"Orangio's new favorite number is XIII."

Let me start off by saying that XIII is one weird game. Upon first glance, it's ridiculously easy to think "this is going to be a stupid game", but then you look closer... and you realize that all the strangeness in the game weaves together so well, it's not all that strange anymore, if that makes any sense. I'll demonstrate this with the most obvious eccentric aspect of XIII: the graphics.

Graphics: Thank you sir, may I have another?

The weapons and characters of XIII are cel-shaded, presenting a bold, colorful, cartoony feel. What would one expect from a video game based on a comic book? Surprisingly, the cel-shading doesn't take away from the dark atmosphere of the game. Rather, it makes the characters stand out more dynamically against the stark and drab backgrounds. Which, by the way, tend to be based on two primary colors and are pretty poorly textured.

Sound: This game has sound?

The music of XIII is... interesting. The tracks do not fit the tone of the level at all upon first hearing them, but soon you start to appreciate how well it actually does fit the atmosphere. The voice acting is great (except for the lack of emotion in XIII, the main character) and the weapon blasts sound realistic. However, the music is forgettable, the most memorable piece is sadly the loading screen tune.

Atmosphere: Bourne Identity + JFK Conspiracy = win

As you'll undoubtedly hear many times from other reviews, walkthroughs and the game's instruction manual, XIII begins with you, under the name XIII, stranded and amnesia-stricken on a beach with nothing but the number XIII tattooed on your chest and a bank safe key in your pocket. Soon, you find out you're the prime suspect in the presidential assassination case. I won't give too much away, but the storyline is very cool and the characters (except XIII) are fun to listen to. The atmosphere is engrossing whether you're defending General Carrington from white-clad assassins by spraying bullets at them with an assault rifle or deftly creeping around a military base and pumping a crossbow bolt into the heads of unwary soldiers.

Gameplay: For once in an FPS, single-player is better!

Single-player is intriguing. 15 weapons, nothing too outlandish, as this is meant to be a realistic game with a realistic storyline. Basic pistols, assault rifles, grenades, etc. The annoying loading times kind of sever your connection with the action, but that's OK as you get right back into the suspense of the game's many levels. Surprises literally await around every corner, you never know when a bad guy will suddenly appear on a cliffside and blast you with a bazooka. The gunfights are for the most part realistic; XIII can't take too many assault rifle bursts before he dies unlike other FPS heroes. This can be good or bad depending on what you like... I think it's cool, but also frustrating. This is a relatively difficult game.

Now, onto multiplayer. Multiplayer, simply put, sucks. Only four modes: Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag and the Hunt. Maps allow for only 4 to 6 players on each map, and have preset, non-customizable weapon sets. The maps themselves are all similarly designed and have no music playing during the game. And when you play by yourself against bots, you are ALWAYS a dude in a yellow jacket named Roger. That's right, you can't change your skin or your name, you're always Roger in that darn jacket. However, despite all these faults, this mode STILL SOMEHOW MANAGES TO BE FUN. Maybe I just love FPSes.

Buy or Rent?

Buy. If you're planning on renting it for a night just to have a fragfest with some friends, try anotherFPS, XIII's multiplayer mode is lacking. Single player, however, has an engrossing storyline and offers many hours of gameplay, especially since there's no level select so you'll have to play up to levels you want to play again :S Plus, it's only 20 bucks.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 07/01/04