No One Lives Forever series Won't Be Coming Back thanks to WB

If you are not aware, last year a developer that works to bring classic PC titles back to the PC by fixing and upgrading those games to run on modern OS'es and bring it to Steam or GOG won't be able to, thanks to WB essentially threatening to sue them. For people who don't know, Monolith was the original developer of the No One Lives Forever series. Monolith's publisher is now WB and hence according to the article they technically own the rights to No One Lives Forever (although Fox Interactive may possibly be the owners too). So, basically they are sitting on a great IP without doing anything. Sad as newer as well as Gamer's who played the games 12 - 15 years ago will not be able to experience and relive one of the great FPS games from the early 2000's.

So, if you are wondering what has happened to the series. Here is the entire low down and it's attempt to bring it back to the PC last year.

Sad news, this was a great series.

Ah, it reminded me that I still have NOLF and NOLF 2 to play. **** WB, I'll still play it someday.

Such a shame these games where brilliant especially the second one.

It does suck because I would like to play NOLF2 but of course WB isn't going to let anyone make money on their IP.

Well That's a bummer.

I'd rather have no NOLF than a NOLF published by WB

Excellent news. I have seen too many classics be tainted by the putrid ichor of modern AAA game development. I am glad that my home-girl, Cate Archer, will remain unmolested.

NOLF 1-2 on GOG atleast would be nice though.

I remember using the harpoon gun to pin bad guys to walls. And the crazy Scottish guy.

While a fan of many of Monolith's games over the years, from Blood II: The Chosen, to Troy 2.0, Alien vs Predator 2, Condemned Criminal Origins and Bloodshot, FEAR and Project Origins, and most recently Shadow of Mordor, I've even gone to playtest for them at their Kirkland offices, and despite friends telling me to play it over the years, I still have not played No One Lives Forever. I would like to though.

Rights issues can be complex, I imagine. They might not be able to put a game out. by themselves without Fox Interactive's okay, but maybe they have an obligation to them to stop proliferation of unlicensed use of their game. Maybe there's unwillingness to cooperate with Fox if they do have a claim claim to the franchise since they're competing media conglomerates. As far as I know Monolith wasn't an asset of Warner Bros when they worked with Fox on these games.

How is this excellent news? They aren't making a new NOLF game. They are simply fixing bugs to make it run better on modern systems and then bringing them to GOG or Steam. They aren't redoing the entire game. Why in the world would you be happy that it's not coming to GOG or Steam?

Yes that was fun. The Scottish guy had a soft spot for Cate. Game had great characters with excellent voice acting.

Wow that's pretty cool that you got to visit their offices in Kirkland. If I had gone there I would have taken my NOLF 2 box (which has very nice artwork by the way) and got my NOLF 2 box autographed by the Monolith team.

No one could really find a document claiming that Fox Interactive have rights to the game. It's not like Fox Interactive makes any games anyways (as far as I know). Fox have pretty much exited the gaming business. I think the major hold up could be WB with them threatening to sue. Really? You weren't even part of the original series when it was made! Least they could do is allow the said company to bring it to Steam and GOG with the profits being split between the guys who will bring it Steam and GOG and Monolith.

Yup,,, this is sad as hell. No one lives forever is such a great series.

@Xtasy26: if you live in the greater Seattle area then you can simply sign up to do play testing on their website and they give you a call to come in, they don't pay but they give you free games and swag to make it worth your time, and just generally getting a chance to visit the offices and contribute is reason enough IMO, I get email invitations all the time still but unfortunately don't live in the area anymore

With no legal way to purchase the games there's no ethical barrier stopping you from pirating them, effectively making the games free.

And they work great on modern systems. Maybe a teensy amount of tweaking but everyone knows how to "run in compatibility mode."

The only reason I'd want a modern remaster is to help test the waters for a sequel, but a sequel to these games would be terrible because modern AAA game design is terrible and simply can't capture the spirit of this series. Ergo, no reason for a remaster.

The problem with your argument is that it will not get as much exposure if it were to be released on GOG or Steam. It would be on their front page and people will be interested in buying the game or even older gamer's would be like, "I remember that game, it was great!" and purchase and play the game.

You are right about working on Modern Systems. I played it on my gaming laptop fine. Although there was issues with the sound on NOLF 2 which you needed a patch for. The patches were on GS site before they redesigned it and we lost all the game updates. I don't know if it even works on Windows 10.

I would like to see a sequel maybe if Monolith and the original guys who helped develop the game makes it. I do worry that it may not be able to capture the spirit of the series. That's why I would like to see the original developers make it.

Sadly, looks like the series has gone the ways of the Half-Life series.

Sad news and wish I play the game

WB is really trying to become the new EA aren't they?

@Xtasy26: The main difference between you and me is that you love NOLF so you want to see a sequel. I love NOLF so I don't want to see a sequel.

In the last few years Tomb Raider, Thief, and countless other classic PC games have been lathered in the noxious, boiling pitch that is modern AAA game development. The absolute best result of this process is a kinda okay game (Deus Ex HR) and the worst ruins a franchise beyond recovery, reducing it to an unwaking yet undying shambling corpse of its former self tainting the very world with its presence.

NOLF 1 and 2 are just about perfect. Of course no game is perfect, but they're some of my absolute favorites. Everything about the atmosphere and the writing nails a silly and yet surprisingly adult tone that makes it very funny. I shudder to think at how painfully awful a modern NOLF game would be handled by the sorts of teams that make big budget games today.

I want NOLF to die with dignity. If newer generations want to search back and play them, good for them, but I'd prefer to keep it relatively low key. If NOLF gets a release on Steam or GOG and becomes popular again they're going to make a shitty sequel. I don't want that.

Yes, I can see we both love NOLF. Me and you both have Cate Archer pics on our profiles and with me on my sig (it's rare to find NOLF fans like you and me on GS). It's even rare to find someone who wouldn't want a sequel to a great game let alone not wanting it to be on Steam or GOG.

I don't see the problem with NOLF coming to Steam or GOG. I would just love to see people play this gem of a game to see what a work of art this game was. Maybe people will learn what a real great game is. It's arguably the best game from 2000 and 2002. That doesn't guarantee that it there will be sequel. Look at System Shock 2, that's another classic and it's on GOG and Steam, there hasn't been a sequel. I don't see what's the problem with these two coming to market.

With respect to NOLF sequel getting butchered I can understand that. That's why I want the original developers to work on it. Even then if you have a different developer that doesn't mean that they will necessarily release a bad title. Look at what Crystal Dynamics have done to Tomb Raider. The series was getting stale with Tomb Raider Angel of Darkness being the worst of the series. Tomb Raider was then given to Crystal Dynamics from Core and now Crystal Dynamics breathed new life to the series and took it where it has never gone before. The last Tomb Raider was the best selling Tomb Raider. Look at the new Tomb Raider and how well it was received. It got great reviews and after me playing it a bit I must say I like it.

Again, it all depends on the developer. If you give good ideas to great people they will make it shine.

I can't agree on Tomb Raider. Those new Tomb Raider games are case studies in generic modern game design and all the problems with AAA development these days. They also are completely devoid of the spirit of the series, not "feeling" like Tomb Raider whatsoever. They're so totally different that they should have just been a new IP, rather than bolting on the name of a popular brand for easier marketing.

I just don't see a NOLF sequel that respects the subject matter as being possible. I don't mean that it's unlikely; I mean that it's impossible. Games are too much money these days. There's too much publisher intervention. NOLF is too weird for them to respect it; they're have to change it to make it more "marketable" and more "approachable" and they'd casualize it so that it can appeal to a wider (dumber) audience.

Well let's look at Core with Tomb Raider series:

Tomb Raider: Great. Revolutionary game, with great graphics.

Tomb Raider II: Great follow up to the original.

Tomb Raider III: Not so great.

Tomb Raider: Last Revelation: Great. One of the last great Tomb Raider games to come out Core.

Tomb Raider: Last Chronicles: Meh. Seems like Core is running out of ideas.

Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness: Terrible.

With Crystal Dynamics:

Tomb Raider Legend: Great reboot of the series with a lot of Tomb Raiding.

Tomb Raider Anniversary: Great remake of the original with a lot of Tomb Raiding.

Tomb Raider Underworld: Okay but still had Tomb Raiding.

Tomb Raider. Another reboot of the series but not a lot of Tomb Raiding.

Tomb Raider Rise of the Tomb Raider. Has a mix of action and more "Tomb Raiding".

So, with Crystal Dynamics, at least with the first 3 they continued on with the Tomb Raider tradition and this I think they brought Lara to life more as she talks and interacts more and is an integral part of the story line instead of staying mum. Granted Tomb Raider Anniversary was a re-make of the original.

Only with Tomb Raider in 2013 did they really change the formula and made it more action oriented instead of Tomb Raiding. With the latest Tomb Raider they are trying to bring back more Tomb Raiding.

So, if you look at it from a traditional prespective of what a Tomb Raider game should they did a pretty good job with the first 3. Only with the Tomb Raider 2013 that they strayed away from the formula. And they tried to bring some of it back with the new Tomb Raider. So, their record isn’t that bad either.

Fact of the matter is Core’s last really good Tomb Raider game was The Last Revelation. It started to go downhill from there. They started to tarnish the Tomb Raider brand. A publisher did something right for once with Square Enix handing over the duties to Crystal Dynamics.

With respect to NOLF. That’s why I stated that Monolith should do it as I think they understand the “spirit” of the series. I just hope that WB doesn’t intervene as much.

But at the very least you should at least agree that NOFL 1 and 2 should come to Steam and GOG. I don’t know why anyone would NOT want it on those two services. That doesn’t make sense.

@Xtasy26: The issue is more of a tonal one, though. This is especially important when talking about the viability of a NOLF sequel, because arguably the tone is the most important identifying element of NOLF.

Tomb Raider isn't just raiding tombs. It's a tone; a devil may care, not too serious but not too silly over the top action adventure game. It's classical 90s edginess, like a female version of Duke Nukem. It's fighting dinosaurs and snowmobile chases. It's incredibly inventive puzzles and booby-traps. Quiet, atmospheric environments punctuated by bursts of action. It's very difficult to define past that, but there's a certain "feel" that makes tomb raider what it is.

The new games were mechanically, functionally better than some of the lesser Tomb-Raider games, but they didn't feel like Tomb Raider. The new Lara was designed to be a better character than old Lara, but ironically is much more terrible. She's a whimpering, kind of pathetic yet needlessly arrogant action hero whose capabilities don't make any sense in the new grimdark serious continuity they've designed. The games are so joyless; devoid of humor or the more over-the-top elements that defined the older games. The colors are muted, the art is generic, it doesn't feel a thing like Tomb Raider. The iconic imagery that made Lara such a famous character is gone, replaced with bland and committee-designed 'safe' stuff.

Ultimately, I can't play the new Tomb Raider games without feeling like I'm getting an experience totally identical to every other big budget action game. The new Tomb Raider games are things I struggle to play. I just found myself so bored the entire time. They're not 'bad,' they're worse than bad: They're boring. Unengaging. Uninspired. I have played some truly terrible games that still kept me going because they offered something unique and inspired. Stuff like Deadly Premonition that are mechanical messes, but still have so much charm that I'll slog through the bugs and terrible design decisions. Tomb Raider post reboot is just so dull that it's really difficult to force myself to play them.

I shudder to think what would happen to NOLF.

Here are some high resolution pics of NOLF 1 that I took at while playing the game 1440x900 HD Widescreen with I believe 4X AA and 16XAF. GS doesn't have high resolution shots of this game on their review page. LithTech engine in all its Glory!

It has aged well unlike some games. Easily the best looking game from 2000!

NOLF 1 was such a witty game. And Tarantino copied the final Kill Bill fight scene from NOLF2.

I would actually want to see a re-make of the original series, especially Part 1: the Operative. One of the best and funniest games EVER!

If they would let the gameplay (and voice acting and such) intact and just update the graphics to a modern standard I'm sure a lot of people would buy this re-issue.

You guys do know this is a 6 month old thread right?

Man, it's borderline criminal how you didn't play their arguably best game to date (NOLF 2).

King of the Necros.