Great sequel to one of the greatest games ever made.
The gameplay in NOLF 2 is close to the original, meaning you have a wide variety of gadgets and weapons at your disposal, the choice of either going in guns blazing or trying a more subtle insertion. What made the first game such a great game were the ingenious and hilarious characters, deep yet funny storyline, great action, adaptive AI and just but gustingly funny dialogue. NOLF 2 manages to incorporate all of these traits and still keep things feeling fresh and exciting. No matter which way you choose to tackle a mission, you are guaranteed to have a lot of fun doing it. Cate is once again outfitted with improbable gadgets straight out of Sean Connery's Bond -movies. Particularly funny are the banana (which causes pursuing enemies to slip and bang their head on the ground), Angry Kitten (a proximity device that pounces on unsuspecting guards) and the bear trap (which works like the real thing). While Cate still has her barrette/lock pick, mirror/coderbreaker and hairspray/welding flame, I was a bit disappointed to see that instead of the hilarious lipstick/grenade, she now has regular fragmentation nades. What's up with that? The gadgets come in handy multiple times during a mission, but thankfully you can pack some serious firepower if the need arises (and it will!). Among the weapons are mainstays like the AK-47, Tommy gun and Sten. You will also wield katana's, throwing stars, missile launchers disguised as briefcases and a whole litany of other great firearms. Once again, the game has funny and inventive missions set in exotic (and not as exotic) locales. You'll get to visit places like India, Japan, Ohio, the Antarctic and even the same underwater base you had to infiltrate in NOLF. And in these exotic locales are some of the best video game villains you will ever encounter. Characters like the Mime King will have you holding your sides, while you should be putting two in his head. One of the high points of the game is set in India, requiring you to chase the Mime King on a trikey through the streets. Pure gold!
The game also introduced a welcome leveling feature, adding rudimentary RPG gameplay. Each time you find intelligence items littered throughout the maps (in addition to points, they also give hilarious insight into the game's story), defeat bosses or complete missions, Cate is awarded with experience points. These can be then used to improve her aim, health, armor, carrying capacity etc. It manages to bring some variation into the standard shooter gameplay, and is a very appreciated addition. This also means that you can customize Cate to fit your style of play. More aggressive players will want to max out the stamina, armor, marksmanship and weapons traits, while players relying on sneakiness will opt for improving stealth and gadgets.
The Lithtech Jupiter engine cranks out beautiful graphics. The locations really come alive, thanks to great textures and dynamic lighting. Character models are equally impressive, with a ton of detail and even facial expressions. Weapons spew out tracers and shell casings, making for some engaging firefights. The game will need a moderately powerful rig to run properly, but it's not a system hog.
Once again, NOLF scores a perfect 10 thanks to it's groovy music that would feel at home in any 60's spy movie. Not only is it appropriate, it's extremely good and well done. Particularly the main theme manages to set the mood just right. Each location also has it's own distinctive soundtrack, that feels at home and manages to be funny and awesome at the same time.
Not to be forgotten, the voice acting is some of the best ever heard. All of the actors brought their A material, resulting in everyone from major players like Cate and Armstrong to even the lowliest thugs and H.A.R.M. grunts sounding real and humorous. All the great writing in the world couldn't save a game with bad voice work, but thankfully NOLF 2 doesn't fail in that department. Equally impressive are the weapon and ambient sounds, each resembling their real life counterparts in a crisp and satisfying way. This game is candy for the ears!
No matter if you played the first NOLF or not, this game is an all out explosion of fun, action and emotional moments. Everything combines to create one of the most memorable games ever made, and this is sure to be a classic in the making, just like it's older sibling. In short, to not give No One Lives Forever 2 a try would be Criminal. Criminal with a capital C!