Out of the countless games in the FPS genre, this is one of the few that is worth playing.
No One Lives Forever 2 (which will now be typed as the initials NOLF2) takes many elements from the first game, modifies some, throws out lots of things that were somewhat unnecessary in the first game, and brings some new ideas to the table. These many changes, however, aren't all as great as one would hope, but then again they're not all awful. Some are simply great. When averaged out, at least for me, you get a very different experience from the first game, but more or less just as good. What are these changes anyway?
For one, the missions aren't all that varied in comparison to the first game. In the first game, you visit many locations and even get to fight in space, underwater, and while free falling from a plane. While this kept the game really interesting, you don't spend nearly enough time in some of the more exciting ones. NOLF2 kinda fixes this issue, by giving just enough variety and scenery to make the game good, but sometimes certain missions seem to drag on. The Siberian missions, though really fun, are a little too long (especially around the third play through) so much to the point where you wish there was a way to just skip most of it, sober up the pilot and fly out of there. You still have the stupidly fun "defies-logic" segment where you have a sword duel with a female ninja in house spinning inside of a tornado, which lives up the other crazy sequences from the first game. But more or less, this game feels a little more "grounded" than the previous game because the fantasy element, though still in the game in a staggering about, is slightly subdued and more believable. The best new addition to the missions is the addition of many alleyways, vents, and other small/dark hiding spots that allow you to escape from the mobs of enemies or to just sneak. Though the game is quite linear, like the first one (and nearly all games from the genre), you are at least given a different path to reach an objective. It's limited, but it is a vast improvement over the original game. In addition to this, there isn't really equivalent to the "forced-stealth" missions in this game (maybe the Evil Alliance mission, but you don't lose if you get caught, just sent back to the beginning).
Unless memory is failing me, another element from the first game was completely scrapped much like "forced-stealth:" dialogue choices. In the first game, during a cut scene, you would often have the option to pick what you wanted Cate Archer to say. Though somewhat novel, it made no difference to the game (aside from one mission), and was only a means of making the writing staff write more lines and nothing more (though they were funny lines). In this game, cut scenes just play without interruption from a menu of dialogue options.
As long as we are on the topic of dialogue and, indirectly, story/characters: this game is a mixed bag, but is mostly good. For one, a lot of characters are cool, but that's what you'd expect from this series. Cate Archer is still one of the best game heroes ever made with all the wit, charm, and personality to give evidence to such a claim. Further more, she is simply refreshing to see because it gets old playing the same grim, muscle-bound, gun-toting, emotionless, generic action hero, and instead play a strong female character that is more than capable of tackling any situation thrown at here and not succumbing to "damsel-in-distress-syndrome" (in the same vein as Lt. Ellen Ripley from the Alien movies). Bruno, Cate's foster-father and temporary head of the organization which employs them, is still voiced in a highly believable manner and is an all-around likable guy. Most of the random lackeys have excellent voice actors delivering often funny lines, but (for example) the female ninjas, and even Isako (with the same voice actor as Cate Archer) for some reason don't feel/sound as good as the rest of the cast. The story line of the game is kinda run-of-the-mill as it is the typical, rising east-west tensions, and the use of "super soldiers" (for me, other than the first mission where you meet them, the super soldiers aren't fun or that interesting). Throw in a mime-assassin-organization (though novel, it is, to be perfectly honest: dumb), and you got the game's story. However, the places you visit and the events in-between the main events are what make this game excellent.
The game itself, though still funny, is less so than the first game. Maybe it is a personal opinion, but it just feels like there were many joke opportunities that weren't taken advantage of. Perhaps it has to be due to the fact the game is shorter than the first, but who knows? But there is more "physical" comedy in this game, like the mimes (and when you kill the mime king), the "special" H.A.R.M. trooper (seen in cut scenes, the guy with the large nose and small chin with one of the better voice actors), and the point where Armstrong gets pinned under a file cabinet and holds the super soldier. However, there is also a lot that fails to get laughs, like with the revelation of the Mime King's actual height and the ensuing tri cycle-monocycle race, those moments (like a few others) just feel too… too dumb… kinda like Jar-Jar Binks, something that could only be appreciated by babies.
The story isn't without it's flaws, not all the characters are as awesome as they were in the first game, and the humor isn't without its misses, but the pros of this game far out weigh those slip ups.
Is the game without any other flaws? Of course not, none are, and much like the first game the combat hasn't changed that much from just being okay. The A.I. enemies' actions are still spilt between being smart, like using cover and leaning (or the going prone like with the Soviet troops), and being very stupid. So much so, you can use the old doorway trick: shoot one enemy, run to a choke point and then blast away. They will all eventually try to go through the door with many dead bodies around it.
Another problem (though it can be viewed as a plus in some instances) is the lack of selecting weapon load out, the lack of weapons in the game, and the almost utter lack of weapon modifications. In the first game, before every mission you could select three to four weapons, even ones where you wouldn't be able to find ammo for later. Further more, there were simply more weapons. In NOLF2 you have only one pistol and one sniper rifle (strange side note, the pistol used wasn't created until the 1980s [the sniper rifle also looks modern]… in a game set in the 1960s), but in the first game you had access to three pistols and two sniper rifles. They pretty much functioned the same (except the revolver had only five-shots), but they were all iconic models (Luger, detective snub-nose, a SVD, De lise Carbine, and the P-38) used in the World Wars and used in lots of spy movies. Though rendered with far more detail, the guns in NOLF2 feel a little sterile (aside from the AK-47, which should be an AKM at the very least). However, not all is bad as Cate has access to more creative weapons and tools, and compared to the first game, these are way better. The bananas and bear traps are excellent means of slowing down enemies, and the regular gadgets just feel better. Instead of Judo chops (which I loved, but were extremely unreliable) Cate has a stun gun, which puts the target to sleep and is an attempt to giving Cate a less than lethal tool. Lastly, the utility gun, with its bazillion types of darts has to be one of the most versatile tools in a game (tranquilizer darts are great).
Another issue that this game has: it still requires a lot of gunning. Yes, you now get awarded stat-points for performing certain tasks and finding intelligence in the field and you can allocated those points to certain traits, but this feature (as nice as it is in theory) is limited. Why? The game, though greatly improved, lacks any true stealth elements. I don't mean "kill every person on the map without tripping the alarm," as that is in a lot of games including the first one. What I mean by that is the ability to play through the game without killing anyone, or at least be able to avoid most conflict. This is so much a problem, that there is no reason to ever put points into "Stealth," because almost every problem (aside from the Indian policemen) can be solved with unloading a gun into it. Granted, this play style is fun, it just doesn't have a very long appeal.
These problems, for me, would have ruined the game if it weren't for the strengths in the game's story and characters. And fortunately, these strengths really aid this game (as with the first), hence the relatively high score from me. Maybe these gripes aren't that big a deal, regardless, you should see for yourself if you haven't already.
Now if only Monolith would make NOLF 3 now instead of these "F.E.A.R." games.