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"Do you mind if I borrow that parachute?" - The 'No One Lives Forever' Appreciation Thread

ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
in General Discussion Posts: 15,423
Searching through the threads to find one dedicated as such, I thought I'd start one instead since this title deservedly is something that should not, at all costs, go unnoticed among James Bond fans. As one user mentioned, this is "the best James Bond game that Bond himself doesn't appear to star in."

So, here we are. An appreciation thread for the No One Lives Forever franchise that kicked off in 2000 even if it was for a short time. Of the members I know who love this title as much as I do are: @MajorDSmythe, @00Agent and newcomer to the series, and a helluva of a chap, @BMW_with_missiles.

Let's give this lovely lady, who is every bit as good as James Bond in being a super-spy, Miss Cate Archer the appreciation she deserves!

nolf.jpg

Comments

  • BMW_with_missilesBMW_with_missiles All the usual refinements.
    Posts: 3,000
    Thanks for the kind words @ClarkDevlin ! I look forward to NOLF once time and internet become cooperative with me. This game certainly does deserve an appreciation thread.
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    Posts: 15,423
    Just a preview trailer for those not familiar with the series.



    And is it me or do I hear Elizabeth Hurley talking a la Vanessa Kensington (from Austin Powers) via Cate Archer? :D
  • 00Agent00Agent Any man who drinks Dom Perignon '52 can't be all bad.
    Posts: 5,185
    Thanks @ClarkDevlin I was trully obsessed with NOLF 1 when it came out. Everything about it was perfect. The design, the dialogue, the characters, the Humor... And even though it was somewhat wacky, it still had plenty of tension and serious moments... An incredible achivement Overall.
    I really want to give it another go as i haven't played it in years
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    edited April 2017 Posts: 15,423
    Perfection is the word to provide this first game with especially. The Operative: No One Lives Forever remains one of those games that will never be perfected. It's such a shame though that the mainstream gamers of today won't appreciate it due to its wacky humour, dismissing it as "stupid and goofy" (came across a few who expressed words as such). If only Warner Bros (that now owns Monolith, the developer studio) removes the damn block of a lawsuit threat from the IP so this game can be made alive again and put into active progress. I am sure NOLF has a lot to tell.
  • Agent_99Agent_99 enjoys a spirited ride as much as the next girl
    Posts: 3,181
    Oh yes, I loved this to bits, even though I was too cackhanded to get very far with it on my iMac. Maybe I'll give it another try...
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    Posts: 15,423
    It's definitely worth revisiting, @Agent_99. It's one of the best video game franchises to ever exist. :D
  • 00Agent00Agent Any man who drinks Dom Perignon '52 can't be all bad.
    Posts: 5,185
    ClarkDevlin wrote: »
    Perfection is the word to provide this first game with especially. The Operative: No One Lives Forever remains one of those games that will never be perfected. It's such a shame though that the mainstream gamers of today won't appreciate it due to its wacky humour, dismissing it as "stupid and goofy" (came across a few who expressed words as such). If only Warner Bros (that now owns Monolith, the developer studio) removes the damn block of a lawsuit threat from the IP so this game can be made alive again and put into active progress. I am sure NOLF has a lot to tell.

    because mainstream gamers suck apparently... if you look at indies, there is a lot more variety going on, a lot more fun and humor ingested in the games.
    But mainstream games nowadays seem to be mostly very serious and bleak affairs...
    just like blockbuster movies have become.
    I can't think of anything out there right now that reminds me of NOLF, which is unfiltered creativity and joy
  • Agent_99Agent_99 enjoys a spirited ride as much as the next girl
    Posts: 3,181
    If you like a retro spy vibe and also iOS/Android puzzle games, this might be a good place to recommend Agent A.
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    Posts: 13,999
    While both are enjoyable, The Operative: No One Lives Forever is 1/3 of my holy trinity of spy games (the other two are Cold Winter and Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow). I'll take both NOLF games over all of the disposable and interchangable COD games.

    A remaster would definitely get me to buy a PS4, but the rights are a mess.
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    Posts: 15,423
    Cold Winter is great and all, but there's something bit of modernism about it that I can't truly have it on my Top 10 list. Otherwise, a good game. Pandora Tomorrow though is masterful. From start to finish.

    My holy trinity of spy games include The Operative: No One Lives Forever, the Nightfire pack (both PC and Console) and Hitman 2: Silent Assassin.

    ***
    00Agent wrote: »
    ClarkDevlin wrote: »
    Perfection is the word to provide this first game with especially. The Operative: No One Lives Forever remains one of those games that will never be perfected. It's such a shame though that the mainstream gamers of today won't appreciate it due to its wacky humour, dismissing it as "stupid and goofy" (came across a few who expressed words as such). If only Warner Bros (that now owns Monolith, the developer studio) removes the damn block of a lawsuit threat from the IP so this game can be made alive again and put into active progress. I am sure NOLF has a lot to tell.

    because mainstream gamers suck apparently... if you look at indies, there is a lot more variety going on, a lot more fun and humor ingested in the games.
    But mainstream games nowadays seem to be mostly very serious and bleak affairs...
    just like blockbuster movies have become.
    I can't think of anything out there right now that reminds me of NOLF, which is unfiltered creativity and joy

    Well said, mate.

    ***
    Agent_99 wrote: »
    If you like a retro spy vibe and also iOS/Android puzzle games, this might be a good place to recommend Agent A.

    Love this, @Agent_99, and might as well even try it! A game similar to the tone of NOLF and Agent A, yet different from gameplay perspective is Evil Genius where this time you take on the part of the evil megalomaniac rather than the super-spy.
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    Posts: 13,999
    ClarkDevlin wrote: »
    Cold Winter is great and all, but there's something bit of modernism about it that I can't truly have it on my Top 10 list. Otherwise, a good game. Pandora Tomorrow though is masterful. From start to finish.

    I'm not sure that I understand. Do you mean the modern day setting? I think of Cold Winter, as an adaption of DAD, if it had starred Dalton, in full LTK mode.
    ClarkDevlin wrote: »
    My holy trinity of spy games include The Operative: No One Lives Forever, the Nightfire pack (both PC and Console) and Hitman 2: Silent Assassin.

    Really, Hitman 2 and not Hitman: Blood Money? Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the Hitman games, but the after playing Blood Money, I struggle to go back to Silent Assassin and Contracts.
  • 00Agent00Agent Any man who drinks Dom Perignon '52 can't be all bad.
    Posts: 5,185
    Looks like there is a new Thread emerging here because i could talk all day about Hitman as well :smile:
    My favorite though is the very First one. After that it was always a bit hit and miss (no pun intended) with the Franchise for me...
    Until the most recent one which is easily the best one since the original (for me)
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    edited April 2017 Posts: 15,423
    @MajorDSmythe It's not exactly the contemporary setting that didn't quite get into me, but more of the world it represented that didn't sit well with me. The gameplay at first doesn't play up to my comfort as much as older games do. For instance, you could feel some elements seen in Black released a year later are present here, and I'm not particularly fan of the latter. But, for all it's worth, Cold Winter is a great game.

    However, I might ditch Hitman 2: Silent Assassin out the "trinity" since there are other two games that are serious contenders and might as well exclude Nightfire also. The reason I love Silent Assassin more than the rest because of its feel and narrative that bodes well with my preferences. I personally found Blood Money overrated and I know making such claim would get me into a big trouble. But, that's what it is.

    The other contenders of my spy games that I am largely fond of are Return to Castle Wolfenstein (that also has barriers of supernatural elements, which I'm sure you know) and I.G.I. 2: Covert Strike. So, overall, my go-to spy games are:

    The Operative: No One Lives Forever
    James Bond 007: Nightfire
    Return to Castle Wolfenstein
    Hitman 2: Silent Assassin
    I.G.I. 2: Covert Strike
  • 00Agent00Agent Any man who drinks Dom Perignon '52 can't be all bad.
    edited April 2017 Posts: 5,185
    ClarkDevlin wrote: »
    So, overall, my go-to spy games are:

    The Operative: No One Lives Forever
    James Bond 007: Nightfire
    Return to Castle Wolfenstein
    Hitman 2: Silent Assassin
    I.G.I. 2: Covert Strike

    A trully great list @ClarkDevlin, played and loved all of those myself. Looks like we are coming from the same gaming Generation...
    And I.G.I. Such an underated gem, i was so obsessed over the first game back in the Day, as much as NOLF maybe...
    I.G.I 2 is a bit blurry in my memory

    I have got myself NOLF 1 again, a version that can be scaled to 1080 (not sure if thats some Patch or if it was available in the original as well) and I am really excited to replay it once more after all those years... And after that part 2
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    Posts: 15,423
    @00Agent, we must be the same person just from different dimensions! :smiley:

    Most definitely Project I.G.I. is an underrated gem and sadly forgotten about. However, despite all the impact it left on me back then, its sequel blew me away right up to this day, as well. Thing is, with the first one, it plays like a tactical shooter, whereas the second one isn't just tactical but also supremely stealth-based survival-type first-person shooter (with killer soundtrack that sometimes makes you shiver!). I'm playing it that currently and to this day it's still hard. I also happen to prefer the David Jones of the second game who sounds like a posh James Bond person as opposed to the ex-SAS cockney pilot of the first.

    The second game was about a rouge I.G.I. officer who uses Jones to get a heavily modified set of EMP chips and smuggle it to a rogue Chinese military general willing to start a global nuclear war. Remember that silo mission? God, I love that!

    I'm doing a No One Lives Forever marathon myself, right after I'm finished with I.G.I. 2. Should I skip Contract J.A.C.K.?
  • 00Agent00Agent Any man who drinks Dom Perignon '52 can't be all bad.
    Posts: 5,185
    ClarkDevlin wrote: »
    I'm doing a No One Lives Forever marathon myself, right after I'm finished with I.G.I. 2. Should I skip Contract J.A.C.K.?

    Well i don't have it on the Agenda, but we'll see how much i'm in the mood after NOLF2...
    Now I'd rather do a I.G.I. Marathon afterwards...
    Just heard that the some of the original developers bought the rights back from square Enix this year, which means there could be a Potential part 3
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    Posts: 15,423
    Wait what?! I.G.I.'s rights have been bought back?! :open_mouth:
  • 00Agent00Agent Any man who drinks Dom Perignon '52 can't be all bad.
    edited April 2017 Posts: 5,185
    Jipp, just read that yesterday. But on a german site unfortunately. Some of the original developers from Interloop have started a new Studio called Artplant and now Artplant has bought the i.g.i rights from Square Enix, just this january.
    But they don't have the publishing rights for 1 and 2 which are still at SE...
    So it looks pretty good that there might be part 3 on the horizon.
    What else would you need the rights for?!
  • 00Agent00Agent Any man who drinks Dom Perignon '52 can't be all bad.
    Posts: 5,185
    Here's an article in english on that matter

    http://www.develop-online.net/news/norwegian-studio-artplant-buy-project-igi-brand-from-square-enix/0228189
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    Posts: 15,423
    @00Agent, my good man, you are the bearer of the best news I've heard in a while!

    Although, the article is quick to assume things wrongfully. The first game was published by Eidos and the second one was published by Codemasters. I don't know how is it Square Enix that has the rights but whatever. Also, there's no need for a reboot. We haven't seen enough storylines in the original timeline just yet. And please, don't give David Jones a "millennial approach". He's terrific as he is.

    You know, there were chaps sometime ago who were making a fan-made I.G.I. 3 until apparently their hard drive burnt out so they gave up on it later on.
  • 00Agent00Agent Any man who drinks Dom Perignon '52 can't be all bad.
    Posts: 5,185
    Have you heard of the game Beyond enemy lines on steam @ClarkDevlin? Apperently it started as a fan remake of i.g.i. Which turned into it's own game later in development. It's not fully finished yet but the reviews look good
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    Posts: 15,423
    I may have spotted it around, @00Agent, but I always thought they were fake addresses. I didn't pay attention. Many fake IGI 3s floated around back then, going as far to dubbing the brand over a video game called The Mark, so I stopped looking.

    Do you have a link for that Beyond Enemy Lines? An archive footage?
  • 00Agent00Agent Any man who drinks Dom Perignon '52 can't be all bad.
    Posts: 5,185
    Thats all i have Seen so far:
    http://store.steampowered.com/app/523610/

    I will look more closely at this game as soon as i'm back home
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    Posts: 15,423
    The traces of the I.G.I. influences are still there. But, I see they've made it a modern day shooter, so I'm glad it didn't end up being an addition to the aforementioned franchise.
  • 00Agent00Agent Any man who drinks Dom Perignon '52 can't be all bad.
    Posts: 5,185
    From what i gathered, it is pretty light on story and characters. Not really convinced yet to buy it, but its always nice to see some Fans of the original games
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    Posts: 15,423
    Definitely! :smiley:

    Let's hope No One Lives Forever gets a similar resurrection.
  • 00Agent00Agent Any man who drinks Dom Perignon '52 can't be all bad.
    Posts: 5,185
    ClarkDevlin wrote: »
    Definitely! :smiley:

    Let's hope No One Lives Forever gets a similar resurrection.

    Certainly!
    Do you know why there never was a 3rd game? I felt like 1 and 2 were quite successful for their time, and as far as i remember the story was not finished so naturally you would think there was another game at least planned. But i never heard of anything about that
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    Posts: 15,423
    00Agent wrote: »
    ClarkDevlin wrote: »
    Definitely! :smiley:

    Let's hope No One Lives Forever gets a similar resurrection.

    Certainly!
    Do you know why there never was a 3rd game? I felt like 1 and 2 were quite successful for their time, and as far as i remember the story was not finished so naturally you would think there was another game at least planned. But i never heard of anything about that
    There were no news regarding the matter, sadly. Although, when they released Contract J.A.C.K., I just didn't see the point in it. I mean, sure, that Italian setting as well as the Malta ruins are attractive to hover around, but other than that, it's just an over-glorified mod that [seemingly] happened to see an official release.

    As far as we know, the end of A Spy in H.A.R.M.'s Way ended with The Director (Eustace) gaining control of HARM and Dimitrij Volkov handed over his resignation. So, yes, there were lots of adventures left to tell.

    I wrote a fan fiction once with the central character being the original man planned for NOLF before MGM filed a lawsuit, putting in a former UNITY agent, Adam Church back in business (based on Sean Connery in my mind) when Cate Archer is captured and presumed dead.
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