The Operative: No One Lives Forever

"The Most Fun Single-Player FPS Ever"

No One Lives Forever is an interesting mix of games. I do not ordinarily play computer games, but this one was definitely worth the purchase.
You are Agent Cate Archer, of the UNITY organization. You are trying to foil an international plan by the evil HARM. I dare not reveal their plan lest I spoil an EXCELLENT plot.
The game is broken up into a series of acts, and in each act is a scene. There are as many as I believe 5 scenes in an act, and I think there are 16 acts. It has been a long time since I played the game. This gives you a lot of gametime.
The gameplay itself resembles Counterstrike than anything else I've played. In each Act you only get one health bar that can never be replenished until the next Act. However, during the mission you can replenish your armor should you find some. There are numerous weapons to choose from, from silenced pistols to grenade launchers to harpoons. Since it is a 60's spy game, it would be incomplete without infrared glasses, lockpick barettes, and acidic perfume.
The mechanics are very well-done, and the motion is extremely fluid. The AI is quite good; if they hear a noise to their left, they move that way.
The game can get VERY difficult even on the Normal setting, but it isn't impossible.
The music is somewhat repetitive after a while, but it still functions well as the ''groovy'' soundtrack promised by the box. Sound effects are very well-done. Bullets sound like bullets, punching a box sounds like punching a box. If you throw a coin near a guard, the ''clang'' sound actually makes you think you threw a coin.
The graphics are beautiful in my opinion. The scenery looks like the sixties, and the people are designed well in terms of appearance. The motion sometimes seems a bit blocky during cutscenes, but that is probably attributable to my less-than-stellar video card. The framerate is quite high throughout the game.
All in all, this game is excellent and if there is a sequel, I will definitely buy it.
(note to reader: I have yet to try the multiplayer, though one of my friends says it's not very good. He says it's pretty standard deathmatch fare, but that doesn't make the game bad. That means it just isn't exciting as a multiplayer game.)

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 07/01/01, Updated 07/01/01