior UNITY operatives who make a great "good cop, bad cop" duo. After you've been criticized and blamed for every failure and shortcoming of UNITY, you'll be assigned a task with a default set of weapons and equipment that you can customize if you choose. You can select your weapons, gadgets, weapon modifications (such as silencers), and gear (such as SCUBA gear). Gadgets are the nifty little things that UNITY's "Santa's Workshop" (much like Q's lab in the James Bond movies) make for you, such as a cigarette lighter that can act as a blow torch, sleeping gas perfume, or groovy sunglasses that double as a spy camera.

Missions result in failure if you are killed, or if certain other requirements are not met - too many civilian casualties, for example. Since you'll have to complete the mission to continue, it's good to save often in No One Lives Forever. After the mission is completed, you get a screen with mission statistics such as weapons accuracy, how many times you blew your cover, and a debriefing on how things are progressing at UNITY.

Multiplayer:

Multiplayer game play in No One Lives Forever is not outstanding, especially compared to the single player game play. Internet multiplayer is built in, as is LAN play, and there are two main types of multiplayer game play: deathmatch and UNITY vs. HARM team deathmatch. Each supports up to 16 players. The one thing that does stand out about multiplayer game play is the presence of vehicles such as snowmobiles and motorcycles, which definitely add a twist to the usual deathmatch experience.

Overall Impression:

This is a great game and I highly recommend it. It is the most original game of its kind to be released in quite some time, and is quite entertaining. The art, design, sound, and production are all very well done and add up to a great single player experience. Multiplayer in No One Lives Forever is decent in its own right, but the nice scripting, AI, sound, and dialogue in the single-player levels are what really make the game stand out.

Altogether, No One Lives Forever offers great visuals and a fantastic, original gameplay experience. Dash on out and get it: it'll be groovy, baby.

Marketing Efforts Towards Women:

As mentioned before, No One Lives Forever has a female lead character. As in many other games with women characters, Cate is physically rather attractive, but not in the manner of Lara Croft. Your superiors in UNITY, at least the snippy one, waste no opportunity to remind you that as a woman agent, you are inferior. But you always get the last laugh, and some women will undoubtedly relish making a fool of the American buffoon partner that accompanies you on some missions. Nothing is really taken seriously in this game, however, including the gender issue.