The Operative: No One Lives Forever
The Operative: No One Lives Forever is a first-person shooter video game with stealth gameplay elements, developed by Monolith Productions and published by Fox Interactive, released for Windows in 2000. The game was ported later to the PlayStation 2 and Mac OS X in 2002.
Box art, portraying protagonist Cate Archer
In No One Lives Forever, protagonist Cate Archer is sent on a variety of missions, including protecting a U.S. ambassador from assassins in Marrakesh, Morocco.
In an earlier phase of development, the game's protagonist was a male character. This was changed after the press repeatedly made comparisons to James Bond video games.
A stealth game is a type of video game in which the player primarily uses stealth to avoid or overcome opponents. Games in the genre typically allow the player to remain undetected by hiding, sneaking, or using disguises. Some games allow the player to choose between a stealthy approach or directly attacking antagonists, but rewarding the player for greater use of stealth. The genre has employed espionage, counter-terrorism, and rogue themes, with protagonists that are special forces operatives, special agents, secret agents, thieves, ninjas, or assassins. Some games have also combined stealth elements with other genres, such as first-person shooters and also platformers.
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell (2002) featured a light-based visibility meter which determined how much the player was visible.
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (2004) introduced camouflage to the stealth genre as can be seen with the "camo index" in the top-right corner.