Story
Half-Life's story seemed revolutionary, but it was all in the telling. Actually, it was a pretty basic action-movie rehash, the kind of "lone warrior against the alien hordes" exercise that usually goes straight to video (or the SciFi channel ... same difference). What's more, Valve purposely decided to make Gordon Freeman faceless, voiceless and, by extension, personality-free. While it allowed the player to identify with the character, it still made for a somewhat empty experience. Your only motivation was in an urgent, horror-movie kind of way, which while it can be compelling, ain't exactly Dangerous Liaisons.

On the other hand, No One Lives Forever not only uses Half-Life's awesome storytelling techniques, it introduces striking characters, establishes and resolves conflict, and throws in plenty of twists along the way -- you know, like a plot. A sense of humor, skilled writing and an obvious love for the swinging '60s subject matter make NOLF one of the most compelling stories told in an action game.

Result: No One Lives Forever takes it. Half-Life-style storytelling finally gets a story worth telling.

Gameplay Variety
This is an area where Half-Life quite simply blew away its competition. You never knew quite what was waiting around the next corner. But hard as it may be to believe, No One Lives Forever raises the bar again. Half-Life definitely threw curves at you throughout the game, but still stuck to a single formula: run, shoot, overcome the next obstacle. The obstacles were well-designed and the running and shooting stayed interesting, so you were swept right along. No One Lives Forever, on the other hand, even shakes up what you're doing. Some missions ask you to dodge infra-red rays Mission Impossible-style to break into a safe; others have you tailing contacts, rescuing hostages and investigating suspicious characters, all the while dodging guards and security cameras. You'll scuba dive in the wreck of a tanker, fall out of a plane without a parachute, swim under a frozen lake, fight off helicopters from a ski-lift gondola -- more than any action game I've seen, NOLF keeps you guessing until the very end.

Result: Even though Half-Life set high standards, No One Lives Forever somehow manages to bust right through and set even higher ones.

Next page: Big guns and industry impact