HomeLAN - We have read that Contract J.A.C.K. is more action-oriented than the NOLF games. Why was this decision made and how does it affect the gameplay choices?

Craig Hubbard - In many ways, NOLF 2 was a reaction to the feedback we received on NOLF. Specifically, people complained that once you were detected, you couldn't recover. You were stuck playing an action game unless you loaded a saved game. So for NOLF 2, we put a lot of effort into making sneaking more rewarding and intuitive. You can get into a firefight, duck into a hiding place, and wait for things to calm down so you can go back to sneaking. Granted, we made some unpopular decisions—like having patrols enter some of the Siberian compounds periodically, which meant you couldn't ever empty out those levels—but overall, I'd say we definitely did a better job with stealth in the sequel.

Frankly, we're all stealthed out. With Contract Jack, we seized the opportunity to do something a little more action-packed and exhilarating, focusing on the spectacular aspects of the franchise and downplaying the sneaky, gadgety, spy angle. A bonus is that our AI has evolved so far since the first game that this is easily our best, most enjoyable combat ever.