PS2 Review: The Operative: No One Lives Forever (2002)

No One Lives Forever is an ugly game, even by the lowest standards of the PS2. Fortunately, though, it's also one of the most smartly written games on any system, graphics aside. It's not often that we talk about the quality of a game's writing, but for once it counts for something. NOLF is a tribute to 60s spy junk, and it features all the exotic locales, ludicrous gadgets and megalomaniacal villains we typically associate with Sean Connery's exploits as 007. But instead of the scantily-clad women Connery ogled in his films, NOLF stars Cate Archer, rookie operative for UNITY, an international agency dedicated to stopping big name criminals. Archer must simultaneously contend with sexism internally, as well as unraveling the nefarious plot of an evil collective known by the mysterious acronym H.A.R.M. Fans of spy junk will absolutely love all the twists and turns in the story. I was particularly enamored with the voice-over work, which was both hilarious and considerably varied. Most missions call for stealth, and lightfooted players can often sneak up on guards engaged in droll conversations about tv shows and relationship woes. Of course, that's when you're not busy skydiving, or interviewing millionaire playboys, or fistfighting with Scottish patriots, or sneaking around a space station. I love that kind of mission variety, and in that sense NOLF has recent Bond games like Blood Stone soundly beaten. It's not all perfect, though; as I mentioned earlier, this game is not pretty. Character models are decent enough, but the backgrounds are ugly, and often distractingly so. Stealth can often be unrelentingly difficult, leading to some tedious and unnecessary repetition, especially when the auto-aim doesn't work the way it should. Now, NOLF is a long, involved game, but it still would've been nice to have a multiplayer option. As it stands, once you beat the game, it's all over. You can beat it again on additional difficulty levels, but without rewards, why bother? Still, if you love all things spy, I heartily recommend this one.