- Publisher: Ubisoft
- Release Date: Nov 18, 2003
- Also On: PlayStation 2
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From the incredible visual presentation to the frenetic action to the jaw-dropping effects and pulse-pounding music, XIII is where it's at.
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PC GamerXIII is rounded out by a tantalizing multiplayer component. [Feb 2004, p.62]
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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 you love first person shooters, or stealth, or being able to break chairs over people's heads, and then swing away on a grappling hook, than this is for you.
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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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Though not without its flaws, the stylish presentation is such a unique departure from most standard FPS games, and the storyline was so superb, that I was able to put those minor flaws aside and thoroughly enjoy the game.
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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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Once you look through the cel-shaded visuals, professional voice acting, and graphic novel presentation and effects, you are left with a pretty standard shooter that doesn’t really innovate or improve upon the genre.
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A solid, competent shooter, one with a unique presentation and a story just intriguing enough to keep you playing through the end. The simplistic combat, generic design and savegame oddities keep it out of the realm of greatness.
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Still, if you want to play through a good story on the easy or normal difficulty settings, there's a lot to like here.
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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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Is XIII worth your money? I guess it is, if you're patient enough and willing to overlook certain gameplay failings in favor of a good thriller story and plenty of style. Just make sure to cover your ears or take off your headphones whenever David Duchovny is about to say something.
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Adequate in most areas, but beneath the cel-shaded exterior, there could have been more substance to make the title really stand out.
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A pretty easy game to let go and move on from.
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The major weakness of the game is the fact that you can only save at checkpoints.
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It's not a failure by any means, but feels mostly like a fun afternoon (or more) spent watching pulpy spy and war flicks.
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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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This is definitely a single player title first, multiplayer title second. Even in the former, it lacks the material to vault it into the stratosphere and turn XIII into a classic. Style and visuals can only do so much for a game.
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Sadly the AI isn't particularly good. While enemies do dodge out of the way and hide behind objects there's no intelligence to the way they fight.
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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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The cel-shaded gimmick quickly proves unable to support an otherwise unremarkable title, falling to the roadside next to ragdoll physics and destructible terrain.
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Computer Games MagazineStylish and interesting, but still in need of some animated substance. [Feb 2004, p.66]
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Computer Gaming WorldCheckpoint placement is consistent only in its inconsistency. [Feb 2004, p.83]
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netjakThe game could have been excellent if they would have worked out the bit with the cel shading properly. The game could have been above average if they would have added a decent quick-save, and not pissed off the remaining few who did like the game by adding in a decent ending with a hint of closure.
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A clear case of style over substance, XIII is pretty to look at but a bitch to play. Even all of its snazzy extra features can't make up for the hole that the evilly accurate A.I. puts in its head.
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If you're in the mood for a shooter with style, action, and lasting value, you're better off with “Serious Sam” than with XIII.
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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]
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 72 out of 120
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Mixed: 36 out of 120
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Negative: 12 out of 120
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Dec 12, 2010
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VishnuS.Jun 7, 2005It's great man, with those compelling, superb, story. A mixture of nerve and adventure, its super.
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Jul 11, 2013