Contract J.A.C.K.

"Not NOLF, but an entertaining tech demo..."

The thing about this game is that many people are expecting it to be like the other games in the series, The Operative: No One Lives Forever and No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy in H.A.R.M.'s way, and it isn't. Contract J.A.C.K. doesn't try to be. In fact, it goes almost out of its way to be as basic and straight forward a shooter as possible, it very reminiscent of the original Doom or maybe Serious Sam.

Plot. There isn't much, it does go a long way into giving background information by introducing a new villain by the name of Il Pazzo and his organization Danger Danger. This is great to have a larger look at the world of NOLF, but aside from the new organization, the plot is merely there to push the character from point A to point B, that is to say, mostly non-existant.

Gameplay. The game is extremely straight forward and repetitive, but that is fine, its short, it isn't a full game, and has only seven levels. The game introduces an auto-aim feature which is a great idea, and can be turned on and off at the press of a key. Level design is great as well, but after playing the other games, it is difficult to acclimate to the extremely strict linearity of it all. There are no alternate entrances or exits, or hiding places. Keep in mind, NOLF fans, this game doesn't have any of the role playing elements, intelligence items, or stealth elements that made the prior two games either.

Visuals. The game is gorgeous, art design is solid, and while there are few characters, their movements are just as well done as before. The game is very strong here.

Audio. I ran into audio problems, but aside from that, the sound was good. The acting is up to the same standard as before, maybe a little better, same for the music, though most of it is reused. The one returning character, Demetri Volkov, keeps his voice actor, which is good for continuity. Also, I should note, that one of the hallmarks of the series, the humorous conversations are present, but few and far between.

The game can be challenging, and perhaps before a purchase, one may be best served watching a video of gameplay or two to see how it plays, but if your expectations are appropriate, you may find that it still is a No One Lives Forever game in humor, design, quality, and tone, just not in play mechanics. I think that is ok.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 04/20/09

Game Release: Contract J.A.C.K. (US, 11/11/03)