Amazingly fun retro-themed spy adventure! One of my all time Favourite FPS, highly recommended!
Story 8.5/10: as with any good spy adventure, you'll be whisked to many different and exotic locations, following a plot full of intriguing threads, full of revelations, double crosses. the story unfolds slowly, and the various twists are great and unpredictable. There is definite tongue in cheek attitude towards the whole game, and the game does a great job balancing this humor and the seriousness of Cate's quest to save the world.
Graphics 9/10: for a game released in 2000, im sitting here 9 years later and still marvelling at the amazing graphics in NOLF. the cut scenes are superb, and the in game graphics are very well done. weapons effects are great too.
Sounds 10/10: oh my lord. soooo good. we'll start with the music, which is done with a great retro-themed 60's flavour. you can tell real effort went into the creation of these tracks, as they are all great, and never get on your nerves or become monotonous. incidentally, my edition of NOLF came with a bonus CD with 10 music tracks from the game, score! the voice acting is seriously top notch, some of the best voice acting ive ever heard in a game. especially wonderful are the frequent 'enemy conversations' which you'll hear, as you come to a room with H.A.R.M. henchmen in, you can eavesdrop on their conversations, the majority of which are just hilarious, wonderfully written and acted.
Gameplay 9/10: NOLF sticks fairly closely to the cookie cutter FPS formula, but adds some ingenious feature which really keep the game fresh and exciting. as well as your standard gun weapons (pistols, machine guns, sniper rifles) you get many James Bond-esque gadgets to play with, which come in very handy during your missions. hair barrettes which double as lockpicks, lipsticks which double as grenades...the list of these cool gadgets goes on. the level design is excellent, and very varied. youll be taken around the world to many different locations, from the streets of marakesh to the swiss alps, to underwater adventures in a sunken freighter!
Replayability 9.5/10: Ive just finished it for i think the third time, and all 3 times have been an immensely enjoyable gaming experience. the wonderful graphics, sound, gameplay, and the humour of the game overall really make playing it again a very worthwhile and tempting proposition.
Overall, "The Operative: No One Lives Forever" is a game that is a joy to play, and to revisit. I have absolutely no hesitation in calling this not only one of my favourite FPS games of all time, but even one of my favourite games of any genre. I couldn't give a masterpiece such as this anything less than a 9.5/10.