No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy in H.A.R.M.'s Way

The Good
The graphics and the sound get a great update. Especially noticeable is the music, that has a much fuller sound that doesn't as canned like the original. (I'm a musician, I notice these weird little things.) Kate looks better than ever. The cut scenes show more nuanced and articulated models, with more lifelike features. Gone are the bricklike hands.

The return of the original baddies from Nolf make for some great scenes. I love the overheard dialog between bad guys. Its pretty much what you'd think that henchmen would be talking about while being bored and waiting for action. The incredulous gadgets that you can use to take your enemies out.

You can use experience points to modify and increase your skill levels, such as sneaking, medical, etc... It didn't make a huge difference in game play, but it did add some depth. More often than not, you can use non-lethal ways of taking enemies out.

The Bad
Near the end, the novel game design falls away and you have a more gun and run play. The ending is satisfactory, but the ending play is more linear and not as interesting. Some of the wild gadgets do not work very well, leaving you vulnerable unless you employ more conventional weaponry. A lot of backtracking through non-descript areas.

The humor is there, but not quite as brilliant as in Nolf. Its missing some of the laugh out loud stuff that made Nolf so much fun.

The Bottom Line
An excellent FPS with great graphics and sound. But the gameplay was much better in the original.