This game holds a very special place in my heart. It was a close call that it even made it into my pile of Christmas presents in 2002, as my Mum told me she'd been asking shop assistants if they stocked No One Ever Lives. I'll be forever grateful that she was alerted to her ignorance. The undoubted quality of the sequel came as a surprise after the flawed original had split opinion down the middle.
I mainly remember NOLF 2 for it's slick, fluid gameplay, glorious graphical style and it's wonderfully imaginative weaponry. Also, the female protagonist, Cate Archer, stands as the coolest female to ever appear in a computer game. A factor which set NOLF 2 apart from other shooters was its locations. Hugely varied, and always a joy to be part of, they ranged from a trailer park in Ohio during a tornado to a Japanese ninja village. Beautifully lavish with colour, they were a relief from the usual bleak, grey corridors. The game tells the best secret agent story I've heard. It's delightfully tongue-in-cheek and unpredictable.
James Bond meets Austin Powers, but without the lameness, NOLF 2 is an outlandish masterpiece that stands out as somewhat of an anomaly among shooters. Technically, it's aged magnificently, to the extent that returning to it wouldn't dampen the nostalgia too much. If you missed it when it came out, pick it up for a pittance and be thankful you're a negligent enough gamer to have not enjoyed it yet.
The tricycle chase
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