XIII

"Jack of All Trades, Master of None"

- Introduction -
It would appear that cell-shading has finally made the big time, being used in such titles as The Legend of Zelda: Windwaker and Robotech: Battlecry. XIII is another first-person action shooter, but utilizing cell-shading for it's graphics to emulate it's comic origins. XIII is a comic book series (consisting of 15 books) that tells a tale of a conspiracy to overthrow the most powerful democratic nation on Earth (USA) and plunge it into an age of tyrannical dictatorship. 20 people, all from the highest ranks of the United States government, military and corporations are involved, and you play the role of Number XIII. So how does Ubi-Soft's first foray into the FPS genre with cell-shading fare? Read on and find out.

- Reviewer's Computer Specs -
AMD Athlon XP2100+
512MB PC2100 DDR-RAM
MSI GeForce4 Ti4400 128MB AGP

- Graphics (8/10) -
This is undoubtedly the strongest aspect of the game. The cell-shading technique is used to great effect to mimic the look and feel of a comic book. The wide palette of bright colours are a stark contrast to what most FPS gamers are used to, and some of the levels are beautiful works of art.
When characters have spoken dialogue, their subtitles appear as a speech-bubble over their heads. This is by all means no great feat but it furthers the illusion that you're really inside a comic book, and thus is a nice little touch.
A few minor problems will be there to nag you occasionally, such as awkward lighting and the very noticeably jags of the thick-black outlines around each character model. But these are still minor details that do not really detract from the game.
Although the stark contrast in the game's graphics and art is readily apparent at the beginning, its uniqueness quickly fades away as you dig deeper into the game, and by the third or fourth hour, you'll hardly notice the difference at all.
Despite that, the graphics engine is very polished overall, and Ubi-Soft did a very good job of handling the cell-shading.

- Audio (7/10) -
The audio department is where XIII gets a little bit more wobbly. First off, the voice-acting is spearheaded by two popular stars, with the main character XIII voiced by David Duchovny (of X-Files fame) and the other important character voiced by none other then Adam West (Yes, Batman!).
Adam West does an applaudable job as General Carrington, but David Duchovny's talents were wasted because the main character (you) speaks only a few lines during the duration of the game. The developers should have either given him more lines, or have him voice a character that speaks more.
There is nothing special or unique about the sound effects or ambient sounds, other then the automatic weapons seem to generate a lot of snow for some reason. It doesn't kill the game but can be annoying to the ears.
The background music is different then most FPS or action games, and in fact sound a little campy (No One Lives Forever style, but not quite as extreme). For some, this may be a nice feature but it wasn't something I favoured.
The audio is thus a mixed-bag at most.

- Gameplay (7/10) -
Here is where the mediocrity kicks in a bit. XIII features the typical run-and-gun action, as well as the now standard stealth missions. Both of which are handled well enough. The combat AI is a bit questionable as most enemies have a tendency to charge at you upon uncovering your location, but occasionally they do go for cover or retrieve help, although on an inconsistent basis.
XIII also features a few neat elements, such as a grappling hook that you can lower or raise yourself with, or even swing from ledge to ledge as it offers a new dimension to your boring jumping puzzles.
You can also take certain people hostage if you approach from behind although that feature seems a bit useless because enemies will shoot at you anyway. You can also pick up objects like chairs, trays, and broomsticks and hit people with them to knock them out, or you can sneak in behind them and deliver a stunning kung-fu chop!
A lot of the missions will require you to knock people out only, and not kill them. These can be both good and annoying at the same time because of the save-system. The save option is always available, but for some reason loading will always deliver you back to the start of a mission or a check-point... this in turns renders the save anywhere feature pointless.
The game is also quite short, and an experienced gamer will have little problems finishing it in around six hours. There is multiplayer to keep it interesting but single-player has little to no replayability.
Finally the story, which was also done quite well. It's a pretty deep story, at the same time not quite as complicated as the one seen in Deus Ex: Invisible War, and it has it's own share of plot twists that will keep you wanting for more.
Unfortunately, despite these features and aspects the game does a poor job of utilizing them. Forcing you to rehash the same thing over and over again, which eventually get's a little boring.

- Conclusion -
XIII is a clean and polished product that do not execute all it's assets quite properly. The overall game itself was quite well done and fairly enjoyable, but it is not without its flaws and cons. Most gamers will have a good time playing it, but some hardened and experienced action gamers may find it repetitive and droning.
The biggest fault of this game is that while it does a good job in each of the graphics, audio and gameplay department, it does not master any of it. It has good graphics, but others like KoTOR and Prince of Persia does it better. It has good voice-acting and music, but it is still overshadowed by Max Payne 2. And its conspiracy plot, while solid does not measure up to that of DX2's. It has good gameplay but once again, does not quite compare to its competition.
However, overall it is still an enjoyable product that will provide you will a few good hours of entertainment, but just don't expect to be blown away.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 12/26/03