Contract J.A.C.K.

The Good
In the Gamasutra Postmortem for the original No One Lives Forever, Craig Hubbard notes that the driving design goal was to develop a game as polished as possible. However, while Hubbard advocated presentation over innovation, it would be remiss not to overlook that it's NOLF's originality that made it memorable. NOLF took the 60's spy setting and found a comfortable place between James Bond and Austin Powers. NOLF made the main character a female, who owed nothing to Lara Croft, and treated her like a person, not a toy. NOLF was filled with creative villains and packed with action set-pieces. Finally, with its emphasis on stealth, gadgets, and intelligence gathering, it was definitely not another first person shooter.

Then NOLF2 came along and refined the gaming process. More importance was given to intelligence gathering. Playing stealthily had a bigger payoff. The game was streamlined to forward the story by using in-game events rather than cutscenes. New gadgets were introduced during missions, instead of taking side trips to the weapons lab. Best of all, Cate Archer was now customizable, having attained attributes which allowed her to hide faster, shoot more accurately and use her gadgets faster.

Finally there came news of Contract J.A.C.K. Tired of being the good guy? See the NOLF World from H.A.R.M.'s viewpoint. Sadly, what was offered as the chance to play From Russia With Love as Red Grant ended up being Red Grant caught in Danger: Diabolik.

John Jack (the Jack part of Contract J.A.C.K.) begins his adventures tied to a chair in an anonymous room being threatened by two thugs and a voice on a speakerphone. After getting slapped around, called an asshole and threatened with a chainsaw, Jack springs to life: snapping his bonds and pummeling the two thugs to death with his fists. Surviving a sudden onslaught of thugs attracts the attention of H.A.R.M. Director Dmitrij Volkov who has a need for Just Another Contract Killer. Working for H.A.R.M. pits Jack against the Czechoslovakians and Danger Danger (out of Italy) in a race… well… to the Moon.

If Contract J.A.C.K. has any strength it comes from using the same engine as NOLF2 and reutilizing most (if not all) of the music, sound effects, etc. Voice work is great, even if the dialogue is not. Contract J.A.C.K. has a few vehicle levels, which are well armed, and one level brings to mind "Unexpected Turbulence" from the original game; not that these are better levels than the rest of the game, but they break up the monotony of running endless, bloody gauntlets.

The Bad
Contract J.A.C.K.'s biggest failing comes from making a game set in the No One Lives Forever Universe that has very little interest for fans of the No One Lives Forever series. John Jack is not a male Cate Archer. H.A.R.M. (as presented here) is not a dark reflection of UNITY. Contract J.A.C.K. bravely does away with stealth and gadgets, presenting a FPS with poor AI and bad weapons. Hell, Contract J.A.C.K. doesn't even make use of the 60s setting, Jack's weapon of choice is an anachronistic Desert Eagle.

Afraid to lose their M rating, every villain suffers from hemophilia, drenching the scenery with blood when they are shot. Weapons are frighteningly underpowered—it's not uncommon to empty a half clip into an enemy only to have them barrel onward. Headshots don't seem to matter this time around. The few times I acquired the crossbow, I only had one shot left. Ignore the John Woo style gun in each hand pics on the cover—that's just to fool Max Payne fans.

AI is pretty poor (except when scripted). Enemies spawn and run instinctively to your location. Forget about sneaking around! NOLF had a nice pacing where, if you had to kill someone, you had to time it so they were alone and you could dispose of the body. Not here.

The Bottom Line
At a rapidly dropping price, it's hard to be too disappointed with Contract J.A.C.K. It is short and completely conventional, stripping off all the polish the previous games had, but a bad John Jack game doesn't have the same impact a bad Cate Archer game would have. Do I recommend it? No. It doesn't fill in the gaps, like you'd expect so it's unsatisfactory even for NOLF completists. No matter how low the price gets, there will always be another game at the same cost that is better—which is too bad, because done better, they'd have something here. Still, until patching a game rewrites it completely, leave this game on the shelf.

The Good
I bought Contract J.A.C.K. not long after I finished No One Lives Forever 2. NOLF 2 was an excellent game and left me wanting still more 60's spy action with Cate Archer. Sadly, there was no NOLF 3 around. But there was Contract J.A.C.K., a game set in the same universe that was apparently a prequel to the game I had just played.

Indeed, Contract J.A.C.K. is set in the NOLF world and even features a cameo by Cate Archer herself. That is the only thing that makes it a NOLF game, though. J.A.C.K. takes an entirely different direction from the rest of the series, being a frantic out-and-out shooter rather than an espionage game.

And there is much shooting. Near constant shooting, in fact. Don't even try sneaking around. There's no point. This is like Doom in the 1960's. Just keep your finger on the trigger. If you like alot of action, this game does have it.

As usual for Monolith's efforts in this series, the game is pretty darned funny. The conversations between your enemies are a particular highlight. Also, there very fact that your primary opponent is a group called "Danger, Danger" is just too funny.

Graphics use the Lithtech II engine and therefore are nothing to sneeze at. All the character and level design is all high quality. Sound as well is very well done, with competent voice acting throughout.

The Bad
It's not what I wanted from this series. Yes, I know that this game sets forth to be a fast-paced shooter from the get-go, but it's still continuing the tradition of the NOLF series. There is none of the depth of gameplay in the previous two games. No gadgets, no intelligence to pick up, no sneaking around. It's just straight-forward shooting. And from this series, that's disappointing.

As well, J.A.C.K. doesn't even do the straight-up shooter that well. The basic philosophy of most encounters seems to be sending massive mobs of fairly stupid enemies. Further, the enemies respawn way too fast (a problem some NOLF 2 areas) and many do not drop ammo (you should not have ammo problems in a shooter like this).

All in all, Contract J.A.C.K. just isn't all that much fun to play with the kind of gameplay that is presented most of the time.

The Bottom Line
If you have played through the other two NOLF games and absolutely need more, then this might help satiate the urge just a little. Otherwise, go check out the rest of the series first.

The Good
I've said it about a thousand times and I'll say it again: I LOVE Monolith studios. Next to ID, they are my favourite shooter developer. They did such classics as Blood, SHOGO , Condemned, and of course their shining golden masterpiece No one lives Forever 2 . NOLF 2 was a sparkling golden gem from the heavens and one of the best shooters of this decade, let alone all time. It was absolutely brilliant, it broke all conventions by being a taught spy thriller, a raunchy comedy and spy spoof, with Stealth, Action, Puzzles, Adventure.. The whole shebang. It proved that Monolith had brains and weren't afraid to use them. The only people that didn't like NOLF 2 were those who prefer their shooters without their brains. Now, I love mindless shooters, but they have to be executed right. So when they decided to make a purely action based game in the NOLF universe, I expected something along the lines of Blood and was anticipating the game greatly. Enough chit-chat, lets kick off this review.

Honestly, there are only a couple good things that can be said about Contract J.A.C.K. One of those things is the music and sound effects. The music is great and the sound effects are great. The game captures the kitschy style of the NOLF universe well. The graphics are still stylized as well. There is also a level towards the end that does a good job of parodying Moonraker. The game is also bloody, if you like the red goop there's plenty of it. There are a couple OK jokes, and the cameo by Cate Archer is funny and her voice acting is still top notch.

The Bad
Beyond that? Barf. What ruins this is that Monolith not only took out their brains, they apparently left anyone skilled out of this project. The level design is bland, boring, and distinctly linear. The AI might as well sit in a corner and wait for someone to put on a dunce cap and paint a target on their skulls, they clearly aren't smart enough to use the basic motor functions to put the dunce cap on thereselves and its amazing that they even have a "Shoot" function. The AI in Doom is years ahead of the bad guys in Contract JACK. All they know how to do is stand and pull the trigger in your direction. They can barely move, they do NO maneuvering to try and avoid your fire, not even strafing or walking to a different area. You think by 2003 this would be a requirement.

With no challenge in the AI there is no fun in shooting them. Its about as fun as going deer hunting but all the deer are already dead. These folks cant even charge in and do suicide moves like most AI in old school shoot 'em ups would do.

The humour in this game is bland and lacking the intelligence of the other NOLF games. The game is hardly funny at all. None of the quirkiness or thrills are here either.

The story is bland, stupid, and lacking any tension. It may set up the events of NOLF 2, but it does it with no style or interest. Other than returning characters from the NOLF 1/2 cast, there's no one here that can keep your attention or get you involved or interested in the story. The game is yawn inducing in its plot and its levels. None of the stealth elements of the first two games are here and there aren't really any gadgets, just guns, and since you can't use different ammo types like in the other games, the guns are boring to shoot and don't feel powerful or fun.

The game is short, anyone can blast through it in about 3 and a half hours.. although, on reflection, that may be Monolith having mercy.

The Bottom Line
Contract JACK is an affront to nature, let alone the prestigious name of Monolith and No one Lives Forever. The game is one of the most boring, stupid, and bland shooters out there. The only reason it might get more attention and be considered "slightly" better than the absolute droves of bland, uninspired, and lame bargain bin shooters is because it is part of the NOLF series and was developed by Monolith; but in truth, the game really isn't any better than those games. I could develop something better in about 3 months with FPS creator. I don't know how Monolith could screw something up so bad. None of their talent or intelligence shows here, and this is easily one of the worst shooters ever made.

The Good
Nice graphics.

Seeing some of the characters from NOLF1 and 2 was neat.

If you like Serious Sam gameplay this could be fun...

The Bad
An absolute disgrace to one of my all-time favorite series. Characters that were once vivid and hilarious are now two-dimensional and stupid. Rather than the excellent first-person shooter action gameplay found in NOLF 1 and 2, you find yourself thrust into a Serious Sam-esque game style set in the No One Lives Forever universe. Bad guys will come pouring out of every single hole in the area and they won't stop coming until you've genocided the entire Italian nationality.

Levels are dull. Some nice detail here and there, but mostly it's crap. Nothing very imaginative, save for the space level -- oh wait, that was done in previous episodes. No, there's nothing special about the levels.

Aside from a mounted gun on a motorized ski thing, there's nothing much to say regarding weapons. Oh yeah, the vehicle handling STILL sucks.

This game has absolutely nothing to do with either No One Lives Forevers. Despite Monolith's constant claims that you "take part in Cate Archer's adventures from the dark side", you see her maybe once and that's it.

I encountered serious frame rate problems at times, often in areas that weren't really all that detailed or polygon-heavy.

The Bottom Line
This game right plain sucks and never should have been made. They've tainted one of my all-time favorite series.

If you wanted a goofy Serious Sam experience set in the No One Lives Forever universe, hey, this is your game. But if you have any respect for No One Lives Forever you'll stay away from this steaming turd called a game and pretend it never existed. God, I wish I had.

The Good
I'll try and keep this short: Contract J.A.C.K is to NOLF what Red Faction is to Half Life: basically, it's a mod, albeit a pretty high-standard one at that, but falls quite a bit short of its roots.

The visuals in Contract J.A.C.K are top-notch; character models are detailed, the general design is quite eye-catching and details are high everywhere. The weapon models are pretty cool, and the environments are very nice to look at. So basically, LithTech/Jupiter still works very well. Also, the in-game music is pretty nifty, and as is standard fare with LithTech games these days the dynamic music sequences really kick ass (although not to the perfection of Tron 2.0). Finally, the sound is pretty good and voice acting is on par with NOLF (which is a good thing).

Contract J.A.C.K features a pretty rudimentary story that manages not to clash with NOLF's for the simple reason that it has very little in common with it: you play Jack, a hitman who gets hired by HARM to secure a vehicle prototype, and then go after a mandatory slightly-mad Indian Dr., extracting him from the other bad guys - an Italian crime organization by the name of Danger Danger. The game has little or no surprises right until the very end, when censored. So in essence: simple-minded fun.

The Bad
For starters, the enemy AI is ridiculously bad. Admittedly I did not play the game at a high level (Normal), but the enemies still followed the same stupid pattern - wait 'till I run into a curve, yell something and then come pouring out, waiting to be shot. I haven't once seen an enemy do something even remotely smart, other than maybe stay hidden behind an object - but even then they don't seek better cover or superiour ground, they just stay put and occasionally take a shot at you.

Gameplay is incredibly repetitive, but luckily the game is so short (5 hours at best) that it doesn't really matter; potential spoiler unfortunately there is only one boss in the game, which does not lend well to gameplay (again, compared to NOLF). And, while the scenery is varied, the enemies are not - just different skins for the same type of enemy with the same type of behaviour. There is very little here to break the repetitiveness - not even the occasional side-quest or cool item usage (I think there are maybe 3 or 4 items in the game).

While the architecture is pretty cool, the level design is uninspired at best - basically just the same thing over and over again: go through the corridor, shoot some bad guys, move across the hall, find another corridor, go through it, shoot some bad guys ad nauseum. And again the game falls into the trap of being so damn scripted and linear that you'd find yourself facing five locked doors and a single unlocked one in one corridor. I don't know about you guys, but I hate having all my navigation decisions being made for me (I think Max Payne was the first game in which I ever noticed this extent of linearity).

The Bottom Line
Short and incredibly mediocre. I wouldn't bother with it unless you can find it for $10 in a bargain bin somewhere. It's not worth full price for just a few hours of unenthusiastic fun.

The Good
The prequel to the excellent “No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy In Harms Way”. “Contract J.A.C.K. shows gamers a darker version of the NOLF universe. Instead of playing as the super spy Cate Archer, we get to play as John Jack, a hitman, and the jack of the title.

In “Contract J.A.C.K.”, you take on the crime syndicate, Danger! Danger! While working for H.A.R.M. The games seven missions take you from Italy, to the Moon! The plot is not as well done as in NOLF 2. Nor is Jack’s adventure as long as either of Cate’s. Yet you manage to kill more people than in both NOLFS combined. But then again you are a contract killer.

There are no gadgets in J.A.C.K. But there are new weapons, including some that have returned from NOLF 1 and were not in it’s sequel. So I guess the amount of guns is supposed to make up for the lack of gadgets. Thankfully vehicle segments return. There are even more than there were in NOLF 2. And this time around the vehicles come equipped with a gun.

Most of the humor of previous games is gone. There are still some funny moments. But the jokes tend to be darker. For some reason there is a lot of explicit language in this one unlike the other games. The game also seems more violent, but I guess this is to be expected.

The Graphics are stunning. Once again thanks to the Jupiter engine. Monolith still uses this engine in it’s games, showing just how awesome it is. Like NOLF 2 this game looks great even on the lowest setting. The weapons and characters are look amazing. And the real time lighting effects have to be seen to be believed. The flash of light when you fire your gun is so sweet!

There is even less music in this than NOLF 2. But it is quality over quantity. The voice overs are good except for Jack, who has too much of a gruff voice. Which makes him sound odd. Some of the weapons sound different and more realistic.

J.A.C.K. plays more like Serious Sam than No One Lives Forever. This of course was disappointing to NOLF fans. As the NOLF series is known for successfully blending stealth and action segments.

The Bad
This game is way too short. You can finish it in one sitting. So it only has about four hours of gameplay. The difficulty settings are ridiculous. On easy it is way too easy. On Normal it is about ten times more difficult. The A.I. is not as good as we would expect, often enemies run right into to harms way.(No pun intended.) For some reason the box claims that there are ten missions. I have no idea where they got that number, as there are only seven missions. Three less than stated on the box.

The Bottom Line
Overall Contract J.A.C.K. is an average game. That while it does not live up the NOLF series, there is some fun to be had if you can get over it’s dissimilarities to NOLF. Do not pay full price for this game as it is too short, in fact I would not pay over $20. I got my copy on Amazon for about $6.00.