XIII

"XIII: Comic style masterpiece or cel-out?"

Let's clear something up from the start. The name is pronounced "thirteen". Not ex-aye-aye-aye. Now, onto business.

The first thing you'll notice about this game is its graphical style. The game looks just like it was ripped from a comic book and crammed into a little Gamecube disc. In essence, that's what it is. XIII is based on a French comic book of the same name. And this comic certainly isn't for kids.

Your character wakes up on a remote beach. You have a bullet wound and "XIII" tattooed on your chest . You can't remember a thing. Not your name. Your past. Anything. You eventually discover that you are the man who recently assassinated the US president. Also, a large number of people want you dead for some reason. Eager to prove your innocence, you get involved in an ever twisting plot. You also experience flashbacks that go someway to revealing your past.

In fact, one of the best ways to describe this game is an interactive comic. You fire a gun and the words BANG! appear. Shot an enemy and the words ARGGGH! adorn their lifeless corpse. This feature sounds like it gets irritating quickly, but it actually adds to the atmosphere of the game.

If you are someone who has only played FPS's such as Goldeneye and Timesplitters before, the controls are gonna confuse you. Also, they are non-customizable. Stick with it, though, and you'll learn to love them.

This isn't a small game either. It has over 30 levels and 3 difficulties to play on. Even on easy mode, the game can prove tricky and even infuriating. Believe me, the enemies in this game are not stupid. A few levels require you to be stealthy and avoid alerting any guards. Easier said than done. Guards can be alerted by seeing you, spotting a dead body of a comrade or by being shot at (by you). However, when you do complete a tricky level you are given an immense feeling of accomplishment.

XIII may be a First Person Shooter, but it doesn't mean that all you get to do is fire guns. You are given a wide number of gadgets including a grappling hook which is very fun and easy to use. You can also pick up glass bottles and similar items and use them to knock out enemies when you have to be stealthy.

CONCLUSION

GRAPHICS: 9/10 If you despise cel-shading, then stay away. If you try to cope with the strange style, you will grow to love it.

SOUND: 8.5/10 Beautiful. The music is excellent and the tons of speech is mostly fantastic (David Duchovny to voice the main character? Big mistake)

GAMEPLAY: 9/10 Controls may take a little getting used to but the game itself is incredible fun.

LIFESPAN: 8.5/10 Main game will take a while and there's also a fun multi-player mode.

If you like First Person Shooters and are not put off by the graphics, then this game is highly recommended. If you like games with a good plot then this is an essential purchase.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/12/05