XIII
GameCube- Publisher: Ubisoft
- Release Date: Nov 25, 2003
- Also On: PC, PlayStation 2
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The game is darn near perfect but BAM!...AH! All right, already! There's nothing to complain about here. XIII is a blast to play...even if it's so cool, it will kick your butt.
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As close as you will ever get to "Goldeneye" on your Cube. A brilliant storyline, superb graphics and fun gameplay make this a near-essential FPS.
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Despite some really basic errors, XIII is ambitiously big and beautiful, delivering enough of the right stuff to ensure you stick at it. Impressive. [NGC]
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Nintendo PowerThe difficulty level is high, but not frustratingly so. [Feb 2004, p.151]
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Next Level GamingFirst and foremost, you're going to get your hands on some cracker-jack weaponry, both firearm and silent. Each weapon has a standard and secondary fire, which depending on the weapon is pretty cool.
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The type of game that knows what it wants to be (a "Goldeneye" clone) and doesn't really try to do anything else. In the end, it still comes out as a really good game that's fun to play with storyline is second to none.
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XIII has a great story-driven sheen, but at it's core, it's weighed down by some occasional bewildering flaws, in addition to the lackluster weapons and simple combat we usually see in lesser productions.
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Thrill-seekers in search of a stylized 3-D shooter with a compelling story will find plenty of both in Ubi Soft's XIII.
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The graphics really do serve to enhance the overall feel of the game, almost working to white-out the flaws that are present.
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XIII just happens to be another unfortunate instance of a game that's great but no one bought.
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And with the engaging story, plus the graphic-novel presentation (boxes of action and text are constantly popping up on-screen), this truth is worth uncovering.
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If not for the graphics to carry the game through, XIII would have been a boring game. Gunfights are the best part of the gameplay. It also happens to the most unbalanced part.
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While the presentation doesn't feel like an afterthought, it probably won't quite completely fulfill your live-action, comic-book fantasies.
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The style remains, even if the game is relatively cookie-cutter.
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A more general problem is that the gameplay doesn't do much new, or even contemporary for that matter. You do the general flip-switching and item collecting types of missions, and your firepower is very typical.
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Entertainment WeeklyThe hero is voiced by former "X-Files" star David Duchovny whose deadpan delivery is mostly forgettable. [21 Nov 2003, p.L2T 46]
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Edge MagazineSeeing the game from beginning to end reveals its true artistic merit: it never gets stale; every episode has been drawn with minute care and attention. It would have been an incredible achievement if the gameplay had matched the outstanding art direction. [Dec 2003, p.94]
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Style and visuals can only do so much for a game. In our post dot-com world, image is not everything, substance does count for something.
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A pulpy, good time. Just don't expect to come back after completion for any particularly inspired level design or captivating combat.
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Electronic Gaming MonthlyIf only the developers had spend half as much time fine-tuning the enemy A.I. as they did finessing the graphics, XIII would be incredible. [Dec 2003, p.196]
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While it definitely has a certain sense of style to it, the game itself misses its mark, and the total package isn't one that will hold the interest of most first-person shooter players.
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Problem is, the missions are largely cookie-cutter (do tasks like "destroy four generators without being spotted" sound familiar?) and lack the thrill found in similarly themed games, like "GoldenEye 007" (N64). Worse yet, your opponents are unbelievably excellent shots who almost never miss.
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games(TM)It's one of those mixed-bag situations - flashes of genius and genuinely enjoyable moments of success, occasionally mired by unbalanced weapon damage, clumsy AI and the odd bit of unfair level design that requires astounding feats of memory. [Dec 2003, p.98]
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The presentation sets the tone brilliantly and drags the player through, but sadly the gameplay is largely forgettable.
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Like most women in the single scene these days, it looks good from afar but it's far from good. The hype of voice acting, stylish soundtrack, and unique comic book presentation may draw you in but the weak gameplay experience will have you running for cover.
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David Duchovny has an exceedingly flat voice. At no point does he ever really sound excited. Even when he should be excited, he really doesn't sound it. There's just a sense of resignation always seeping through.
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And despite its groovy style, XIII isn't much more than a run-of-the-mill game. Its presentation is definitely worthy of a look (particularly if you own an Xbox) but its gameplay is about as straightforward - and in some cases boring - as it gets for an FPS.
Awards & Rankings
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48
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32
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#32 Most Discussed GameCube Game of 2003
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28
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#28 Most Shared GameCube Game of 2003
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User score distribution:
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Positive: 17 out of 27
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Mixed: 8 out of 27
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Negative: 2 out of 27
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Apr 4, 2012
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Dec 24, 2021
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Jan 31, 2019