Renzie's Classic Gaming: No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy In HARM's Way

On today's Renzie's Classic Gaming, we shed the spotlight on No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy In HARM's Way, or more simply, NOLF 2, a campy yet innovative and stylish first-person shooter released by Fox Interactive in late 2002.

I must have played it in the first half of 2003 or so- and enjoyed it immensely. NOLF 2 is the sequel to the 2000 Action Game of the Year No One Lives Forever- which was a very refreshing take on first-person shooters. Think Austin Powers, but you have a female lead- Cate Archer- and having its own brand of humor, still poking fun at the old spy movies of the 60's and 70's.

What pleased a lot of people was how more highly-polished NOLF 2 was, greatly improving upon the already great game that No One Lives Forever was. Also worked in is a decent role-playing element which allows you to customize Cate by building up her stealth, marksmanship or stamina- by spending skill points which you acquire through the course of the game.

As a spy action shooter, you could choose to be more subtle, and go stealthy- accomplishing your mission goals with minimum collateral damage. Or you could go all out, guns-ablazing and leaving a satisfyingly high body count.

Not that the stealthier way is less satisfying. In fact, a lot of the fun in NOLF2 involves sneaking up on your enemies and then eavesdropping in on some hilarious cleverly-written dialogue.

Even the friendlies have funny lines, particularly so when you try to engage them in conversation multiple times.

However you choose to get your mission goals accomplished, get ready for lots of action in NOLF2- you get to ride snowmobiles, use a variety of weapons and even bring Ms. Archer's purse-ful of high-tech gadgets into play.

OK, probably more wacky than high-tech. Cate Archer's quirky tools of the trade- are mostly cute and female-oriented: lipstick cameras, nail-clipper lockpicks and torches disguised as a can of hairspray. Watch out for the exploding robot kitties!

NOLF2 is powered by the Jupiter incarnation of the LithTech Engine. Check out No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy in HARM's Way by checking out the official website on nolf2.sierra.com, or by simply unearthing your old copy and playing it all over again!

You could also visit the NOLF2 wikipedia entry here, or its review, as well as tech specs and pics on Gamespot, here.

If you're already playing No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy in Harm's Way, check out the gameguides and FAQs here, on GameFAQS.com, if you need it.

Classics- I call them great moments in PC and console gaming. Truly memorable gaming masterpieces from years gone by. Games so good, you can install them onto your PC today and still have a good time. This has been another Renzie's Classic Gaming feature on Get Your Game On: Renzie on Gaming.

Cheers, everyone!