The Operative: No One Lives Forever

The Operative: No One Lives Forever (2000)

The following weapons appear in the game The Operative: No One Lives Forever:

Handguns

Luger P08

The Luger P08 appears in the game as the "Braun 9mm Parabellum." It is chambered for 9x19mm ammunition, has an incorrect 10-round magazine capacity (as opposed to the correct 8), and is the preferred weapon of many H.A.R.M. operatives in the later chapters. Like the Walther P38, it can be fitted with a silencer, but it is slightly louder (even when suppressed), has a lower rate of fire, and takes a bit longer to reload. On the other hand, it can use FMJ, Dum-Dum, incendiary, and cyanide-tipped ammunition, the last of which the Walther P38 cannot use.

Luger P08 - 9x19mm

A suppressed Luger in first-person. Note how the toggle is slightly out of battery; this would render the pistol unable to fire.

A HARM sailor with a Luger P08 pistol.

Luger with suppressor - 9x19mm

Assassinating a HARM stevedore with the Luger P08's cyanide-tipped bullets.

Smith & Wesson Model 37 Airweight

The Smith & Wesson Model 37 Airweight appears in the game as the "Petri .38 Airweight Revolver," with a nickel finish. This snubnosed revolver is chambered for .38 Special ammunition, has a five-shot cylinder capacity, and can fire FMJ, Dum-Dum, incendiary, cyanide-tipped, and High-Explosive bullets. It is described as Cate's signature weapon, but many low-level HARM thugs use it as well. Being a revolver, it cannot be fitted with a sound suppressor. Despite the very short barrel, this "purse gun" boasts a higher damage-per-bullet ratio ingame than the 9x19mm handguns have, especially when loaded with FMJ or cyanide-tipped ammunition, as the former needs fewer hits than the 9x19mm handguns do to kill an opponent, and the latter has a good chance of killing an opponent outright in one hit.

Smith & Wesson Model 37 Airweight - .38 Special

Using the S&W Model 37 at the UNITY firing range.

A S&W Model 37 revolver on a table in the UNITY training grounds.

Blowing a HARM thug away with the fictional High-Explosive bullets fired from the S&W Model 37 revolver.

Cate Archer is smart enough to preserve her revolver's cylinders by pushing them closed rather than flicking them closed, but apparently her fingers can instantly reload the cylinders without any trace of a speedloader or the bullets themselves, with nothing more than a gentle pat. A "woman's touch" indeed . . .

Thompson Contender

The Thompson Contender appears in the game as the Bacalov Corrector. The ingame version is a fictional variant that fires High Explosive bullets of unknown caliber, and is a single-shot break-open breach-loading weapon. A scope can be fitted, albeit one that has only a single level of zoom.

Thompson Center Arms Contender made in the 1970s with T/C scope and octagonal barrel.

The Thompson Contender in first-person.

The explosive results of firing the Thompson Contender in this game.

Reloading the Thompson Contender, demonstrating the weapon's break-open breech-loading action. A graphical gaffe shows that the bullet being extracted is still unfired.

Walther P38

The Walther P38 appears in the game as the Shepherd Arms P38 9mm pistol. It is the standard sidearm for UNITY operatives, and is used by at least a few bad guys in almost every level. It has an incorrect magazine capacity of 10 rounds (actual P38 magazines hold only 8), and can chamber FMJ, Dum-Dum and phosphorous ammunition. It can also be fitted with a sound suppressor.

Walther P38 - 9x19mm

A suppressed P38 in first-person. Note the incorrect uncocked hammer; while the P38 can fire in double-action, after firing a single shot, the hammer should logically remain cocked until it is manually de-cocked.

"Looking for someone?"
Cate Archer holding up one of Inge Wagner's goons with his own pistol, in the ladies' room.

Submachine Guns

Sterling SMG

The Sterling SMG appears in the game as the Gordon 9mm SMG. It is chambered for 9x19mm, has an incorrect 30-round magazine capacity (the real weapon's magazines held 34 rounds), can use FMJ, Dum-Dum, incendiary, and cyanide-tipped ammunition. HARM's henchmen also use it frequently in the later levels. Unlike the Walther MPL, the Sterling SMG cannot mount a sound suppressor. For some reason, the ingame version has a large cross-shaped muzzle flash, despite the barrel having no visible flash suppressor.

Sterling L2A3 - 9x19mm

Firing the Sterling SMG in first-person. It is a sad fact that "larger muzzle flashes" usually translates to "better power" among many uninformed viewers, when the truth is not quite as simple.

A HARM goon chilling out in front of a fireplace with a Sterling SMG in hand, unaware of the Superspy behind him.

Walther MPL

The Walther MPL appears in the game, referred to as the "Hampton MPL 9mm SMG." The ingame version has a 30 round magazine capacity (as opposed to the real weapon's 32-round capacity), is chambered in 9x19mm, has no buttstock, and has the ability to mount a sound suppressor. It can use FMJ, Dum-Dum, and incendiary ammunition.

A few factions in the game use the Walther MPL as their standard SMG, including UNITY's commandos and Magnus Armstrong's paratroopers. Many H.A.R.M. henchmen also use it, particularly in the early chapters.

Walther MPL Submachine Gun, 9x19mm

Surprising two paratroopers with a burst of fire from a Walther MPL.

A UNITY commando with a Walther MPL.

Rifles/Carbines

AKM

Referred to as the AK-47, the AKM appears in the game. Note the ribbing on the receiver. It is the most powerful automatic weapon in the game and is used by most of the East German STASI guards in the chapter "Berlin By Night," and also by many HARM henchmen in the later chapters. Chambered for 7.62x39mm ammunition, this assault rifle has a magazine capacity of 30 rounds, can use FMJ and incendiary ammunition, and can be fitted with a scope that has two levels of zoom.

AKM - 7.62x39mm

The AKM in first-person.

A STASI research facility guard with his AKM.

De Lisle Carbine

The De Lisle Carbine appears in the game as the "Hampton Carbine." This pistol-caliber carbine uses .45 ACP FMJ ammo, has a 10-round magazine capacity (the real weapon's magazines held either 7 or 11 rounds), features an integral suppressor, and can be fitted with a scope that possesses two levels of magnification. Given the lack of ballistic physics for bullets in this game, the short effective range of this weapon in real life is not present ingame, and as such it makes for a very effective ersatz sniper rifle, the only disadvantage being the rarity of its ammunition. Due to a developer oversight, the ingame De Lisle Carbine is shown to eject spent shell casings when it is fired, when in real life it would only eject a shell casing once the bolt action was operated.

De Lisle Carbine - .45 ACP

A De Lisle Carbine with a scope in first-person.

The De Lisle Carbine with its detached scope on a table, in the UNITY training grounds.

SVD Dragunov

The SVD Dragunov appears in the game as the "Geldmacher SVD Sniper Rifle." It is chambered for .308 caliber ammunition (which would only really be correct for the export model of the Chinese variant, the NDM-86, and is one of the most potent sniper rifles in the game, with an exclusive three levels of zoom on its scope. It can use FMJ and incendiary ammunition, and an upgraded scope featuring night vision can be fitted.

This Sniper Rifle is used by various HARM operatives, including Dimitri Volkov and two of the three female "Elite Guards" near the end of the game.

SVD Dragunov - 7.62x54mmR

The SVD Dragunov in first-person.

A view through the SVD Dragunov's night-vision scope.

"I have waited for this moment for six years . . . "
Dmitri Volkov kills Bruno Lawrie with his SVD Dragunov.

Launchers

Briefcase Rocket Launcher

A UNITY-designed assassination device built into an ordinary-looking briefcase that fires 40mm High Explosive projectiles, with a 5-shot capacity. It is first discovered in a HARM barracks on the "Alpine Intrigue" level.

The "Briefcase Rocket Launcher" in firs-person.

The initial location of the "Briefcase Rocket Launcher" ingame.

M79 Grenade Launcher

The M79 grenade launcher is carried by a few HARM thugs.

M79 Grenade Launcher - 40x46mm

The M79 in first-person.

See Also

• The Operative: No One Lives Forever
• No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy In H.A.R.M.'s Way
• Contract J.A.C.K.