The Operative: No One Lives Forever for PC Review

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No One Lives Forever is a series that’s been on my list for a while. It’s a series I wasn’t aware of until well after the games released but was immediately interested as soon as I learned about them. The series is known for paying homage to classic spy films and television series, as well as for its humor. Developed by Monolith Productions and published by Fox Interactive, The Operative: No One Lives Forever was released for PC in November, 2000 and a port for the PlayStation 2 was released in April, 2002. For this review, I played the PC version, specifically the Game of the Year Edition which includes an additional mission that was not present in the original game. As of this review, you can download all the games for free from the No One Lives Forever revival website. Not only are they free, they come with the latest community patches or in other words, they are patched to be fully functional on modern systems.

No One Lives Forever is a story-driven game set in the 1960s and follows Cate Archer, the first female spy operative for the secret organization known as UNITY. After a bunch of UNITY agents are assassinated, intelligence reveals that a terrorist organization named H.A.R.M. is responsible. UNITY is forced to send Cate on high-profile missions where she learns of H.A.R.M.’s plans to use biological explosives to kill innocent people if their ransom demands are not met. The story is presented in a cinematic style with each mission consisting of multiple “scenes” and does a great job at capturing the spirit of classic spy media like the James Bond films for example. From the stylistic visual presentation to the music, I feel No One Lives Forever really nails what its aiming for and it features many hallmarks of the genre including over-the-top villains, action, stealth, gadgets, and conspiracies among other things.

The writing aims for humor and for the most part, succeeds. I can’t say every joke landed for me but much of the dialogue and attempts at humor left me chuckling. As humorous as the game can be, I feel it is worth mentioning that I don’t see No One Lives Forever as a parody. It’s not like Austin Powers for example. While the game is often silly, it’s not just an endless series of jokes poking fun at the spy genre. The story does come with some twists and turns, drama, and it’s clear that the stakes are high. The writing also tackles the subject of sexism and I feel it’s handled very well. The rampant sexism makes sense given the time period but I never felt Cate was portrayed as just a sex object to be leered at. She’s a well written and developed character and solid protagonist in my opinion.

I’ve seen No One Lives Forever described as a first-person shooter and stealth game although I would say a more appropriate description is a first-person shooter with stealth elements and I’ll get to that in a bit. The game comes with the single player story mode and a multiplayer component which I did not get to try. I did see some servers out there but no active players. That said, the single player should keep you occupied for a while. The story can take you quite a bit of time to get through, especially if you watch all the cut scenes and take your time. As mentioned before, missions consist of multiple scenes and each scene is basically a level and many levels give you the option to go in all guns blazing or sneak around. But some do force you to be stealthy. There is quite a few weapons in the game and I found the gunplay to be quite good. Weapons have good audiovisual feedback, many guns can fire different types of ammo, muzzle flashes look cool, and I really enjoyed some of the enemy death animations like when they fall off ledges or come rolling down stairs.

I feel the stealth in No One Lives Forever is the worst part of the game. Yeah, I said it. But let me clarify. I think for the time it released, the mix of first-person shooter and stealth was pretty cool stuff but in my opinion, the stealth hasn’t aged all that well. The running and gunning looks and feels great but the stealth can be tedious and frustrating. Stealth works like how you would expect. Stay quiet and out of sight, walk and crouch instead of run to make less noise, be aware of the surfaces you’re moving on because certain materials makes more noise than others, listen for enemies before turning a corner, use suppressed or quite weapons to drop enemies or avoid them altogether, and some gadgets and gear can aid you in staying undetected. For example, you can use a coin to distract and lure foes to certain locations and use a camera disabler to prevent cameras from detecting you. Much of this should not be new if you’re familiar with stealth games. And that’s the thing, No One Lives Forever is not a pure stealth game. It’s an action game with stealth elements.

The problem isn’t so much that the stealth elements are in the game or that they don’t work right, it’s more so the way stealth is handled and that the game will force you to be stealthy at certain times. For one thing, you can’t lean. The game actually instructs you to pop out of cover to get a brief glimpse of the area. So you have to pop out to see things and then quickly get back into cover to avoid detection. Second, you are advised not to destroy cameras and searchlights because doing so will result in enemies investigating. I actually think this is a nice and I might even say immersive detail but it does make navigating around certain areas a bit aggravating. Cameras can not only detect you but also spot dead enemies, triggering an alarm, so if you decide to drop foes, you have to be mindful of where they will fall. I should also mention that the game actually makes it a point to tell you that Cate can’t pick up and move bodies so you would have to use the body remover powder instead to get rid of them. That’s assuming you even have it on you.

Basically, stealth requires patience. It can be very trial and error and result in a lot of quicksaving and quickloading. It’s not very forgiving or flexible. You either do it right or you get detected and alarms are going off and everybody is gunning for you. Because of this, levels that force stealth can be very frustrating. You get spotted, you fail. All that said, I can’t say the stealth doesn’t work. By that I mean none of the mechanics feel outright broken. It just feels a little rough playing it today. But again, No One Lives Forever is not a pure stealth game. You’re not given as many options to stay quiet and avoid detection as you are in games like Thief or Splinter Cell for example. You get some equipment that can help you remain undetected and prevent enemies from becoming suspicious like the camera disabler and body remover powder but there’s no blackjack to knock people out from behind, no carrying bodies, no hiding in the shadows, and no EMP items, invisibility potions, and moss or rope arrows.

Other than stealth, I enjoy everything else. One of the things that makes No One Lives Forever stand out is the gadgets and equipment. Before jumping into a mission, you can select what items you want to bring with you including weapons and attachments, gadgets, and gear. Some items are unlocked as you progress and others like gear items need to be found in the environments. Several gadgets are disguised as female fashion items like explosive lipstick, a barrette that can pick locks and poison people, and perfumes that emit different gasses. Many gadgets have multiple functions like the cigarette lighter that not only starts fires but also doubles as a welder to break certain locks and the sunglasses is actually a camera, mine detector, and infrared scanner. Gear will provide bonuses. For example, a fire extinguisher protects Cate from burn damage, antitoxin protects her from poison damage, and fuzzy slippers reduces noise made by movement. I would say the gear items act as a form of collectible along with intelligence items.

I really like the game’s sense of scale and adventure. The story takes you to a lot of different locations and exploration is encouraged. Intelligence items can be found hidden in the environments and collecting them all in a mission will result in permanent upgrades. You are ranked at the end of each mission and can even earn awards. I don’t know if this is covered in the manual because I don’t have it but at first I thought the rankings and upgrades were tied to being stealthy but I’m happy to say that’s not the case. They’re both tied to intel items. When I discovered this, that’s when I decided to focus less on sneaking whenever possible. I would still try but if I was detected, I proceeded to blast my way through assuming the level didn’t force stealth. I was enjoying it a lot more than trying to be super sneaky all the time and quickloading every ten seconds. That’s another thing I like about the game; you’re often given the option to be stealthy or loud. Many levels don’t restrict you to one or the other. Not all, but many. This along with the collectibles and multiple difficulty levels adds a good amount of replay value to the experience.

There’s a couple of aspects of the game that I think that really helps immerse the player into the whole spy thing. Stealth mixed with the gadgets and items is one part of it. The concept of sneaking around using gadgets and items to stay hidden and suppressed weapons to drop enemies quietly can be fun. You’ll have to infiltrate and navigate around areas and complete certain objectives undetected and when the stealth doesn’t feel tedious, it can actually be thrilling at times resulting in a nice sense of satisfaction. It’s the forced stealth that kind of took me out of it. The second aspect that helped immerse me is the game’s sense of discovery. I feel most levels are designed in a way that makes discovery feel rewarding. Whether it’s finding intel or gear items or even reaching certain areas you have to go to anyway just to progress, like a secret lair or room for example, the game will make you find the secret button or switch and I find it all to be rewarding.

Most levels are not super linear. I found that there’s often multiple ways to reach to certain destinations. For example, going around a building or through it. I did get stuck a few times and it was usually because I missed a button or switch. Most of the game has you navigating around on-foot but occasionally you’ll get to ride a motorcycle and snowmobile and one mission has Cate in scuba gear exploring a freighter underwater. Each location in the game is distinct and I enjoyed the environmental variety. There are some decent set pieces like one where you jump out of a plane and have to catch up to an enemy with a parachute before you plummet to your death and another where you have to fend off enemy helicopters as you’re riding a gondola.

I do want to mention that I did download the game from the revival website and had no issues with installation and I didn’t have to tweak anything to get it running. No One Lives Forever is a colorful game and showcases diverse environments, good character and weapon models, and good visual effects. Playing it now, the presentation definitely looks dated but it doesn’t look bad. The audio work is also great and the soundtrack is phenomenal. The music sounds like something you would hear in a spy film, driving home the cinematic style the game is aiming for, as well as giving it it’s own unique flavor. In fact, I would go so far to say No One Lives Forever has one of the best video game soundtracks to date. On the technical side, the game ran great and I encountered no major issues.

I had a great time with No One Lives Forever. I think most of the game holds up rather well and it manages to maintain a unique identity. It features a mix of action and stealth, it’s not aggressively linear, and in my opinion, it nails what it’s aiming for. There’s nothing else quite like it. At least not that I’ve played. I feel No One Lives Forever is a somewhat ambitious game for its time and while I think the stealth hasn’t aged all that well, sneaking around can be fun and rewarding at times. There’s just not a lot of flexibility to it so it makes for very trial and error gameplay. When the game isn’t forcing you to be stealthy, that’s when it’s at its best. I enjoyed any levels that offer the option to sneak or go in all guns blazing. The gadgets and items are fun to use, the levels are designed in a way that makes exploration and discovery fun, and I feel the game makes it easy to get immersed into the whole spy thing and even the world on display.

I would absolutely recommend The Operative: No One Lives Forever. While there’s plenty of action stealth games out there nowadays, I still say there’s nothing quite like this. It’s got a unique flavor. I think some of the older 007 games may come close but they’re not exactly the same thing. And while those games are based on films, No One Lives Forever is doing its own thing. I feel certain aspects of it haven’t aged as well as others but overall, it’s a wonderful time. Definitely check it out.