Customer Reviews

XIII

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

This game has a lot going for it. The graphics are great and unique. Of course, the whole cell-shading aspect only carries the game so far. After a few levels, you won't even notice it anymore.

The game has a lot of good content presentation going though. The way it shows important scenes in "picture in picture" boxes makes sense to me even beyond the comic-book look and feel. Some of the gameplay however is pretty unique due to the comic-style presentation. For instance, you can see that guards are about to walk around a corner, because you can see little "tap tap tap" indicators on the screen. This adds a nice spin.

So why only 3 stars? Because of the damn save game mechanism. I mean: Why even allow to save anywhere, if you can only start over at the beginning ov levels?!? This completely ruins the game for me. And I mean, c'mon! Every game magazine criticises this! At every Game Developer Conference, everyone keeps repeating "the user must be able to save anywhere!", yet people still keep messing this up! And in this game this is particularily annoying, because the parts that have to be re-played are relatively lengthy, and (worst of all), one has to watch the same cut-scenes again and again, and there is no way to skip them.

First person shooters are a dime a dozen, and more often than not any one plays much like another. Games in this genre are only rarely groundbreaking. "XIII" does not buck this trend, but it does provide a visual style that is undeniably unique. The game, which is based on a popular French comic book, wisely decides to embrace its origins. From the cel-shaded visuals to the comic-like cinematics, "XIII" definitely differentiates itself in the visual department. In the realm of gameplay, however, it's rather standard fare.

You step into the boots of number XIII, an amnesiac who washes up half-dead on a beach. From there, it's up to you to piece the plot together as you work your way through the game. Because it's a conspiracy theory, it gradually becomes more and more clear what is supposedly going on around you, and of course there are some twists on what you initially perceive. Even so, the story is a little thin, and it's ultimately pretty disappointing. The presentation, on the other hand, is remarkable in some ways. For instance, you will occasionally experience interactive flashbacks. These black-and-white storytelling segments are seamlessly integrated into the gameplay, and really pack a nice cinematic punch. The cel-shaded graphics, speech bubbles, and picture-in-picture windows certainly add the right comic book flavor to the proceedings, but the game's irritating soundtrack and sloppy voice work do hamper the overall presentation. Yes, David Duchovny is on hand to voice XIII, but the character has so little to say that the actor is painfully underused. The rest of the game's acting is too over-the-top, even when the style of the game is considered.

One thing "XIII" has is style. The graphical approach of the game truly sets it apart, and despite some minor problems you won't find yourself mistaking it for anything else on the market. It's a slick design, though I think at times the level engineers and texture artists used the cel-shaded graphics to promote a touch of laziness. Even when the visuals are at their worst, though, you will never feel ripped from the comic-inspired universe, which is superbly consistent.

The game generally relies on a shoot-anything-that-moves philosophy, and the action is decent enough. It's nothing to write home about per se, but it works. Strangely, the game's best weapons aren't available save in a few select levels (most of which rely on a more stealthy approach). The sniper crossbow is hugely gratifying, and well-placed throwing knives can elicit some glee as well. A harpoon gun makes a cool appearance in just ONE of the game's levels, and the rest of your arsenal is entirely unremarkable. Cue the usual suspects: pistol, uzi (called a "minigun" here, for some reason), rocket launcher, shotgun, et cetera, et cetera. These more conventional weapons provide unsurprisingly conventional action, and don't quite pack the punch that they should. It's easy to shoot an enemy in the head several times before he drops to the ground and dies.

In terms of level design, "XIII" is far from brilliant. The very linearity of the levels can be distressing at times, and often you'll feel like you're playing a "rail shooter" simply because you're being shoved by the game's designers in one given direction without any opportunity to stray or any incentive to explore. On the plus side, it's very straightforward, so you'll never get lost or reach an impasse. Outdoor levels are probably the coolest in "XIII," and pack the strongest visual punch. Indoor locales are clichéd and considerably less impressive. Note to game designers working on a first person shooter: hold the factory levels filled with wooden crates, as we gamers do not want them! Thanks.

"XIII" employs a practically unforgivable save game system. Though it appears as though you can save your game at any given time (as we PC gamers expect), it's nothing but an illusion. Loading said saved games takes you right back to the beginning of the level, no matter where you last saved. Worse, the game has no autosave feature, which might spell trouble for less paranoid first person shootists. These faults make "XIII" needlessly frustrating at times - particularly in stealth missions, which will ultimately require some trial and error since you can't experiment freely without risk of dying, getting caught, and ultimately starting the level from the beginning. I assume this problem stems from the game's multi-platform release, but it's just unacceptable.

"XIII" is not a long game either, and experienced gamers will probably breeze through it. Given the game's linear nature, there's little replay value to be had. Despite some serious flaws, though, "XIII" is a good game, atmospheric enough that, cosmetically at least, it stands out from the pack. It might be wise to let it go down in price a little before picking up a copy, but most shooter fans will find something to enjoy here provided they don't enter into the experience with inflated expectations.

Final Score: B

XIII has some really nice cel-shaded graphics. That is the best thing I can say about this game.

Gameplay is lacking. The game has a very linear storyline and that tends to get boring. There is a certain way to progress through each level and there is no room for improvisation. You have to follow a certain path, kill all the bad guys and so on. After playing games like GTA why would anyone want to be locked into one path in a game? A bad example of this is the submarine base level. You go through the level until you get to a gate which is closing. If you try to duck under you get crushed. So I figured I'd try to run through the level, not worrying about killing anyone and head for that door. No matter how fast I get through, the door always beats me.

There are also several "boss battles" which are ridiculous. In one you fight an old mad scientist. For some reason you can drop a 20 year old a soldier with one shotgun blast, but this 70 year old scientist can take 5-6 blasts before he is stopped. C'mon!

One thing I really disliked was the game required that you change CDs as you get farther through the game. This is a poor attempt at preventing copying. Considering how lame the game is, I doubt there is going to be too much pirating.

I give this 2 stars only because I like the graphics.

Ubisoft incorporated the copy protection software knows as Tages into XIII. This is singlehandedly the worst copy protection known to man. It's so bad that if you have a CD-RW or DVD-RW drive in your computer, the installation of the game will most likely purposely defect itself towhere the game won't run. If you have CD or DVD burning software, or anything even related, or any virtual drives, the same will most likely happen; defective installation. The game's "Minimum Requirements" are a lie since they're so low, and you need brand-new, up-to-date drivers for all your hardware. Not only all that, but the game straight out doesn't like some CD/DVD-ROM drives and thus won't install properly, or even at all. Ubisoft support does nothing.

After all this, you'd think they were protecting a really nice game. But, no. The game is riddled with bugs and crashes. Major bugs are commonplace, and the official forum is thriving with hundreds of user requests for bug/crash help. The game also spans 4 CDs (for no apparent reason - the game is very short) that seemingly randomly need to be changed (more copy protection). This leads to scratched discs you can't duplicate, thus you must buy the entire game again.

The game is beautiful and mildly entertaining, albeit short, buggy, and contains terrible voice acting and a horrid saving scheme. That's if you can even get it to install! What a waste of money.

Beware!

The cartoonish graphics are unique and the story line was pretty good...your character has amnesia! You're not sure WHO the heck you are. I enjoyed the pop-up comic-like small cut scenes. The game's most unique feature would be the "ta ta ta" of enemies walking...it gave the game a more realistic sense of sneaking upon the enemy...knowing where s/he is at by the sounds of their feet. And was it just me, or did I hear Batman's voice for a couple of characters?

I would have rated this game a 4-5 star if it wasn't for the "save" feature...or should I say the lack there of!! The menu shows that you can save the game, but it only saves the game from the front of that chapter. So for enstance, you have to fight Mongoose and it takes SEVERAL attempts. Well, hellsbells, every time you reload your so-called save, it's back to the beginning of the chapter with a lenghty cut-scence.....over and over and over. It's almost not worth playing because of this! The game should at least allow you to "skip" the cut scene by using "ESC" or space bar...something!!!!!!!! BUT IT DOESN'T! YOU HAVE TO LISTEN TO THE SAME BORING CUT SCENCES MANY MANY MANY TIMES! VERY AGRIVATING!!!

Don't buy this game if you want to make a backup copy before you play. The game appears to use an extreme form of copy protection known as Tages. It will appear that you have made a clean copy, but when you play the game, it will crash, or the mouse will slowly die during gameplay, giving you only a minute of movement before your character locks up.

To top it off, the game forces you to put the original CD in the drive every time you play, and you have to constantly switch between the discs, thereby increasing your chances of scratching one of the CDs. Without a backup copy, this quickly becomes a serious issue.

There are also problems with the game if you have CD drive emulation software, CD burning software, and/or a CD-R/RW drive. The game searches for these items and, if you have them, can crash out, thinking that you are some sort of software pirate. I personally have Alcohol 120% on my system. It allows me (usually) to make a backup image of a CD, store it on my hard drive, then simply play the game from the CD image, without ever touching my original CDs again. XIII would not install on my computer with Alcohol 120%.

On the plus side, this game is beautiful to look at, but the novelty of the graphics soon wear off, and the game is just another FPS underneath. In my opinion, the storyline was dull. I'm a huge fan of the X-Files, but David Duchovny was not a good choice for the narration of the main character. The action is very static, and the AI is limited.

I think that this game is worth maybe $25, as it's a rather mundane FPS, but it's still worth owning, once UBI Soft realizes that they can't keep screwing customers over by violating our right to make back up copies of the game. I understand the need for UBI Soft to protect their intellectual property, but this is not the right way. There needs to be a way that the developers and the consumers can both be pleased with the fair use of software. Tages is not the answer.

I just finished playing XIII and I think its great. The graphics are really interesting, the controls are easy to master and the storyline keeps one engaged (and yes, Adam West and David Duchovney are doing some of the voices in the game).

I love the "zoom-in" cartoon panelling feature of the game; where you take out a bad guy or an enemy targets you. I liked the weapons selection - especially the crossbow. What I detested, however, was the incredibly stupid save game feature. I guess the programmers at Ubisoft created this almost useless system so that this short game would seem to last longer. Why else would it limit you to saving only at game chapter points?

Despite this annoying problem, I am still giving this game a mostly positive review since I did enjoy playing it; and I really liked the "fireworks" scene at the end - truly awesome graphics..

For a bargain basement price, XIII is a great action packed shooter. Based on a comic book, this game has a unique "cell shaded" appearance that looks and plays just like the player is acting out a comic book. Your screen will pop up little picture-in-picture slow motion images of your foes taking a knife to the head or otherwise stealth fully taken out. Often you will see mini action sequences play out in the little screen that may alert you to baddies around, show conversations while your main field of vision is focused on what is going on in front of you, or even show close-ups of your enemies falling to their death so you will definitely appreciate that comic book feel. The cell shaded look is also very well done and easy to look at, as it is based off of the Unreal 2 graphics engine. While those graphics are slightly outdated by today's standards, for what its worth, the cell shaded characters and world look quite unique.

The story involves you as a nameless character who wakes up with only some vague memories and XIII tattooed on your arm, but is otherwise plagued with amnesia. You are rescued by a life guard and soon ambushed by murderous thugs who seem to be looking specifically for you. The games story takes you along a path to find out who you are and why these thugs and armed men want you dead. Later, you will be directly involved with ending whatever evil plans they have and blowing a lot of them up in the process. The game is rather linear, but you will have the choice to use stealth to eliminate your opponents or run in there guns blazing and picking up health packs. As you regain your memory, you will also start to regain knowledge of super abilities you once had. This usually involves you talking to then fighting a boss you recognize and having access to an innate ability on the next level. These abilities range from one hit knockout hand chops, steady hand sniping, super fast lock picking, med kit prowess, and other skills. The best is probably the silent walk skill because before you obtain that, all enemies can hear you walking up behind them which makes the one hit handchop knockout skill worthless until you can get behind the enemy to use it. The game will encourage stealth by letting you creep up and snag guards from behind and either use them as hostages to keep from getting shot at and the ability to drag bodies around and hide them. Guards will patrol areas and find your bodies and raise alarms, so hiding them is key. You will get your standard shooter line-up of weapons to dispose upon your many enemies who are mostly nameless thugs or renegade military types. Most of the weapons feel very underpowered with the exception of the cross bow. The cross bow is like a sniper rifle that makes zero noise and almost always kills with one hit, especially if you can hit someone in the head or neck. The sniper rifle isnt much more powerful and causes alarms to sound. Enemies will react to other weapons as if you were spraying them with a garden hose. They will stand there getting pumped with lead, pouring blood on the floor and aimlessly firing back at you before eventually falling down in a heap even if you are shooting them with an AK-47. That is unless you pick up a throwing knife and throw that into their face. You will get a one-hit kill for that and can knock them out if you break a chair or brick over someones head.

The game was fun to play and is worth playing twice or maybe 1 1/2 times just to see some of the mystery you may have missed. Otherwise the game play is more or less standard shooter fare with an interesting look and David Duchovney's voice. It would have felt more satisfying to play if the weapons felt like they packed more of a punch or affected the enemies more. I don't need more damage, just more of an indication that my enemies are taking my hits or reacting to getting shot. You will use the crossbow the most and love it. On the plus side, it does have some multiplayer deathmatch and a few other options to play with however there are no servers anymore. Feel free to enjoy the bots the game offers. They are always average in their level of AI, but if you turn up the difficulty they are more accurate and jump around more.
This game scores on many levels while missing on a few things. The save system is lacking. The cutscenese were not skippable. The game is linear. It has limited replayability if you dont care about botmatch. The ending contains a clifhanger.

I thought this game was pretty damn cool. It has nice smooth gameplay, the wicked cell shading (you can cell shade pretty much anything and it will look awsome).
I didnt understand why the game took up 4 CD's either, after switching CD's continuously for a while I found out you can download an exe file for XIII which makes the game never ask for a CD again, I guess it is hacker reasons or pirating reasons that Ubisoft just doesnt do this.
Also the ending was really dumb, but I didnt seem to have the problem of some people where when you save it puts you back at the start of the level. Maybe that is a console thing, I always started up at the last checkpoint.
But all in all this was a really good game until the end, I was hoping I could keep playing, and expected a longer game on 4 cd's. But hey...

XIII is one of those games that makes you think that there is hope for the computer games industry right up until the end. Not going to spoil it for you but you'll end up wondering what the producers were thinking. XIII has a comic book look to it with a first person shooter setup. The game does have it's moments and you'll have a heck of a time with the boss battles, but overall I was feeling gyped by the time I finished. I wished I had waited to pay $19.99 for this title and wouldn't have felt so disappointed at the end.