NOLF impressions
Sorry about the late post but I’ve been playing the No One Lives Forever demo.
In short, if you haven’t downloaded this demo yet I recommend you do. Not only is it a great game but there is enough gameplay in this demo to keep you going for hours.
The game is First-Person Shooter with a difference. Many game developers have used this perspective for single-player story based games but there haven’t really been too many that have used it effectively. The examples that stand out for me are Shogo, System Shock 2, Thief 2 and of course Half Life. I’m sure many of you are saying, hey what about this game or that game and no doubt there are some I’ve failed to mention but the titles I have mentioned are the ones that, for me anyway, were able to combine the FPS style of gameplay with an engaging single-player story. NOLF looks like it will join my list.
The game is set in the 60’s and you play as Cate, a female covert agent in the typical James Bond style spy adventure. The difference is that the the creators, Monolith, have made it possible for the player to play the game in ther own way. That is, you have the option to be stealthy, just go in guns blazing or a combination of the two. It’s great!
The first time through I just played the game like a first-person shooter, running through the levels leaving bloody corpses in my wake. The AI for the baddies and the goodies is very good. For example, at one point I came around a corner to see a bad guy talking to a woman. I promptly popped him in the back of the head and the women screamed and ran into the corner cowering and whimpering. The reactions of both were very realistic. This kind of thing happens through out the whole game and really adds to the realism. Additionally the modelling and texturing of the characters is very accurate as are the animations, many of which I’m sure are motion captured.
After my my first time through as a take no prisoners butcher, I decided to see if it was possible to stealth my way through. The reality is that the stealth way is a lot harder and you have to be very patient but for those that want to think their way through the game the option is there. What’s really great is that the stealth aspect hasn’t just been thrown in for the hell of it, there is a definite focus on the stealthy aspects of the game. To this end there are some great gadgets you can use to ensure you travel unseen through each level, like the special powder you pour on bodies that makes them dissolve so as not to alert anyone to your presence. There is also every spie’s best friend, the lock pick. But hey if you really couldn’t be bothered picking that lock you can always shoot it open, hehe.
Enter the colorful, cloak and dagger world of villains and superspies, circa 1967. As The Operative, Cate
Archer, you must rely on cunning, stealth, superior firepower and ingenious gadgetry to protect humanity from twisted madmen bent upon world domination. Expect to enjoy the following in the retail version of the game:15 covert missions spanning over 60 levels worthy of any super spy - skydive from a plummeting airliner, fight off killer sharks and explore twisted jungles.
Smart enemies move and react with striking realism. Watch them seek cover, respond to suspicious sounds or launch a coordinated offense.
Ride motorcycles and snowmobiles through vast realistic landscapes and environments rich with texture and detail.
Multiplay for up to 16 players. Take your chances in an all-or-nothing, Good vs. Evil multiplayer game or go head-to-head in Deathmatch mode.
NOLF
Graphically NOLF is pretty sweet. But to run it smoothly at 1024x768 with high detail settings on, you will need an above average system, I’m thinking at least a 600 mhz and TNT 2 as minimum. Of course you can run the game at lower res and lower detail but then you’ll miss out on that lovely eye candy. Having said all this I have to say that the engine doesn’t seem to do anything spectacular. It’s certainly more than adequate but I was disappointed with the lighting and some nasty tearing in places. These are minor points though and on the majority of systems you’ll find the game is extremely pleasing to the eye.
Some of the cool features of the games engine are the bullet holes and blood spatters on the walls after a fire fight. The ability to detect where you have hit an enemy and play an animation accordingly. Aaaah, head shots:) And last but not least, the models. The models are very nicely rendered and best of all they have animated mouths and blinking eyes. This is much more noticeable in the realtime cut scenes than in the game itself.
Back to gameplay. The game itself is mission based, you have certain obectives to fulfill for each mission as well as side objectives like collectiing any classified data you find around the place. At the end of each mission you recieve a score, not unlike Tenchu Assassins, that tells you your rank, how many kills you got, head shots, how many times you were seen ect. I’m still a little unsure as to the purpose of this screen aside from bragging rights. In Tenchu the score you got from each mission decided what kind of new equipment was available to you for the next mission. It would be nice if there were some tangible rewards for the different ways you completed the missions in NOLF. Perhaps if you finished the mission unseen in a stealthy way, then you might get more stealthy gadgets for the next mission. On the other hand, if you completed the mission killing everyone of the bad guys, then you might get better weapons next time around. These ideas may well be included in the full game but I didn’t see this fuctionality in the demo.
NOLF is great fun and it also has excellent replaybility. I’ve already played the demo a few times. The demo itself offers 4 single-player levels, one is training. There is a lot of gameplay for 107 Mb and each level is different. Wait until you get on the plane, you get to…Nah, I’m not gonna spoil it for you. Download it and check the game out for yourself, you won’t be disappointed.
posted by rob · at 7:12 am · filed under First Impressions