XIII

"Conspiracy Theory"

What’s this a first person shooter that is cel shaded can this actually be or is it just a conspiracy to eliminate the graphics we have grown to love. Either way this game is absolutely stunning to say the least.

Graphics 10/10

Sure new things don’t always come out that great, but thankfully this comes out perfect. The games graphics will remind you of reading a comic book which I’m pretty sure this game was based upon. Anyway in my opinion the most important part of the graphics in any first person shooter (fps) is how much slow down is there, and in this case there is none. Nothing beats the close-ups you receive for firing a sniper bullet right down the head of your enemy, and despite how many times it shows up it never seems to get old. “Whaaaak” “Smaaaash” yes you’ve seen these before most likely from comic books or perhaps the original batman movies. Of course these fit right into the game so pick up a chair and smaaaash your enemies over the head with it, and see your actions in action. Another thing that is quite impressive is in the arctic levels the snow will actually hit the screen and melt into water droplets.

Sound 9/10

Many good and bad features make appearances in the sound factor here. First of all the thing most people will notice right off the bat is the star voice casting. David Duchonvy, Adam West, and Eve all star as main characters in the story. The background music is perfect for a fps like this lots of drum solos, and some of that interesting music you would only find in a world of conspiracies. One major problem is the annoying sound the guards make when you crack them with a weapon to knock them out. It is the same sound for every guard in the entire game, and it gets old quite quickly. Guards also seem to all have the same voice, seems like they had enough to pay for three big stars and have one person do all the rest of the voices. All in all there is really nothing to actually become to much of an annoyance, and the voice cast is simply phenomenal for a video game.

Control 8/10

All about the setup here, and it plays out just fine. Even if you dislike the pre-made control scheme you can customize it how you see fit. Although no one should have a problem with the control setup there are a few problems I discovered for people who jump right into the game. First of all it is very easy to confuse some of the buttons such as reload, jump, next wep, and previous wep. This can be frustrating when your life is on the line. Another thing is that the crouch button is used as the joystick in button. This is sort of hard to discover for new players to the game, and it is not mention throughout the entire game manual which button is used for crouch which seems to be an inexcusable mistake.

Gameplay 10/10

All first person shooters have the same gameplay right? Well sort of, but XIII likes to throw in its own ideas every now and then. The first new thing you will probably notice is the ability to pick up chairs, shovels, and other items laying around and use them as weapons to knock out enemies. These are also very useful in missions in which you are not allowed to kill civilians you can knock them out getting them out of your way and not face a penalty. Next thing you’ll notice is the skills setup. Getting certain skills will allow you to be a more advance killing machine. Stealth has become an important part of fps’ lately, and using the sixth sense skill you can now hear, and see the footsteps of your enemies. Next is your ability to take civilians as hostage, which will stop your enemies from firing upon you. Of course they will open fire to an easy target if you turn your back to one of them. Choice of weapons is good a well mix of pistols, automatics, explosive, and stealth types are all used to their full potential. The items are nice addition to from the lockpick to the trusty grappling hook. Although I do think they could have had more items, and more diversity in their usage. There is quite a bit of game to play here too tons of action packed missions that play more into the compelling story. Flashbacks during gameplay provides background into the story. The Xbox live feature makes this game fun for the multiplayer fanatics. This game is a welcome change from your standard run of the mill first person shooter.

Story 8.5/10

An assassination, memory loss, and the mongoose all play very important roles in the story of XIII. Steve Rowland aka number XIII is wanted by the FBI for the assassination of president William Sheridan. Meanwhile co-conspirators I through XX are all after Mr. Rowland. Fighting his way through the mysteries you must uncover your past, and what happened during the assassination of the president. Meanwhile the enemy force “mongoose” is right on Mr. Rowland’s tail, and is trying the best it can to stop him from recollecting anything. With the aide of Major Jones and General Carrington can Mr. Rowland discover his past in time to stop the conspiracy?

Overall 9/10 (Not on a average)

This is a first person shooter that all fans of the genre should play even if you are skeptical about the cel shading. This game plays out flawlessly right down to the conclusion. Fun fire fights, and a story that keeps you drawn to your seat. Keep your eye open, and your gun loaded for this is one conspiracy that should not be overlooked.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 02/21/04