XIII

"XIII - Something Old, Something New"

XIII is a shooter from developer Ubisoft. It is modern, with all weapons having real world counterparts (no plasma guns or alien rays).
It stands out in a genre of Half-Life clones with some rather innovative features, but also has some nagging, perilous pitfalls that could really get on the nerves of the casual (and perhaps serious) gamer.

::PRE-GAME::

SETUP/INSTALL - 3/10
In this day and age, the setup problems in XIII are inexcusable. The game is very sensitive to computer setup, and when I attempted to install it, the setup crashed. Apparently fixing this problem required me to upgrade my firmware for my CD-RW drive. This is, to be brief, uncool, especially since the upgrade was a complicated process and the manafacturer of the drive would not warranty against damage during upgrades.
Fortunately, I had a second drive (DVD-ROM) and installation was clean and quick (I used minor install).

STABILITY - 8/10
Actually experienced little or no crashing while playing and on my non-uber system (1.3 ghz Athalon, 256mb RAM, 32mb GeForce 2 PCI Card) and generally performed well with almost no slow down even in intense battles. Overall a good game for those w/underpowered comps.

MISCELLANEOUS ISSUES
Well, this is where I stick my prasies and caveats that don't fit anywhere else. XIII has some issues gamers should know about prior to buying.

1) There is a game-save/quicksave feature that allows you to save anywhere in the game. However, this works in conjunction w/a checkpoint system. This means if I am about to fight the evil villian and I get capped by some lucky enemy 2 steps from the door I go back to the last checkpoint (regardless of where I saved after that point). Some levels have no checkpoints, and will ship you back to start.

2) Completing a mission/board/level does NOT save your progress automatically. Example, you beat one third of the game in one sitting but only saved once half way through that third. Well, if you do not save before leaving play, when you ''continue'' the game, it will take you back to your last save point (eg checkpoint closest to save) regardless of where you stopped playing. I beat a particularly rough series of levels (took 2 hrs) and then quit to eat. I came back, and the game started me back at the beginning of the stages I had just beaten (where I had saved). If this is the developers idea of ''replay value'' count me OUT.

::GAME::

Hopefully here, you can see why I actually spent time playing this game which I have appeared to trash.

Gameplay - 8/10
Aside from the above issues, the game plays like a standard shooter (W,S,A,D config) with a button for interacting w/environment and a jump button. I don't see the point in down-grading a game for not being innovative in the control department. The inventory is accessed using a single key (for sorting)and the lmb (fire) button uses the item.
At its heart XIII is a run and gun shooter w/some stealth elements. The ability of XIII (heretofore refered to as 13) to use non-leathal options (karate chop to back, or whack with objects like bottles and chairs) add a hint of realism to the game as well as some spontenaity that belies the linear nature of the game.
The game also includes a powered grapple hook that lets you attach to certain hooks and swing ala-tarzan or use a little remote to ascend/descend ala batman. But more on these later.

Graphics - 8/10
To set this game next to say Hitman 2, Call of Duty, or any other number of games that aspire to be ''photo-real'' would be unfair. XIII uses pre-rendered backgrounds and cel-shaded animation. I would be lying if I said I knew exactly what that was, but suffice to say it is quite literally like walking around in a comic book. The weapon details are minimal (the weapons are recognizable but not intricate like SOF 2) giving the game a very anime feel.
The comic-style graphics though, are clean with little to no ''fuzz'' or distortion and allows the game to be played at a high visual quality w/out sacrificing speed on low-end machines.
There are some moments where a dropped body will disappear through a wall, but (fortunately) this does not interfere w/gameplay. Guards won't see a hand sticking through a wall and see the body and they don't shoot ''through'' doors etc.
Overall, the graphics are well rendered and clean, top notch.
NOTE: there are some ''innovations'' in graphics/gameplay from the standpoint that there are little comic book ''panel'' touches. For example, a head shot w/a sniper rifle or crossbow will yeild a 3 panel close up of the shot (sounds cheesy, but is actually neat w/out being annoying... very satisfying when you get the guy w/the RPG that has been dogging you).

Sound - 8/10
The sounds while not earthshaking in their realism are adequate for the game. The gun shots are rather cartoony sounding and the music is a bit campy, but neither interefere with gameplay and in fact enhance the ''your playing in a comic book'' feel the game tries for. The sounds, like the graphics are suited to their roles and perform adequately. Only drawback: with the minimal install a majority of the music/dialogue remain on the CDs making for occasional hesitations or skips when sounds overlap, but all in all these moments are negligable.

Story - 6/10
Well, here is the make or break moment for me. The story is intriguing at first, and sets up the enemies well (according to number, providing at once a road map, a place marker, and a method of enhancing gameplay). However, there are several moments where the writers wrote themselves into a corner and have moments where a cutscene will lead to the next level kind of cheaply. An example would be ::MINOR SPOILER:: an avalanche that buries your character only to have the villians dig you out and take you to a prison/hospital in the desert... go figure. ::END MINOR SPOILER::
Also, the story has a lot of build up, but sadly, other than the identities of the conspirators, most of the story is found on the game box. And the enemy reveals are neither suprising or that interesting. In fact, the only way you will know you have found a boss is overhearing a section of conversation which inevitably leads to a flashback (which are done like mini-interactive cutscenes and are handled well)and then a ''boss fight.'' All in all, rather uninspiring.
Indeed, instead of telling the story, the character finds ''documents'' which can later be viewed and substitute exposition by characters. And not much is discovered about the enemy or the main character. I am on the last three missions and there has been no explanation of motivations for either the hero or villains other than the standard evil guy plot to be foiled by the good guy motivation.
There is nothing here like in Metal Gear or even Soldier of Fortune 2, where at least the characters were meaningful (who wasnt peeved about what happened to Taylor, even if you did see it coming). Curiosity will drive you to finish the game, and frustration will lead you to think you have been duped into buying an unfinished game (or baited for a sequel).
Overall, a great premise, squandered by too little story, too far spaced out. Granted, most folks don't play shooters for the story, but if you are selling the game as an FPS w/a story, you had better be able to back it up.
The characters are 2 dimensional, and the interesting ones are relegated to the side with little or nothing to add to the story. In fact, it may feel like some characters are introduced solely to drop off a piece of the plot and then disappear. All in all a disappointment.

TILT - 7/10
Overall, this game is a fun FPS that has good level design (linear but avoids making you feel steered around) rewards looking around, sticks to its guns (pun intended) and pulls off a rather ingenious little shooter that, at its roots, is a lot of fun. There is nothing like sneaking up behind a guard and killing him w/a throwing knife to the skull and watching the little animation. Or cracking a guy over the head w/a chair and seeing the CRRACK when you smash em. Or the ever popular sniping is fun.
This game is a run and gun shooter that falls on its face in the story department.
And, coming in at 4 CDs one would expect a little more content than the 8-10 hours the game provides (I've only had it 2 days and have almost beaten it). This game feels a little rushed, as though the developers finished the actual gameplay elements, and then rushed the game to market without fleshing out the story, characters, or taking care of some major bugs.
I would go as far to say that almost any story could have been stuck into the game as long as you had an amnesiac hero and a military conspiracy. The writers either fell asleep, or had the game snatched from them before they could really make the story shine. There are some great moments here, but they are few and far between, making XIII a mixed bag.

OVERALL - 7/10
XIII is a great shooter that tries to be more and fails. At its best it is lightning fast gameplay with a lot of fun comic book elements. At its worst its a beautiful game with a saddled with a thin story and serious bugs. XIII would be a rental if places rented PC games. You can beat it in a determined weekend (even if you are poor gamer, like me) and it leaves you wanting a lot more. In fact, this mixed bag leads me to nominate XIII as the best ''Almost'' game of the year.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 02/10/04