Ureview by: Eraser
Ureview points: 28
Ureviewer since: April 2006
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Reviewed On: Wednesday April 26, 2006
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 4 | Recommends product: Yes
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Introduction
Contract JACK pits you back into the world of the No One Lives Forever series, which already saw two previous installments both starring Miss Cate Archer in the main role of British superspy. In Contract JACK you won't play as Cate Archer but as Jack, a contract killer (or more accurately, Just Another Contract Killer) who is now working for a criminal organization we know all too well from the previous two NOLF games: H.A.R.M. Contract JACK is not a sequel to NOLF2 but a prequel. It plays between the events of the first NOLF game and the second.
Graphics
Contract JACK is based on the same engine as it's predecessor, the LithTech engine. Unfortunately, for this prequel no apparant enhancements have been made to the engine, which is a shame. I'd even go as far as to say that Contract JACK is visually a lot less appealing than NOLF2. Graphically Contract JACK is a bit of a disappointment, but that doesn't mean it looks like total crap.
Gameplay
The developers took a 180 degree turn on the gameplay when you compare it to the gameplay of NOLF1 and NOLF2. Where NOLF1 was all about sneaking around and getting past security cameras and unexpecting guards, which in NOLF2 was enhanced by the ability to use shadows to cloak yourself, Contract JACK is all about shooting as much bullets as you can.
For many gamers who loved the NOLF games this will be a major disappointment, as all the charm and tension that the gameplay of the original NOLF games had is gone. Those who though all this sneaking around was getting boring might actually like Contract JACK for it's plain shoot 'em up gameplay.
Another aspect that made NOLF such a great franchise were the gadgets and the humor. Both are completely gone in Contract JACK. Guards aren't as chatty as before anymore so there's only few silly conversations to overhear.
Contract JACK also lacks the gadgets NOLF had, which is another point where the game lacks NOLF's silly humor.
Contract JACK also takes a huge step back when it comes to AI. NOLF2 had incredible AI that really stood out as probably one of the best AI's ever seen in any first person shooter game. There's very little of that AI left in Contract JACK, as the only thing that guards will do is run at you in waves (lots of waves with lots of guards), triggered by "hotspots" that you will pass. The guards aren't much more than mindless zombies shooting at you, waiting to be killed.
Story
There's not much of a story to speak of in Contract JACK. NOLF1 and NOLF2 both had pretty well thought out stories which supported a cast of characters who each had their own specific personality. In-game cutscenes showing conversations between characters brought them to life. Contract JACK has almost no cutscenes (like those seen mainly in the first NOLF) and because of that it fails to bring forward a cast of characters that's as "alive" as the cast from the NOLF games.
Weapons
Contract JACK has a number of weapons we've seen before in the NOLF series. Among them are the AK-47, the 9mm submachinegun, the crossbow, a sniperrifle and a pump-action shotgun. You will need most, if not all of them preferably, as the amount of enemies thrown at you leaves you begging for more ammo most of the time. Things get really frustrating when a 30-round clip is insufficient for a horde of enemies. The enemies are tough, even at the easiest skill settings. They easily take more than half a clip before they go down, forcing you to reload your weapon while the remaining enemies are heading straight for you, often resulting in your own death.
The weapons other than the SMG, AK, Tommygun and Shotgun often prove useless as there's barely any ammo for them or no real way of using them effectively. Weapon balance is not up to par at all.
Conclusions
Contract JACK could've been so much more than it is now. It's really a shame they didn't put (a whole lot) more effort into making this game a great game. The NOLF franchise has so much potential that this is something to be quite ashamed of as developer.
If you're looking for a similar game to play, go play NOLF2 or even NOLF1 if you haven't done so yet. If you're looking for a game to just shoot hordes of mindless enemies, then go play DOOM or Serious Sam as both provide a much better experience in that genre than Contract JACK. This game is better left alone.
Graphics: 6/10
Gameplay: 4/10
Fun-factor: 4/10
Overall: 4/10
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| Pros: Part of the No One Lives Forever series |
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| Cons: Disappointing gameplay, weak graphics, poor story |
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