The Kim Justice video this week is about a series of games that are loved by many, reinstalled by many, but unfortunately they are legally available to no-one. Monolith's No One Lives Forever 1 and 2 were both amongst the best loved FPS's of the early '00s -- almost on the same level as the likes of Deus Ex...but alas, a confusing mishmash of rights holders and a general apathy amongst all of them has led to both of these games being tucked away completely, with no-one able to re-release them to a new and highly appreciative audience. As ever, the video is here.
No One Lives Forever certainly played its part in a glorious time for first-person games, sharing elements from its contemporaries but also providing ones that stick out on their own. The hyper-real '60s vibe complete with some classically humorous spy gadgets, the amount of different setpieces that the gameplay would throw at you with action and stealth and everything inbetween, and of course the game's hero -- the almighty, forever savage Scottish superspy Cate Archer, resplendent in catsuit, fashionable bob, and lipstick containers that so happen to hide explosives.
The story of the game's loss is, in and of itself, a silly and frustrating one -- especially considering that companies such as Night Dive have tried their best to untie all of the game's knots, but in the end have come up against a total lack of interest from the people involved, some of whom have no idea if they hold the rights or not. The confusing mess of red tape could almost be a plot point in one of the missions from the actual games, it's so ridiculous. For now, the community for the games have kept them available and updated them so that they can be played on modern operating systems, and no-one has objected as of yet -- while this may not be legal, it is something. For now, it's the only way -- so seek them out, reinstall and enjoy this classic duo of spy games. Also, you'll probably want to reinstall Deus Ex while you're at it, simply because I mentioned it earlier on in this article. Enjoy!