A masterclass in FPS goodness. A contemporary review of No One Lives Forever 2 once called it “The Godfather Part II of videogame sequels,” which becomes a more apt comparison the more I think about it. It takes an already great foundation, expands upon it in ways you didn’t know you wanted and even recontextualises the actions of certain characters in the first, all while matching the style and tone of its predecessor so perfectly they almost feel like one giant mega-film (or mega-game, in this case). If such a thing as an ideal sequel exists, NOLF 2 is a strong candidate.
The first NOLF overcame its relatively limited enemy roster through the fact that its AI was so clever it ended up being quite varied anyhow, but NOLF 2’s enemies retain their impressively dynamic behaviour while surpassing the original’s in both functional and visual variety. I was sold pretty much as soon as I loaded into the first level and was immediately pitted against ninjas who can jump all over the place, clash swords with you (particularly cool) and sneak away after being spotted via smoke bombs, but it only escalates from there.
Bulky, Tommy gun-wielding French mimes who take tons of punishment before going down? Check. Chubby Indian policemen who tire out from running too long and suffer from the crippling tendency to slip on banana peels, complete with that one sound effect? Check again. Henchmen compressed into cubes who literally roll around after you, serving as weird human attack dogs? Also check. That’s not even all the new enemies that’ve been introduced, either. Combining wackier enemies like these with Monolith’s trademark excellent AI that’s still constantly flanking you to kingdom come and doing anything it can to preserve itself feels like NOLF taken to its natural conclusion – the first game’s character design was already fantastically varied and expressive in terms of its main cast, but in 2, that artistic quality’s now been extended to the mooks as well.
Cate’s weaponry has seen a serious step up in creativity to match this. Although not being able to roundhouse people in the back of the head anymore is a bit of a bummer, her newfound talent for swordsmanship makes up for it. An explosive shotgun always helps, too. And even aside from the aforementioned bananas, there’s more tools to play about with in terms of manipulating enemy behaviour before you’re spotted by them. Trick a big group of guards with a bomb disguised as a noisy cat-shaped toy, burn them for little damage but a decent period of incapacitation with the world’s most glamorous welding gun, or knock them out with her new tranquilizer gun and steal their weapons while they’re out (which they actually comment on and adapt to accordingly). The first NOLF’s stealth was already pretty remarkable considering it wasn’t even a full on stealth game, but in NOLF 2, you really do have a toolbox that rivals the Sam Fishers and Garretts of the world.
There's a pretty good comparison to be made with the latter in particular, considering NOLF 2's environmental interaction has gone way up. Nearly any drawer or cabinet you see, you can open, which you're gonna be doing a lot since having a nosey through documents found inside of them now nets you XP to help make Cate even more of a superspy. RPG elements in non-RPGs rarely ever feel not tacked on, but NOLF 2 is a nice exception. In-universe, it makes sense that Cate would become a more experienced spy the more she snoops around, as well as be rewarded somehow for stealing any important documents she can find. Granted, nabbing somebody's grumblings about their boss or whatever probably doesn't correspond to being able to carry more ammo, but the system in place here still feels like more of a natural addition than most.
All that said, NOLF 2 isn't quite a universal step up over the first game - I think Kit Harris' voice was a better fit for Cate than the still-pretty-good Jen Taylor (these two respectively voice FLUDD and Cortana btw, fun fact), various dialogue choice driven segments in 1 provide an aspect of the globetrotting spy experience that 2 just doesn't, and there's also a disappointing lack of any monkey themed post-credits levels. The audacity.
These don't weigh it down much in the face of its qualities, though. The higher enemy variety gives more of an incentive to experiment with different tools and ammo types. Boss fights enjoy much improved presentation across the board on top of being a fair bit more challenging mechanically. The music's different enough to feel fresh while still maintaining the catchy, throughly 1960s sound that's integral to the series' identity. Being able to lean around corners is massively appreciated, the writing's still just as funny, yaddy yaddy yada. What are you waiting for? Go play it.
Just be aware that, in H.A.R.M.'s most nefarious plot yet, NOLF 2 may stutter like mad during combat if you play it at a resolution higher than 1280x720 and/or if the sound quality settings aren't at their lowest, so try adjusting its settings accordingly before you treat yourself to one of the best FPSs ever made. Also, type in the cheat code (remember those?) to go to the next mission when you get to the very end of the first India level, because you can't beat it on modern systems otherwise unless you uninstall your drivers. PC gaming rocks.
The first NOLF overcame its relatively limited enemy roster through the fact that its AI was so clever it ended up being quite varied anyhow, but NOLF 2’s enemies retain their impressively dynamic behaviour while surpassing the original’s in both functional and visual variety. I was sold pretty much as soon as I loaded into the first level and was immediately pitted against ninjas who can jump all over the place, clash swords with you (particularly cool) and sneak away after being spotted via smoke bombs, but it only escalates from there.
Bulky, Tommy gun-wielding French mimes who take tons of punishment before going down? Check. Chubby Indian policemen who tire out from running too long and suffer from the crippling tendency to slip on banana peels, complete with that one sound effect? Check again. Henchmen compressed into cubes who literally roll around after you, serving as weird human attack dogs? Also check. That’s not even all the new enemies that’ve been introduced, either. Combining wackier enemies like these with Monolith’s trademark excellent AI that’s still constantly flanking you to kingdom come and doing anything it can to preserve itself feels like NOLF taken to its natural conclusion – the first game’s character design was already fantastically varied and expressive in terms of its main cast, but in 2, that artistic quality’s now been extended to the mooks as well.
Cate’s weaponry has seen a serious step up in creativity to match this. Although not being able to roundhouse people in the back of the head anymore is a bit of a bummer, her newfound talent for swordsmanship makes up for it. An explosive shotgun always helps, too. And even aside from the aforementioned bananas, there’s more tools to play about with in terms of manipulating enemy behaviour before you’re spotted by them. Trick a big group of guards with a bomb disguised as a noisy cat-shaped toy, burn them for little damage but a decent period of incapacitation with the world’s most glamorous welding gun, or knock them out with her new tranquilizer gun and steal their weapons while they’re out (which they actually comment on and adapt to accordingly). The first NOLF’s stealth was already pretty remarkable considering it wasn’t even a full on stealth game, but in NOLF 2, you really do have a toolbox that rivals the Sam Fishers and Garretts of the world.
There's a pretty good comparison to be made with the latter in particular, considering NOLF 2's environmental interaction has gone way up. Nearly any drawer or cabinet you see, you can open, which you're gonna be doing a lot since having a nosey through documents found inside of them now nets you XP to help make Cate even more of a superspy. RPG elements in non-RPGs rarely ever feel not tacked on, but NOLF 2 is a nice exception. In-universe, it makes sense that Cate would become a more experienced spy the more she snoops around, as well as be rewarded somehow for stealing any important documents she can find. Granted, nabbing somebody's grumblings about their boss or whatever probably doesn't correspond to being able to carry more ammo, but the system in place here still feels like more of a natural addition than most.
All that said, NOLF 2 isn't quite a universal step up over the first game - I think Kit Harris' voice was a better fit for Cate than the still-pretty-good Jen Taylor (these two respectively voice FLUDD and Cortana btw, fun fact), various dialogue choice driven segments in 1 provide an aspect of the globetrotting spy experience that 2 just doesn't, and there's also a disappointing lack of any monkey themed post-credits levels. The audacity.
These don't weigh it down much in the face of its qualities, though. The higher enemy variety gives more of an incentive to experiment with different tools and ammo types. Boss fights enjoy much improved presentation across the board on top of being a fair bit more challenging mechanically. The music's different enough to feel fresh while still maintaining the catchy, throughly 1960s sound that's integral to the series' identity. Being able to lean around corners is massively appreciated, the writing's still just as funny, yaddy yaddy yada. What are you waiting for? Go play it.
Just be aware that, in H.A.R.M.'s most nefarious plot yet, NOLF 2 may stutter like mad during combat if you play it at a resolution higher than 1280x720 and/or if the sound quality settings aren't at their lowest, so try adjusting its settings accordingly before you treat yourself to one of the best FPSs ever made. Also, type in the cheat code (remember those?) to go to the next mission when you get to the very end of the first India level, because you can't beat it on modern systems otherwise unless you uninstall your drivers. PC gaming rocks.