Contract J.A.C.K.

Contract J.A.C.K.
Developer(s)	Monolith Productions
Publisher(s)	VU Games
Engine	Lithtech Jupiter engine
Version	1.1 (11-10-2003)
Platform(s)	Windows
Release date(s)	NA November 11, 2003
Genre(s)	First-person shooter
Mode(s)	Single player, Multiplayer
Rating(s)	ESRB: Mature (M)
Media	2 CDs

Contract J.A.C.K. is a prequel to the 2002 computer game No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy In H.A.R.M.'s Way. It was developed by Monolith Productions, published by VU Games, and was released on November 11, 2003. J.A.C.K. (Just Another Contract Killer) is set in the time frame between the events of the original No One Lives Forever and No One Lives Forever 2.

Story

The game follows John Jack, a professional killer recruited by H.A.R.M., a criminal organization central to the No One Lives Forever series. Contract J.A.C.K. is set between No One Lives Forever and No One Lives Forever 2. The game does not involve UNITY, the organization for which Cate Archer works and that opposed H.A.R.M. in the other two games. Rather, J.A.C.K. pits H.A.R.M. against a rival criminal organization, Danger Danger.

Plot

After a night of heavy drinking, Jack is apprehended by thugs, who are ordered to kill him. Before they can, he breaks free from the ropes that tied him to a chair and slaughters the thugs that swarm the building. Before he can leave, he receives a phone call from Volkov, the leader of H.A.R.M. Volkov tells Jack to report to a job interview at the Roman ruins on Malta. The interview consists of Jack mowing down waves of H.A.R.M. troopers as Volkov taunts them over a loudspeaker. In the end, Jack is hired by H.A.R.M.

For his first assignment, Jack must infiltrate a Czechoslovakian military base to figure out why Danger Danger is interested in it. Upon delving deeper into the base, Jack becomes aware that the facility is a secret rocket launch site. Danger Danger is trying to use a Czech rocket to recover Dr. Harij, a H.A.R.M. scientist stranded on the moon after the destruction of H.A.R.M.'s space station in No One Lives Forever. Although Danger Danger is able to launch a rocket full of their men, Jack commandeers a second rocket and heads to the moon after them.

On the moon, Jack must fight through Danger Danger goons to get to Dr. Harij. Danger Danger reaches the scientist first, and they begin destroying the lunar base to prevent Jack from escaping. Jack reaches Danger Danger's rocket seconds before it lifts-off. The effects of the rocket's propulsion and the base's explosion send Jack floating through space on a collision course with the Sun. Il Pazzo, leader of Danger Danger, begins dispatching men to kill Jack, but he fails, and Jack floats to the other rocket, which had been floating among the debris of the base.

Jack crashes his rocket into the Italian countryside of Tuscany. Il Pazzo is nearby with Dr. Harij, and he flees on a gondola. Jack steals a machine gun-equipped Vespa and pursues them. After killing hordes of Il Pazzo's men, Jack arrives at a castle where Il Pazzo is holed up with Dr. Harij. Using cannons positioned around the building, Jack kills the defenders. A long-distance battle ensues between Jack and Il Pazzo. Jack wins, but is not able to kill Il Pazzo completely. After rescuing Dr. Harij, Jack is shot by Volkov and left to die. The game ends with Jack rising up and limping toward Volkov's skis.

Weapons

Real:

• .50 AE IMI Desert Eagle Pistol:
• .45-70 Gov't Bacalov Corrector Target Pistol: Fires alternate explosive bullets.
• 9mm Gordon SMG:
• .45 ACP M1 Thompson SMG:
• 12 Gauge Combat Shotgun:
• 7.62mm Soviet AK-47 Assault Rifle: Fires alternate incendiary bullets.
• 9mm Hampton Carbine:

• Crossbow: Fires alternate incendiary arrows.

• Grenades:
  • Fragmentation: Blows things up and damages nearby targets with splinters of shrapnel.
  • Flash Bang: Temporarily stuns and disorients enemies.
  • Incendiary: Sets things on fire.

• C-4 Bomb: Used for blowing-up designated structures.

Fictional:

• Laser Rifle: Fires a thin, needle-like beam of energy.
• Energy Cannon: Fires a blast of energy.

Game engine

Contract J.A.C.K. uses the same Lithtech Jupiter engine as used in the base release of No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy In H.A.R.M.'s Way however none of the upgrade paths that are available to boost abilities in NOLF2 are present in J.A.C.K.

Reception

The game went gold by October 31, 2003, more than a week before it shipped.^[1] The game was poorly received, with an average score of 56 out of 100 on Metacritic.

References

External links

• Official site Sierra Official Site
• NOLF Girl: The Ultimate NOLF Site The Official Community Site for the NOLF Series.
• The Glue Factory: NOLF Girl Forum The Official Community Forum for the NOLF Series.
• Contract J.A.C.K. at the Internet Movie Database
• Contract J.A.C.K. at MobyGames

Reviews

• Review at PC Gamer
• Review at IGN
• Review at Gamespot
• Review at Gamespy