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Evidence
The first thing to remember about evidence is that not all of it can be gotten
on
the first try at a level. Some of the good stuff, like the fire extinguisher in
the minefield in Morocco, can only be traversed with the mine-detecting
attachment on the sunglasses. However, gathering as much evidence as you cannot
only provides some amusement (H.A.R.M. even has files on Michael Knight, but not
KITT), but also some clues about how to advance through the levels.
Weapons
NOLF is much more of a stealth shooter than a standard bulletfest. Although it
is
possible to go through some levels with guns ablazin', the chances for survival
are slim -- there are no health packs, only armor -- plus there are real
benefits
to being sneaky. Not only do you survive longer, but there are reputation
bonuses
and awards for those with a light touch.
To that end, there are really two kinds of weapons in NOLF: the silent ones and
the ones that bring the guards. You should bring one of each on every mission,
although you should lean more heavily on weapons with noise suppression. In the
early going, the Shepherd Arms P38 9mm is a girl's best friend. It is deadly
accurate at a standstill, and ammo is usually easily found in the pockets of
your
victims.
For something with a little distance, use the Hampton Carbine .45 caliber sniper
rifle. It has great accuracy, a decent reload time and is as quiet as a church
mouse's .9mm with one of those little mouse silencers. The ammo, however, can be
hard to come by, making it useless later in some levels. But if ammo is a
concern, go with the Morris Model 14 Spear gun or the Sportsman EX Crossbow.
Although they don't have the range of either the Shepherd or the Hampton
Carbine,
you can pull the spears out of the necks of your foes and reuse them. Who said
recycling isn't fun?
If firepower is what you need, avoid silenced weapons and go with either the AK-
47 Assault Rifle or the Hampton MPL 9mm SMG. We prefer the Hampton, because it
is
a little quieter and a tad more accurate -- but let's face it, these kind of
delicate decisions are very personal, so you should decide for yourself.
The M79 Grenade Launcher is great for clearing out a room, but we found very few
instances in which it was worth using up an inventory slot for its extra
firepower. Often when you need it, you'll find it in the field. Ditto for the
Bacalov Corrector. It has the benefit of a scope and has tremendous firepower.
But it takes forever to reload, can only hold a limited amount of ammo and is
louder than Inge Wagner herself. Skip it.
Gear
Just as vital to your success in the field as your weapons is your gear.
Although
some missions demand that you bring certain items in order to complete them,
those items will be chosen for you. You will usually have a couple of slots to
bring some extra items. But like the firearms, some are more useful than others.
Although the idea behind the barette is a good one, it is not a very useful
item.
It can only pick locks with a keyhole, but those can be easily shot off. Its
other function, as a poisonous melee weapon, is nearly useless because it
requires getting within spitting distance of a bag guy and is not 100% reliable
on the first strike. You can play the whole game without it. And we're not even
going to mention the mechanical poodle.
The same goes for the coin. Sometimes it is helpful to distract a guard with a
coin, but we find planting a slug between his eyes to be equally effective. The
explosive lipstick can be useful, especially the one with the proximity trigger,
but Cate is only given a few and they are, naturally, loud as hell. But the
benefit is they can be thrown quite a distance. The same can be said of the
perfume bottle. The knockout version is great for multiple enemies, but you have
to get rather close. We prefer it to the lipstick.
Two of the more useful items are the body removing powder and the camera
disabler. The powder is absolutely essentially for keeping victims from being
discovered, and the fewer bodies discovered, the better your bonus at the end of
a level. The same applies to the camera disabler. Although it is possible to
complete the game without it, getting rid of a pesky camera or two can make life
a lot easier.
Other items are vital to your success and will be provided for you when the
mission requires them, such as the sunglasses or cigarette lighter. The code
breaker is often necessary in order to get through the game's many locked doors,
but there is one near almost every door that has a digital key lock. Therefore,
you shouldn't waste an inventory slot with a code breaker, because you will
always find one in the field.
With these few meager suggestions, along with a hair trigger, eagle eye and a
comfortable pair of pumps, you shouldn't have any trouble saving the world from
H.A.R.M.
The first thing to remember about evidence is that not all of it can be gotten
on
the first try at a level. Some of the good stuff, like the fire extinguisher in
the minefield in Morocco, can only be traversed with the mine-detecting
attachment on the sunglasses. However, gathering as much evidence as you cannot
only provides some amusement (H.A.R.M. even has files on Michael Knight, but not
KITT), but also some clues about how to advance through the levels.
Weapons
NOLF is much more of a stealth shooter than a standard bulletfest. Although it
is
possible to go through some levels with guns ablazin', the chances for survival
are slim -- there are no health packs, only armor -- plus there are real
benefits
to being sneaky. Not only do you survive longer, but there are reputation
bonuses
and awards for those with a light touch.
To that end, there are really two kinds of weapons in NOLF: the silent ones and
the ones that bring the guards. You should bring one of each on every mission,
although you should lean more heavily on weapons with noise suppression. In the
early going, the Shepherd Arms P38 9mm is a girl's best friend. It is deadly
accurate at a standstill, and ammo is usually easily found in the pockets of
your
victims.
For something with a little distance, use the Hampton Carbine .45 caliber sniper
rifle. It has great accuracy, a decent reload time and is as quiet as a church
mouse's .9mm with one of those little mouse silencers. The ammo, however, can be
hard to come by, making it useless later in some levels. But if ammo is a
concern, go with the Morris Model 14 Spear gun or the Sportsman EX Crossbow.
Although they don't have the range of either the Shepherd or the Hampton
Carbine,
you can pull the spears out of the necks of your foes and reuse them. Who said
recycling isn't fun?
If firepower is what you need, avoid silenced weapons and go with either the AK-
47 Assault Rifle or the Hampton MPL 9mm SMG. We prefer the Hampton, because it
is
a little quieter and a tad more accurate -- but let's face it, these kind of
delicate decisions are very personal, so you should decide for yourself.
The M79 Grenade Launcher is great for clearing out a room, but we found very few
instances in which it was worth using up an inventory slot for its extra
firepower. Often when you need it, you'll find it in the field. Ditto for the
Bacalov Corrector. It has the benefit of a scope and has tremendous firepower.
But it takes forever to reload, can only hold a limited amount of ammo and is
louder than Inge Wagner herself. Skip it.
Gear
Just as vital to your success in the field as your weapons is your gear.
Although
some missions demand that you bring certain items in order to complete them,
those items will be chosen for you. You will usually have a couple of slots to
bring some extra items. But like the firearms, some are more useful than others.
Although the idea behind the barette is a good one, it is not a very useful
item.
It can only pick locks with a keyhole, but those can be easily shot off. Its
other function, as a poisonous melee weapon, is nearly useless because it
requires getting within spitting distance of a bag guy and is not 100% reliable
on the first strike. You can play the whole game without it. And we're not even
going to mention the mechanical poodle.
The same goes for the coin. Sometimes it is helpful to distract a guard with a
coin, but we find planting a slug between his eyes to be equally effective. The
explosive lipstick can be useful, especially the one with the proximity trigger,
but Cate is only given a few and they are, naturally, loud as hell. But the
benefit is they can be thrown quite a distance. The same can be said of the
perfume bottle. The knockout version is great for multiple enemies, but you have
to get rather close. We prefer it to the lipstick.
Two of the more useful items are the body removing powder and the camera
disabler. The powder is absolutely essentially for keeping victims from being
discovered, and the fewer bodies discovered, the better your bonus at the end of
a level. The same applies to the camera disabler. Although it is possible to
complete the game without it, getting rid of a pesky camera or two can make life
a lot easier.
Other items are vital to your success and will be provided for you when the
mission requires them, such as the sunglasses or cigarette lighter. The code
breaker is often necessary in order to get through the game's many locked doors,
but there is one near almost every door that has a digital key lock. Therefore,
you shouldn't waste an inventory slot with a code breaker, because you will
always find one in the field.
With these few meager suggestions, along with a hair trigger, eagle eye and a
comfortable pair of pumps, you shouldn't have any trouble saving the world from
H.A.R.M.