No one lives forever 2 review
Ekaj
Creator of ns_mineshaft, co_core Join Date: 2002-01-26 Member: 95Members, NS1 Playtester, Contributor, NS2 Map Tester
Creator of ns_mineshaft, co_core Join Date: 2002-01-26 Member: 95Members, NS1 Playtester, Contributor, NS2 Map Tester
in Off-Topic
<div class="IPBDescription">By me d:</div>I got NOLF 2 a few days ago and really enjoyed the game, I thought I’d put up a lil review of it ;o
Gameplay, 92%
NOLF2 is a humorous stealth/action game that takes place in the 60s. You play Cate Archer, a spy working for an agency called Unity. The game starts off pretty slowly with a few Japanese levels and quite a lot of Siberian stuff, and it gets pretty repetitive by the end of that portion of the game, but it quickly becomes much more interesting and the story moves along faster after that point (quite an entertaining story btw, nice voice acting too).
The game is advertised as a stealth/action game (and it mostly is one), but there are lots of times when you are forced to fight, or when you are forced to evade enemies. There’s none of that “you were spotted and must abort the mission, reload now plz” #### here though, thankfully. NOLF2 features a nice experience system to raise such skills as stealth, marksmanship, gadgets, etc. You get points for gathering intelligence, completing objectives, and bonus points for completing optional objectives.
The maps are well made and usually have lots of cover, and the missions where you can play the way you want are especially fun at high difficulty settings. I played through the game on the hardest difficulty setting (which is called superspy, and you can’t take much fire on it) but there were a few times when the enemies kept bombarding me and there wasn’t enough cover so I had to take the difficulty down for a few mins (it can be scaled at any time). Sometimes the puzzles got a bit out of hand and had me wondering around the maps looking for some combination for a safe or something, but there was nothing frustrating enough to make me look for a walkthrough.
NOLF2’s AI is pretty damn good; if you’re spotted enemies will sound alarms and hunt you from both sides if there’s more than one way to your position. The AI makes for a near perfect blend of realism and good gameplay. If they sound an alarm only that area of the level will become aware of your presence (and if you pop out and shoot an enemy in the head they won’t automatically know where you are, they’ll search around and might not find you at all). Once you’re spotted you can run away and they can lose track of you at intersections. You can also hide in dark corners and raising the stealth skill makes it easier to sneak by them. My only complaint about the AI is that they won’t shut up, the music is a good enough indicator of what the AI is thinking (relaxed, alert, fighting).
Graphics, 95%
NOLF2’s weapon models are extremely good looking (/me pets teh bump mapping) and satisfying to kill/temporarily disable enemies with. The animations in the scripted sequences are great too (eyes will track other characters, mouths move realistically). There are some great special effects here, like shiny walls that make otherwise boring hallways look great, also it has the best ice effect I’ve ever seen (by far).
Level design is a very strong point in the game, with maps ranging from good looking to bst evr, not to mention the huge amount of variety in the locations of the game. Most of the architecture is sensibly put together and the textures are some of the best I’ve seen. My only complaint with the graphics is that a few of the maps are a bit bland and lack contrast.
Overall this is the best game I’ve played so far this year, and is worth buying if you can forgive a few overdone puzzles. Go find the security card for teh supercomputer! Oh wait you need the supercomputer manual as well, BUT WAIT! There’s more! You also need an updated version of the manual!!
There’s already some coop multiplayer that I haven’t tried playing yet, and a promised DM update, but the single player and awesome graphics are reason enough to buy NOLF2.
<!--EDIT|Ekaj|Oct. 06 2002,16:13-->
Gameplay, 92%
NOLF2 is a humorous stealth/action game that takes place in the 60s. You play Cate Archer, a spy working for an agency called Unity. The game starts off pretty slowly with a few Japanese levels and quite a lot of Siberian stuff, and it gets pretty repetitive by the end of that portion of the game, but it quickly becomes much more interesting and the story moves along faster after that point (quite an entertaining story btw, nice voice acting too).
The game is advertised as a stealth/action game (and it mostly is one), but there are lots of times when you are forced to fight, or when you are forced to evade enemies. There’s none of that “you were spotted and must abort the mission, reload now plz” #### here though, thankfully. NOLF2 features a nice experience system to raise such skills as stealth, marksmanship, gadgets, etc. You get points for gathering intelligence, completing objectives, and bonus points for completing optional objectives.
The maps are well made and usually have lots of cover, and the missions where you can play the way you want are especially fun at high difficulty settings. I played through the game on the hardest difficulty setting (which is called superspy, and you can’t take much fire on it) but there were a few times when the enemies kept bombarding me and there wasn’t enough cover so I had to take the difficulty down for a few mins (it can be scaled at any time). Sometimes the puzzles got a bit out of hand and had me wondering around the maps looking for some combination for a safe or something, but there was nothing frustrating enough to make me look for a walkthrough.
NOLF2’s AI is pretty damn good; if you’re spotted enemies will sound alarms and hunt you from both sides if there’s more than one way to your position. The AI makes for a near perfect blend of realism and good gameplay. If they sound an alarm only that area of the level will become aware of your presence (and if you pop out and shoot an enemy in the head they won’t automatically know where you are, they’ll search around and might not find you at all). Once you’re spotted you can run away and they can lose track of you at intersections. You can also hide in dark corners and raising the stealth skill makes it easier to sneak by them. My only complaint about the AI is that they won’t shut up, the music is a good enough indicator of what the AI is thinking (relaxed, alert, fighting).
Graphics, 95%
NOLF2’s weapon models are extremely good looking (/me pets teh bump mapping) and satisfying to kill/temporarily disable enemies with. The animations in the scripted sequences are great too (eyes will track other characters, mouths move realistically). There are some great special effects here, like shiny walls that make otherwise boring hallways look great, also it has the best ice effect I’ve ever seen (by far).
Level design is a very strong point in the game, with maps ranging from good looking to bst evr, not to mention the huge amount of variety in the locations of the game. Most of the architecture is sensibly put together and the textures are some of the best I’ve seen. My only complaint with the graphics is that a few of the maps are a bit bland and lack contrast.
Overall this is the best game I’ve played so far this year, and is worth buying if you can forgive a few overdone puzzles. Go find the security card for teh supercomputer! Oh wait you need the supercomputer manual as well, BUT WAIT! There’s more! You also need an updated version of the manual!!
There’s already some coop multiplayer that I haven’t tried playing yet, and a promised DM update, but the single player and awesome graphics are reason enough to buy NOLF2.
<!--EDIT|Ekaj|Oct. 06 2002,16:13-->
Comments
Well, Starcraft Ghost Screenshots show the ghost with the legs wide open showing her ...... err... panties
That's why I played both theifs, Deus Ex, and thats why I play Firearms.....
With a knife and full heavy armor <b>only</b>....
But NOLF2 seems okay so far in the stealth department. I'm sure it'll get sucky somewhere though...